Chapter 1061: Chapter 1063: If It Doesn't Taste Good
[Chapter 1063: If It Doesn't Taste Good]
Due to a last-minute change of aircraft, Eric had lunch with the crew in Ventura before officially taking off. The Boeing 767 smoothly ascended into the stratosphere as Mayer unbuckled his seatbelt. Caroline was still recuperating from a foot injury, so for this trip, she was the only one following Eric to London, aside from the usual security detail.
After carefully reviewing Eric's schedule for the next few days, Mayer saw a flight attendant approaching with coffee. She stood up to intercept her, smiling, "I'll take care of that."
The flight attendant was a temporary staff member from the aircraft rental company, tall and elegant, fitting the industry's standards. As she was there to serve Eric Williams, this flight assignment had been highly sought after, and she had finally managed to snag a spot. Just hearing that Eric Williams needed coffee, she had made a point to dress up. Ambitious women never lacked for aspirations; getting close to Eric could mean a swift rise in her career.
Feeling thwarted by Mayer, the flight attendant maintained her smile, albeit with irritation beneath, saying, "Miss Mayer, I can manage it."
"I happen to have work to discuss with Eric," Mayer said, reaching out to take the tray from her hand, her smile fading into a command as she added, "You can head back."
The flight attendant, not wanting to offend Eric's personal assistant, grumbled under her breath but had no choice but to retreat.
Once the flight attendant's figure vanished at the entrance to the lounge, Mayer sighed in relief, feeling a small thrill from the small act of authority she had just wielded. Then, with a tinge of guilt, she stuck out her tongue before heading to the private office at the front of the plane.
...
Eric was leaning back in an office chair, engrossed in reading a screenplay. At the sound of a knock, he didn't look up but quietly responded.
Mayer tiptoed to the desk, poured a cup of coffee for Eric, and placed the pot beside him. Watching the focused man in front of her, she suddenly recalled the events from the morning.
Those two Gulfstream Vs? It seemed he wouldn't be flying them again. What a capricious guy, tossing aside two $36 million private jets like it's nothing! There's probably only this man who could dare to do such a thing without a second thought.
Consider this: the price of the two Gulfstream Vs was merely a starting point. The annual maintenance and operational costs alone amounted to at least 10% of the aircraft's price; that's a long-term investment many wealthy individuals chose to avoid by opting for long-term rentals.
Eric turned a page of the Fight Club script and, sensing someone hadn't left, looked up with a smile to interrupt Mayer's daydream, "Mary, what's up?"
"Oh, nothing," Mayer shook her head quickly, realizing she spaced out. She sought a way out of her embarrassment, saying, "I just noticed you were reading this script, and when I was organizing materials for you, I happened to skim through it, but I didn't quite grasp what Fincher was trying to express this time."
"It's simple," Eric replied with a smirk, "Fincher wants to tell everyone that mental illness needs to be addressed early; one shouldn't avoid treatment, or it could hurt both themselves and others."
Mayer paused, realizing Eric was joking, and burst out laughing.
Eric appraised Mayer, who was hiding her mouth behind her hands, wearing a light grey business suit. "If you're interested in this story, you could check out Chuck Palahniuk's original novel. It's about a modern man struggling and rebelling through confusion until he collapses. As for this script, I think even Fincher hasn't quite figured out what he wants to convey, so if mishandled, this project could turn into a disaster."
Mayer listened attentively and asked, "So, are you planning to approve this project?"
"Absolutely," Eric nodded. "It's actually quite an intriguing script. With some effort during the distribution and marketing stages, this film could even become a cult classic."
Historically, Fight Club initially had lackluster box office performance, only to later transform into a classic through fan interpretations.
Currently, New Line's budget was set at $50 million, which Eric found insufficient. As he just mentioned, Fincher might still be grappling with his ideas, potentially leading to confusion during filming and budget overruns.
However, Eric didn't want New Line to miss out on this film. Firefly Group already had plenty of commercially successful films; producing a few unique quality films to enhance the company's library was essential. Over the years, aside from mainstream commercial films, Firefly's labels had been collaborating continuously with unique directors like David Fincher and Quentin Tarantino.
Regarding Fight Club, while there were risks involved, as long as New Line crafted a specialized marketing plan to help audiences grasp the film ahead of time, if nothing else, they might make viewers who don't understand it feel it's an extraordinary movie, thus paving the way for commercial success.
After chatting for a bit, successfully easing the awkwardness of her earlier spacing out, Mayer turned and left the office.
...
Eric returned his focus to the Fight Club screenplay. Honestly, he hadn't fully grasped the film either, but there were plenty of classic lines worth contemplating.
After reading through the script, Eric opened his laptop and drafted an email based on his thoughts for the film. He intended to save it in the drafts to send to Kenneth Horne at New Line once they reached London. Picking up another document from his desk, he prepared for the subsequent flight.
Dinner was served on the plane, and after a few hours of rest, Eric woke up to find the Boeing 767 already at cruising altitude over London.
...
Leaving Ventura Airport on the West Coast at 1 PM, after ten hours of flying and accounting for the time difference, it was now 7 AM on November 11 in London.
Upon arriving at Heathrow Airport, Eric was quickly whisked away by Emily and Edward Razek to the venue for tomorrow's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, the Earl's Court Exhibition Centre in West London.
In contrast to the quaint confines of the Lexington Avenue arsenal in Manhattan, the Earl's Court Exhibition Centre, covering over 40,000 square meters, felt remarkably grand.
As Eric's group arrived, the entrance of Earl's Court was plastered with gigantic posters showcasing Victoria's Secret brand, with many media reporters lined up, cameras ready, descending upon Eric's cars, though they ultimately couldn't catch a glimpse of the interior occupants.
Compared to the warm spring in Los Angeles, London in November was already significantly colder, with snow possible at any moment.
After disembarking in the exhibition center's parking lot, Eric instinctively stuffed his hands into the pockets of the newly donned trench coat. Glancing up at the persistently gloomy sky, he said to Emily, "I mean, shouldn't you at least let me grab breakfast first?"
Emily raised her wrist to check her watch, unimpressed. "If I remember correctly, you were supposed to arrive in London around 5 AM. Do you know how long everyone has been waiting for you at Heathrow?"
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Eric replied, "I'm really sorry, there was a last-minute aircraft change that delayed me a few hours."
"Then why didn't you have someone notify us?" Emily complained but didn't press further. Sensing she had the upper hand, she said, "Let's go check on how everything is set up."
This year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show felt a bit like a farewell concert.
Classic angels like Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista would be stepping down from the Victoria's Secret endorsement team after this show. Originally, only Diane Kruger and Tyra Banks would remain from the original five-member group. Diane intended to delve deeper into Hollywood, while Tyra planned to return to television like before.
Meanwhile, the forty-some angels would also be undergoing a significant turnover in the coming years.
Though Cindy and Linda might return for a guest appearance in the future, LTD refrained from revealing this in their promotions, implying that this could be the last show for this popular set of supermodels. This strategy worked effectively -- some loyal fans reportedly flew from North America just to witness this show.
Given the venue's larger size compared to Lexington Avenue Armory, LTD issued a total of 6,000 tickets, marking it the grandest Victoria's Secret show yet.
With the strong expansion of the Victoria's Secret brand, LTD placed increasingly significant emphasis on organizing the show.
In addition to focused promotions targeting the angel team, the roster of performing guests was unprecedentedly robust. In addition to the Spice Girls, the Backstreet Boys, and Madonna, LTD had also managed to secure Michael Jackson. Years later, he had finally emerged from the shadows and regained his former superstar glory.
However, having learned the operational dynamics of the Victoria's Secret show over the years, LTD refrained from spending big on a high-profile director. Instead, high-ups like Edward Razek took charge as producers, directly overseeing the entire production.
...
Though it was late at night back in Los Angeles, after a few hours of rest on the plane and being in an energetic age, Eric felt energized as Emily guided him through the morning's preparations.
It wasn't until noon that the group departed the Earl's Court internal stage and headed to the Kensington NH Hotel, where the angels were staying.
In fact, the Earl's Court Exhibition Centre was less than two kilometers from Kensington Gardens Street, so Eric would still have an easy commute between the two in the next couple of days.
Arriving at the NH Hotel just in time for lunch, the group headed straight to the hotel restaurant.
With the Victoria's Secret fashion show taking place the next day, although some angels were out shopping, most stayed at the hotel, turning the lunch hour into a gathering ground for beautiful women.
Upon seeing Eric, every Victoria's Secret angel dining in the restaurant stood up, enthusiastically coming over to him.
After embracing a large group of dazzling ladies, they naturally dispersed, but Cindy, Linda, and Gisele -- who was making her debut at the Victoria's Secret show -- stayed behind. Everyone knew that while many angels were close to Eric, these three shared the closest relationships. Alessandra and Miranda didn't make it to London but remained behind in New York.
Mayer had rushed ahead to Kensington Gardens Street to prepare Eric's accommodations, so she wasn't present. Other senior LTD executives also cleverly made themselves scarce, taking seats elsewhere. Only Emily and Eric remained, joined by the three girls at a round table.
Once seated, Eric turned to Gisele across from him, smiling, "So how does it feel now?"
Cindy and Linda naturally occupied two spots next to Eric while Gisele felt a slight pang of jealousy, yet replied, "It's great; everyone has been really supportive."
Cindy took the menu from the waiter and handed it to Eric, saying, "Gisele's runway walk is truly impressive; I feel a bit overshadowed. Oh Eric, you have to try the steak here; it's really good."
"Then why don't you order me one?" Eric replied with a smirk, handing the menu back to Cindy. "If it doesn't taste good, I'll be holding you accountable."
"Sure," Cindy laughed lightly, unfazed by all the gazes directed their way. She leaned in close to Eric, whispering, "If it's not good, then you can eat me instead."
The alluring scent of her femininity wafted closer, and Eric leaned in, replying in a strange tone, "Actually, women aren't very tasty; too much fat. I prefer men; little boys are the best, very tender."
Cindy was visibly taken aback, instinctively distancing herself a bit. Upon seeing Eric's sudden return to an expression of nonchalance, she shot him a playful glare before ordering several dishes from the waiter nearby.
*****
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