It was quite surprising for Matthew to have a girl not yet twelve years old running up to him for help, especially seeing Lily-Rose Depp's sudden change in expression from cheerful to troubled, clearly indicating she was dealing with a problem beyond her ability to solve.
After all, Lily-Rose was his goddaughter.
Matthew looked at her with concern and asked, "Lily, what happened?"
Lily-Rose's small eyebrows were furrowed deeply. "Godfather..." She hesitated before finally saying, "What should I do if someone is trying to steal my dad?"
Matthew was puzzled by the question.
"Godfather!" Lily-Rose added, "Can you help me drive away the bad person trying to take my dad?"
Matthew didn't take her words too seriously and responded casually, "Of course!" He put on a serious face. "Lily, tell me, where is this bad person? I'll make sure they regret ever trying."
Without another word, Lily-Rose stood up and tugged Matthew along. He had no choice but to follow.
They soon stopped near Johnny Depp, and Lily-Rose pointed toward her father. "Godfather, the bad person is over there!"
Matthew followed her gaze.
Lily-Rose moved closer and whispered, "It's that blonde woman. She's shameless! As soon as you left, she stuck to my dad like glue, flirting and trying to charm him."
"Sweetheart," Matthew was amazed to hear such words coming from someone her age. "How can you even tell?"
Lily-Rose tilted her head and stared at Matthew. "You underestimate me, Godfather. I'm twelve, not some clueless little kid."
That comment reminded Matthew how little he knew about interacting with girls her age, especially American girls. They matured faster, and it wasn't uncommon for some to have early experiences by fourteen or fifteen.
He thought back to himself at that age—blushing just from talking to female classmates.
"Godfather!" Lily-Rose turned to Johnny again. "Can you get rid of that bad woman for me?"
Matthew couldn't make out the face of the so-called "bad woman" from where they stood, so he took Lily-Rose to a different angle, finally getting a clear view.
"Lily, just be quiet for a moment," Matthew said, putting his finger to his lips to hush her. They were in a crowded hall, and it was best to be discreet.
More importantly, the woman Lily had pointed out looked oddly familiar. She had striking blonde hair, a tall, slender figure, and an alluring face, with a curvaceous body wrapped in a white, low-cut, tight-fitting dress. She was undeniably a bombshell.
Where had he seen her before? Matthew frowned slightly. The familiarity wasn't from a movie but from an encounter in Hollywood.
But wait—if such a stunning woman had crossed paths with him directly, wouldn't he have remembered her more vividly?
That didn't quite fit his usual behavior.
Was she one of the few who had turned him down, like Diane Kruger or Gal Gadot?
Suddenly, a memory flashed in Matthew's mind. A few years ago, during a period when he was on good terms with Tom Cruise, Cruise had tried to recruit him into Scientology. He had invited Matthew to a Scientology event, where one of the higher-ups had personally tried to persuade him. Later, they even introduced him to a female Scientologist.
Wasn't this woman that same person?
Unfortunately for Scientology, Matthew hadn't been swayed by them. On the contrary, he had turned the tables on them, and the supposed "benefit" of meeting the female Scientologist had amounted to nothing.
He had forgotten all about it until now.
What was she doing here? And how had she ended up with Johnny Depp? Could Scientology be trying to recruit Depp now?
Johnny Depp, a devout follower of the Gothic aesthetic, would never fall for Scientology's sci-fi ideology.
What was her name again?
"Godfather?" Lily-Rose asked, pulling Matthew from his thoughts. "What are you thinking about?"
Without thinking, Matthew replied, "I'm coming up with a plan."
Lily-Rose's words had triggered a clearer memory, and suddenly, Matthew recalled her name—Amber Hilton!
No, wait, it was Amber Heard!
Amber Heard? Johnny Depp? Those names together stirred something in his mind, reminding him of certain gossip he'd read across the Pacific—wasn't Amber Heard the one who accused Depp of domestic abuse?
Lily-Rose leaned in closer, her voice even quieter now. "Godfather, I have an idea."
Before Matthew could say anything, she continued in a whisper, "You should go over there and charm that bad woman away. What do you think?"
Matthew frowned at her. "Sweetheart, why would you think like that?"
"You've got charm, Godfather," Lily-Rose said, crossing her arms behind her back. "Look, Dad isn't as handsome as you, he's not as strong, not as rich, and definitely not as famous."
She clicked her tongue. "Mom says that bad women love men like you."
Matthew's face darkened. "What has Keira been teaching you?"
Lily-Rose grabbed his hand, shaking it gently. "Godfather! Godfather…" she pleaded again. "You've had so many girlfriends, adding one more wouldn't hurt you. But I only have one dad."
Matthew sighed, gently rubbing her head.
She was his goddaughter, after all.
Even though the names Amber Heard and Johnny Depp brought back some unpleasant memories, he couldn't be entirely sure this Amber Heard was the same person who had made those accusations.
But so what?
Lily-Rose's hopeful eyes were fixed on him, as if he were her last hope. For her sake, and to protect her family, Matthew decided he would step up.
If not me, then who?
"Don't worry." Matthew gave her hand a reassuring pat. "Leave it to me."
Though he said that, he knew he needed to be smart about how he approached the situation.
As they walked toward Johnny Depp's group, Matthew quickly came up with a plan. He whispered to Lily-Rose, "Just follow my lead."
When they reached the group, Matthew smiled and said, "Depp, you've been so busy you lost track of Lily."
Johnny looked at his daughter and scolded her lightly, "Didn't I tell you not to run off?"
Lily-Rose glanced at both Johnny and Matthew, lowering her head without saying anything.
"It's fine," Matthew chimed in. "She's just curious." Then he turned toward Amber Heard.
Johnny Depp immediately introduced them. "Matthew, this is Amber Heard, a friend I just met tonight."
Hearing that they had just met, Matthew's confidence grew. Smiling, he said, "Oh, Amber and I are old acquaintances."
Amber had already recognized Matthew, remembering their past encounter, and she quickly smiled. "Hello, Matthew. It's been a while."
Matthew nodded warmly. "I've been wondering when I'd see you again. Didn't expect it to be tonight."
Johnny Depp seemed momentarily surprised but soon began to piece things together.
This woman—could she have been involved with Matthew before?
Looking at Amber's stunning figure and recalling Matthew's notorious reputation, it wasn't a stretch to imagine they'd been together.
Johnny had known Matthew for six or seven years now, and they had always been good friends. From what he knew of Matthew's behavior, there was no way he would have let someone like Amber slip through his fingers.
Though Johnny didn't mind a woman having a past, the thought of her being involved with his good friend instantly killed his interest.
"I didn't expect to see you here either," Amber said, her gaze shifting from Johnny to Matthew. "After that night, I've always missed our time together."
Matthew played along. "I've missed it too."
At this, any spark of excitement Johnny had felt earlier vanished completely.
Matthew kept an eye on Johnny's reaction. Since Johnny and Amber had only just met tonight, there shouldn't be much of a problem with him stepping in as an old acquaintance.
He discreetly squeezed Lily-Rose's hand, and the clever girl immediately released him and ran to her father. "Dad, I'm hungry. Can you come get something to eat with me?"
Johnny smiled and said, "Sure."
Holding his daughter's hand, Johnny walked away toward the buffet table. On the way, Lily-Rose turned back to make a funny face at Matthew, out of sight from Amber.
"After that night, I really regretted not keeping in touch," Matthew said to Amber once they were alone. "I tried to reach out to you, but I couldn't get through."
Amber sighed. "I couldn't contact you either. Scientology... they cut me off from the outside world. I couldn't reach anyone. It was like living in a nightmare for months."
Matthew remained outwardly composed but grew more cautious internally. Was Scientology trying to use some sort of honey trap again?
"That experience made me realize how dangerous and destructive Scientology truly is," Amber added. "I finally managed to escape them."
Matthew nodded slightly. "That's no small feat and deserves a lot of respect." Then, he extended an invitation. "This place is too crowded for a proper conversation. Why don't we go somewhere quieter to talk?"
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