Chapter 211: Chapter 211: A Miscalculation
[Chapter 211: A Miscalculation]
Eric subtly scrutinized Rupert Murdoch, who was just shy of sixty, and the first impression that struck him about the media mogul undeniably stemmed from the sensational phone-tapping scandal from his past life. Perhaps due to the scandal, Eric recalled only the unflattering photos of Murdoch from the media, yet at that moment, the mogul appeared vibrant, his thinning hair neatly combed, sporting rimless glasses, and a warm smile gracing his lips.
While Eric took in Murdoch, the older tycoon assessed the young man before him, who was barely twenty. This moment did not last long, and both men stretched out their hands at the same time.
"Hello, Mr. Murdoch, I'm Eric Williams," Eric introduced himself, even though Murdoch had surely seen his face in photos. Out of courtesy for their first meeting, he felt the need to introduce himself.
"Eric, it's great to meet you," Murdoch responded, shaking Eric's hand before turning to Jennifer Aniston. "You must be the lovely Miss Jennifer Aniston. Your performance was truly outstanding."
Being praised in front of her boyfriend was a new experience for Aniston. She blushed slightly and replied, "Thank you, Mr. Murdoch."
As Eric and Aniston greeted Barry Diller, Murdoch discreetly exchanged a glance with his daughter.
Elisabeth observed the camaraderie between the two young adults and felt a pang of jealousy. Realizing her feelings, she became increasingly uncomfortable. But soon, she rationalized her emotions by thinking she was merely defending Julia. Just a few days ago on a flight, she had witnessed Eric comfortably sleeping on Julia's lap. After waking up with numb legs, Julia had taken quite a while to recover while sitting on the couch. Julia had always been kind to him, but since returning to Los Angeles, he had not reached out to her even once and now flirted with another woman. Unbelievable.
"Hey, Liz, you look beautiful tonight," Eric said after his greetings with Barry Diller and then turned to Elisabeth.
"Hello, Mr. Williams," Elisabeth replied, shaking Eric's hand delicately, giving off an air of someone wanting to keep their distance. Soon, though, she brightened with a dazzling smile and pulled Aniston close. "Miss Aniston, nice to meet you! I'm Elisabeth. Wow, that dress is stunning! Come on, let me take you inside."
As Elisabeth spoke, she took Aniston by the hand and led her away. The young woman glanced back at Eric, who sensed Elisabeth's ulterior motive in her compliment about Aniston's dress. Still, in such a social situation, Eric was sure Elisabeth wouldn't be overly rude, so he merely nodded to Aniston, who then obediently followed Elisabeth inside.
...
Elisabeth's behavior contradicted what her father had asked of her, leaving Rupert Murdoch feeling both angry and helpless at the same time.
Though busy with his empire, Murdoch was still attentive to his children. At nearly sixty, he needed to consider a successor for his media empire, especially since his eldest daughter lacked interest in business, and his two younger sons were hardly ready. Elisabeth, however, undoubtedly stood out for her capabilities; in school, she had successfully founded a small local cable station. Yet, her stubborn and prideful nature often clashed with her father's wishes.
Watching his daughter casually greet Eric and drag along his girlfriend, Murdoch could only apologize to Eric, saying, "Sorry, Eric, Liz is still a bit immature. Let's go inside."
"Of course, no problem at all, Mr. Murdoch. I actually quite like your daughter's straightforwardness," Eric replied courteously, as the three made their way into the villa hosting the party.
Once inside, around twenty guests had already arrived, and more continued to trickle in. Besides actors and crew members, Fox had extended invitations to several Hollywood stars for support.
Even though Murdoch had felt anxious over Eric's urgency, he knew he could not pull the young man aside for serious discussions right away. After casually chatting with Eric for a few moments and reminding him to enjoy the party, Murdoch and Barry Diller seamlessly mingled with other guests.
...
Finally having some free time, Eric scanned the crowd and quickly spotted Aniston, drawing in a sharp breath. Elisabeth was definitely being intentional; just look at the group of women gathered together, seemingly in good spirits: Julia Roberts, Brooke Shields, Gabrielle, and even Nicole Kidman were present.
Upon closer inspection, Eric was shocked to see Drew too. Wasn't she supposed to be away at boarding school?
Seeing this scene unfold, Eric instinctively turned to leave, wanting to keep his distance, but was caught by Nicole, who had spotted him.
A moment later, the woman in a black pencil skirt and high heels approached Eric, standing less than a foot away from him.
"Good evening, Eric," she said, leaning into him, casually lifting her glass of red wine. According to social norms, a personal space within forty-five centimeters usually signified a close relationship; anything beyond that indicated mere friendship. Not realizing this theory, she nonetheless positioned herself very close to Eric, causing several people nearby to glance over at them.
Eric, unaware of the theory either, instinctively felt uneasy and took a small step back before asking, "Nicole, what are you doing here?"
Noticing Eric's retreat, she wore a somewhat sulky expression but didn't move closer. "I'm Australian too."
Eric quickly recalled the Hollywood Australian connection, known for being a tight-knit group. However, seeing as it was still the late eighties, they hadn't yet made waves; the likes of Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, and Nicole herself were still relatively unknown. Therefore, he was sure Nicole's presence had nothing to do with their shared nationality.
Though she didn't express it directly, Eric suspected there was more to the story. He thought about Gabrielle, who had managed to swim through Hollywood on the wings of a few rumors, landing a role as the second lead despite being a newcomer. With Nicole as the lead in his upcoming film and with her far more cunning demeanor in comparison to Gabrielle, it was certain that she had been adjusting quite well in Hollywood even if she hadn't made a big splash yet.
Having concluded this, Eric chose not to dig deeper; as long as Nicole remained tactful in his presence, that was all he cared about.
"Nicole, what were you just talking about?" he inquired, gesturing toward the group of women.
She chuckled lightly, a teasing glimmer in her eyes. "Don't worry, Eric, nobody was discussing Miss Aniston's dress. We chatted about... well, let's just say it was the theme for tonight. Also, you -- you've caught the interest of Murdoch's daughter."
At her last comment, Nicole winked playfully.
Eric couldn't help but take a sip of red wine to mask his awkwardness, prompting him to ask, "Anything else?"
"Nothing of importance," she shook her head, then added with a flirtatious whisper, "But, Eric, you definitely won't be climbing into someone's bed tonight. What about joining me?"
"You really are up to no good," Eric squinted at her playfully. Aniston usually adopted an ostrich approach to his flirty rumors, but with so many women he had connections to around her tonight, she'd surely be feeling anxious. If he dared to leave her for another woman, a storm was certain to follow.
"Seriously, do I seem like that bad girl to you?" Nicole shot Eric a mildly indignant look. Had it not been for the flicker of mischief in her eyes, Eric might have believed her.
"Do me a favor, Nicole," Eric said after considering his request carefully.
Seeing her interest piqued, he continued, "Keep an eye on Jenny. She's rather innocent, and I'm sure you can easily make her happy."
"Ah!" Nicole gasped, her eyes widening in protest. "Not a chance."
Eric shot her a serious look, "No refusing. And one more thing, keep tabs on Drew -- don't let the two of them get into a fight."
Thinking back to the hectic moments when the two girls clashed was enough to make Eric uneasy; when they fought, their behavior resembled a kind of regression to more primal instincts. In simpler terms, that meant they liked to scratch, and if one of them happened to claw at a face, it would be disastrous.
Having spent enough time at Eric's villa, Nicole was too familiar with Drew's capricious nature. That little girl was as sharp-witted as anyone; if she started tussling with Aniston, stopping it would be next to impossible. As these thoughts crossed her mind, she shook her head again, a pained expression surfacing with a hint of pleading in her voice, "That's way too difficult, Eric."
Eric casually took another sip of his wine and replied in a tone that brooked no argument, "Just go. If those two start causing trouble tonight, you can forget about being in the movie."
Hearing Eric's serious tone made her sigh internally, feeling somewhat unfairly treated. However, seeing no room for negotiation, she turned and quickly walked away in her little heels.
*****
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