I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1138: Reckoning]

Upon hearing the name Paramount Pictures, Eric felt no surprise at all.

From their initial confrontation during the bidding for Disney to the present, the relationship between the Firefly Group and Viacom had never been particularly good. In fact, as the Firefly Group continued to expand, the traditional balance of power among the major Hollywood studios had been disrupted. The Firefly Group increasingly exhibited a monopolistic control over Hollywood. The other three major media conglomerates in Hollywood, feeling increasingly threatened, naturally became more vigilant toward the Firefly Group, ready to retaliate at the slightest opportunity.

Moreover, there was a very direct provocation for this event. Iron Man premiered on May 7, and the following week, on May 14, Paramount's The General's Daughter was set to release.

The General's Daughter was a crime drama directed by Simon West and starred John Travolta.

After Simon West's collaboration with Jerry Bruckheimer on Con Air achieved decent global box office success, Paramount quickly lured him over with a hefty offer. The General's Daughter marked his second directorial effort, also a big-budget film costing $95 million, nearly equivalent to Iron Man's production budget.

However, compared to Iron Man's strong reputation, The General's Daughter had faced consistent negative reviews after several discreet test screenings.

Under usual circumstances, facing the overwhelming popularity of Iron Man, The General's Daughter would have inevitably become collateral damage. To secure more survival chances for The General's Daughter, Paramount couldn't help but entertain some dubious ideas.

Flipping through the folder handed over by Merissa Mayer, Eric noticed an apology letter from Ronald Hill. He merely glanced at it before tossing it aside. His fingers rubbed against the folder's matte cover for a moment, then he casually asked Merissa, "What was the name of that website's head?"

"Adam Wimbrey," Merissa replied, "He's Ronald Hill's high school classmate."

"Have the detective agency look into this person. I want to know everything about him," Eric instructed without elaborating, knowing Merissa would understand. He continued, "Also, compile a list of all the employees from that website. Then leak the information; whether it's Silicon Valley, Hollywood, or any other companies, if someone wants to hire these people, I will make it a problem for them. Have Kelly assign two people to keep an eye on this. Just three years will suffice."

Merissa understood Eric's command regarding the investigation into Adam Wimbrey, but upon hearing Eric's intention to blacklist all employees of the Hollywood Gossip website, he couldn't help but ask, "Eric, is that truly necessary?"

Eric turned his head, examining Merissa's delicate face. "Mary, if what happened a few days ago hadn't been suppressed, do you know what would have occurred?"

Merissa paused, shaking her head slightly.

Eric kept his gaze on the woman's face. "Look at Michael Jackson. Many people knew he was wrongfully accused, but what was the outcome? During the investigation of that 1993 case, MJ was bombarded by countless media for months, nearly leading to his mental breakdown. Six years later, he still struggles with severe mental health issues. Perhaps he'll never escape the shadows of that time. Emma, Kevin, and Elia are still just kids; their lives have barely begun. If this incident hadn't been fortuitously suppressed by me, it could have had very serious repercussions on their lives forever. So, I cannot allow anything to happen to Kevin and the others again."

Merissa quietly retorted, "I doubt they would dare to."

Eric shook his head, his tone cold. "I never place such expectations on human nature. Therefore, I said from the beginning, those who stand in the spotlight, lurking in the shadows, be they big names who believe themselves untouchable or the supposedly inconsequential, I won't let any of them off the hook. I will leave an instinctual mark on them that they wouldn't even dare to imagine."

Merissa slightly lowered her gaze and nodded. "Eric, I understand."

"Well, that's all for now. Please bring me a copy of Viacom's last quarter financial report."

Merissa muttered a small "Okay," yet remained where she stood, her gaze downcast.

Noticing his assistant's demeanor, Eric softened his tone. "Come here."

Merissa took a few small steps closer but still stood rigidly before him.

Eric reached out, wrapping his arm around Merissa's slender waist, and with a slight tug, the assistant reluctantly settled onto Eric's knee, her eyes avoiding contact with his, sulking a bit.

"Okay, Mary, I apologize. My tone may have been a bit harsh, but that wasn't aimed at you."

Merissa squirmed a little within his grasp, sounding slightly wronged. "You are such a tyrant."

"Yeah, my fault. I'll be more mindful."

Merissa continued her critique, "And you play favorites. You sent Carly back to Los Angeles while making me handle all this dirty work."

Eric kissed the soft skin of her neck. "I suddenly find it hard to be without you. How about staying by my side for a few more years?"

Merissa felt a rush of warmth spread from where he kissed her, instinctively maneuvering to create space. "No way, I don't want to be just a little cat by your side."

"I never thought of you that way."

"You do. You just love treating women like cats."

"I don't," Eric firmly denied and countered, "But there are some who are so fickle, hot and cold, always trying to escape no matter how well you treat them. That's exactly like dealing with an untamable cat."

Upon hearing this, Merissa realized she had no rebuttal, her cheeks flushed as she looked away, suddenly lowering her head and playfully biting Eric's shoulder.

Feeling the assistant's gentle bite, Eric caressed her waist, daringly continuing, "See? It's getting more accurate. Even the owner gets bitten when you provoke them."

The little bites intensified briefly before she let go.

Allowing Merissa to rest her head on his shoulder, Eric eventually patted her back. "Alright, that's enough. It's time to get back to work."

"I don't want to work today."

Eric showed no signs of being a hard-nosed boss, nodding without firmness. "Okay then, take a day off."

Merissa shifted slightly in Eric's embrace, settling into a comfortable position, seemingly intent on lounging all day.

However, things rarely went as planned.

Just a moment later, Eric's phone on the desk rang.

Noticing the call but not answering, he reluctantly set the device aside. Despite her reluctance, Merissa stood up. "I'll go and get busy now."

...

After watching the assistant's figure vanish into the villa, Eric finally answered, "Hi, Cindy... No, nothing major, I've just about handled it. How about you? ... Is it something important? ... Alright then, I'll come over in a bit."

Ending the call, Eric dialed the security guard in the front courtyard, asking them to prepare the car before standing up and heading toward the villa.

...

Merissa sat on the couch with a laptop, sending emails. Upon seeing him exit, her expression shifted to one of inquiry.

"I have to head back to Manhattan," Eric explained proactively. "You can stay here tonight."

Merissa shook her head, "I really don't want to stay in such a desolate place by myself."

While there were staff members tasked with managing the estate, Merissa, coming from a wealthier middle-class background, had a much stronger sense of class distinction than Eric. For her, it felt like it was just the two of them at the estate.

"Then let's go back together," Eric remarked casually. "Pack your things; I've already instructed the guards to get the car ready."

It was already May 3rd.

With Iron Man's Los Angeles premiere scheduled for May 5th, Eric planned to return the next day and didn't intend to come back to this side again.

After quickly packing his bags, Eric exchanged a few words with the head housekeeper before leaving East Hampton with Merissa Mayer.

Arriving in Manhattan by 4 PM, since Caroline and Merissa no longer wanted to stay at Eric's penthouse on Sixth Avenue, and given that Eric frequently needed to travel to New York, he had arranged a separate apartment for them as an employee benefit.

Once in Manhattan, Eric first had the driver drop off Merissa near the Rockefeller Center in Midtown, before heading to 75th Street.

...

Riding the private elevator to Cindy's apartment door, just as Eric arrived, Cindy opened the door stepping out into the hallway.

The woman was clearly not wearing makeup today, dressed in a loose pale pink tank top, white relaxed pants, and slippers, looking very much at home, which surprised Eric, as he was accustomed to seeing Cindy meticulously dressed.

After a brief hug with Cindy, another impeccably made-up woman emerged from within. This time it felt more normal but also surprised Eric nonetheless.

"Hi, Stephanie, what are you doing here?"

Releasing Cindy, Eric intended to extend his hand to Stephanie Seymour, but the woman preemptively embraced him, her tone laced with a hint of mild grievance. "Eric, why can't I be here? Cindy and I are good friends."

Eric laughed lightly, entering the apartment with both women and sitting on the bench at the entryway.

...

Stephanie Seymour watched Cindy as she squatted down to help take Eric's slippers, also carefully stowing away his dress shoes. Feeling somewhat awkward and unsure if she should also squat to help, she stood there feeling a bit out of place.

She had spontaneously decided to visit, aiming to get closer to Cindy regarding the host position for America's Next Top Model since personal connections often proved very effective.

Living in the Upper East Hydee made it convenient to see each other. She hadn't expected to run into Eric by chance. It made sense why Cindy had seemed eager to send her away earlier; had Eric arrived later, she would have had to leave on her own.

...

After changing shoes, Eric casually took a seat on the living room sofa.

...

Cindy eyed Stephanie Seymour, who not only remained with them but also didn't hesitate to take a seat next to Eric, raising an eyebrow in slight regret for not having told her to leave sooner. Feeling a twinge of disappointment, she moved to the small drinks area to prepare tea for Eric.

...

On the sofa, Stephanie Seymour reclined with a subtle allure, clearly more adept at striking inviting poses, causing Eric to steal an extra glance or two. He couldn't help but reflect on how most women tended to be petty, yet Stephanie seemed to stand apart from the norm.

It appeared that the slap he had given her butt before hadn't been hard enough.

While lost in thought, his gaze swept over Stephanie's curvy figure, particularly her well-defined waist.

Noticing his stare, Stephanie subtly shifted her position and spoke up, "Eric, I happened to watch that episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show with Cindy the other day."

Eric nodded slightly. "And?"

Stephanie traced her finger along the sofa's backrest, her eyes unwaveringly fixed on Eric. "I suddenly realized you're actually a pretty decent guy."

Eric couldn't help but laugh. "I suppose that's a compliment?"

"Absolutely."

"Oh, thanks."

"Is that all?" Stephanie seemed a bit dissatisfied. "You're really quite dull."

Eric glanced over at the bar area, pretending to whisper, "Can't help it; Cindy's here."

"Eric, I can hear you."

Eric grinned over. "Did I say something?"

Cindy rolled her eyes while opening a small pack of green tea and busying herself, ignoring Eric.

Stephanie Seymour clearly envied the playful interaction between Eric and Cindy, but it was evident that Eric had no intention of engaging in any "interaction" with her, which made her feel a tinge of frustration once again.

Cindy soon returned with a kettle of light green tea, serving all three before noting that she had to sit on a nearby armchair since Stephanie had taken Eric's spot on the sofa.

Looking at the cup of green tea in his hand, Eric felt a bit strange; when did Cindy start drinking tea?

They chatted casually for a bit, and after a while, it became clear that Stephanie had no intention of leaving. Cindy finally initiated the "serious talk," stating, "Eric, I'm planning to resign from my position as the host of America's Next Top Model and wanted to discuss it with you."

Eric paused, suddenly understanding, and glanced at Cindy's midsection, instinctively asking, "What about Linda?"

Cindy couldn't help but roll her eyes, knowing Eric had figured it out, her tone laced with a bit of reproach. "What does Linda have to do with this?"

Seemingly, this time he couldn't kill two birds with one stone, Eric let out a quiet sigh of relief; it certainly would not be a good thing to have both women pregnant at the same time.

"Alright," he casually nodded, looking over at the clearly bewildered Stephanie Seymour beside him. "Stephanie, could you give Cindy and me a moment alone?"

*****

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