Chapter 432: Chapter 433: Oh My God
[Chapter 433: Oh My God]
"Are you planning to propose to any girl?" Famke Janssen tried to keep her tone light, but the tremor in her voice betrayed her. The relationship between them had established a delicate balance, primarily predicated on Eric being single. Once Eric got married, Famke knew she couldn't convince herself to remain in their current state.
Eric wrapped his arm around Famke, applying just enough pressure to draw her closer. Famke hesitated, then leaned against his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Famke. I'm not planning to get married, and I certainly won't propose to any girl. I've always been a greedy person. But outside of marriage, I will do my best to give you everything you want."
Famke sighed. Eric indeed provided a lot, as he claimed, but women were greedy too. Once they had a lot, they inevitably wished for more -- like marriage. Although many around her had marriages as fragile as tissue paper, it still seemed preferable to having nothing.
Famke realized that as Eric's power and wealth grew, so did her hopes of marriage--becoming increasingly elusive. The newspapers said if Eric completed the Disney acquisition, this young man of twenty would have a personal fortune exceeding five billion dollars.
Famke didn't know how that number was calculated, nor if it was accurate, but she understood what it represented. Five billion dollars -- the kind of wealth that would place him among the top ten on the billionaire list. In other words, Eric would become one of the richest people in the world.
Being a sugar baby to an ordinary person might draw scorn. Being a sugar baby to an ordinary rich man might earn one accusations of being materialistic. But being a sugar baby to a man at the top of the pyramid, most would probably view that as a given.
"I keep thinking, what will happen when I'm no longer young? Will you forget me casually, no longer remember my name?" Famke tightened her grip on Eric's arm, her tone heavy with insecurity.
Eric looked at her and asked, "Do you think I'm that kind of person?"
"I... don't know," Famke admitted, shaking her head honestly. "Sometimes, I feel like you can be very... very cold, as if there's a wall between you and the rest of the world. You stand on the other side, mockingly watching everyone, like you're viewing a film that has nothing to do with you."
Eric felt a bit taken aback. A few months earlier, Chris had said something similar. At the time, he hadn't given it much thought. Now, hearing it again from Famke made him take it more seriously. "Famke, can you elaborate on how you feel this way? You aren't the first to mention it, but I feel perfectly normal."
Famke pondered for a moment, then sat up, looking at Eric. "So, Eric, answer me this: What's the thing you care about the most in this world?"
Eric's expression turned confused.
"See? You seem indifferent to everything, not taking anything to heart. That's where my feelings come from."
Eric countered, "That's not true. Many people find themselves in this state."
"But you're not an ordinary person. You built immense wealth from nothing in just a few years, and you have no obsessions? Doesn't that seem normal to you?"
After thinking it over, Eric replied, "I do have ambitions. I want to control Hollywood. That's what I'm working towards."
"Like it's a game?" Famke interjected.
Eric frowned and fell into deep thought, looking somewhat troubled.
Famke didn't interrupt. She pulled out her sketchpad from Eric's lap and quietly sat beside him, flipping through it. Most of the sketches were of various corners of the estate and some portraits of women. She recognized them but rarely met them.
After a long while, Famke felt Eric stir, and she finally closed the sketchpad, smiling at him. "Figured it out?"
Eric nodded then shook his head. He wasn't truly part of this world, so feeling disconnected from it was inevitable. Suddenly wielding power and wealth he could never have touched in his past life intensified that disconnection. This led him to often exhibit a subconscious sense of bewilderment, fearing it was merely a sweet dream that could be abruptly shattered.
Eric couldn't help but chuckle. Such a real dream -- that even if he woke up, there didn't seem to be much to regret.
Thinking about this, Eric reached out toward Famke. "Come on, pinch me."
Famke extended her hand, but merely patted Eric's arm, laughing. "How cliche! If you want to know if you're dreaming, just pinch yourself."
Eric grinned mischievously, stretching his hand towards Famke. "Okay, I'll do it myself."
"Hey! If you dare pinch me, I won't talk to you all night," Famke squealed, feeling Eric's hand advance toward her, playfully trying to escape.
After some playful banter, they both flopped onto the sofa.
"Famke, how about giving me a child?" Eric suddenly said in a low voice.
Famke turned to face Eric, wrapped her arms around his waist, and shook her head. "No way. If you want kids, let other women have them. They'd surely be willing."
"I mean, if we had a child, you wouldn't have those worries anymore."
"Do you have the guts to let anyone know you have a bastard?"
In societal views, being a bastard still carried a stigma. In fact, in many countries, the law did not recognize a bastard's inheritance rights. Typically, the higher up the social ladder one was, the more taboo the topic became -- no wonder Famke said what she did.
But Eric didn't care about that. "As long as you don't mind, I'd announce it to the world when the child is born. I'd acknowledge him or her as mine."
Famke shook her head again. Although she felt slightly tempted, she wasn't ready for kids just yet. Pondering for a moment, Famke suddenly picked up the sketchpad she had been flipping through earlier and turned it to the ring design page, pointing at it. "I want this one."
Eric seemed surprised. "Um, that's for Vicky. She said... it had to be unique."
"But I think that ring is beautiful! Just design another one," Famke said, gazing at Eric with big eyes, looking like she was trying to charm him into submission.
"I already showed this design to Vicky. How about I create a new one for you?"
Famke huffed, rolling over to give Eric her back. Eric smiled, recognizing that she was only pretending to be upset. After a while, an idea struck Eric. "Right! You just said that heart looks like a playing card. Maybe I could make thirteen of the same design, marked with the card numbers. Then they're all unique! Which one do you want?"
"My lucky number is one; I want the ace of hearts," Famke said impulsively before rolling over to glare at Eric, complaining, "Thirteen? How many women are you planning to give these to?"
Eric's cover was blown, and he chuckled nervously, "Uh, they're for my collection! Heh, can't a guy have a collection?"
"Sure, and who'd believe you?" Famke stretched her hand to pinch Eric. "Are you planning to create the diamonds, spades, and clubs too? Collect an entire deck?"
"Hmm, that's not a bad idea..."
Seeing Eric look genuinely intrigued, Famke instantly regretted her words. Even worse was the realization that this insufferable man actually had the ability to achieve such a goal -- fifty-four women... oh my God.
Famke decided it was better to stop talking. She tossed the sketchpad aside, sat up, and arranged her clothes. "It's ten o'clock. I'm going to bed."
"Shower? Together?" Eric asked, getting to his feet, grinning.
Famke shot him a glare without responding and headed up the stairs alone. Eric shrugged, still smiling, and followed her.
...
"This bathroom doesn't even have any shower gel left. With all these servants in the estate, can't they buy some? And they don't take care of you either," Famke complained as she exited the shower, wrapped in a simple towel alongside Eric.
Eric replied, "They think the same way you do -- that someone else would take care of it, so they don't."
"Being greedy isn't worth it; having too many women doesn't have any benefits, right?"
Eric only laughed. He rarely bothered with such matters. These trivialities had always been managed by that little girl Drew, who had been busy with making Dumb and Dumber lately and had inevitably neglected things over here. "Perfect. Tomorrow, we'll go grocery shopping together."
"What if we get recognized?" Famke opened the door to the master bedroom, laughing.
Eric said, "If we're careful, it'll be fine. We can take a helicopter to somewhere secluded and shop discreetly."
"Forget it. Sneaking around like a thief sounds boring."
Eric turned on the bedroom light and was about to say something else when both of them were startled and looked ahead.
In front of them under the light blue blanket lay a woman, evident from her long golden hair.
Famke felt uncomfortable but was more curious than anything else. She turned, casting a teasing glance at Eric, silently asking what was going on.
Eric couldn't possibly know what was happening. If Nicole and the others were visiting, they would surely greet him. They wouldn't just show up silently. The estate's security was tight; he was sure this woman wasn't a crazed fan who just barged in.
Though he was already surmised of the situation, Eric gestured to Famke, signaling for her to stay put as he approached. The woman lay on her side, her golden locks spilling over the pillow, partially covering her face.
Eric was almost at the edge of the bed when the woman still showed no sign of waking. Leaning closer to get a look at her face, he barely recognized her due to the hair covering her.
Meanwhile, Famke was anxiously signaling for him to do something. So, Eric knew he had to disturb her peaceful slumber and reached out to tap her shoulder.
...
In the afternoon on the set of Dumb and Dumber, Claudia Schiffer, the lead model of an Elite team, noticed that after shooting a simple scene, Eric Williams had vanished from sight. Naturally, that left her feeling quite disappointed. If she could make a connection with Eric, even if it was just landing a business card, she would essentially be one step into Hollywood.
Although Claudia had made a name for herself in the fashion industry after a few years, Hollywood held a massive allure for any ambitious model.
Participating in the filming of Dumb and Dumber was arranged by her agency, but Claudia sensed it would be a great opportunity to test the waters, which is why she actively asked her superior for this unpaid role. Otherwise, with her usual rate of $5,000 an hour, the Dumb and Dumber crew wouldn't have invited her.
After finishing the shoot, while she was about to leave with the other models, Drew stopped her. The little girl was waving Eric's name around, claiming that Eric was very interested in her and wanted to date her. Even though Claudia could see the girl was exaggerating, she couldn't resist the temptation. After hesitating for a moment, she agreed. Under the envious eyes of the other models, Claudia stayed behind, waiting to join Drew after the crew wrapped up at the Malibu estate.
Claudia Schiffer had grown up in a wealthy lawyer's household in a small German town, and although her living conditions had been excellent, stepping into the grand, shell-shaped silver building on the cliff made all her original concerns, hesitations, and worries vanish. All that remained was a tinge of inferiority and longing. She became cautious, and when finally Drew half-pushed, half-dragged her into a bedroom, she felt little inclination to resist.
Even if nothing came from this night, it might still be an interesting experience. She thought this as she took in the luxurious master bedroom, which offered a view of the endless dark sea and the dazzling lights of Malibu. Eric still hadn't shown up, and Claudia unconsciously drifted off to sleep.
She didn't know how long she had been in sweet dreams when she felt someone tapping her.
Reluctantly opening her eyes, she saw a handsome young face hovering above her.
It looked like Eric Williams.
As she marveled in her mind how this man was not only rich but also handsome, she suddenly noticed another woman's figure appearing in her line of sight, watching her with keen interest.
"Ah!" Claudia gasped, sitting up suddenly and backing away.
What was going on? Why were there two people in front of her?
Confused, Claudia thought she had just been crushing on this man but now found him utterly ghastly. She was gathering her courage to refuse him, hoping to make it clear that she was not willing, when she noticed Eric's expression shift from confusion to realization, followed by anger. He turned swiftly and walked out of the room, leaving the two women bewildered about what had just occurred.
A moment later, they heard Eric's angry voice echo down the hallway: "Drew, get out here!"
*****
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