I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1112: Take a Look for Yourself]

Not many people knew about Eric being bitten. After Amy Pascal and Tina Brown walked away, Eric felt freer to speak. He smiled and asked Drew across from him, "What did you want to see her for?"

The girl knelt on the other side of the table, her small arms resting on the surface. Showing her white teeth, she replied, "To help you get your revenge."

Eric reached across the table, playfully touching her delicate face as she leaned closer. "Listen, how about I plead for her? You guys shouldn't bully her anymore, okay?"

"Hmm," the girl shook her head, brushing off Eric's hand. "Eric, I'm jealous."

At this moment, Elisabeth realized what was being said and chimed in, "I'm jealous too."

Julia nodded in agreement, expressing her jealousy as well.

"Alright, let's not do that," Eric said, pinching the girl's chin playfully before retracting his hand. "I'm already under a lot of pressure. If you keep pushing me, something might go wrong. If I lose my mind, there won't be anyone to support you."

Upon hearing this, Elisabeth rolled her eyes and said, "If you lose it, we'll build you the most luxurious mental institution in the world."

Julia nodded again, seemingly eager to move in.

But suddenly, the girl quieted down, her gaze fixed intently on Eric. After a few seconds, she leaned in, disregarding the cups and plates on the table and the curious looks from nearby guests. She cuddled Eric's shoulders and kissed him a few times on the lips. Quickly, she backed away, standing tall and declaring, "Alright, I'll let her off the hook."

Once Drew stepped away, Elisabeth snapped out of her daze, looked at the messy table, and assessed Eric for a few seconds before pinching his waist and saying, "Let me out of here. I need to stay far away from this little madwoman."

Eric gave a wry smile as he stood aside. He waved to a nearby waiter to come over and clean up.

Suddenly Nicole appeared from who knows where, accompanied by her friend Naomi Watts.

Looking at the disarray being tidied up by the waiter, Nicole asked, "What happened here?"

"Nothing much," Eric shook his head. He greeted Naomi Watts, "Hey, Naomi, what have you been busy with lately?"

"Good evening, Mr. Williams," Naomi replied, her curiosity piqued by the situation. "I just got a role from Miramax, thanks to Nicole's introduction."

At that moment, Eric wasn't particularly interested in what role Naomi had landed and merely nodded. After the waiter cleared the long table, he gestured for the two women to sit down and casually ordered a glass of red wine while chatting with them.

...

Moments later, an elderly man in his sixties with graying hair and several associates approached. After some introductions, Eric learned that the man was Robert Rehme, the newly appointed president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The Academy's presidency operated on a rotating basis, often changing hands, and the terms were quite irregular. Eric wasn't particularly keen on getting to know these elderly gentlemen, most of whom were at least sixty.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Robert hoped Eric could join the others for a private conversation. So, he bid farewell to Nicole and the other women and followed the group to a meeting room at the Hilton Hotel.

...

Once inside the meeting room, it became clear that other significant Hollywood figures attending the Vanity Fair party were also present.

There was no formal agenda - it felt more like a rally. The Academy hoped Hollywood would pay more attention to the artistic quality of films produced by studios rather than focusing solely on commercial viability. They expressed a desire for the upcoming Oscars to not repeat this year's debacle. Although the conversation was somewhat dull, the old man had a lot of chatter in him. By the time everyone left the meeting room, nearly an hour had passed.

...

Returning to the party hall, Eric discovered that Drew, Elisabeth, and Nicole had all left. Although the party still had time left, Eric felt disinterested. After making some weak attempts at mingling, he decided to leave the hall and head back to the Liberty City Manor.

When he arrived at the hotel lobby, he noticed a slender figure in pink standing by the entrance, holding a clutch. Recognizing her, Eric called out, "Hi, Laura."

Laura Spencer turned around upon hearing the voice, suppressing her racing heart as she smiled. "Mr. Williams, are you heading home?"

After being escorted by Eric to the media wall earlier in the evening, Laura had seen him at the party but hadn't had a chance to interact with him again. Under other circumstances, she would have cherished the opportunity to expand her contacts, but tonight she was completely preoccupied with a certain man and had no inclination to socialize.

She had spent a good hour searching for Eric at the party, thinking he had left, and had decided to leave herself. Unexpectedly, Eric appeared behind her.

"Yeah," Eric replied with a smile. "What about you?"

"All the hotel cars have been sent out," Laura said, sounding a bit embarrassed but also hinting at some hidden anticipation. "I have to wait for a while."

"I see. Then let me give you a ride."

As they spoke, Eric's bodyguard had pulled up his vehicle to the hotel's entrance. After hesitating for a moment, Laura decided to join Eric in the car.

As the car door closed and the driver started the engine, pulling away from the Hilton, Eric asked her, "By the way, where are you staying?"

"At the Hollywood Royce Hotel."

"Hollywood, oh, then we need to turn around," Eric noted, casually speaking to the front seat. "Aaron?"

Since Eric didn't lower the partition, the driver could hear their conversation and nodded in acknowledgment, actively turning the steering wheel.

Eric lived in Malibu, which required heading west, while Hollywood lay to the east of the Hilton. As Laura felt the car beginning to steer in that direction, she wanted to say that it was unnecessary to turn around, but ultimately, she kept that hesitation bottled up. After all, if the big boss rejected her, it would be too embarrassing.

However, as a notorious playboy, Eric surprisingly didn't take the initiative, which left Laura feeling disappointed. Moreover, throughout the ride, Eric seemed quite subdued, unlike the exuberance he had when leaving the awards ceremony.

Could it be that she encountered a fake Eric Williams?

After about ten minutes, outside the Hollywood Royce Hotel, Laura Spencer watched the sleek black Maybach drive away, feeling a twinge of melancholy.

She definitely met a fake Eric Williams.

That guy.

...

Leaving the bustling Los Angeles area and returning to Liberty City Manor, the time was nearing midnight.

As the car slowly drove through the estate's gates, Eric asked, "What about her?"

"Miss Kess," the driver hesitated a moment before responding. "She refused to go to Mary's place to rest and seems to have been sitting by the tennis court."

Eric then remembered that besides himself and the close women around him, nobody else had access to the Shell Villa. In addition to the Shell Villa, the estate had several apartments where bodyguards and servants lived.

Seeing that the car was approaching the tennis court, Eric said, "I can get off here. You guys go get some rest."

The driver stopped the car, and Eric alighted, making his way directly to the tennis court illuminated by lights. He quickly found a figure sitting alone on a bench by the court, looking a bit forlorn.

...

Carmen Kess seemed lost in thought, completely unaware of Eric's approach. It wasn't until Eric seated himself beside her that she reacted, jumping up like a startled rabbit before quickly settling back down next to Eric.

Patting the space beside him, Eric said, "Come here."

After hesitating, Carmen Kess returned to her previous spot, perhaps moving a bit away from Eric.

Eric didn't mind. He leaned back against the chair, resting his hands on the back, gazing up at the dark night sky sprinkled with stars.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Eric finally chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, "This feels strange. I feel like I'm keeping a young lover while worrying about my wife bullying you. Why am I being so nice to you?"

"I," Carmen bit her lip and said, "I'm not your lover."

"Yeah, I guess I'm losing out here," Eric replied, shaking his head. "I even helped plead your case tonight, asking them not to bully you. And you're not even a little grateful."

"They," Carmen recalled Gisele, hesitating briefly before softly saying, "they aren't good women."

"Are women who bite their men considered good?"

"I'm not your woman."

Eric nodded in understanding. "Oh, that's true; you weren't before."

Carmen wanted to say she wouldn't be in the future, but recalling everything that had transpired recently, she couldn't bring herself to voice those words. After a moment, she softly murmured, "I... I want to thank you, and I'm sorry about what happened that day."

Eric just responded with a soft "hm." He didn't say anything more.

After sitting in silence for a while, Carmen finally ventured, "So, how's your arm? Is it better?"

"Here," Eric extended his right arm to her and said, "Take a look for yourself."

Upon seeing him stretch out his arm, she instinctively adopted a defensive posture. But a moment later, she gently rested that arm on her knee, rolled up the sleeves of his suit and shirt, and revealed the wound still wrapped in bandages.

*****

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