I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1109: You Villain]

It was early morning.

Eric woke up to find Merissa Mayer beside him, holding a pillow and resting her chin on her arms, gazing intently at him. He chuckled lightly, reached over, and pulled her naked body onto his. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Merissa was pressed closely against Eric, especially with the discomfort caused by the man's morning arousal. Her face flushed slightly, and she gently struggled to free herself. Seeing it was futile, she finally gave in and whispered, "Eric, I want to start working at Firefly Electronics early next year."

Eric's hands, which had been caressing her, froze for a moment. "Isn't that a bit soon? Besides, I hoped you'd go to Nokia."

"I know," Merissa Merissa Mayer replied. "But if I just jump into leading a mobile phone development department at Nokia, I'm worried I won't do well. So, I want to get some experience at Firefly Electronics first. I found out that most of the key technologies involved in your vision for smartphones are with Firefly."

"If that's what you want, then of course, it's fine," Eric said, nodding slightly. "But suddenly I feel like you're trying to escape from me, and that makes me unhappy."

"I do want to escape from you," Merissa propped herself up on Eric's chest, locking eyes with him. "If I don't, I fear one day I'll end up like those other girls. You're a great lover but also a terrifying one; a woman feels like she can't escape."

"That's not the case at all," Eric gently pressed her back against him again, saying, "You know, many women have escaped from me."

"That's because you don't care about them at all. No matter how much money you throw at them, no matter how gentle you appear, even if you elevate them to stardom, you truly don't care. They didn't escape from you; they were abandoned by you," Merissa said, tracing a circle on Eric's chest with her finger. "You can be really cold at times, which is scary. So, I plan to escape from you before I end up as pitiful as those girls you've left behind."

"Suddenly, I feel like a villain. Looks like I need to truly repent," Eric jested.

"You already are a villain."

"I'm just trying to show a bit of humility. Don't take it so seriously."

"You villain."

"Oh, I get it. I must be provoking you," Eric tightened his embrace, flipping Merissa on her back. "Provocateur, accept your punishment."

Merissa giggled, wrapping her long legs around Eric's waist. Feeling the sudden rigidity in his body, she wore a playful expression and leaned in to plant a soft kiss on his lips, whispering, "But, Eric, our flight is at nine o'clock."

"Then we'll leave at ten," Eric pressed her legs down, loosening his hold slightly, his tone turning playfully stern again. "No, I'm really angry now, so it'll be eleven."

...

After finally having lunch with his female assistant in Palo Alto, Eric flew back to Los Angeles.

Upon hearing that Eric had decided to attend the Oscars that night, Nicole called him early. She would also be attending the ceremony for similar reasons, as The Mummy 3 was set to release in June. Although this might be the last film in the Mummy franchise for her, she remained dedicated to fulfilling her promotional duties.

As for the other women, they might attend the Vanity Fair party after the Oscars, but they had no interest in the ceremony itself.

Julia had projects last year and this year; her film this year, Erin Brockovich, was even an Oscar contender. By rights, she should have been at the Academy Awards, but she had always been indifferent about these matters. In Eric's memory, though she had long been qualified, Julia had never bothered to leave her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

...

By five in the afternoon, Nicole and Eric headed to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles.

After leaving Nicole's place in Beverly Hills, they arrived downtown nearly at five-thirty. Their vehicle, amidst a convoy of a dozen stretch limos, slowly made its way to the red carpet entrance outside the pavilion.

A few minutes later, the limousine finally came to a stop at the red carpet entrance.

As the driver opened the door, Nicole held Eric back again, carefully checking him over before allowing him to exit. This was one of the rare occasions she publicly appeared with Eric, and she wanted everything to go perfectly.

Once Eric stepped out, he walked around to the other side and gentlemanly offered his arm to Nicole, who looked stunning in a light blue gown, and together they approached the red carpet.

However, as they stepped onto the carpet, Eric couldn't help but frown.

The Oscar red carpet was always the most crowded of all film festivals or awards ceremonies, but today, it was even more chaotic than he had imagined. Not only were the crowds jostling together, but the guest areas on either side also seemed messy.

ABC had long been a fixed partner for the Oscars. Although the ceremony was primarily organized by the Academy, Eric decided to have Katzenberg follow up with ABC's executives about how this was happening after the event was over.

Nicole had initially been smiling and waving to the audience while holding onto Eric's arm, but when she noticed Eric's security guard, Carter Moen, closely following them, her demeanor changed. She tugged at Eric's arm and asked, "Do we really need to have Carter following us like this?"

"The latest security assessments suggest that my chances of being attacked in public are higher than both John Lennon and John Kennedy combined. You don't really think everyone is friendly towards me, do you?"

Although Eric hadn't faced any attacks since his rebirth except for that one incident at the Long Island racetrack, he had never relaxed his security protocols.

Eric was acutely aware of his circumstances; his power and wealth attracted too many eyes, and having risen so quickly, he hadn't laid down a solid foundation to support his fortune. He didn't even have an heir to continue his empire, and if something happened to him, the consequences would be dire.

Nicole, momentarily overwhelmed by all these thoughts, instinctively glanced around nervously upon hearing the names John Lennon and John Kennedy. But she quickly pinched Eric's arm gently, teasing, "I actually think you're just worried about another girl jumping out of the crowd to bite you."

With that, Eric recalled Paul Roland's phone call from yesterday. He glanced at Carter Moen behind them and felt inclined to say something. But realizing the situation wasn't right, he decided to hold back for now.

This red carpet was exceptionally chaotic, and both Eric and Nicole felt impatient dealing with guests who occasionally came up to greet them. Ignoring the media's attempts to keep them longer, they quickened their pace and soon reached the end of the carpet.

...

As Eric and Nicole appeared, Nicole's manager, Pat Kingsley, and an ABC producer with an earpiece approached them. Nicole had already pre-arranged a red carpet interview.

The final interview spot at the end of the red carpet was the only relatively formal point Eric had seen today. According to the norm, there should be three interview spots set at the entrance, middle, and end of the red carpet, but Eric hadn't noticed where the first two were, further contributing to his dissatisfaction with the ceremony's execution.

Although he wasn't overly keen on these matters, he still remembered the names of several common hosts for the Oscars, such as veteran Robin Roberts from ABC. However, the person currently at the interview platform was a tall, young blonde host with a sweet, beautiful face, dressed in a pink off-shoulder gown, easily outshining most of the women on the red carpet.

At that moment, however, Eric had no interest in admiring beauty. His expression was rather somber.

Pat Kingsley nodded at Eric, whispered a few words to Nicole, and stepped aside. The ABC producer gestured for them, "Mr. Williams, Miss Kidman, this way, please."

Eric helped Nicole step onto the interview platform and turned to the producer, "Who is directing this year's ceremony? Have him come see me."

The director of the Oscars usually was the head of the ABC team.

After saying that, Eric stepped onto the interview platform.

The producer had already recognized the cold expression on Eric's face and was visibly wary. Upon hearing Eric's request, he quickly relayed it through the microphone back to the control room.

...

"Mr. Williams, Miss Kidman, hello, I'm Laura Spencer," the attractive blonde host introduced herself respectfully.

Though it was her first time covering the Oscar red carpet, Laura Spencer was not intimidated. If she were interviewing other guests, she might have cracked a few jokes, but she could sense that the big boss's mood was anything but cheerful.

Nicole was naturally more attuned to the shifts in Eric's emotions. She engaged with Laura deftly, secretly pinching Eric's waist with one hand.

Eric forced a smile, trying to appear less bothered.

The producer indicated the interview could start, and the three adjusted their positions before commencing in a serious tone.

They followed the typical conversation about Nicole's gown and makeup and her upcoming film, The Mummy 3. Laura Spencer seemed a bit intimidated by Eric, only offering polite wishes for Eric's luck later that evening, which he simply acknowledged with nods. The interview content had been prearranged, and since he had only decided to attend yesterday, he harbored no ill will towards the host for lacking focus on him.

..

After leaving the interview platform, the Oscars' director, Louis Horvitz, was waiting nearby.

With so many camera lenses around, Eric couldn't afford to explode with anger. Instead, he pointed toward the chaotic red carpet and coldly told Louis Horvitz, "Look at it -- doesn't it look like a bunch of lost fish? I hope the upcoming ceremony isn't as chaotic as this red carpet. And," he gestured toward the young host, "how old is she? Is she even eighteen?"

After making those statements, Eric lost interest in Louis Horvitz's reaction and began walking forward with Nicole. Since he had spoken up, he was confident Robert Iger would have to provide him with some answers.

"I think this red carpet isn't too bad," Nicole hesitated before softly saying, hanging onto Eric's arm. But her words lacked conviction.

Eric recognized she was trying to appease him and shook his head, smiling. "Alright, I guess I am being too harsh."

"Not at all, you're the boss; your word is always right," Nicole quickly changed her stance, adopting a very neutral tone.

"You're not Julia in a Nicole disguise now, are you?"

Nicole retorted playfully, "Are you saying you want us all to be like Julia?"

"Not at all."

...

After taking a few pictures at the media wall, Eric and Nicole finally entered the grand lobby.

The lobby of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion was also packed with people. As there was still some time before the ceremony began, no one had taken their seats yet.

"Hey, Eric, good afternoon."

As Eric made his way in, Harvey, along with the crew from The Horse Whisperer, approached him. Robert Redford's expression upon seeing Eric was remarkable: "Eric, it's unbelievable; with $60,000, it has now grossed $80 million! How did you do it?"

"That's definitely a secret," Eric knew Robert Redford was referring to the still-running The Blair Witch Project. "But I can assure you, next year's Sundance Film Festival is going to be packed."

"That's what I think too," Robert Redford responded with a grin. "Just don't know if that's good or bad for Sundance."

The Sundance Film Festival had always prided itself on fostering new talents and independent films. The arrival of The Blair Witch Project, a dark horse at the box office, would undoubtedly attract many mainstream Hollywood companies to Park City for profits, making it likely that the festival would become increasingly commercialized in the future.

...

After exchanging pleasantries with guests in the lobby, Eric finally found a moment to pull aside Carter Moen, while Nicole was chatting with Meryl Streep. He whispered, "Call Paul Roland and ask where Carmen Kass is right now. Don't let her go to the Vanity Fair party. Have someone pick her up and bring her to Liberty City."

Although Nicole was the only one attending the ceremony, her friends would likely show up at the Vanity Fair party, and while the women's attitudes about the biting incident were mostly one of schadenfreude, it was hard to imagine what would happen if Carmen Kass appeared at the Vanity Fair party.

*****

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