Chapter 161 – The premiere is about to happen
Rodrigo wiped his sweaty palms again, took a deep breath, and tried to relax the stiff muscles in his face—but it was anything but easy.
He had been worried that today’s screening would be too quiet, but the turnout was overwhelming. He hadn’t even had a moment to catch his breath.
So… was all of this arranged by Andy Rogers?
Entering the theatre, he followed the staff member leading him toward the screening room. His throat had gone dry from nerves. The excitement surrounding the event meant that Buried would soon be facing even more audience reactions and more media scrutiny. Toronto was known for being friendly to filmmakers, yes—but what if even the Toronto audience didn’t like it?
The pressure surging over him made his heartbeat slowly accelerate, his stomach churning. Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught sight of Natalie Portman—she was heading toward the back exit of the theatre, not toward the screening room. Surprised, Rodrigo hurried after her, calling out, “Miss Portman!”
Natalie didn’t stop. She kept walking at the same steady pace, as if she hadn’t heard him at all.
Rodrigo quickened his steps, practically taking two strides for every three, catching up to her side and politely reminding her, “Miss Portman, the screening room is that way. You’re going in the wrong direction.”
Natalie lifted her head, glanced at him, and offered a polite smile. “Don’t worry about me. You go ahead. I have some… ladies’ business to take care of.”
Ladies’ business—meaning the restroom.
Rodrigo let out an awkward laugh. “Then I’ll see you inside later.” He slowed down, watching her walk away, then turned back toward the screening room. As he looked up, he noticed the sign overhead: Restrooms.
If the restrooms were in this direction, then where had Natalie been going just now?
He turned around. The hallway behind him was already empty. Rodrigo tilted his head in confusion, unable to make sense of it, but still continued forward, glancing back every few steps as he headed toward the screening room.
Natalie had left—without the slightest hesitation.
She knew there was no reason for her to stay. She had no real interest in the film, and after the screening, she would have few opportunities to stir up more scandalous speculation. Staying would be a waste of time—and she would have to cooperate with Renly to promote his movie. On the other hand, if she slipped away now, the reporters wouldn’t notice. At most, they’d assume she sneaked out before the ending, helping her create the impression that she was deliberately distancing herself from the rumours.
Thinking of Renly’s performance at the screening today, irritation welled up in her again. In today’s confrontation, she had clearly come out on the losing side, and that feeling was infuriating. Damn, Renly Hall—she hated him to the point of grinding her teeth.
But she didn’t have time to settle scores with that self-righteous man. She needed to focus on the potential danger ahead.
Over the past few days, they had been quietly spreading rumours, pushing the narrative about her and Renly. But now, it was clear that Renly had no intention of cooperating—he had even turned the situation back on her. Soon enough, reporters would notice that she had gone to the movies with Benjamin, and they would realise she was trying to shift attention elsewhere. That meant that once her attempt to cover things up failed, the reporters’ suspicions would only grow stronger.
If they wanted to avoid Black Swan’s awards campaign getting dragged into trouble before it even began, they had to make the first move.
Rodrigo hurried into the screening room and immediately spotted Renly laughing and chatting with Rami and James. The sight eased his nerves a little. Approaching Renly, he lowered his voice and said, “Renly, I just saw Natalie heading toward the restroom. She might miss the opening.”
Renly glanced around. Sure enough, Natalie was nowhere in sight. But he wasn’t surprised. The two of them had never been on the same page to begin with. If their roles were reversed, he would have left as well—that would have been the smartest choice.
“Don’t worry about her. She’s not supposed to be the focus today. Enjoy your moment. We’ve been waiting for this day, haven’t we? This is the Toronto Film Festival—Buried is about to meet its audience. The last thing you should be thinking about right now is other people.”
Feeling Renly’s composure, Rodrigo gradually relaxed, a smile spreading across his face. Yes, he should trust Renly. Memories of filming flooded back to him, replacing his anxiety with a flicker of excitement. He could hardly wait now—eager for the audience’s reaction, eager for what the journalists and critics would say.
“This is Toronto,” Rodrigo murmured in awe.
Renly grinned broadly. “This is Toronto.”
Tessa Britton trailed closely behind Chanel Laurent, disbelief shining in her eyes. “You mean, right in the hostel lobby, he performed something so incredible that the entire crowd couldn’t tell whether it was real or acting?”
Chanel nodded firmly. “That’s exactly why I rushed to Toronto. I wanted to see this film as soon as possible.” Her smile blossomed, her mood lifting with excitement. “Trust me—seeing it in person was even more powerful than any description. The authenticity and impact hit you so much harder.” Then she added eagerly, “Oh, and two weeks ago, he won the Emmy for Best Actor in a Miniseries for The Pacific. Clearly, I’m not the only one who thinks he’s a remarkable actor.”
“The Pacific?” Tessa repeated. “I’ve heard of that one—isn’t it made by the same team behind Band of Brothers?” Once Chanel confirmed it, understanding dawned on her. “I’m not really into war stories, so I never watched it. But now? I’m definitely interested.”
Tessa clenched her fists in excitement. Not that she cared about the show itself—she wanted to see Renly. Watching a handsome man on a giant screen was already a delight. Whether the show was good or not hardly mattered. She secretly decided that once she got home, she was going to dig up The Pacific and watch it.
Following the crowd, Tessa and Chanel entered the screening room. The limited space boiled with the press of people, hot and restless enough to feel suffocating. Tessa’s eyes immediately caught Renly standing in the open space at the front of the first row, and her heart leapt…
Ryan was there too!
Tessa couldn’t help clenching both fists, practically bouncing in place from excitement. She had only planned to catch a glimpse of Ryan up close by the red carpet—she never expected such an unexpected surprise! Not only had she spotted Renly, but she’d actually found Ryan and Renly standing side by side. Watching the two handsome men chatting and laughing together, Tessa was so overwhelmed that her body trembled uncontrollably.
“Ryan!” she burst out, unable to contain herself, shouting before she could stop it. She knew this was a movie theatre, she knew behaving like this was rude, but she simply couldn’t hold back her excitement. “Renly!”
At her call, both Ryan and Renly turned their heads, quickly locating the source of the voice. Ryan lifted his right hand high and waved, while Renly beside him broke into a wide smile, leaning toward Ryan to say something that made Ryan chuckle as well.
“Renly!” Tessa cried out again, the words exploding from her throat, her whole body trembling. Everything felt so perfect, so perfect it was unreal, as if the world had been wrapped in a soft halo of light, dazzling and dreamlike. Behind her, the crowd surged impatiently, pushing forward, unhappy with the sudden stop. Tessa was carried a few steps ahead, but her gaze stayed fixed on Renly and Ryan, unwilling to look away.
Gavin Hunt lifted his head and swept his eyes across the screening room. Out of the three hundred seats, more than two-thirds were already filled, and with the steady flow of people still pouring in behind him, it was almost certain the theatre would be packed to capacity.
Though this was a small venue, Buried was the least anticipated film among the fifty-one entries at this year’s Toronto Film Festival: no big-name actors, no big-name director, no hometown advantage, and no marketing whatsoever. Even though this was its premiere, it had still been tossed into the awkward 4 p.m. slot. Given all that, the fact that the theatre might actually sell out was truly remarkable.
A faint sense of anticipation stirred in Gavin. Just as Ryan had said—what kind of film had Renly made?
“Hey, man.” A voice sounded beside him. Gavin turned his head to see someone smiling at him. “Daisy Lucas, Vanity Fair. Earlier during the screening, Renly said he and Ryan were dating. What was that about?” Daisy kept pace with him, fully aware that Gavin was probably the only person who knew the story.
And not just about that remark—he might also know something about what was going on between Natalie and Renly.
Gavin didn’t think much of it and cheerfully summarised how he had first run into Renly and Natalie, and later, Renly and Ryan.
But Daisy immediately picked up on the oddity. “Wait—you’re saying Renly didn’t watch the movie with Natalie, but with Ryan? And Natalie watched it with Benjamin instead?” A light bulb sparked in her mind. The situation seemed more complicated than it appeared, and yet, somehow, simpler.
“Exactly,” Gavin nodded. Then he suddenly noticed that it wasn’t just Daisy—every reporter within earshot had subtly perked up, leaning in, expressions thoughtful and curious. Only then did Gavin realise that he had probably overlooked something… and accidentally revealed something. He immediately shut his mouth, trying to think carefully, but no clear answer came to mind.
“The screening is about to start.” Seeing the lights dim, Gavin quickly hurried off to find an empty seat and sat down. Whatever gossip was brewing outside, what he truly cared about today was Buried!
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