Standing by the window overlooking the canal, Natalie Portman stared in the direction three streets away, her expression constantly shifting. Finally, she pulled out her phone to check the message she had just received again. The message clearly informed her that Darren Aronofsky had gone to the hotel where the Black Swan crew was staying.
The person who sent the message was an assistant she had bribed within the crew, the same person who had tipped her off about Darren Aronofsky's affair with Mila Kunis.
Thinking about it made Natalie shake with rage. Mila Kunis was supposed to be her friend—she was the one who had invited her to join the crew.
And what did she get in return? That so-called "friend" had intruded on her relationship with Darren Aronofsky.
"Slut!" Natalie Portman muttered under her breath, seething with anger. "Shameless tramp!"
Both Mila Kunis and Darren Aronofsky had betrayed her.
But Natalie quickly forced herself to calm down. Her hand instinctively moved to her belly. She couldn't let her anger affect the baby growing inside her.
She was over a month pregnant, and no one knew—not even Darren Aronofsky.
Her phone buzzed again with another text message from the assistant, directly informing her that Darren Aronofsky had entered Mila Kunis' room.
A man going into a woman's room—what could it possibly be for? To discuss work? She wasn't naive.
Natalie bit her lip, recalling how she had discussed this very issue with Darren before. He had clearly promised her that he wouldn't get involved with Mila Kunis again.
Once again, Darren Aronofsky had lied to her!
And that wretched Mila Kunis! Natalie had trusted her as a friend, and this was how she repaid that friendship?
Still clinging to a shred of hope, Natalie dialed Darren Aronofsky's number.
"Hey, Darren, where are you?" she asked.
From the other end of the line, Darren's voice sounded a bit impatient. "I'm meeting with two international distributors to discuss the overseas release of Black Swan."
"Oh." Natalie didn't press further. "Try to come back early."
After hanging up, she put her phone away, her face growing more resolute. She left her room, requested a speedboat, and headed to the hotel where the Black Swan crew was staying.
The two hotels weren't far apart. In just five or six minutes, Natalie stepped onto the small pier in front of the crew's hotel.
Without hesitating, she went straight to the floor where Mila Kunis' room was, as indicated by the text message. She found the room and knocked hard on the door.
Bang—bang—bang—
The knocking was loud enough to be heard from a distance.
But there was no response from inside, as if no one was there.
Natalie didn't care. She kept knocking. The person she had paid handsomely for this information couldn't be lying—those two were definitely inside.
She wanted to see their faces when she caught them. What would Mila Kunis and Darren Aronofsky say? Would they feel embarrassed?
Bang—bang—bang—
The knocking became more urgent and forceful.
Finally, during a brief pause in her knocking, Natalie faintly heard footsteps approaching the door.
"Who is it?" Mila Kunis' voice came from behind the door.
Natalie didn't respond and continued knocking.
The door opened, and there stood Mila Kunis.
Mila looked surprised at first but then smiled. "Nat, what are you doing here?"
Natalie stared at her, noticing that Mila seemed perfectly normal—there was no hint of embarrassment.
"Move aside!" Natalie pushed her way into the room, only to see Mila standing behind the door, wrapped in nothing but a short towel.
Mila wasn't stupid. She immediately realized why Natalie had come. With a shrug, she didn't try to stop Natalie, stepping aside and crossing her arms, following her into the room.
After all, she had already done the deed—what was there to hide? It wasn't like this was the first time.
Natalie stormed past the hallway and immediately saw Darren Aronofsky lying on the couch. Whether he didn't care or simply didn't have time to react, he was completely naked.
With clothes scattered all over the carpet and Darren and Mila's relaxed attitudes, it was clear to anyone what they had been up to.
"Nat?" Darren Aronofsky sat up, frowning. "What are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here?" Natalie let out a bitter laugh.
Mila Kunis leaned against the wall, arms crossed, seemingly disinterested, as though she were just a bystander.
Natalie pressed a hand to her belly, suppressing her anger. "Weren't you meeting with international distributors? How did you end up here?" She pointed at Mila. "And why are you messing around with her?"
Darren's face darkened. "Are you following me?"
Mila, still nonchalant, said, "Nat, don't get so worked up. Darren and I were just fooling around."
Hearing this, Darren glanced at Mila but said coldly, "Let's talk about this later."
Seeing how neither of them felt even a shred of shame or guilt, Natalie's heart froze. How could anyone be so shameless?
"Mila, I thought we were friends. Best friends!" Natalie's voice was full of hurt. "Is this how you treat a friend?"
"I've always thought of you as my best friend," Mila responded calmly.
To her, wasn't that what best friends' men were for? Stealing a stranger's man wasn't nearly as fun.
Natalie was speechless, turning back to Darren and asking, "And you? What do you have to say?"
Darren shrugged, getting dressed as he spoke. "It's no big deal."
"No big deal?" Natalie's voice rose. "You cheated on me! You cheated on your girlfriend!"
Darren buckled his belt, then smiled. "Nat, when did I ever say you were my girlfriend?"
Natalie froze, completely caught off guard by his response.
"You were the one who came to me first." Darren continued as he put on his shirt. "You seduced me."
He stated a fact. "You wanted the lead role in Black Swan. Did you think I wouldn't notice?"
Mila covered her mouth, unable to suppress her laughter. This was more entertaining than sleeping with Darren.
Without sparing a glance at either woman, Darren said flatly, "Miss Portman, our relationship ends here."
With that, he grabbed his coat and left Mila's room without looking back.
Mila moved closer to Natalie. "Nat, don't take it to heart. A guy like that isn't worth it. Just have fun with him and move on." She lightly squeezed Natalie's hand. "If I get a boyfriend in the future and you like him, you can steal him too—I wouldn't mind."
Slap—
Natalie slapped Mila hard across the face, shouting, "You shameless whore!"
Mila hadn't expected Natalie to hit her and was stunned for a moment. By the time she recovered, Natalie had already walked out of the room.
"F#@K!" Mila cursed at the closed door. "Bitch!"
The slap had hurt, and Mila was furious. Though she stood still, her mind was already working on how to get back at Natalie.
Stealing Natalie's man? That had already been done. Darren Aronofsky wasn't all that great anyway—he wasn't worth much.
Mila dropped her towel, picked up her clothes, and sat on the couch, thinking about what to do next.
A friend like Natalie Portman? Mila wouldn't miss her at all. In fact, losing her might even be a relief.
She had overheard some assistants in the crew gossiping about how Natalie had stolen the lead role in Black Swan from her friend, Rachel Weisz, who also happened to be Darren's ex.
Sure, it was despicable to steal a friend's man, but how was Natalie any better? She hadn't just taken Rachel's role; she had also taken her boyfriend.
And now she had the nerve to call Mila a whore? As if she weren't just as bad.
Rubbing her still-sore face, Mila smirked. Natalie Portman might appear to be a good girl, a smart, scholarly type in public, but deep down, she was just another manipulative woman.
As for their friendship? That slap had ended it.
After hearing about Natalie's scheming with Rachel Weisz, Mila had known exactly what kind of person Natalie was. Her so-called "friends" were just pawns in her game. Who's to say she wouldn't betray Mila in the future?
Stealing a friend's man? Mila had no moral qualms about it. Stealing Natalie's man? Even less so.
But she became cautious again. Natalie Portman was a woman with deep cunning—would she try to get revenge later? It seemed highly likely.
Mila wouldn't overestimate Natalie's morality. After all, she was just as manipulative herself.
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