I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1023: Charity Work]

"I don't want your money," Elisabeth said with a haughty tone, but deep down she had to admit that Eric's personal wealth far surpassed the other richest people in the world.

Earlier this year, Forbes had estimated Eric's net worth at a staggering $136.7 billion. Over the past six months, as the Nasdaq index continued to rise, the stock prices of companies that Firefly Investments was heavily invested in -- such as Cisco, America Online, Qualcomm, and Sprint -- had nearly doubled. If the Nasdaq market didn't crash and Yahoo completed its IPO successfully, Eric's fortune might reach an even more jaw-dropping figure by this time next year.

From this perspective, Drew's wealth seemed trivial to Eric, akin to a billionaire helping to create a millionaire. Of course, this 'millionaire' Eric was helping create would still impress most ordinary folks.

Thinking about this, Elisabeth dropped the topic about the girl and curiously asked, "Everyone is guessing how you plan to spend that money. After selling 25% of your shares, minus taxes, you'd still have around $8 billion, right?"

A beautiful waitress walked by their table, setting down two bottles of mineral water and glasses next to Eric and Elisabeth. Just as she was about to pour Eric some water, he raised a hand to stop her, placing the glass back on her tray and sending her away. Then he answered Elisabeth's inquiry, saying, "I plan to save it; I don't have plans to spend it for now."

Elisabeth picked up the coaster where the waitress had just placed the glass, glancing at the phone number written on it. She displayed it to Eric as if to show off, then pressed it down with her own glass, saying, "This is $8 billion! If you don't spend it quickly, inflation will eat away at it. By the way, the stocks in the Clover Fund must be worth a fortune by now, right?"

The waitstaff at the various restaurants and bars aboard the ship had looks far superior to those in Los Angeles, and the reason was apparent.

Eric didn't mind Elisabeth's antics. He replied, "In the report from this past Monday, the total value of those stocks was $18.1 billion."

Elisabeth knew well that Eric had invested a considerable amount of money through the Clover Fund in the Nasdaq market over the years. She and Julia had also invested in tech stocks under Eric's guidance. Still, hearing the number Eric had just mentioned left her genuinely shocked.

"That's $18.1 billion! If you sell now, counting what Firefly Investments has, wouldn't you have over $20 billion in cash? Wow, over $20 billion, and you plan to save it?"

The Nasdaq index had just broken the 2,000-point mark this month. Eric planned to start selling shares from the Clover Fund once the index hit 3,000 points. At that point, the stock's value could at least double. Even after paying hefty taxes, the Clover Fund would still retain over $30 billion in cash.

Quite frankly, this was much more than Eric had initially expected.

By this time next year, while continuing to sell shares in America Online, Firefly Investments would likely also reduce its holdings in other companies. At that point, the entire Firefly system could have cash reserves reaching as high as $50 billion.

Seeing Elisabeth's shocked expression, Eric didn't point out her math error and said, "Of course I'm saving it. The whole market is filled with bubbles right now. If I buy anything, I'd only do so through stock swaps or mergers. Waiting for the bubble to burst means Firefly can make this money work for us, buying low is the true essence of investing. Also, having a ten or twenty billion in cash isn't as much as you think. In a few years, when Cisco, Yahoo, Qualcomm, and Hollywood companies grow, the profits we receive from them could hit that figure."

Elisabeth imagined the scenario Eric described and raised an eyebrow. "With that much money, you wouldn't be able to spend it all on investments. What do you plan to do?"

Eric replied, "Charity work, for the better future of humanity."

"Ugh!"

"Hey, be a lady,"

Elisabeth rolled her eyes at him. "Who told you to babble nonsense?"

Eric laughed and said, "Honestly, if I want to preserve my wealth for future generations, I need to start doing 'charity work' now."

Elisabeth's eyes flickered as she casually asked, "So who do you plan to pass your wealth on to?"

"I haven't thought about it," Eric admitted honestly. "But it will definitely be our kids."

"Oh please, who wants to have kids with you?" Elisabeth blushed, then quickly realized Eric's 'we' certainly didn't just refer to the two of them, giving him another glare.

Eric pretended not to notice her look and said, "It's still too early to talk about such things. Anyway, how much our little ones will get in the future is up to fate. By then, I'll have bigger things to worry about than this."

Elisabeth suddenly thought of something, glanced around cautiously, and leaned in, whispering, "Do you have a will?"

"Sure," Eric grinned, nodding. "If I were to suddenly die, you'd be the one cashing in."

Elisabeth clearly picked up on the double meaning in Eric's words, and the blush that had begun to fade returned to her cheeks. Sitting up straight, she replied, "Aren't you afraid I'd get greedy?"

"I think my judgment is pretty sound. If I were wrong, by then I wouldn't know anything, so what would it matter?"

"You really are carefree," Elisabeth responded, feeling warmed by Eric's trust.

The waitress returned and set their dinner down, noticing the coaster from in front of Eric had vanished. She slyly winked at him before walking away.

Once she had gone, Elisabeth scoffed, "Does she really think I can't do anything?"

Eric took a sip of water and picked up his fork. "She probably doesn't know you. Plus, if I call her after this, losing her job would be worth it."

"Are you going to call her?"

"Nope."

"Don't believe you."

"Women are really expensive to maintain."

"Hmph."

The two slowly enjoyed their dinner, and after a moment, Eric said, "Another thing: about the Moulin Rouge! script, I talked with Baz Luhrmann during lunch. His ideas are actually pretty good. This project is worth a try."

Elisabeth nodded. "I think it's good too, but it carries some risks. If Nicole participates, the production cost would need to reach $60 million. Moreover, as a non-mainstream musical, if this film was to guarantee box office success, it could only be aimed at winning awards. The production cost exceeds Miramax's investment limit, and we've just set a rule with Harvey that it can't exceed $50 million. We can't break that so soon, and next year they already scheduled Julia's Erin Brockovich as their main award contender, so I turned it down."

"You're starting to get a bit too obsessed with the Oscars' influence. Truly outstanding films like Dances with Wolves, Forrest Gump, and Titanic could achieve commercial success even without the Oscars' glow. For those films, the Oscars just added a bit of icing on the cake. It should be perceived that way," Eric shook his head. "Besides, Miramax's operational model won't last long. Otherwise, the Oscars would turn into Harvey's personal territory. Do you think the Academy would agree to that?"

On serious matters, Elisabeth always went along with Eric's suggestions. She nodded and said, "I'll find time to talk with Baz again."

...

Julia had a commitment in New York, so that night it was just Eric and Elisabeth.

After dinner, the two didn't rush to leave. Exiting Firefly Studios, crossing the Barona Canal to the north, they found themselves in the increasingly bustling Venice Beach, a neighborhood thriving under the influence of Firefly Studios, where countless young dreamers gathered, walking along the bright neon-lit pedestrian streets filled with handsome men and beautiful women. If lucky, one might even spot a minor celebrity, attracting more visitors.

In contrast, Eric and Elisabeth, dressed casually and a bit disguised, were nearly unnoticeable in the night streets.

Elisabeth seemed to enjoy this feeling, linking her arm through Eric's while holding an ice cream cone she bought from a roadside stall, occasionally commenting on the beautiful girls in the street.

Passing a movie theater, she noticed a poster for The Ring that read, "Heart patients, please view with caution," immediately feeling excited and dragging Eric toward the cinema.

Eric couldn't help but pull her back slightly. "Actually, I'm really scared of horror movies."

"You're more afraid of sitting on an already occupied sofa, right?" Elisabeth scoffed, continuing to pull Eric forcefully into the lobby.

Walking from the darkened street into the bright theater lobby, Eric had to adjust his cap, following Elisabeth to the ticket counter. Thankfully, the theater wasn't too crowded, allowing them to slip in unnoticed.

Rather than the VIP section, Elisabeth asked for two regular tickets, clearly choosing to do so on purpose.

Holding two buckets of popcorn, they entered the half-full screening room, selecting a seat in the back row. Noticing Eric's evident discomfort, Elisabeth leaned in, enjoying his unease. "How about you sit on my lap?"

Eric threatened with fake annoyance, "You think I'm scared?"

Elisabeth immediately shrank back, giggling, "Watching a movie, we're watching a movie! Oh, the lead girl you picked out is quite fitting for a horror movie, though I wonder if this film can really scare someone into a heart attack."

Eric had no choice but to focus on the movie. Being familiar with the plot, he said, "You'll see soon enough."

...

On screen, the character Rachel Keller, played by Vera Farmiga, had begun unraveling the mystery of her niece's death with the help of her ex-boyfriend, played by Johnny Depp.

The dark, ominous visuals, eerie midnight phone calls, and pervasive psychological hints quickly drew both Eric and Elisabeth into the storyline.

When a demonic girl, with disheveled hair and ghastly white eyes, crawled out from the television in an oddly contorted position, the atmosphere of psychological horror that the film had built up exploded at that moment. A scream erupted in the theater, and Elisabeth, whose earlier playfulness had vanished, trembled and clutched Eric's arm tightly.

After this scene passed and a while went by, Elisabeth, still shaking, said, "Eric, that was really terrifying. Let's go."

Eric nodded and wrapped an arm around Elisabeth as they made their way out of the screening room. However, aside from the two of them, the other moviegoers remained focused on the big screen.

...

Once outside the theater, Elisabeth lost her interest in shopping, directly getting into the waiting black car.

Instructing the driver to take them back to Beverly Hills, Eric turned to Elisabeth and said, "Didn't I warn you? It's terrifying."

"When did you warn me? I don't remember."

"The sign said, 'Heart patients, please view with caution.' I designed that warning personally."

"You're just playing with words," Elisabeth replied, reflecting on the scenes they had seen earlier, then continued, "But what if someone really did get scared to death? You would be in deep trouble."

"We've added the warning; even heart patients who notice it would obviously be mentally prepared."

"That's not guaranteed. Maybe someone would attempt to push their limits and end up not being able to handle it."

"What can we do about that? Honestly, dying from being scared while watching a movie isn't such a bad way to go. How many people in this world die in such an extraordinary manner?"

"You're something else."

...

The first weekend passed quickly, and there were no reports of anyone dying from fright during The Ring's screening. However, the tagline that had been widely criticized by the media and public before the release gained considerable acknowledgment after the first weekend's screenings.

With no previous Japanese version to set the standard, the new version of The Ring drew a much larger response than anyone had imagined.

Many thought that after The Scorpion King, with the only upcoming movie to watch out for being Fox's The X-Files film at the end of July, there would be nothing to get excited about. Yet, The Ring once again demonstrated how an unexpected hit was born.

*****

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