The Golden Globe results were no shocker—Natalie didn't win, and Jude Law and Reese Witherspoon from *Wedding Crashers* got stuck at nominations too. The only bright spot? Sam Mendes, the director of *Girl, Interrupted*, snagged Best Director for *American Beauty*. Nice one!
Mid-May's Cannes Film Festival was coming up, and Dunn had done his homework—it looked… promising!
Natalie's Golden Globe loss didn't dampen her spirits one bit. She was all smiles, clinging to Dunn's arm at the afterparty, charming everyone left and right.
"Dunn, word is you got yourself a new secretary?" Natalie flashed a sweet, radiant smile as she chatted with Catherine Keener, then leaned in to whisper to him.
Dunn didn't dodge it. "Yup, met her at that party in Australia. Smart girl. Wait—hold up, you didn't know?"
"How would I?" Natalie's eyes widened, suspicious.
Dunn smirked, puzzled. "Didn't you plant a mole by my side? You even knew I swapped out Nicole's agent—super hush-hush stuff."
Natalie giggled, a smug little grin creeping across her face. "My mole's off shooting a movie. How else would I miss your new secretary?"
"Shooting a movie? Wait—don't tell me it's Reese?!" Dunn gaped at her, floored.
"You… you didn't know?" Natalie spun around, her gorgeous eyes locking onto his, trying to spot a bluff. But nope—he was genuinely clueless.
Dunn shook his head. "Never looked into it."
Warmth bloomed in Natalie's chest. "I figured you'd have it all mapped out by now."
Dunn grinned. "You're my girlfriend—I don't hide stuff from you."
"Oh, sure," she teased, rolling her eyes. "You flirt with girls right in front of me. No need to hide anything, huh?"
Dunn paused, then leaned in close, whispering in her ear, "Nat, to me, women… they're small potatoes. You're a Harvard girl now—look at the bigger picture."
"What picture?" She shoved him playfully, lips pouting just a bit.
"Human nature!" Dunn murmured. "Last year, the president and the richest guy in the world got caught in huge scandals. How'd Hillary and Melinda handle it?"
Natalie huffed. "You've got some nerve! One's the most powerful guy on the planet, the other's the richest—Microsoft's king!"
Dunn scoffed. "Politics? Not my thing. The president? Meh, whatever. The richest guy? Give it 20 years—then we'll see!"
Natalie didn't buy it. "Forget richest—you crack the Forbes Top 100, and I'll outclass the First Lady *and* Mrs. Gates!"
"Top 100?" Dunn's eyes sparkled as he stared at her. "Nat, you serious?"
"What, my chill vibe now isn't classy enough for you?" She huffed again.
"Deal!" Dunn clapped his hands. "Nat, you said it—don't back out now!"
Natalie blinked, staring at him, stunned. "Dunn, you… you're for real?"
"Why not?" He leaned in again, voice low. "Future richest man's wife—don't go breaking your word."
"Who's a wife?!"
Natalie shot him a flirty glare, her cheeks flushing pink. She and Dunn were in the thick of their romance, and thanks to her mom's influence growing up, the title "richest man's wife" kinda had a nice ring to it.
Just then, a short, stocky guy strolled over, flashing a polished, professional smile. "Young love, huh? You two are adorable!"
It sounded nice, but there was a whiff of sarcasm in there.
Natalie gave a slight curtsy, beaming. "Hi, Mr. Cruise! I'm a huge fan—you're even handsomer than in the movies!"
Dunn shook his hand. "Tom, long time no see! *Mission: Impossible 2* wrapped up?"
"Yeah, done," Tom Cruise replied, half-smiling. "Hits theaters mid-May. Might even… clash with your *Spider-Man*."
Clearly a test.
After *Titanic* and *Star Wars: Episode I*, nobody wanted their movie dropping the same weekend as Dunn's.
Dunn chuckled. "*Spider-Man*'s still in post-production. Distribution's hit a snag too—probably won't roll out 'til mid-June, maybe late June."
Tom visibly relaxed, snapping his fingers to grab three drinks from a waiter. "Dunn, thanks for recommending that director—John's a rockstar. Let's toast! …Miss Portman, you drinking?"
Natalie held her glass, annoyed. In a setting like this, not sipping meant she wasn't drinking—period. Tom's pushy tone rubbed her the wrong way.
Dunn gently pressed her wrist down. "She doesn't drink."
Tom's face darkened, flicking a glance at Natalie. "Well, Miss Portman, you're prouder than I expected."
That did it—Natalie was ticked. *Tom Cruise* picking on her, a nobody, over his beef with Dunn and Nicole? Seriously? But she kept her cool, smiling sweetly. "Mr. Cruise, I really can't drink. But Nicole always has a glass with Dunn before bed—guess I'll ask her for tips tonight!"
*Cough, cough…*
Dunn couldn't hold it in—he nearly burst out laughing right then and there.
Outsiders might not know the full scoop, but anyone in Hollywood had a pretty good idea.
Dunn had swooped in and snatched Nicole Kidman right out from under Tom Cruise, then kept her like a pampered little bird in his nest. It was the biggest humiliation, pain, and stain on Tom Cruise's life!
You could see it on his face—his pale skin turning darker by the second, the gloom spreading all the way to his ears.
Natalie, though, played it like an innocent, clueless kid. Her big eyes blinked up at him, totally oblivious to Tom Cruise's growing fury. "Mr. Cruise, didn't you say Nicole was frigid and that's why you split? So how come she's always all over Dunn? Every time they're at it, it's at least an hour!"
Tom Cruise's face went pitch-black. He clenched his teeth so hard they might've cracked, his scalp practically trembling. He couldn't even get a word out—just let out a heavy "Hmph!" and stormed off without so much as a goodbye. Rude much?
Once he was out of sight, Dunn lost it, cracking up as he pulled Natalie into a big hug and planted a loud "mwah!" on her cheek. "Nat, I freaking love you!"
Natalie glared at Tom Cruise's retreating figure, pouting hard. "That's what he gets for being such a jerk!"
Dunn, still chuckling, leaned in and whispered, "Nat, how'd you know me and Nicole go at it for over an hour every time?"
"Nicole told me," she said matter-of-factly.
Dunn blinked, stunned. "Wait, you two talk about that stuff?"
"When we were filming *Girl, Interrupted*, we chatted about a ton of things. Not telling you what, though!" Natalie tilted her chin up with a little "hmph," then blushed, looking shy. "I'm still, uh, developing, you know. So… don't go thinking about wearing me out all the time, okay?"
"Haha!"
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