I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1064: Somewhat Aggrieved]

During lunch, Simon Fuller, the president of Virgin Records, rushed over.

For the past six months, while managing the operations of Virgin Records, Simon had put a significant amount of his energy into running the reality show Pop Idol. Following the success of the Spice Girls, this public audition organized by Virgin Records in conjunction with Sky Television attracted over 200,000 applicants just in the UK.

This led to immense attention for Pop Idol right from its inception. After months of buildup, by September, the show had premiered to over 5.24 million viewers, and its latest episode averaged 7.91 million viewers. While such ratings might not seem remarkable in North America, in the UK -- home to only a fifth of North America's population -- those numbers were phenomenal.

Consequently, even with several months left in its first season, television networks in numerous countries and regions had already begun contacting the producers of Pop Idol to secure production rights for the show. Over in North America, Eric had already confirmed that the production rights would go to ABC.

Elisabeth had some thoughts of her own, but seeing the phenomenal success of Pop Idol made her realize it was impossible to bring the show to FOX. After all, Eric also had to consider the wishes of ABC's executives. However, she unapologetically took the production rights for Australia.

After lunching with everyone, Eric and Simon Fuller headed over to the recording studio for Pop Idol to check in and learn about the operations at Virgin Records.

...

To adjust to the time difference, Eric returned to the villa on Kensington Garden Street early that evening to rest. The following morning, he flew to Dublin, the capital of Ireland.

As a European tax haven, the European headquarters for Firefly Electronics was also located in Ireland.

After a morning work meeting with the executives at Firefly Electronics' European branch, Eric took a tour of a recently opened Fireflyer components factory near Dublin. In the afternoon, he returned to the UK and rushed to Pinewood Studios to meet with Tim Burton and others, who were busy working on Sleepy Hollow.

After two full days of non-stop busyness, Eric finally completed most of his agenda for this trip to the UK.

...

As dusk fell, Eric drove back into central London.

Inside the black Mercedes, Mayer sat beside Eric quietly jotting down notes for the day's work.

Suddenly, the car hit a bump, causing Eric, who had been resting with his eyes closed, to straighten up and glance outside at the streetlights coming on. He asked Mayer, "Where are we now?"

Mayer looked up, noticing Eric's somewhat tired face, and said, "We're almost at Kensington Street, Eric. Do you want to eat dinner before we head over?"

Eric checked his watch and saw it was a quarter past seven, with less than an hour until the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show began. While he felt a little hungry, after hesitating, Eric decided, "Let's just go straight to the Earl's Court."

Mayer nodded and glanced at her notes, saying, "Also, Eric, I organized the scripts and novels you had the UK branch collect yesterday afternoon. They're in the study."

Eric paused, then remembered.

At the wrap party for The Ring, he had inadvertently thought of Snatch, a film that should have already premiered but had yet to make its debut. He felt it would be a shame if such an interesting movie faded away. The next day, he casually asked Caroline and Mayer to gather some of the latest novels and scripts before his trip to the UK.

Over the years, Eric had frequently prompted such tasks on a whim, and many projects within the Firefly system came from his choices, most of which had turned out quite well. So even though he had only mentioned it offhandedly and had almost forgotten, Caroline and Mayer considered it very important.

Leaning back comfortably in his seat, Eric said, "Well, I can look at them when I have time; if not, I can skip it."

After all, who cared about a former husband of the Queen of Pop? He wasn't a savior; he did not have to manage every little thing.

Mayer chuckled a bit, glanced at her notes, and noticed there were a few more items she wanted to report to Eric but then saw his scattered attention and decided to close her notebook.

...

As the night in London grew colder, the Earl's Court buzzed with excitement.

Eric entered the backstage area of the show through the internal passage, greeting the girls clad in pink pajamas or the already donned outfits, waiting nervously for their turn. He quickly found the rows of makeup stations. For each annual Victoria's Secret fashion show, they routinely prepared various energy snacks for the girls who had been dieting for days -- a rule personally set by Eric.

After a long day, Eric felt like he was the one in need of an energy boost.

Noticing Eric sitting at the edge of a row of makeup stations, Qusie Gauff, who had been getting her hair done, paused and beckoned him over, while the other girls still in the makeup area -- seeing Qusie seize the opportunity -- reluctantly returned to their seats, greeting Eric from near and far.

Responding to the greetings from the girls, Eric pulled a box of nuts closer, turning to the doll-faced girl next to him and nodding with a smile, "Qusie, you look absolutely stunning tonight."

"Thank you," Qusie waved away her stylist and smiled sweetly, saying, "Eric, will you be attending the premiere of Fast & Furious next month?"

Curious, Eric asked, "Why the sudden interest?"

"Kristanna invited me to come to Los Angeles next month to support her," Qusie Gauff propped her chin on one hand, looking adorable, "If you're going too, we could meet up."

Eric recalled that somewhat wild night in New York and laughed, "Kristanna Loken?"

At the time, Eric believed that Kristanna Loken, who had once played T-X the Terminator, was more suitable for the role of Letty, the fierce female driver, than Michelle Rodriguez. He arranged for her to audition in Los Angeles. Because the auditions went well and Eric personally recommended her, she ended up landing the role.

"Yes," Qusie Gauff nodded, her face turning slightly pink, possibly recalling that night in New York.

"Well, we'll have to see if I have time. But even if I can't make it, you can come visit me at the Liberty City when you're in Los Angeles."

Qusie Gauff perked up excitedly, "Really?"

"Of course," Eric smiled. "You can come along with Kristanna."

Qusie Gauff immediately misunderstood Eric's intention and lightly glared at him playfully, "Eric, you're so bad."

"You reminding me makes me want to do something mischievous," Eric replied with a grin, glancing at the sweetly innocent girl, thinking of Kristanna Loken's wild persona -- a strong top and a delicate bottom, a beautiful lesbian couple that straight men love to see.

Noticing Eric's mischievous smile, Qusie Gauff playfully shrank her neck, making one want to pinch her doll-like face.

However, this charming atmosphere was soon disrupted: "Eric, why are you just getting here now? You can't stay backstage and distract the girls getting ready for the show. Get up; I've arranged a seat for you in front."

Eric glanced at Emily, who was animatedly bustling about, and raised the nut container before him, "Emily, I haven't eaten anything yet."

"My girls haven't eaten for three months," Emily shot him a look. "Get up, let's go."

Eric made a gesture to Qusie Gauff indicating they'd talk later, picked up the box of nuts, and stood.

Emily tried to grab the box from him, but Eric easily sidestepped her, saying, "Alright, but Eric, you need to keep a low profile these days. The paparazzi here in London are crazier than in New York. I don't want any messy tabloid headlines popping up."

Eric felt somewhat aggrieved. While outsiders might think he was soaking up the atmosphere at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in London, the reality was that he hadn't paused his hectic schedule for even a moment. Over the years, Eric had gradually realized that the lifestyles of many tycoons were definitely not as lavish and carefree as ordinary people imagined; instead, they were often busier than ever.

"Emily, even if I wanted some tabloid headlines, I wouldn't have the time!"

Emily clearly understood Eric's packed schedule, clicking her heels as she strode ahead, turning back without missing a beat, "I know this, but others don't. Just be mindful."

...

At that moment, the front row for the show was already filled with guests. As the opening approached, the atmosphere became exceptionally lively.

Emily led Eric to an empty seat in the front row on the left side of the stage. The guests, who had been conversing, all stood upon seeing Eric.

Due to their families' close ties, Emily often presented herself as an older sister figure in front of Eric, and Eric valued this closeness, never trying to assert dominance in front of her.

However, that did not mean others could act too casually around Eric. Almost everyone seated in the front row for the show were influential figures from various walks of life in the UK, and upon seeing Eric, they all eagerly sought to engage with him.

Emily also introduced him, "Eric, this is Mr. Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, one of our partners for this fashion show."

Eric knew who Richard Branson was -- Virgin Records was once a subsidiary of the Virgin Group -- and he reached out to shake his hand.

After Eric greeted Richard Branson, Emily continued introducing others, "And Eric, this is Mr. Charles Delevingne, a successful real estate entrepreneur, and this is his wife, Mrs. Pandora Stevens, who is the Buying Director for Selfridges."

When Emily emphasized Mrs. Pandora Stevens, she shot Eric a knowing glance, indicating Emily wanted him to engage with her more.

Eric understood her intention; while Victoria's Secret would set up flagship stores in major European cities like London and Paris, other apparel brands under the LTD Group needed to penetrate department store counters. Selfridges, ranking second in the UK only to Harrods with its luxury brands, was a prime target for LTD's clothing lines.

After a few more introductions, everyone settled down, and Emily rushed back backstage to direct operations.

...

Sitting between Richard Branson and the Delevingne couple, with over ten minutes before the show began, everyone was quite chatty, and they naturally found plenty to discuss.

Not long into the conversation, Eric noticed a girl around twelve or thirteen, already with an elegant presence, running over from behind. She shyly hugged the Delevingne couple and then leaned against Charles Delevingne, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Eric.

"Eric," Charles Delevingne chuckled, pushing the girl off himself a bit, "This is my daughter, Poppy. She's a big fan of yours."

Eric smiled and extended his hand, saying, "Hello, Miss Delevingne."

The girl politely shook Eric's hand, saying, "Mr. Williams, you can call me Poppy."

"Oh, then you can call me Eric."

Feeling Eric's friendly demeanor, Poppy relaxed considerably. After nuzzling against her father a bit, the Delevingne couple stepped aside with smiles, and noticing the girl's intent, Eric and Richard Branson subtly shifted positions to offer her space.

Sitting down next to Eric, Poppy pulled out a sleek Prada notebook from her handbag and handed it over. "Eric, can I have your autograph?"

"Of course," Eric replied, nodding with a smile as he took the notebook and a pen, swiftly signing his name along with a short message, then handed it back to the girl.

"And another one," Poppy said, retrieving the notebook but then handing over a pink notebook, "This is for my sister. She's not here today, but she wants your autograph too."

Eric took the pink notebook, laid it on his lap, and asked, "What's your sister's name?"

"Kara," Poppy answered. "Kara Delevingne."

Eric nodded, smiled again as he signed the notebook, but couldn't help but internally comment on the names: Poppy Delevingne, Kara Delevingne.

Poppy, Kara, Poppy, Kara...

If they were unrelated people, repeating those names in his mind would definitely conjure up visions of two innocent-looking Chihuahuas with big ears.

What a pair of unthoughtful parents, he mused. Couldn't they have picked better names for their children?

Hawaii sounded great!

*****

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