Chapter 36 – Nicole's Resolve
After a night of passion, Catherine ended up being stood up by William.
The next morning—
Nicole, still draped in what she had worn the night before, stood out on the balcony, gazing at the view.
That little schemer… trying to compete with me?
She let out a cold smile and took a sip of milk.
For Nicole, at least until William had firmly elevated her career, their relationship absolutely could not show cracks.
She wasn't foolish enough to threaten him or demand that he cut off contact with other women. That was the tactic of insecure women.
She, Nicole Kidman, didn't need that.
Her own charm was more than enough.
And sure enough, the moment she put in a little effort, William had immediately canceled his dinner with Catherine.
Of course, she hadn't truly intended to permanently block him from seeing Catherine.
That would have been unwise.
Stopping him last night had simply been a statement of position—and a reminder of what she could offer.
Even if William later chose to meet Catherine again, he would subconsciously compare the two of them.
As long as she didn't lose to that little upstart, she would remain in control.
No matter how hard Catherine tried, she would never fully command William's attention.
---
A few hours later—
Umbrella Studio, Stage Two.
In front of the cameras, William and Nicole were performing a scene together.
Filming went smoothly.
Their chemistry had grown noticeably stronger. The number of retakes had dropped significantly.
But at that moment, an unexpected visitor appeared outside Stage Two.
"Hey, buddy," the man called out casually, "don't tell me you don't recognize me?"
Tom Cruise looked at the expressionless Alexei and flashed what he believed to be a dazzling, charismatic smile.
Alexei didn't even blink.
"Sorry, Mr. Cruise. Private soundstage. No visitors."
Tom froze for a second after being turned away.
That move—flashing his signature grin—had never failed him at other studios.
In fact, whenever he dropped by another production's set, the owner of the studio or the film's director would usually greet him enthusiastically.
Some even invited him to make a cameo appearance on the spot.
But being denied at the door like this?
That was rare.
"I'm a friend of Nicole Kidman," Tom said, forcing patience into his tone. "I just want to visit the set. That should be fine, right?"
There was a hint of disbelief in his voice.
Alexei calmly took out his walkie-talkie and reported the situation to Sergei in Russian.
---
Inside the soundstage.
William and Nicole had just wrapped a take when Sergei, standing at the edge of the set, gave William a subtle look—something was up.
William stepped away from the interruption. "What happened?"
"Sir, Tom Cruise is at the entrance. He says he's here to visit Miss Kidman."
Sergei didn't add commentary. He knew William and Nicole were close, so he simply delivered the facts.
William raised an eyebrow.
He glanced toward Nicole, who was resting in a chair. She had already noticed his look and walked over.
"What? Does this involve me?" she asked.
"Tom Cruise is outside," William said with a faint smile. "He says he's here to see you."
Nicole's heart skipped.
For a split second, she thought William suspected something between her and Tom.
There wasn't anything.
Nicole wasn't foolish. Once you chose a side, continuing contact with the other would only leave you isolated from both.
She immediately said, a little flustered:
"You have to believe me. I haven't spoken to him in a long time.
You've practically been staying at my place every night lately—you should know I'm not lying."
It was the first time William had seen her this nervous.
"Relax," he said calmly. "I'm not doubting you. I just want to know how you'd like to handle it."
His tone was light, unreadable.
Nicole couldn't quite gauge what he was thinking.
"Let him in," she said after a moment. "I'll make it clear in front of you that he should stop bothering me."
She had made her decision—publicly drawing a line.
"Alright," William replied. "I'll have Alexei let him through."
He signaled Sergei, who relayed the instruction.
Moments later, Tom Cruise walked in.
It was the first time William had seen the living, breathing superstar up close.
He had to admit—aside from being a bit shorter than expected, the man was undeniably handsome.
"Hey, Nicole. Long time no see," Tom said warmly, acting as though they were old friends.
"Mr. Cruise," Nicole replied with a polite smile, "we're not that close. Please don't call me by my first name so casually."
The smile on Tom's face stiffened.
He had imagined every possible scenario.
He'd imagined Nicole realizing her mistake and coming back to him.
He'd imagined her trying to play both sides—balancing between him and William.
But he had never imagined she would draw a clean boundary.
Did she know who he was?
Tom Cruise.
One of Hollywood's hottest leading men.
Any film he starred in exploded at the box office.
A global star.
So who exactly was this William Blake?
What kind of man could make Nicole choose him so decisively?
Still, Tom was a professional actor.
After the brief flicker of stiffness, he restored his charming smile.
"Looks like I was presumptuous. My apologies. You must be Mr. Blake. I saw your interview yesterday—heard a lot about you."
He extended his hand.
William smiled lightly and shook it.
On the surface, the two men appeared cordial.
What lay beneath was known only to them.
"Mr. Cruise," Nicole continued evenly, "may I ask why you're here today?
If I remember correctly, we're not even ordinary friends. We've only met a few times through work.
Your sudden visit makes me… a little uncomfortable."
She was drawing the line again—clearly, firmly.
Tom felt irritation building.
Was he really that undesirable?
Meanwhile, William found himself admiring her more and more.
What a smart woman.
"Wow," Tom laughed awkwardly. "I thought we were already friends."
He tried to brush it off as a joke.
But he had underestimated Nicole's resolve.
She looked at him seriously and said:
"I'm sorry. We've never been friends. At most, we're acquaintances who've met a few times on workdays. Nothing more."
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