I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1144: Olivia]

Last week, Olivia asked Caroline to inform Eric that she was arriving in Los Angeles. Her flight was set to land today at 4 PM.

After having lunch with everyone, Eric returned to Playa Vista's Firefly Studios, which was conveniently close to Los Angeles International Airport -- perfect for picking her up.

Though deep down, Eric found it hard to fully accept this relationship with Olivia, he gradually became more open to it. Since he possessed this body, he figured it was time to take responsibility for many things. Each time they spent together, Eric felt Olivia's genuine concern and guilt towards him.

Maybe, if he wanted to find a few people in this world whom he could trust unreservedly, Olivia, as the mother of this body, was undoubtedly one of them. This was also why Eric had given her that laptop last time.

He arrived at Firefly Studios just after 2 PM, well ahead of his trip to the airport. As he settled into the office, Merissa Mayer walked in carrying several folders.

"Eric, PGS submitted an investigation report this morning regarding Adam Wimbury, the founder of the Hollywood Gossip website," Merissa said, placing the folders down and handing one to Eric. "In the last two years, Wimbury misappropriated over $1.2 million in cash from his equity and bond financing. This misconduct is enough to send him to prison. It seems he received funding from Paramount to issue those press releases, likely to cover up his losses."

Eric flipped through the folder casually, asking, "What was that Sequoia Capital investor's name?"

"Ronald Hill."

Eric closed the folder and handed it back to Merissa, saying, "Give him this file. I'm sure he knows what to do."

Throughout the incident, Eric couldn't muster the energy to investigate whether Ronald Hill, a major investor of the Hollywood Gossip website, was innocent or not. But before Firefly Group applied pressure, Sequoia Capital had already fired Ronald Hill. He promptly closed down the Hollywood Gossip website for good and even went to New York to apologize. Eric lost any desire to continue pressing the issue. After all, compared to Viacom, which remained indifferent, Ronald Hill had already paid enough of a price.

However, since he had the materials in hand, Eric didn't mind letting Ronald Hill handle a few more actions. There was really no need for Firefly to go all out against a minor player; maintaining public image was still essential. Having Ronald Hill deliver Adam Wimbury to jail was enough, and even if everyone understood that Firefly Group was behind it, no one could fault them.

Merissa nodded and handed over more documents. "This is Firefly Electronics' latest plan for splitting the Fireflyer player business, as well as the preliminary negotiation results with PolyGram and Universal. If it checks out, Firefly Electronics can officially start the split next week and sign collaboration agreements with PolyGram and Universal."

Given that Firefly Electronics promised to transfer 16% of the shares of Fireflyer to two record companies, all major labels except Sony, which was about to launch its own digital music player, showed interest in collaborating. In the end, it was PolyGram and Universal who agreed first.

Firefly Electronics could have nearly monopolized the massive profits from Fireflyer players. Still, due to future industrial planning, they had to relinquish shares to two record companies. This was already the most Eric could accept. After successfully roping in PolyGram and Universal, they filled the content gap for Yahoo Music Store, temporarily closing the doors on collaboration opportunities for the other two major record companies.

At this point, the mini music store equipment had already begun installing and testing in North America and Europe. Once Firefly Electronics signed the collaboration agreement with PolyGram and Universal, the content from these two major labels would quickly enhance the Yahoo Music Store, which would support the large-scale expansion of the mini music store equipment.

Eric was deeply engrossed in reading the documents and discussing various details with Merissa when Caroline knocked and reminded him it was time to pick her aunt up. He wrapped up his conversation with Merissa, gave a few instructions, and then headed to Los Angeles International Airport with Caroline.

...

It was just under five kilometers from Firefly Studios to the airport.

Just after 4 PM, inside a VIP lounge at the airport, Eric saw Caroline walking in with Olivia and a tall, elderly man with a full head of white hair.

Seeing Eric himself come to greet her, Olivia looked genuinely happy. She embraced him lightly before introducing, "Eric, this is Mr. Robert Cromwell."

As they got closer, Eric felt the elderly man's sharp gaze assessing him. Even with his white hair and clearly past sixty, he stood tall without any sign of a stoop -- he was even taller than Eric when they stood together.

Thinking back to how Caroline seemed familiar with him moments ago, Eric was puzzled but politely extended his hand. "Hello, Mr. Cromwell."

"Hello, Eric. You can call me Bob," he said, shaking Eric's hand with a rough, powerful grip. The elder's voice was robust and cheerful, instantly seeming much friendlier. He shook his head slightly, adding, "I would've never guessed you were her child if Olivia hadn't mentioned it. It's hard to believe!"

Eric glanced at Olivia. While he hadn't intended to hide their relationship, he wondered why Caroline's parents didn't seem to know about it yet, and why she would inform this elderly man.

Noticing Eric's confusion, Robert Cromwell chuckled. "Maybe it's best for Olivia to explain. It's been years since I've been in Los Angeles, and I can't wait to explore. If you're willing, perhaps we could chat sometime."

After exchanging a few more polite words, the group left the airport terminal.

...

Eric, who usually traveled with at least two cars, sent one with the elderly man. Robert accepted without protest, simply thanking Eric and driving off.

With only one vehicle left and two bodyguards in the front seats, Eric didn't call for another car. Instead, he, Olivia, and Caroline all settled into the backseat together.

Eric wanted Caroline to sit in the middle, but the girl clearly preferred to encourage him to bond with Olivia a bit more. She gently nudged him forward to sit first before choosing the opposite side.

The car quickly headed towards the Liberty City.

Though the backseat of the Land Rover SUV was spacious enough, sandwiched between these two remarkable women -- especially sitting so closely to Olivia -- Eric felt increasingly awkward.

Seeing him looking at the front seats, seemingly worried his discomfort wouldn't go unnoticed by the bodyguards, Olivia smiled faintly and broke the silence. "Bob and we've been family friends for years. Carly mentioned you're organizing your own security team; I believe he could assist. Bob worked in the Special Operations Unit at Scotland Yard before his retirement."

Eric wasn't particularly interested in Scotland Yard. However, since this was someone Olivia recommended, he understood that his reliability would likely be greater than anyone Firefly would find on their own. The assistant's office was already preparing for a security company to serve the entire Firefly system, requiring a series of experienced leaders; bringing on one more person wasn't an issue.

He nodded. "Then I'll invite Mr. Cromwell to lunch tomorrow."

Olivia continued, "The Special Operations Unit has always been responsible for royal and VIP security as well as anti-terrorism in the London area. Bob never shared what specific duties he had. But your grandfather mentioned several times that Bob was the best of his generation. He officially retired two years ago; otherwise, it would have been hard to bring him into your security team. It's thanks to my mentioning our connection."

Eric had doubts about what he termed the Special Operations Unit, but upon hearing Olivia's explanation, he realized it was likely similar to the U.S. Secret Service.

...

Upon arriving at Liberty City, the twins were already there waiting in front of the Shell Villa.

The girls had just returned from Australia the day before. They claimed they had come back to help Eric manage household chores. Since Eric was in Los Angeles, the villa would have routine cleaning every Thursday -- something the twins had been overseeing for the past few years.

Yet imagining the twins driving a massive Boeing 747 over 12,000 kilometers just to do housework seemed rather inhumane.

Occasionally, Eric found himself thinking that without the twins, he really wouldn't know how to handle various complicated everyday affairs; even Liberty City could leave him stumped.

It seemed just right for the twins to return just now; otherwise, with Olivia staying over, Eric would have felt even more uncomfortable.

Once settled in, Olivia didn't mention when she would be leaving, and Eric didn't inquire.

But things soon returned to what they had been like when Olivia first arrived here.

...

The next morning, bright and early, after his workout, Olivia had prepared breakfast for Eric. After watching him finish, she kindly reminded him before he headed out to work, as if she were a mother sending her child off to school.

Caroline typically got a break from Eric to spend time with Olivia. The previous night, Olivia had also invited Caroline to stay overnight at the mansion.

Watching Eric leave the house, the girl affectionately wrapped her arm around Olivia's. "Auntie, you really seem to enjoy seeing Eric's embarrassed moments."

Olivia smiled but her gaze seemed a little melancholic.

Having missed the chance years ago, she just wanted to discover some of that maternal feeling.

But sharing such sentiments with this girl beside her was definitely inappropriate.

As they walked back to the villa, Olivia changed the topic, "How has your time with Eric been?"

Feeling Olivia's tone, Caroline blushed slightly, stammering, "It's been great! Eric has always treated me kindly."

Gently touching Caroline's cheek, Olivia couldn't help but shake her head slightly. "Silly girl."

...

After finishing the morning's work, Eric arrived at the restaurant on the ship by 11 AM.

Robert Cromwell was already waiting there by prior invitation.

Through the bits of information Olivia had unfolded yesterday, Eric found himself taking Robert more seriously.

But when he entered the restaurant, seeing the elderly man comfortably seated at the table, operating a laptop, he was a bit surprised.

Robert Cromwell stood up with a smile to shake Eric's hand. Once they sat down, the elderly man cheerfully initiated, "Are you surprised an old fossil like me knows how to use a laptop?"

Eric chuckled, signaling Amy to come over. "What would you like to eat?"

"Just a pot of coffee for now," the elder replied before looking at Eric, "You're probably not in a hurry to eat, right?"

Eric nodded.

Once Amy left, Robert Cromwell scrutinized Eric again before saying, "Actually, I've been keeping an eye on you for quite a while. I just didn't expect you to be Olivia's son -- what an amazing coincidence."

"I only found out a few years ago," Eric said, sizing up the older man. "I heard you used to work for the London Police; can I ask for more specifics?"

"There's only so much I can divulge," Robert shook his head. "I can assure you, I can help you, provided you give me enough trust. I've noticed you have a natural skepticism towards the world, and not many get close to you."

"So, how do you plan to get closer to me?"

Robert Cromwell laughed heartily. "I'm old, Eric. Whether you let me into your world is up to you; I no longer have the energy to pursue it."

Despite saying this, the elder's charming laugh revealed a full set of teeth. If not for his white hair, his rosy complexion and sprightly demeanor made it hard to tell he was aging. His eyes held a glint of shrewdness and cunning.

Amy returned with the coffee. Eric paused to wait until she poured it before continuing. "So what do you plan to do?"

"It's really what you intend to do, Eric," he replied. "However, it's a considerable challenge for me to help you out. I was just reading a finance piece."

While speaking, he turned his laptop screen towards Eric. "This recent report from Businessweek shows that the Firefly Group's total assets have reached $106 billion. That's surpassing last year's 15th-ranked nation's total wealth of $103.2 billion. You are essentially richer than over ninety percent of countries in the world. Even in the U.S., with its $41 trillion national wealth, your share is already at 2.4%. That's unprecedented."

Eric often saw media comparisons of his wealth to national GDPs, but this was the first time he heard related data on national wealth.

However, considering carefully, national wealth is certainly easier to measure than GDP in terms of a country's financial depth.

Listening intently to the elder's points, Eric asked, "And what comes next?"

"Next, let me be clear. The wealth you currently possess exceeds what many can handle. For many years to come, as long as people are not used to seeing the immense economic force of Firefly Group, your personal security will be critically serious -- more so than any head of state. Because if a head of state is assassinated, they can easily find a replacement. But there's only one Eric Williams. If anything were to happen to you, the empire you created would crumble rapidly, quite like Howard Hughes. He wrote a will long before his death, but after his accidental death, not a single will was found. He also lacked a strong heir. Consequently, after his passing, his vast assets were divided among powerful factions."

While Eric was aware of the truth behind this analysis, he had secretly held similar concerns. On the surface, however, he still managed to maintain his composure. "Alright, Bob. What do you think I should do?"

"You've already started, which is why Olivia reached out to me," Robert responded. "I still stand by what I said, Eric. The more trust you extend, the more I can assist you. If you decide to accept me, I can help you create a formidable security team. If you're hesitant, I can serve as your security consultant part-time."

"I want to trust you, Bob, but you aren't disclosing much to me."

"My previous job forbade me from sharing too much," Robert replied while still shaking his head. "I can only say I can provide you with the sharpest spears and the sturdiest shields."

"I don't need sharp spears; just solid shields will do."

"No, Eric. You need sharp spears," Robert said resolutely. "Back in the day, the Rockefeller family had thousands of mercenaries, and the Ford family created a fiercely aggressive inner security department. Your current wealth exceeds theirs, and you may continue to create miracles. If you want to sustain these miracles, you must possess both spears and shields."

"In fact," Eric mused for a moment, "I think, for instance, the Secret Service's shields aren't that sturdy."

"Of course, it's even more severe in Britain," Robert chuckled. "Because times have changed; the strongest players in these countries are often a bunch of politicians weighing the pros and cons. They will sometimes even plan to make confidential information from important intelligence divisions public just to please the voters. So, you can't expect too much from them."

*****

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