Chapter 408: Chapter 412: Nicole Made a Decision
Nicole felt a slight sweat on the palms of her hands.
She knew it was a sign of her nervousness.
She couldn't help but glance at Martin again, and saw him giving her a reassuring smile.
Immediately, her heart calmed down.
She trusted Martin!
On the other side, Harvey was also sweating, feeling even more nervous than when the Best Actress award was announced earlier.
This damn fat man couldn't help but glance at Martin as well.
Just in time to see Martin and Nicole exchanging looks, Harvey paused, feeling that something seemed off between the two.
Then, he saw Martin look over at him, smile, and even deliberately stick out his little finger to dig at his ear.
Harvey had to admit, even such a crude gesture, when done by Martin, seemed to have a unique elegance and charm—it gave off a charming, slightly rogue vibe.
Damn it!
Nicole couldn't possibly win, she had just won.
Harvey encouraged himself mentally and also extended his pinky finger to dig at his ear, making sure to flash a grin at Martin.
Martin chuckled.
A clumsy imitation!!!
"The nominees for Best Actress at this year's Oscars are: Salma Hayek for Frida, Diane Lane for Unfaithful, Julianne Moore for Far from Heaven, Renée Zellweger for Chicago, and Nicole Kidman for The Hours," Denzel Washington, who was presenting the award, first read the list of nominees.
Then he opened the envelope, smiled at the audience, and continued, "The winner of Best Actress is, Nicole Kidman for The Hours."
Nicole suddenly stood up, her emotions soaring.
She had actually won, her second Oscar for Best Actress… Martin had made it happen, he truly could do anything…
At that moment, Nicole's strongest desire was to leap into Martin's arms and share the joy and excitement with him.
But in front of so many people, she couldn't act that way. Instead, she maintained a composed appearance, hugging her fellow cast members of The Hours, accepting congratulations from everyone until she finally reached Martin's table.
Martin stood up, smiling at Nicole, and opened his arms.
Nicole was a little dazed. Unconsciously, the little boy she once knew had grown into someone like this!
Nicole walked gracefully into Martin's embrace, and the two shared a light hug.
Martin whispered in her ear, "I told you, I did it. Congratulations!"
Nicole softly responded, "Thank you, my love."
The last two words were almost inaudible.
When they parted, Nicole suddenly realized that Martin seemed to have grown taller than her.
The little boy had grown up!!!
Elsewhere, upon hearing the final list of winners, Harvey's eyes widened.
He turned his head, disbelieving, looking at Martin in utter shock, "How did this kid do it?"
He knew just how stubborn the academy's old men could be.
He, too, had worked tirelessly to build relationships with those old guys, becoming one of their favored individuals.
But Martin—what right did he have?
…
Farther away, Tom Cruise was watching the embrace between Nicole and Martin with a complex expression, a bitter taste rising in his heart, mixed with an unnamed flame.
He had divorced his ex-wife, and now, she was doing better!
That was how he felt at this very moment!
…
Though Nicole and Martin's hug was not particularly intense, it lasted a little longer than expected.
Martin gently patted Nicole's back, "Go ahead and get your award. You deserve it."
Martin wasn't being modest.
Nicole's performance in The Hours truly deserved an Oscar. Compared to the acting giants like Julianne Moore and Meryl Streep from the same movie, she certainly held her own.
The role of "Woolf," a fragmented character inclined towards self-destruction, was indeed a perfect fit for Nicole Kidman. She portrayed the sorrow of the character masterfully.
Nicole walked step by step toward the stage.
At this moment, Nicole didn't show the signs of aging she had in the original timeline. Thanks to Martin's "nurturing," Nicole truly looked radiant—she was at an age when a woman is most sophisticated and graceful, yet she still had the beauty and vitality of a woman in her twenties.
Added to that, joy and excitement made her glow even more. Nicole Kidman, on stage at this moment, radiated an unparalleled charm.
Many men in the audience were dazzled.
Harvey almost shed tears of greed—no, wait, it was greedy drool.
Damn it, why did I miss my chance back then? If only I had her…
Tom Cruise's smile stiffened because the damn cameraman kept filming him, obviously trying to catch him losing composure.
He also found it strange—why had Nicole become even more beautiful after leaving him?!
He had once thought he was tired of her, but now—deep down, a sense of regret arose.
Perhaps… I shouldn't have divorced her.
Just then, a man's voice, quiet and almost muttering, reached his ears.
"Tom Cruise actually divorced such a beautiful woman, oh, he really let her go!"
Tom couldn't contain his anger any longer. He looked over, only to find the speaker was none other than Brad Pitt, a man he despised!
He sneered, "You idiot, how dare you say anything about me? Aren't you about to divorce your beautiful American sweetheart, too?!"
Although Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston had not publicly announced the end of their marriage, their separation was no secret.
Moreover, rumors about Brad Pitt's infidelity had spread across Hollywood.
(A/N: Yes, this was of course Martin's doing. He certainly couldn't let Jennifer end up like in the original timeline, being tainted by Brad Pitt's scandal.)
Tom Cruise really couldn't understand what right Brad Pitt had to say anything to him.
On stage.
Nicole thanked a bunch of people.
She wanted to mention Martin's name among them, but just as she was about to say it, something stirred in her heart—why should she hide it? That wouldn't be fair to Martin. He had done so much for her…
The emotions surged, and she made a decision.
After finishing thanking everyone else, the attentive ones in the audience noticed that Nicole hadn't mentioned Martin's name.
Harvey noticed too, suddenly feeling joy—seemed like Nicole and Martin weren't that close, perhaps Nicole had achieved this on her own, and it wasn't Martin who had pulled the strings.
Then—