I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1066: Stranded on the Streets]

Eric was chatting with Linda and Cindy in a corner when suddenly, the unmistakable voice of Madonna blasted from the party's speakers. This woman was clearly feeling it, announcing that she would personally sing for everyone and urging them to dance and join the celebration.

The party atmosphere was already electric, and with Madonna's encouragement, everyone began to congregate toward the center of the hall.

Eric was pulled up by Cindy and Linda, making his way into the crowd. A moment later, the staff adjusted the lighting, matching the pulsating ambiance of the moment with dynamic shadows and colors.

As the explosive rhythms started, Eric found himself sandwiched between Cindy and Linda, moving his body to the beat. He briefly scanned the crowd and noticed Helena Christensen dancing with a young man who clearly had some Middle Eastern ancestry, feeling a bit curious and glancing over a few more times.

Helena seemed to catch Eric's gaze; her expression hesitated briefly before she subtly let go of the young man's hand and walked over to Eric.

After a brief introduction, Madonna's song kicked in, sending the crowd into a frenzy -- the changing lights in the hall seemed to come alive with the rhythm.

Eric saw Helena approach him and appear to say something, though the surrounding music drowned it out. He didn't mind much, smiling as he reached out his hand. An alluring body immediately pressed up against him.

Eric was momentarily confused by what was happening, but Linda and Cindy, who had also noticed this scene, exchanged amused glances. Even Helena could barely suppress a smile, giving a playful pinch to Linda's waist as she danced against Eric.

Realizing something peculiar was afoot, Eric turned to Cindy with curiosity. She pointed to the young man not far away, the one Eric had stolen Helena from, and leaned in to yell two words: "Jealous-Daddy!"

Oh, Eric instantly understood. The unfortunate nickname "Jealous-Daddy" had stemmed from how he had interfered in Helena and Leo's relationship. Clearly, after noticing his gaze, Helena's response was influenced by the mental shadow from that incident.

After the song, Eric led Cindy and Linda back to where they had been earlier, with Helena following along.

Though things felt odd, Eric still smiled at Helena, saying, "Go have fun. I promise I won't interfere with your relationships anymore. But if you ever need someone to back you up, you can come find me."

Linda, who had grabbed two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter, handed one to Eric. Hearing his words, she teased, "That sounds just like a super uptight dad pretending to be understanding."

Cindy and Helena burst into laughter.

Eric, pretending to be angry, shot back, "And you, just forget about getting my wisdom. After the party, go home and don't go messing around."

At this, Linda leaned in playfully, "Eric, why don't we just go back to your place on Kensington Garden Street now?"

"Cindy and you can head over there first," Eric replied, not avoiding Helena's presence. "I need to drop someone off first."

Linda recalled Poppy Delevingne, asking, "The little girl?"

Eric nodded, "Yeah."

Linda seemed a bit sulky, glancing back and whispering something to Helena.

After listening to Linda, Helena seemed intrigued, yet her gaze towards Eric held a hint of shyness.

Eric stood to toast a guest who approached, exchanged a few words, and then returned to his spot. He had naturally noticed Linda's earlier gestures, smiling as he warned, "Hey, just think about the consequences before doing anything sneaky."

Linda leaned in closer, inquiring, "So, where's your villa key? Hand it over so I can go with Cindy."

Eric shrugged, "I don't have any."

Linda rolled her eyes and searched him, saying, "How do you get in then? Walk through walls?"

"Alright, enough searching, I really don't have it," Eric said, pulling her hand away. "Merissa Mayer is over there, and if you two head over first, tell the doorman to let her out to meet you."

Linda nodded in satisfaction, grabbing Helena's arm, signaling to Cindy, and then bidding Eric, "We'll see you later."

Eric reminded Cindy to keep an eye on Linda and prevent any trouble. Once the three ladies departed, he looked at his watch, realizing it was already 10:30. He wondered how far away the Delevingne household lived and decided to take Poppy home.

...

After searching through the crowd for a while, he finally found Poppy, now surrounded by Gisele, Qusie Gauff, and Fernanda Tavares, the new generation of Victoria's Secret Angels.

Though Poppy was enjoying the party, she still shot Eric a glance filled with a touch of disappointment when she saw him.

After tapping his wrist to signal the time, Eric said, "Poppy, it's time to take you home, or you might be late for school tomorrow."

Poppy nodded obediently and instinctively tried to link her arm with his.

Eric smiled, gesturing for her to wait. He approached Gisele, holding her slim waist, whispering, "You should head back to the hotel tonight. I'll be in New York next week, and we can go shopping then."

Gisele did not respond with disappointment; rather, her expression seemed a bit odd.

Eric noticed Gisele's reaction and cast an eye on the other girls, realizing they all held a similar enigmatic air. He asked, "What's going on?"

Gisele, slightly embarrassed, leaned closer, whispering with a grin, "Earlier, they said Daddy was upset; everyone has to go home after the party."

Eric's lips twitched, resolving to find a moment when he could properly address Linda calling him "Daddy."

Clearing his throat, Eric gently patted Gisele's slim waist, sensing that she had more to say but feeling reluctant to probe further, thus saying, "You all keep having fun. I'm heading out."

...

After taking Poppy out of the Earl's Palace and into the parking lot, Eric helped the girl into the car, sitting in beside her, and asked, "So, where do you live?"

"Belgravia."

Eric instructed the driver to head there and hesitated before asking, "Is that far?"

Poppy blinked her eyes mischievously, replying, "Not far."

Unsure what trick she was up to, Eric chuckled, "If I find out the drive's too long, I might just leave you on the roadside!"

"Hehe, you wouldn't!" Poppy giggled, eyeing the driver and bodyguard before leaning closer to Eric, whispering, "Eric, will you be leaving London soon?"

Eric nodded, "Probably the day after tomorrow."

Poppy looked a bit disappointed, leaning in a little more. "Well, if you come back to London, can I see you again?"

"Of course," Eric said, "But I can't come over that often."

Poppy sensed that as she inched closer, Eric leaned away towards the opposite door but gathered unnecessary bravery and wrapped her arm around his, saying, "Eric, when girls say things like this, you should take the initiative to invite me. But here I am, not even knowing where you live in London."

Eric felt he might be caught up with another little minx. Wanting to break free, but it was clearly impossible in the vehicle, not wanting to hurt her feelings either, he just awkwardly smiled, "The thing is, can you even be called a girl yet?"

Poppy confidently insisted, "Of course I am!"

"Alright," Eric relented, "I live on Kensington Garden Street. You should know that."

Poppy's eyes brightened as she nodded, "I do! So, how can I contact you?"

Eric completely surrendered, pulling out a business card from his pocket and handing it to her, adding, "But just so you know, I'm pretty busy and might not have time to hang out."

...

Late at night, the streets of London were sparse with traffic. After chatting for a few minutes, Eric quickly understood the meaning behind Poppy's series of expressions earlier.

Her home in Belgravia was at the southeastern corner of Hyde Park, less than three kilometers away from Kensington Garden Street on the west side of the park.

"Sir, it's the third house to the north through the garden," Poppy directed the driver and, adopting a lady-like tone, introduced Eric to the sorroundings, "Eric, there are many embassies around here; look, that's the Italian embassy, and north is the Romanian embassy."

The car navigated the irregular streets of London briefly before stopping in front of a white European-style villa.

The Delevingne couple hadn't gone to bed yet. Seeing Eric personally drop Poppy off, they warmly invited him in. Poppy, embodying the role of a clingy little girl, dragged him right into the villa.

The Delevingne couple were welcoming and engaging, possibly eager to befriend Eric. Before long, they found themselves deep in conversation until Eric's phone unexpectedly rang. Noticing it was Emily calling, Eric assumed there was no urgent business, and casually hung up, standing to bid the Delevingne couple goodbye.

...

However, just as Eric settled into the car, his phone rang again.

He looked at it and saw it was Merissa Mayer on the line. Raising his hand to signal the driver to start the car, Eric answered, hearing Merissa Mayer's hurried voice shooting out a few words, instantly causing his expression to change. "So, they've all gone to my place?"

"..."

Eric slapped his forehead, realizing why Gisele had said earlier that "Daddy was upset" and that everyone had to return home after the party. Just moments ago, all forty-six Victoria's Secret Angels participating in the show had invaded his house on Kensington Garden Street.

From Merissa Mayer's tone, Eric felt that the word "invaded" was indeed the most fitting.

At that moment, these forty-six enchanting wildlings were plotting to throw an all-night party in his villa under Cindy and Linda's leadership.

But that wasn't even the most pressing issue.

More critically, the entrance to Kensington Garden Street was already packed with eager paparazzi.

Just think about it.

Eric Williams gathering the Victoria's Secret squad for a private bash, forty-six stunning beauties, wasn't that explosive enough?

...

After quickly instructing Merissa Mayer a few things, and just as he hung up the phone, Emily's phone rang again. Picking up, a clearly frantic voice came through, sternly warning Eric to stay as far away as possible tonight -- not to return home.

Hanging up again, Eric gestured for the driver to stop, stepping outside, shaking his head in wry amusement.

In light of the current situation, Eric undoubtedly would not be returning, for he was more invested in the public image of these wildlings than even Emily and the others, which could be seen as a fatherly inclination.

Thus, he not only couldn't go back but also had to make sure everyone knew that he wasn't at Kensington Garden Street tonight.

Standing at an unfamiliar street corner, Eric donned his overcoat, scanning the surroundings.

Given the attention the Victoria's Secret show had garnered that night, Eric knew that as soon as he left the Earl's Palace, paparazzi would undoubtedly be following.

Without needing to search, a white Toyota sedan trailing him stopped not far behind his vehicle, along with two motorcycles, while a blue Passat passed his car and also came to a halt. A few paparazzi spotting Eric at the street corner, despite their confusion, eagerly raised their cameras to snap photos.

Eric allowed the paparazzi to take a few shots before signaling to the closest one in the white Toyota to approach.

The paparazzo hesitated but then exited his car, approaching Eric with a cautious yet respectful demeanor. "Mr. Williams."

Leaning against his Mercedes, Eric queried, "Which newspaper are you with?"

"The Sun."

Why did that not surprise him at all?

A smile crossed Eric's face as he replied, "Perfect timing, is there a 24-hour cafe nearby? Let's get you coffee and chat about your article for tomorrow."

The Sun was a publication under News Corp, and the paparazzo was aware of Eric's connection with the boss's youngest daughter. He was merely doing his routine, knowing that even if he brought back an exciting scoop, it would likely just be some trivial gossip printed in their column.

Hearing Eric's words, the paparazzo, without hesitation, saw this interaction as a significant opportunity, "Mr. Williams, if you don't mind, please follow me."

*****

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