"Darling, what are you laughing about? Can you share it with me?"
Pete approached with a glass of wine.
"Nothing."
Aniston stopped laughing, brushed her golden hair behind her ear, and said.
"Really?"
Pete's face darkened as he glanced coldly at her, then suddenly smiled. "Luca, thank you for chatting with my wife. She seems much happier. I hope you can come by more often if you have time; I think Jenny would enjoy that, right, dear?"
He stared into Jenny's eyes as he asked.
Aniston smirked slightly. "Yes, chatting with Luca makes me very happy. Luca, are you free this weekend? You're welcome to visit us."
"..."
Luca glanced between the two, feeling a chill in the air. "Sorry, Jenny, I'm heading to London in a couple of days for a movie shoot. You know, Match Point."
"Oh, that's right, Woody Allen's new movie. Congratulations!"
Aniston said with a sincere smile.
Pete's face grew even colder as he listened. From last year to this year, he had done everything he could to sabotage Luca's auditions—Fantastic Four, Cellular, Pride and Prejudice, Match Point, and so on.
He had successfully blocked Luca from most of those roles, but unfortunately, Woody Allen was too stubborn to replace him for Match Point, giving this Brazilian country bumpkin a chance.
Pete felt a pang of frustration in his heart—he had been so close to blacklisting him completely.
"Pete? What are you thinking about?"
Aniston asked, frowning.
Pete snapped out of his thoughts, realizing Luca had already disappeared. He chuckled coldly, "Did you not leave with that bumpkin?"
"What did you just say?"
Aniston stopped in her tracks and asked.
"I said, Mrs. Pitt, can you please be more mindful of your status? You're my wife. Can you show a bit of restraint when you're with other men?"
Pete said with a stern face.
"Restraint? Luca and I were just having a chat. How does that offend you?"
Aniston frowned slightly.
"But the two of you looked more like you were... flirting."
Pete gritted his teeth.
Aniston let out a cold laugh. "Do you know how disgusting you look right now? Luca and I were just chatting, and you're making wild assumptions. What about you and Jolie and all those other women? What does that make you?"
Pete muttered quietly, "Darling, Jolie and I are just colleagues. Please believe me!"
"Sorry, I can't."
Aniston shook her head and sighed. "I invited Luca over today and openly talked and laughed with him in front of you and everyone else, just to show you that we are simply friends. Do you believe that?"
"...I believe it."
"Good, then can you please stop throwing dirt at us? As a man and a husband, you not only refuse to admit your mistakes but also shift the blame onto your wife. Don't you find that disgusting?"
Aniston asked tearfully.
Pete glanced around and sighed softly, "Jenny, can we talk about this later? Everyone is here, and this isn't the right time."
Aniston sneered, "Mr. Pitt, I don't care how many backup plans you have. If you keep targeting me, don't blame me for exposing your secrets. Do you want to see how many cards I have up my sleeve?"
"You!"
Pete squinted his eyes and let out a cold snort before heading back to the lively crowd.
"Heh."
Aniston let out a bitter laugh and downed a glass of red wine in one gulp.
"Hey, Luca, what did you do to get them arguing again?"
Leonardo approached with a glass of wine, teasing with a smile.
Luca looked back, annoyed, and shot him a glance. "What does their argument have to do with me?"
"Heh."
Leonardo gave him a once-over and said, "I'm really curious. Compared to Pete, you're way behind in both status and charm. Why would Aniston choose you? I really don't get it. Can you tell me?"
Luca frowned. "I've already told you it's just a rumor... Okay, want to know the reason?"
"What?"
"Humph, you could ask Bundchen. If you think all rumors are true, then she must know what's so good about me."
"Bundchen?"
Leonardo paused, then suddenly realized what Luca meant.
"Are you provoking me?"
He scowled and was about to respond harshly but noticed Luca had already made his escape.
"That jerk!!"
Leonardo's eyes gleamed, and he snorted as he walked back into the crowd.
Luca couldn't care less about how angry Leonardo was. He came to enjoy the party, with its wine and beautiful women—why waste time bickering with another man? It wasn't worth it.
He entered the party hall, holding a glass of champagne, greeting people left and right. Whether he knew them well or not, he tried to chat or at least listen in on their conversations—Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Diane Kruger, David Fincher, Guy Ritchie.
These were big directors, producers, and stars. Engaging in their conversations could open up many opportunities.
By around 7 p.m., the sky had darkened, and the party moved from the garden into the villa's grand living room. The lights were dazzling, and the air was thick with the scents of alcohol, perfume, and marijuana.
The party atmosphere began to shift into the night.
Luca put down his glass, ready to leave. He was a proper man who didn't enjoy the vibe of this scene. He searched for Aniston among the crowd but couldn't find her.
He took out his phone and sent her a message, letting her know he was about to leave.
Ding!
Just as he stepped out of the hall, his phone buzzed with a message.
After reading it, Luca hesitated for a moment and then walked up the dimly lit stairs to the top floor.
Along the way, he saw couples entangled with each other, heard suggestive sounds coming from the guest rooms, and even saw people directly on the couches, lost in their passion. The air was filled with the scent of desire and addiction.
Luca rubbed his nose and walked to the dressing room outside a bedroom. Gently pushing the door open, he saw Aniston.
In the dim light, she was huddled in a corner, hugging her knees. Her shoulders were trembling slightly as if she were crying.
"Jenny?"
Luca called softly.
Aniston looked up with red-rimmed eyes, her golden hair stuck to her cheeks in a messy way. Her light-colored dress had wine stains all over it, leaving her looking disheveled.
It seemed she had come to change her clothes, but her straps were still hanging off her shoulders, and her dress was only half off.
"Luca, you're here."
Aniston wiped her eyes and gave a stubborn smile.
"Jenny, are you okay?"
Luca crouched down and asked.
Aniston stared at him, then suddenly laughed, though her voice was choked with emotion. "I'm fine!"
Luca shook his head, unsure how to comfort her. Getting involved with a jerk ruins a woman's life, but he himself was a jerk, too.
He sat down cross-legged, intending to sit across from her, but Aniston pulled him closer.
She leaned her head on his shoulder and began to pour out all the sadness she'd been holding in: the box office failures, the heartbreak, her career falling apart. She said it felt like her luck ran out after Friends ended.
Luca shook his head and said, "To meet you, I must have used up all my luck in life. How could your luck be gone?"
Aniston chuckled softly, laughing so hard she almost bent over.
"Meeting you was my good luck, too."
Aniston smiled seriously.
Luca scratched his head and gave a shy smile.
"You're too easy to fall for."
Aniston touched his cheek, then suddenly pounced on him, pinning him to the ground and passionately kissing him.
"..."
Luca lay on the ground, his mind blank. What just happened?