Capítulo 73: Chapter 73: An Unexpected Disaster
[Chapter 73: An Unexpected Disaster]
Despite hearing Eric's praise, Al merely nodded slightly, still lost in his earlier emotions, and had no intention of coming out of it. Just as well, Eric didn't say anything more and quickly directed the crew to prepare for the next shot.
...
Once the music ended, Edward thanked the audience, and Vivian stepped forward. As a high school dropout, she certainly couldn't pick up on the complex emotions woven into Edward's piano playing. Leaning over the piano, Vivian exclaimed, "I didn't know you could play the piano!"
Edward smiled, gazing at Vivian, "I only play for strangers."
Vivian hesitated for a moment, not probing further into the reason, then moved closer to Edward, "I've been a bit lonely up in the room by myself."
Edward blinked rapidly, gently sniffled, and turned to send the others away, all while expressing his thanks. He always remained polite, even when issuing commands.
Vivian couldn't resist teasing Edward about his behavior, "Does everyone always seem eager to follow your orders?"
Edward didn't respond. He pulled the young woman closer, tiredly resting his head against her shoulder. It was Vivian's first experience of this man's vulnerability, leaving her momentarily unsure of how to respond. She instinctively began stroking Edward's hair, tracing the lines of his jacket with her fingers.
In silence, Edward untied the sash of the young woman's robe and lifted Vivian onto the piano's lid. She submitted to his kisses and caresses, transforming into a gentle stream, silently invading Edward's parched emotional landscape.
...
The camera slowly pulled away until it was completely obscured by some prearranged props. Yet, Al Pacino and Julia didn't stop their performance; the two remained intimately entwined. Photographer Nicole Frank glanced at Eric, received a subtle nod, and wisely turned off the camera. All the crew members present looked silently at Eric, inquiring about what to do next.
Eric knew he couldn't let the scene unfold any further and gently clapped his hands, raising his voice to call out, "Cut!"
Julia, resting atop the piano lid, heard the call and was the first to break free from the daze, shyly glancing at Eric before pushing Al away and adjusting her disheveled gown, wrapping her robe around herself again. Al also snapped back to reality, seeing the peculiar looks from the crew, and could only smile awkwardly.
To ease the tension, Eric hastily sent everyone off to prepare for the next scene.
"I'm sorry, Eric. I lost my cool just now," Julia admitted.
Eric approached Al, smiling, "No, Al, your performance was outstanding. This was a perfect showcase of an actor's craft. Oh, and Julia's performance was impressive too." He made sure to compliment the young woman beside him.
However, Julia didn't seem thrilled by the praise. Avoiding Eric's gaze, she muttered, "I... I'm going to retouch my makeup."
With that, she hurried away, leaving Al looking puzzled. "What's wrong with her?"
Eric shrugged, "She might be a bit shy. It's strange, though; she didn't act this way during the more intimate scenes we shot previously. Women's emotions are like the depths of the ocean; who knows?"
...
During the following scenes, Julia noticeably made several errors that shouldn't have occurred. Still, Eric was content with today's significant scene, which he managed to nail in one take, saving a considerable amount of time. Thus, his demeanor became less impatient.
By five in the afternoon, the crew wrapped up again. Al approached Julia, who was removing her makeup in the trailer. "Miss Roberts, would you be free tonight? A new French restaurant just opened on Schenectady Avenue, and I'd like to invite you to dinner."
Julia hesitated, her makeup artist and assistant starting to step away discreetly. She stopped them, asking Al, "Mr. Pacino, could you wait a moment?"
"Of course, I'll be waiting outside," Al replied as he stepped down from the trailer.
A few minutes later, Julia emerged from the makeup trailer, nodded at Al, who was waving at her, only to walk directly over to Eric, who was discussing something with his assistant, Allen Fisman.
"Let's plan for 50 extras for this scene and find appropriate horsemen. We're almost done, and the budget is still solid..." Eric was speaking when he caught sight of Julia approaching. He gave her a slight nod, then turned back to the papers in front of him.
"Eric, Al invited me to dinner," Julia's voice was low.
Allen raised an eyebrow; he sensed the probing nature behind her words. Eric had been focused, relaying instructions to Allen, but upon hearing Julia, he blurted out without thinking, "Go ahead. Don't delay tomorrow's shoot."
Julia stood frozen for a moment, staring at Eric, seeing that he still had little reaction. Suddenly, she got angry, and that rage made her act recklessly. She took a few steps forward, and in Allen's surprised gaze, kicked Eric hard in the shin.
Eric yelped in pain and fell over.
Allen, who had witnessed everything, was so shocked that he forgot to help Eric up. His mouth twitched, and his leg muscles tensed instantly. That kick must have hurt; those were high heels!
Had that woman lost her mind?
Hearing Eric's cry, everyone who remained on set rushed over. After the kick, Julia immediately regretted her actions, but since she had already gone this far, she felt an emotional release and, pursing her lips, turned to leave. Julia's assistant, Allison Green, looked worriedly at the now upright Eric, but followed Julia nonetheless.
Allison drove Julia back to her apartment in silence.
Once inside, Julia sat blankly on the couch while Allison carefully poured her a glass of water and asked with concern, "Julia, are we going to get fired?"
Thinking about the man's domineering nature, Julia wasn't sure how it would all turn out. Holding the glass, she whispered, "I'm sorry, Allison. I might have caused trouble for you."
"It's alright. Worst-case scenario, we'll just find another job," Allison said breezily. Switching jobs meant she'd still only ever be an assistant, so she didn't get too anxious. "But why did you kick Mr. Williams?"
Julia gulped some water nervously and didn't reply.
Allison prodded gently, "Was it because he was stopping you from dating Mr. Pacino? Is that why you kicked him?"
Julia remained silent, which Allison took as a confirmation and passionately declared, "That's really too much! You've only had a couple of flings! You aren't tied to him; he can't dictate your love life!"
Julia scratched her head. "Allison, stop. Can... can I just have a moment of quiet?"
"Oh, do you want me to leave? Call me if you need anything. Julia, cheer up! You're not an unknown actress anymore; even if you leave that jerk, you can still get movie roles."
"Allison..."
"Alright, alright, I won't say any more. I'm heading out now."
...
Back on set, Eric lay in a recliner chair, surrounded by people. His pants rolled up as the private doctor pressed on his leg, drawing in breaths from the pain.
"Mr. Williams, there are no broken bones. Just apply some medication for bruising, but you'll be somewhat uncomfortable for the next few days."
"Thank you for coming out here, Dr. Grant," Eric replied.
"Not at all. Just call me if anything comes up. I'll take my leave now." Dr. Grant left a bottle of medicine behind and walked out with his bag.
"Alright, everyone, you can head home. I'll rest for a bit."
As the crew members gradually dispersed, only Allen Fisman and Al Pacino remained. Al felt that the earlier incident was likely connected to him, so he decided to stay and clarify things.
He originally thought Eric and Julia didn't have anything going on. Coupled with the resonance he felt with Julia during the scene, this old dog must have gotten the itch. He never expected it would lead to this.
"Allen, did I really do anything that outrageous?" Eric asked.
Allen looked at Eric's bruise and quickly shook his head.
"So how did this happen?"
Allen had only joined the crew after it was formed and had only partial knowledge of Eric and Julia's situation.
"Director, I'm not sure. Miss Roberts asked you a question, and you casually answered. That's when she..."
Eric rubbed his temples in frustration, "What did she just ask? I was looking at the shooting schedule and didn't catch it."
Allen glanced at Al Pacino, unsure whether he should speak in front of him.
Eric followed Allen's gaze and remembered that Julia had actually mentioned Al earlier.
"Eric, I sincerely apologize. I was planning to invite Miss Roberts to dinner, but I didn't expect it to cause friction between the two of you." Al explained the situation. "I assumed you two weren't... that close, so I thought... I might have overstepped."
"Oh, now I remember," Eric said, realizing, "Julia did indeed ask me that. Allen, how did I respond?"
Allen glanced at Al and then Eric and honestly said, "You told Miss Roberts: 'Go ahead. Don't delay tomorrow's shoot.'"
"Nothing else?"
Allen shook his head emphatically. "Nothing else."
The three men exchanged strange glances directed toward Eric's leg.
Eric sighed with a bittersweet smile, "What an unexpected disaster."
*****
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