I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1120: We Should Buy the Surroundings Too]

"I can't remember the specific organization, but back in those days, everyone was unhappy with the feds. There were all sorts of chaotic events. That group kidnapped Patty Hearst, and the Hearst family tried everything they could to rescue her but failed. Then, out of the blue, Patty suddenly claimed she had joined that organization and even participated in violent crimes, like bank robberies and arson, which shocked everyone. In the end, she got caught, and the Hearst family argued that she had been brainwashed and was compelled to act that way, suffering from Stockholm Syndrome or something like that. Still, the federal court sentenced her to 35 years."

Cindy's memory was clearly a bit hazy as she thought out loud, but Eric pieced together the events and couldn't help but say, "35 years? Doesn't that seem a bit off? Even if you start counting from 1974, it's only been 25 years now."

Cindy wrapped her cool arm around Eric's, looking flirtatiously down at him. "What do you think happened?"

Eric skillfully unhooked her bra and tossed it aside, leaning in for a kiss as he remarked, "Well, who cares?"

Cindy giggled, evading his next kiss and said, "Seriously, don't you remember anything from that time?"

"I don't remember. I was just a little boy when I moved to America," he replied.

Cindy's restless movements suddenly halted. She raised a hand to touch Eric's face, a hint of an unexplainable emotion in her voice, "Yeah, and you're still a little boy now."

"Actually, I was just thinking about some things," Eric gently stroked her smooth back, pulling her closer. "Some, uh, very primitive stuff."

"About what?"

But Eric didn't directly answer. He savored the moment, caressing her body as he murmured, "I remember a few years ago, maybe it was Chris, he bluntly asked if I had thought about legacy. I replied back then that if I was dead, I wouldn't care about that. But later, I realized I couldn't avoid it, so I made some hasty arrangements. Then last year, I researched family foundation legacy models but realized it seemed too early for me to set that up based on my age. Overall, just a few hours ago, I felt pretty casual about it. If I suddenly died, the money, the women, and the kids could take what they could, and the rest? I'd just consider it a way to give back to society."

Cindy was unconsciously affected by the strong wave of pessimism coming from him, forgetting her earlier whims. She instinctively asked, "And now?"

"Now," Eric said, his hands gliding down her lovely back curve, lifting her up onto the desk before him, "I suddenly feel like, why should I be so generous to this world? What's mine is mine. Even if I'm dead, it should belong to my children. Even if I can't raise the best heirs, I'd rather leave behind a bunch of spoiled brats with a fortune and throw the world into chaos. That's the real deal -- once I'm gone, let it flood over!"

"Eric," Cindy lay on the wide desk, her legs raised straight, her eyes sparkling as she focused on the man slowly removing the last piece of fabric covering her, "I think you're crazy."

Eric tossed the small piece of fabric aside, sensing her legs wanting to entwine around him. He easily caught her delicate ankles and crossed them together, her body, toned from years of exercise, posed no challenge for him. He leaned down and kissed her lips, asking, "So, are you ready to go crazy with me?"

"Not really," Cindy's voice carried a tone of playful breathiness, born from being forced into an embarrassing position. She half-jokingly pleaded, "Eric, I suddenly feel like I want to sleep. Could you let me go?"

"No way. You have to know, in movies, the heroine who discovers the main villain's plot is always caught and tortured badly," he said.

"I'm not the heroine; I'm just a pretty trophy," she shot back.

"If you're just a trophy, your future is even worse."

"Ugh, why am I so unlucky?"

At some point, the study door swung open, and Linda walked in, her figure leaning against the table as she teasingly assessed Cindy's current state. She reached over, playfully grabbing a handful of her. "Though I really didn't want to interrupt you two, is this a rehearsal for a midnight play?"

"Eric, can you take care of her first?" Cindy asked.

"You're supposed to be best friends. Don't always be so dominant," he replied.

"Yeah, Eric, she always bullies me. This time, you have to stand up for me," Linda insisted.

"Alright, but what will you give me in return?" he teased.

"I'm not repaying you," she shot back.

"Exactly, no need to repay, since I'll make you pay later."

"Cindy baby, are you reminding me to seize this opportunity?"

"She's reminding you that starting tomorrow, you'll be picking beans like Cinderella."

"Eric, you're such a weirdo." Linda responded

"Yeah, asshole."

"I think I'm starting to understand something, but you two have really dirty minds. It seems you both need to be punished togther."

...

The sun had started its westward slant when the three finally began to wake up.

Cindy lay beside Eric, propped up on one hand, her delicate head resting casually, not caring that the covers had slipped down, revealing her figure. Her bright eyes were fixed on the man who had just woken beside her. "Eric, we can't be this reckless going forward."

Eric patted Linda's back, who was clinging to him like a koala, but turned serious, "I wasn't joking last night."

Cindy fell silent abruptly.

Linda, however, nudged closer to Eric and whispered, "Eric, I'm willing."

Cindy felt a pang of discontent seeing Linda betray her so easily. She pinched her, "You spineless person! You didn't even see a ring and are saying you're willing?"

"Ow, you're such a wicked stepmother," Linda retorted.

"Watch it or I'll throw you out to pick beans right now."

"Ugh, Daddy, the stepmother wants me to pick beans, and you're not going to do anything about it?"

"Uh, okay."

"You really said that."

"Because you always bully me."

Eric patiently calmed the two women down, dressed, and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the two beautiful women nestled together under the covers. He said earnestly, "I have just one request."

The two women ceased their playful bickering, looking at him with bright eyes, laced with a bit of apprehension.

Eric leaned down and kissed each of the women on the lips, saying, "If you want to leave in the future, I won't stop you. However, I will keep custody of the child."

"And if we don't want that?" they asked.

"Then you can forget about ever leaving," he ominously replied.

"Hmph, we aren't even with you!" Linda quipped, tilting her head to peck Cindy on the lips in a show of defiance, "I can live just as well as Cindy."

"You silly girl," Cindy retorted, pinching Linda again, "Can't you see he wants us to be this way?"

"Ugh, you're..." Halfway through her sentence, Linda finally caught on. She got up and roughly grabbed Eric's shirt collar, turning him toward her to angrily gnaw at his shoulder. "Eric Williams, you jerk!"

Eric calmed Linda down, sat up, and adjusted his shirt, reaching out to touch both women's pretty faces. "So, I'll take that as you agreeing. You want the ring, right? I'll bring it next time."

Linda nestled against Cindy, whining, "I also want a wedding."

"That's fine," Eric replied with a smile. "Pick a time, and I'll be the one to officiate."

Linda's long legs suddenly kicked out of the covers, nudging Eric lightly. "Get lost, jerk!"

Eric caught her calf and tickled her foot before releasing her, standing up. "Alright, you two get more rest. I have to head to ABC; I'll return for dinner tonight."

...

Once Eric left the bedroom, the room fell quiet for a moment, and Linda quietly asked, "That's it?"

Cindy sat up, dressing as she glanced at Linda, who had started biting her pillow. "What else do you want?"

"He didn't give us any promises," Linda replied.

"He's already given us a lot," Cindy said as she put on her bra. "Or do you think a silly person like you would have over a 100 million dollars now?"

"That stock was bought with my own money," Linda shot back as she flipped over, "He said he'd take no responsibility if it lost money."

"I think I shouldn't bully you anymore after this," Cindy said.

"Are you finally feeling guilty?"

"I worry about you dragging down my IQ," Cindy retorted.

"Don't think I can't take you on."

"You can't beat me; how long has it been since you hit the gym?"

"Well, I'm still thinner than you."

"So you'll never beat me."

"You know you'll never beat Eric."

"I just need to be able to bully you," Cindy stated.

"Wow."

...

After lingering a few more days in Manhattan, Eric returned to East Hampton on Easter Sunday.

The two women still felt a bit irritated by Eric's involvement with Carmen Kass and genuinely considered making him sleep on the couch. However, in the middle of the night, Virginia brought over a pillow for Eric, scolding him a bit, and he shamelessly joined the women back in the bedroom.

April 4th was Easter, and both Hawaii and Kevin's birthdays fell on April 10th. The two women were planning a party, and of course, Eric, as the dad, had to show up, so they confirmed they would stay in East Hampton for a week.

However, things were anything but relaxed. Eric felt a greater urgency to accomplish some tasks.

In the living room of the East Hampton mansion, Virginia served coffee to the two women and took Kevin, who wanted to cling to Eric, outside.

...

Eric took a sip of his coffee, set down the cup, and looked at his longtime bodyguard across from him. "Carter, you've been with me for nine years now, haven't you?"

During this time, Eric had hinted a few times, and Carter Moen seemed to guess what Eric planned to discuss today. He sat up straight and nodded, "Yeah, it has been a while, almost nine years."

"Nine years -- time flies," Eric said with a smile. "I remember you told me about your family -- two sons, Nicholas and Jack?"

"They're only a year apart," Carter confirmed, "Nick is graduating high school this year."

"Oh? Which college does he plan to go to?"

Carter hesitated for a moment and chuckled helplessly. "He applied to a few schools but hasn't confirmed anything yet. Jack is doing quite well. His teacher thinks he has a good chance for Ivy League next year."

"I see. Yahoo has been donating to MIT for a few research projects over the years. If Nick is interested, I could help out. Oh, your family lives in Los Angeles, right? If he doesn't want to move to the East Coast, I can pitch in at Stanford; there's also Firefly Electronics, which has been collaborating with them."

"If possible, Stanford would be best," Carter said, perking up at the thought of his children's education. "Of course, as long as they accept Nick, I'd be willing to donate a little extra; you've been paying me well over these years."

"Then it sounds like Stanford," Eric replied, smiling. "I'll make some calls this afternoon. And as for Jack -- well, from what you just said, he seems able to manage on his own nicely."

Carter nodded, although he didn't mind offering a helping hand, he felt proud that his children could gain admission independently.

After chatting about trivial matters, Eric got to the point. "Carter, I think you've probably noticed by now, so I'm considering establishing a separate security team -- would you be willing to leave Andrews?"

Andrews International was the name of the security company where Carter worked.

"Of course I'd be willing," Carter replied without hesitation but added, "However, Eric, I'm concerned that I might not be up to the task."

"You should understand," Eric shook his head, "While that's important, it's not the most important thing. I need someone who is loyal to me."

When Carter heard Eric's statement, he sat up a bit straighter and stated earnestly, "Eric, I believe I've proven that over the years."

"Then," Eric stood up and extended his hand to Carter, "I can promise you that I will never shortchange those who work for me."

The two shook hands solemnly before sitting back down to discuss the details of forming the security team when Eric's phone rang.

After taking the call and saying a few words, he turned to Carter with a hint of regret in his voice. "Sorry, Carter, but maybe we'll have to put this discussion on hold for a bit."

Carter stood up, saying, "Alright, I'll go arrange a car."

"It's nothing too crucial," Eric replied, standing up and smiling. "We're heading to the airport; you know those two planes I ordered are about to arrive. Speaking of which, you'll need to be responsible for the future pilot team as well."

"Of course," Carter agreed, smiling as he hurried outside to arrange the vehicle.

...

Virginia walked in with Kevin in tow, asking, "What's going on?"

"Nothing much," Eric lifted Kevin, kissing his son's face. "Let's go. Also, shout for Elia and Emma; we're heading to the airport."

An hour later, watching three large Boeing 747s land one after the other at the private airport on Long Island, Eric couldn't help but look around the airport, his thoughts fixating on one thing: he needed to buy everything around here.

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.