Chapter 19

Driving around the western part of Santa Monica, the Hummer turned onto the coastal highway and headed south. Murphy followed in his car. About half an hour later, they arrived near the southern suburbs, where there were independent houses hidden among the tall trees by the roadside, quiet and secluded, a perfect place for doing things that should not be seen in the light of day.

Seeing that there was only one straight road here, Murphy deliberately sped up, passing the Hummer in front of him. After pulling some distance ahead, he stopped by a 24-hour convenience store, pushed open the transparent glass door, and asked the cashier for a pack of gum.

While buying the gum, Murphy kept an eye on the road outside. When the Hummer finally appeared, he put away his wallet and walked out.

Taking out a Nikon D1 digital camera and a telephoto lens from the trunk, Murphy drove his Audi to follow the Hummer again. A few minutes later, he saw the Hummer stop by the roadside. With the help of the streetlights, he could see the driver and the passenger in the front seat seemed to be embracing each other.

Choosing a suitable distance and angle, Murphy parked his car, lowered the window, adjusted the camera and lens, and raised the camera to take pictures, capturing every moment happening in the car by continuously pressing the shutter button.

Soon, the door of the Hummer opened, and Kobe Bryant got out first, looking around. Finding no abnormalities, he called the red-haired woman to get out of the car, and they walked together towards a nearby independent house. These two seemed like dry wood meeting a raging fire, not only leaning their heads together but also constantly touching each other's sensitive areas.

Although the light was not very good, Murphy's photography skills were sufficient. The images, though somewhat blurry, clearly showed the faces of the two people, enough to identify their identities.

Close-ups, wide shots... Murphy was like a shrewd hunter, constantly capturing his prey.

Finally, the two people reached the door of the house. Seemingly unable to wait, the black man pressed the red-haired woman against the door, engaging in intense caresses and kisses. After almost a minute and a half, they finally opened the door and went inside.

Seeing the door close, Murphy put down his camera. Now he finally understood why so many celebrities were caught by paparazzi in compromising situations; sometimes they were just too reckless.

But it wasn't surprising. Top stars have money and power, seemingly at the center of the world. Once their self-discipline is lacking, beauty, money, and drugs will flood into their lives.

Compared to other stars, Kobe Bryant, at least from what Murphy had heard, was relatively self-disciplined and maintained a good public image, making him a favorite among fans and sponsors.

It was precisely because of this that the photos he took were even more valuable.

What would happen inside the house was obvious, even to a fool. After putting down his camera, Murphy did not leave but waited patiently.

Sitting in the driver's seat, looking through the open window at the independent house, Murphy felt a bit unbalanced psychologically. To say he didn't envy the lives of these superstars at all would be a lie.

Kobe Bryant was one of the better-behaved stars. In the past, Murphy had only heard of one scandal involving him. The private lives of entertainment stars were even more chaotic than those of sports stars. For example, some big-name actors and actresses, who were initially heterosexual, later became homosexual, possibly because they were tired of the opposite sex and wanted to seek excitement by trying the same sex.

Murphy believed that there were many homosexuals in Hollywood, and even more so-called bisexuals who enjoyed both men and women.

Staring at the house, his mind wandered, and Murphy passed the long, boring time. He didn't know how long it had been, but the east gradually turned white as the sun slowly rose from the horizon, dispelling the cold, dark city of sin and bringing back the bright, hot city of angels.

Bathed in the soft light, Murphy rubbed his sleepy face, grabbed his camera with the other hand, and turned to look at the door of the independent house. It was quiet, as if the people inside had forgotten the time after their狂欢.

Raising the camera, Murphy took a few more photos of the house and the Hummer under the good light conditions. After waiting for about half an hour, the door suddenly opened, and a black man wearing sunglasses and a hat walked out. As he stepped out, the red-haired woman behind him pulled him, and the tall black man turned his head, kissing the red-haired woman again.

Murphy, like a cold machine, recorded everything through the camera lens.

Compared to the dim images from last night, the shooting conditions were now ideal. In the soft morning light, Kobe Bryant appeared clearly in the camera lens, even with his hat and sunglasses. Anyone familiar with him could easily recognize the superstar of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Only when Kobe Bryant got into the Hummer did Murphy put down his camera. After the other car started, he also started his Audi and followed at a distance, not hiding his intentions, as if directly telling the driver in front, "I am following you."

The other party clearly had no bodyguards or entourage, so Murphy didn't need to be too cautious. Even if the other party tried to attack, he wouldn't be afraid after the many fights he had been in prison.

Besides, he actually hoped Kobe Bryant would attack him.

Perhaps due to the exhaustion from last night, it wasn't until they returned to the bustling streets of Santa Monica that the person in the front car noticed him. Kobe Bryant, who was driving, seemed to realize something and, when he turned onto a narrower road, suddenly slowed down and turned to block Murphy's car.

Murphy stopped his car and saw the superstar get out and walk towards him. He also got out, locked his car door, and stood in the morning sun, waiting for a conversation.

With the sun behind him and the reflection from the car windows, Murphy seemed to be emitting a golden glow, like a legendary hero from Greek mythology.

But Kobe Bryant wouldn't think that way. He walked up to Murphy in a few large strides, standing about five feet away, his eyes full of surprise, "How could it be you?"

Murphy shrugged and said frankly, "Why can't it be me?"

Seeing a change in Kobe Bryant's eyes, Murphy pointed to the passersby nearby, "This is a public place."

Kobe Bryant, after all, was not just a brute who played basketball. His clenched fists gradually relaxed, and he asked, "Are you a journalist?"

"I'm the owner of a video production company," Murphy said without hesitation, embellishing his identity.

"What did you capture?" Kobe Bryant's expression changed, "What do you want to do?"

His words carried a hint of anger and a trace of panic.

Murphy was sure Kobe Bryant wouldn't attack him, and he wasn't afraid even if he did. In the past year, he and Ross had been through many fights in prison, and the person in front of him was nothing compared to the hardened criminals there.

Leaning against the door of his Audi, Murphy looked up at the dark face and said calmly, "I captured everything, you and a beautiful red-haired girl."

Kobe Bryant's eyes flashed with a fierce light, but he then remembered the advice from his agent and public relations manager. Suppressing his anger, he thought for a moment and then reached into his pocket to pull out a wallet, "Name your price, and give me the camera."

Murphy shook his head, took out a business card, and handed it to him, "This is my business card. Look at tomorrow's newspaper headlines."

Although he didn't want to take the business card and would have preferred to punch the calm face in front of him, Kobe Bryant wasn't stupid. There were many passersby around, and some had already noticed them. Acting on impulse in a public place would only make things worse for him. He wasn't a fool like Rodman.

Moreover, the fact that the other party gave him a business card meant there was still room for negotiation.

"Alright, that's it, Mr. Bryant," Murphy said, fearing that the other party might not understand his meaning. "I hope we can meet again."

With that, he opened the car door, started the engine, and drove away, leaving the superstar behind.

Watching the Audi drive away, Kobe Bryant clenched his teeth, crumpling the business card in his large hand as if it were the detestable person himself.

"Hey, isn't that Kobe Bryant..."

As a basketball superstar and a city hero of Los Angeles, he was quickly recognized. Kobe Bryant quickly got into his car to avoid the crowd, keeping the crumpled business card tightly in his hand the whole time.

A superstar with such a good public image was not a fool or a reckless person. Kobe Bryant knew that, for the sake of his public image and sponsorship contracts, he had to keep the business card.

The Hummer left the road, and Kobe Bryant took out his phone and dialed a number. A sweet female voice soon answered, "Hello, this is the CAA Sports Division..."

On the other side, Murphy returned home, took out the memory card from the digital camera, and connected it to his laptop. The card contained not only the photos of Kobe Bryant he had just taken but also some images taken by Cara Fies.

For the moment, he ignored Cara Fies' images and looked through the ones he had taken. The digital camera technology of this era was not yet mature, and the light last night was not good, so many of the photos were not very clear. However, the faces were recognizable enough to identify Kobe Bryant, which was sufficient for him.

After drinking a cup of coffee and resting for a while, Murphy was about to go to sleep when his phone rang, showing an unknown number.

(Unable to find the specific agency, I had to use CAA. If anyone knows, please leave a comment in the review section, and I will make the necessary changes.)

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