I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1152: Encounter]

The next day, rain began to fall.

Manhattan, enveloped in rain, seemed infused with a sense of time, a distinct era marked by the weathered touch of years past. Carmen Kass parked her car in front of a towering building at the entrance to Sixth Avenue. Stepping into the fine rain with her high boots, she lifted her petite face to gaze at the gloomy sky before entering the high-rise apartment.

Riding the private elevator to Eric's penthouse, she initially thought she would find him alone. However, upon entering, she discovered three other women in the apartment: Gisele Bundchen, Alessandra Ambrosio, and another familiar yet unfamiliar girl with a doll-like face.

She almost turned to leave, but upon hearing Eric personally ask, "Why didn't you bring an umbrella?" with genuine concern, she decided to stay. She sat dazed on the shoe bench, her gaze instinctively drifting to the three other girls in the living room, their expressions equally surprised.

Silently, she pressed her short lips together, fiddling with the zipper of her high boots, until he returned holding a towel. A bit more alert now, she subconsciously accepted the towel and gently wiped her already damp face.

Blocking her eyes, she thought, 'Cover your eyes so that you can't see the outside world.'

As he began to unzip her boot, she stiffened momentarily. Yet, she complied, lifting her leg slightly, allowing him to help her remove the high boots. She heard him remind her that she shouldn't wear such heavy boots in the summer.

That familiar sensation rushed back to her.

She nodded lightly.

Tears unexpectedly fell from the corner of her eye.

Quickly, she wiped them away.

How could she be so helpless?

Determined, she forced herself to pull the towel aside and offered him a faint smile, though she couldn't find the words to say.

"Gisele and the others just arrived," Eric explained as he stood up and helped her to her feet. "I know you don't always get along, so please do me a favor and keep it civil."

This meant they had made the effort to come, while she had only responded to his call.

A little smug feeling swelled in her heart.

She didn't hold such resentment towards him anymore.

After all, it was not entirely his fault.

Settling down next to the sofa, he asked a few questions before heading to the kitchen to make coffee.

She wanted to join him, but glancing at the three silhouettes by the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, she knew that would make her look like a child clinging to adults. So she forced herself to stay put.

As Eric walked into the kitchen, the three girls exchanged glances. Gisele was the first to approach her, extending her hand, "So, shall we reconcile?"

Caught off guard by the unexpected offer, she relaxed a bit. Remembering Eric's earlier words, she didn't want him to think of her as petty, so she reached out and shook Gisele's hand, forcing a smile, "Sure."

Gisele and Carmen Kass shook hands, then comfortably sat beside her. "I was just too upset last time. Your company used me for publicity, which wouldn't have felt good for you either. But, honestly, that's just how agencies are; they don't consider our feelings at all."

Having spent years alone in the industry, she naturally became quite sociable.

Still, she couldn't bring herself to genuinely connect with the other women he was involved with and settled for surface-level chatter.

After chatting for a while, Gisele glanced towards the kitchen and continued, "Eric is actually a great guy."

Recalling all their encounters since they met, she nodded lightly, "Yeah."

"People often think he's too dominant, but that's not true," Gisele added. "I saw him on The Oprah Winfrey Show last time, and I was moved to tears. He's always been a considerate man towards women, totally different from those wealthy types who have kids and then ignore them."

She certainly had seen that Oprah episode and felt a similar way to Gisele. Yet, listening to him discuss his three children made her heart feel empty.

During this time, she had occasionally thought about leaving.

She always hoped to find a complete love in her life.

Now, Gisele's mention of it stirred those feelings again, dulling her gaze.

Oblivious to her mood, Gisele sounded a bit lost as she added, "The thing is, Eric often tells us that if we're unhappy, we can leave him. He's never one to force a woman to stay. But it's really tough to make that decision, so we just end up sticking around. You didn't know this, but the first time I met him, I was only 14 or 15, just like a clueless baby bird, and now so many years have passed."

After saying this, Gisele glanced at the expressions of the other girls nearby, quickly deciding to stop, throwing a quick look at Alessandra and Miranda, who were eavesdropping. She spotted Eric approaching with a pot of coffee and hurried to greet him, "Eric, let me help!"

Noticing Gisele rising to help, Eric handed her the coffee pot and smiled, "What were you all chatting about?"

"Oh, nothing. Just that I apologized to Carmen."

"Oh, Carmen forgave you? She's quite the jealous type."

"Hehe, not really! How could you say that about a girl?"

She had been pondering Gisele's recent comments, and Eric's offhand remark made Carmen glare at him, feeling indignant as she wasn't jealous at all.

Eric joked around, settling down on the sofa.

Alessandra and Miranda joined him, playfully squeezing in from each side.

Feeling Miranda's delicate frame pressing against him, Eric quipped, "Alright, if you keep clinging like this, I might just have to throw you out."

"Eric, we want to go to California for a few days. When are you coming back?"

"I'm busy. I'll be back in Los Angeles this afternoon."

"Can we come along? I want to be your personal flight companion!"

"Sure."

Hearing Eric's agreement, Miranda lit up and leaned in to whisper a few words to him.

After listening, he laughed and playfully patted her waist, "Stop it. If you turn into a fairy on the plane, I'll have to drop you off."

Miranda twisted her waist and teased, "You wouldn't dare!"

Eric took the coffee that Gisele handed him, turning to Carmen. "How did that Dior perfume ad go?"

Noticing Gisele and Miranda snuggled against Eric, she felt a twinge of jealousy but replied, "It aired in France, and it did pretty well."

"It should have been stunning," Gisele said, putting down the coffee pot and sitting next to Carmen. "Karl mentioned the Golden Goddess ad in his interview last month. He's the head of Chanel, so it's rare for him to speak well of Dior."

Karl Lagerfeld's name had become almost a buzzword in the industry, yet it showcased his powerful influence in fashion. His endorsement carried significant weight.

After chatting with the four girls for a while, as eleven o'clock approached, Eric informed Gisele and the others that they could head directly to Long Island Airport. He would take Carmen out for lunch.

...

Following Eric down to the parking lot and settling into his car, she found her mood better now that Gisele and the others were no longer around.

"Do you want to come to Los Angeles this afternoon too?"

A large hand reached out to grasp hers, and Eric's voice came close.

She hesitated, quickly shaking her head, "I have work." Realizing she sounded a bit harsh, she quickly added, "It's a media event for Dior, on Friday."

"Oh, then never mind."

Feeling his hand still holding hers, she wanted to withdraw but felt reluctant.

Gisele's words from the living room echoed in her mind.

Yet, she wasn't a naive girl; she was quite clever, in fact.

With a sudden realization, she understood Gisele's intent behind her previous remarks.

And she was certain Gisele had been quite deliberate.

A hint of anger flared up inside her.

Biting her lip, she glanced at the man beside her, hesitating for a moment before murmuring, "She --Gisele and Alessandra -- they're really lesbians. I saw it with my own eyes in Paris last time."

Eric paused, then suddenly laughed, "Very nice, you've learned to report!"

Her face turned to a bright shade of red as she turned away, forcibly pulling her hand back, feigning anger.

Inside, however, she felt extremely anxious.

He must think she was a gossiping woman.

After all, Gisele had started it.

Eric's arm wrapped around her shoulders with gentle pressure.

She leaned into him, yet dared not look into his eyes.

They stayed like that for a while until she finally broke the silence, her voice soft, "Eric, if I were to leave, would you mind?"

"Of course, I'm a man. How could I not mind?"

"Would you want me to leave?"

"I wouldn't want that. You can only leave when the scar on my arm disappears, I'm not joking."

"Okay."

She nodded, accepting her fate.

Then, she pulled his arm over to examine it.

The bite mark was still there, clear as day.

The car traversed through Manhattan's streets for a while before coming to a stop beside a tall building near Rockefeller Center.

The rain continued to pour outside, showing no signs of letting up.

Eric helped Carmen out of the car, taking an umbrella from the bodyguard and shielding them both as they entered the building, heading inside to a high-end restaurant.

...

Showtime's headquarters was nearby Rockefeller Center.

As a standalone subsidiary of Viacom, Showtime operated almost independently and had its dedicated office space.

After Firefly Group took over, Showtime fell under the cable operations department. However, the company did not plan significant changes to Showtime's office location; it merely took over the lease from Viacom, and only some managers opted to leave. Other employees would remain unaffected for the time being.

Eric was scheduled to meet with Showtime's CEO, Matthew Blank, a former HBO executive who had switched to Showtime in the early '90s and had worked his way up from President of Operations to now the CEO.

Before Viacom's headquarters revamped its cable operations strategy, Showtime's performance was lukewarm at best. Its recent growth wasn't clear whether it was due to Viacom's disentangling or other factors. Eric held high hopes for Showtime and naturally aimed to meet the person responsible without delay.

Upon entering the reserved restaurant, Matthew Blank had already arrived.

As Eric had seen in the materials, Blank was a middle-aged man wearing rimless glasses, appearing far younger than his age -- probably in his forties -- with a clearly fit physique indicative of a strong workout routine.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the three of them sat at the dining table.

Seeing that Eric had brought a companion, Matthew assumed he had misunderstood their meeting's intent and promptly apologized for coming alone.

This was a rather formal business meal. Eric had not initially intended to bring Carmen, but it felt unreasonable to leave her in the apartment with Gisele and the other women, prompting his last-minute decision to bring her along.

Having explained himself briefly, Matthew relaxed.

Since there was still some time before ordering, they only requested a few appetizers. Then Matthew ventured, "Eric, can I first understand your vision for Showtime's future? You know, Firefly has FFM. Although it's still behind HBO, it significantly surpasses Showtime in terms of stature."

Eric didn't immediately answer, tossing the question back, "I wouldn't position Showtime in direct competition with FFM. Given that perspective, what are your thoughts?"

Clearly prepared, Matthew replied, "In that case, I think it's possible to follow HBO and its affiliate Cinemax's model. Showtime can take a path of more adult-oriented content. However, Eric, pursuing such a direction might waste the foundation Showtime has built over recent years. After all, Cinemax's softer approach has turned off many paying viewers; they could just subscribe to the Playboy Channel if they wanted that content."

Eric nodded in acknowledgment, "So you're only half right. Showtime will indeed take a more adult-oriented direction but not in the way you think. Rather, it embraces a broader spectrum of sensitive topics -- not just adult themes."

Matthew seemed to grasp that, though he expressed concern, "Eric, this could very well spark controversy. I mean, some topics are better left untouched by a network like us, for instance, racial discrimination. That is definitely a minefield."

"I obviously know that. In fact, what I want to pursue is a greater scope within the framework of political correctness. Furthermore, this scope will starkly differ from FFM's positioning; simplistically put, FFM strives for depth and Emmy Awards, while Showtime's focus will be on breadth -- beyond adult content, it will encompass themes like homosexuality, mental illness, violence, and so forth. Yet these elements won't be depicted without boundaries. It's challenging to explain this merely with a few sentences; it has to manifest through creating television programs. I will take some time to personally select a few projects to illustrate this."

*****

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