I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1051: It Seemed Like Something Had Been Forgotten]

"Actually, during the shooting of the film, we really encountered some supernatural events, you know, that maple tree, Gore, do you remember?"

"Of course! It was in the second week of shooting when we created a prop maple tree using steel pipes and silk materials. Every time we set it up, the camera hadn't even started rolling before it got knocked over by the wind. This happened three times in a row, and everyone felt quite spooked. I had to leave that shot for the studio, but even there, it mysteriously fell over once again. The assistant director privately suggested that I shouldn't shoot that scene; thankfully, we completed it in the end."

On the spacious main deck of the ship, Eric and Gore Verbinski, along with the main creative team of The Ring, casually chatted about some amusing incidents during the film's shoot.

...

After a while, Bill Mechanic approached, jokingly engaging with the group. Once he confirmed that Eric and the others were not discussing any serious business, he leaned in and said quietly, "Eric, Richard Lovett from CAA is over there. We just finalized the production plan for Entrapment, and he wants to say hello."

Eric turned to look in the direction Bill pointed out, spotting Richard Lovett standing among a few guests. Despite his shorter stature, Lovett radiated a shrewd and capable aura as he cheerfully raised his glass towards Eric.

The current structure of Hollywood's industry dictated that movie companies could not escape their interdependent relationship with talent agencies. While Eric had a close relationship with ICM, he understood that maintaining a competitive balance among ICM, CAA, and WMA served the interests of the film companies better. Given Eric's mindset and standing at that time, he didn't dwell on the minor frictions between Firefly and CAA over the years. He nodded in acknowledgment towards Lovett and turned back to Gore Verbinski and the others, saying, "You guys continue chatting. I'll just step away for a moment."

...

After exchanging pleasantries, Eric walked with Bill Mechanic towards Richard Lovett.

However, just a few steps in, Eric caught sight of a brown-haired girl in a little black dress barreling toward him like a rabbit darting towards a tree stump, moving so fast that he didn't have time to dodge.

With a light yelp from the girl, their bodies collided, and as they did, a good portion of champagne splashed onto Eric's white shirt. The left sleeve and part of his shoulder were completely soaked.

Stumbling back a step to steady himself, he gazed at the fresh-faced girl with her signature full lips, inwardly lamenting, "What a typical overzealous Anne Hathaway." Hadn't she just handed him her business card? Why was she here again?

As a central figure of Hollywood, Eric's every move at this party had people watching closely.

Some guests, who had been racking their brains for ways to connect with Eric, swiftly converged when this mishap occurred. The closest ladies from The Ring crew quickly pulled out tissues from their handbags to help dab the champagne stains from Eric's shirt. Others voiced their concern, asking Eric if he was okay.

In the blink of an eye, the girl responsible for the commotion found herself pushed to the periphery of the crowd.

...

Still clutching an empty glass, Anne Hathaway stood in shock at the unexpected turn of events. Taking a half-step forward out of instinct, she then realized that two burly security guards had materialized in front of her at some point, their eyes scrutinizing her cautiously.

Realizing she likely wouldn't get another chance to approach Eric Williams, Anne forced a somewhat unnatural smile at the security guards and turned to escape. But before she could make a move, a middle-aged man in a black suit politely blocked her path -- it was Jonas Heyman, the manager of the Titanic exhibition area, who happened to be patrolling nearby.

Jonas examined Anne for a moment, recalling an encounter with a group of individuals trying to sneak in during the afternoon preparations. He couldn't help but sigh internally; here was another one.

While he knew that ignoring the incident and treating it as a simple accident was the best course of action, Jonas dutifully asked, "Miss, may I see your invitation?"

Anne calmly shook her head. "I came with Mr. Robert; the invitation is with him. And that was just an accident. I'm really sorry."

Jonas maintained his gentle tone, "Miss, may I ask which Mr. Robert? I need to confirm."

"Robert, Robert De... De Niro, oh no, it's Robert De Niro... no, wait, that's not it," Anne stammered, realizing her mistake and that she had accidentally revealed herself.

Feeling her legs frail and her eyes darting anxiously, Anne quickly adopted a look of innocent pleading. "I'm sorry, sir. That truly was an accident. I didn't mean to bump into Mr. Williams. I... I'll leave now."

Jonas chuckled softly and shook his head. He had initially thought about having Anne Hathaway escorted out but upon seeing the chaotic crowd nearby, he felt obligated to inform Eric about the situation. He glanced at his two attendants to ensure they monitored Anne Hathaway and turned his attention back to Eric.

...

"It's really nothing; everyone, please continue enjoying the party. You don't have to hover around me," Eric said after quickly dealing with the champagne stains on his shirt.

Seeing that Eric was fine, the guests realized that there were too many people around to make any real connections and started to disperse.

"I'm sorry, Bill, and Richard. I need to change my shirt."

Although Eric had hastily cleaned up, he couldn't attend the party still wearing that stained shirt. He bid farewell to Bill Mechanic and Richard Lovett, intending to stop by his office in the adjacent administrative area, where he had some spare clothing.

Just as he was about to leave the large ship for next door, Jonas Heyman followed him. "Mr. Williams, I'm truly sorry; that girl slipped in here. That was my oversight."

While Jonas's rank in the Firefly Group wasn't particularly high, Eric knew him due to his position. Hearing his explanation, Eric didn't particularly mind and simply asked, "Jonas, where is she?"

Jonas pointed to Anne Hathaway, who was being guarded by two staff members not far away. "Over there."

Eric took a glance at her, feeling the clingy sensation of champagne still on him, and hurried to change clothes, saying casually, "You take care of that. I'll go change."

Since his rebirth, Eric had seen so many stars from his past that he had grown indifferent to such occurrences. He intended for Jonas to handle the situation as he wished. However, Jonas misunderstood, thinking Eric wanted to see the girl later, so he told his attendants to take Anne Hathaway to an office on the ship.

...

As Eric reached his office in the administrative wing, he took off his shirt, considered showering briefly, and once he was done, he noticed commotion outside. He peeked out and saw Nicole sitting at his desk casually flipping through a document.

Wringing his hair with a towel, Eric emerged and said, "You know, you could get arrested as a corporate spy looking like that."

Nicole threw him a glance, approaching him as she asked, "What happened back there?"

"It was an attempted assassination!" Eric joked, then reached out to wrap his arms around Nicole. "You still love me the most, huh? Those two girls? I wasted my affection on them; they didn't even show up. And what about Famke? After all that happened, she didn't come by to check on me either."

Nicole playfully dodged Eric's embrace, sizing him up. She could tell he was joking. Taking the towel from Eric's hands, she began to help dry his hair attentively. "Jansen should have left by now. As for those two girls, well, they are definitely your favorites, and they're over there guzzling drinks, each with a whole entourage. It's pretty lively. I'm guessing if you really got assassinated, they wouldn't even know."

Eric pulled Nicole closer, inhaling the enticing scent of her perfume along her neck. "Whatever. The kid's grown up."

"Haha, it's obvious you're not a good dad."

"I'm a total failure; Vicki often says the same." Eric sounded disheartened. "But you all will be good mothers someday, and also make sure to keep an eye on me."

Nicole lightly swatted him. "You're starting to sound ridiculous again. By the way..." Her tone softened slightly, as if she had been holding back. She had actually heard the news some time ago but couldn't help but bring it up now. "That... Olivia?"

Eric nodded, tightening his grip around her. "That's her."

Nicole hung the towel around Eric's neck and hugged him back, her tone filled with a teasing laugh. "So, Carly is really your cousin then."

"Yeah."

"Is she going to be heartbroken?"

"Not at all."

Eric shook his head, recalling Caroline's words from that night...

In the UK, it was not prohibited. In California, it was also not prohibited.

Nicole was curious, but seeing Eric's casual expression made her refrain from pressing further. They changed the subject.

After a moment of tenderness, Eric changed into a new shirt, and he and Nicole left the administrative building to head back onto the ship.

...

Before they knew it, it was nearing 10 p.m. After confirming that the earlier incident was just a minor accident, Nicole didn't linger when they returned to the ship. She said goodbye to Eric and left with Naomi to rest after the party.

Eric chatted with Richard Lovett from CAA for a bit and entertained a few other guests until Matthew Perry rushed over to Eric, saying a few words. Eric found himself bemused as he made his way to a bar within the ship.

Compared to the crowded yet orderly atmosphere outside, the bar was loud and chaotic. A group of men and women had clearly split into two factions. On one side were Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Hudson with their friends, clearly overpowering the other faction led by Jennifer Aniston and her group from Friends.

As Eric entered the bar, he heard everyone rhythmically shout, "GO! GO! GO! GO!"

At a long table, Kate Hudson was downing a beer while over at Jennifer Aniston's side, a blonde girl who exuded a tomboyish vibe was also chugging from a bottle of dark ale. The table was already littered with empty bottles.

The girls cheering on their "team" were obviously a bit tipsy, their faces flushed as they cheered for their companions.

Eric, helplessly surveying the scene, asked Matthew Perry beside him, "How much have they had?"

Matthew hesitated, mumbling, "Um, maybe five or six bottles."

Eric nodded and waited for the two girls to finish their beers. He clapped his hands loudly and called out, "Okay, that's it for tonight! Everybody go out and have fun. And don't drive when you head back!"

Upon seeing Eric, aside from Drew and Jennifer, the others quickly quieted down, greeting him as they made their way out of the bar.

However, seeing everyone leaving, Drew and Jennifer were unhappy. 

"No, you can't leave! Kate, come back! Don't listen to him!"

"Matthew, you traitor! Why did you call Eric over here? Traitor! I'm going to, uh, unfriend you."

Eric stepped over and put his arm around the swaying Drew, eyeing Jennifer Aniston, who immediately pouted. He reached over the table to take the girl's hand. "Alright, it's time to go home."

Although Drew swayed a bit, her mind was clearly intact, and hearing Eric say that, she immediately beamed, "Yes, home! Eric, let's go back to Trousdale Manor."

"No, we're not going to Trousdale Manor; we're going to my place in Santa Monica. Ugh, Eric, you're biased! I want a villa in Trousdale too!"

Eric half-hugged Drew while turning to wrap his other arm around Jennifer, signaling the bodyguards outside to prepare the car for him as he led the rowdy girls out.

Although the party still had some time to go, Eric didn't feel like sticking around with two unruly girls.

...

Once outside the ship, Eric comfortably settled the two into his vehicle in the parking lot, sighed, and instructed the driver to head to Malibu.

However, once in the car, the two girls grew restless and began to party even more, leading Eric to keep an eye on them during the ride as they laughed and played around until they arrived at Liberty City Manor.

Though he occasionally thought about whether he had forgotten something important during the drive, his focus remained on the two girls beside him. Those fleeting thoughts slipped away completely, as Eric set them aside entirely.

*****

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