章 794: Chapter 795: Two One Years and One Nine Months
[Chapter 795: Two Years and Nine Months]
"Ivanka, given the filming conditions, we're switching this doll for the puppet backpack," Eric said, holding up a green, oval-shaped puppet backpack with exaggerated big eyes and slender limbs, gesturing to Ivanka. While the puppet backpack might look a bit strange at first, not at all like the cute stuffed bunnies or bears, its mischievous grin radiated a certain quirky charm.
"Hey, don't underestimate it. His name is Mike, and he's the main character in an upcoming Disney animated movie. They haven't even released the trailer yet, so you're definitely one of the first to see Mike..."
Ivanka stood across from Eric, wearing the same tennis dress as Gisele Bundchen's models, feeling shy under the attention of the crowd, some teasing and some mocking. Her cheeks flushed as she quietly interrupted Eric, "Eric, could you, you know, stop rambling? I never said I didn't want to."
Eric was taken aback, halting his speech, and handed the puppet backpack to the young girl, then lamented with a touch of sarcasm, "Ivanka, you've changed."
Many crew members, who had been with Eric since Home Alone, remembered how he had to coax and even bribe Ivanka with twenty dollars to get her on camera back in the day. Upon hearing Eric's comment, they couldn't help but burst out laughing, with even those who didn't fully grasp the context joining in the merriment, creating a joyous atmosphere.
Eric watched as the bashful girl hurriedly distanced herself and clapped his hands, saying loudly, "OK, everyone, let's get ready for the next shot. Save the laughter for after work!"
...
The scene they were shooting involved the Spectre discovering Bond's identity and suspecting the Alex couple of betraying the organization, leading to their execution. Bond witnessed Alex being assassinated and realized that Caterina was also in danger, causing him to rush back to Heaven Island only to find it too late: Caterina, like many Bond girls before her, met her end dressed in lavish attire on a big bed.
To uncover the truth, Bond headed to the Ocean Club to check the surveillance footage from before and after Caterina's death.
"Scene 3, Take 21 of Casino Royale!"
...
Bond parked the car and made his way to the plaza in front of the Ocean Club, squatting down to pretend to tie his shoelaces while glancing up at the surrounding surveillance cameras.
In another subjective camera angle from Bond's perspective, the camera panned across the plaza, revealing a group of four young girls clad in white tennis dresses laughing as they walked by.
This was Gisele's first experience on a film set, and Ivanka hadn't done anything similar in a long time. Although it was a long-distance shot, the girls' nervousness was apparent. Miranda even sneakily glanced at the camera.
...
Eric promptly called for a break and walked over to explain some pointers to the girls before resuming.
After several unsuccessful takes, Eric had to gather the girls together again. Gisele's trio looked increasingly anxious, and even Ivanka seemed a bit on edge.
Seeing their worried expressions, Eric couldn't get upset. He reassured them, "Relax a bit; just act like you're walking and chatting like usual, as if no one is watching, not even the camera. But I have to remind you, everyone's time is valuable. You only have three more attempts, and if it doesn't work, I might have to cut the scene, and you'll only appear from behind. Now, let's all take a deep breath and relax."
The girls obediently inhaled deeply. As they did, Eric's gaze drifted downward, appreciating how much these little beauties had grown.
Shaking off those thoughts, Eric clapped his hands, saying, "Alright, back to your positions, we'll try again."
Perhaps motivated by the potential for their scenes to be cut, the girls finally delivered stronger performances in the next few takes, and they successfully wrapped that part of the shoot.
...
In the following scenes, the girls crossed paths with Bond, who was mistaken by tourists for a valet. This resulted in a bit of chaos in the parking lot, diverting the security guards from the control room, allowing Bond to locate two assassins from the surveillance footage of Caterina's murder.
Using the leads from these two killers, Bond tapped into MI6's intelligence resources in the Bahamas and tracked the investigation to Miami, thwarting a plot by an organization attempting to blow up the latest prototype of Skyfleet Airlines on its test flight, leading to a confrontation with the Spectre.
Of course, these events wouldn't be wrapped up in a single day. After accomplishing several scenes at the Ocean Club, the day's shooting concluded.
...
At dinner time in the resort restaurant, where Casino Royale was stationed, Eric once again expressed his gratitude to Ivanka's mother. He recalled the divorce between Ivanka's parents, which he had experienced firsthand. Although there had been some unpleasantness between them, Ivana Zelnickova was ultimately the mother of Donald's three children, and over the years, tensions had eased.
Ivana said, "It's our pleasure, Eric. When we came here, Donald asked me to say hello to you."
"Oh, what has he been busy with lately?"
Eric casually inquired, while discreetly nudging some restless little feet under the table, silently warning Miranda not to cause any trouble. Gisele's trio sat right beside him, so the girls were clearly feeling a bit jealous as they watched him engage with Ivanka's family.
Ivana thought for a moment before glancing toward her daughter.
Ivanka replied, "Dad's in Washington. He seems to have received an invitation from the President and First Lady."
This happened to be an election year in the U.S., with several candidates vying hard for support. Eric didn't find it surprising; he had received a few invites himself, but he didn't want to get too involved in such matters.
Naturally, given the differing policies of each president, Eric was not keen on the idea of the next administration being led by a family that only waged wars over oil. To avoid too significant a deviation from the historical path, he chose to support Clinton, even though he personally didn't hold a favorable view of him. He had privately donated a sum of campaign funds as well. Clinton and his wife even wanted to pay Eric a personal visit in Los Angeles, but he declined. However, they continued to express their gratitude through multiple phone calls, recognizing that Eric's political contribution represented not just a hefty check but rather the stance of the entire Firefly Group in that election.
As Firefly had evolved into its current scale, each administration's policy could significantly impact the group's growth. Even if Eric wanted to stay clear of political affairs, he had to align himself with a party that served his interests.
Hearing Ivanka's comment made Eric ponder some elements from his past, so he asked, "Didn't your dad mention he wanted to run for president once?"
Ivanka looked puzzled but nodded.
Eric, half-jokingly, inquired, "So, Ivanka, what do you think it would be like if your dad actually became president?"
Ivanka tilted her head in thought, then shyly smiled but didn't respond, likely not wanting to speak ill of her dad in front of everyone.
Eric brought the subject up casually before quickly shifting to Ivana, saying, "If you're not in a hurry, you two could stay in the Bahamas a few more days. The resort has been rented out by the crew, and we still have some spare rooms. We plan to be here for a month."
"Thank you for the invitation, Eric," Ivana smiled, acknowledging his generosity. With Ivanka on summer break, they weren't anxious to head back to New York.
...
After dinner, Eric checked the day's footage as usual and returned to his suite around nine o'clock.
This resort had only recently opened, with most accommodations being individual hotel-style apartments. Other crew members shared their units, but Eric's unique position, in addition to handling various matters within the Firefly system alongside directing, made it impractical for him to share a space with others. Thus, he occupied a full unit by himself.
Upon entering, Eric found his assistant waiting for him.
"Mr. Williams, here's the script for the Matrix sequel that came in this morning from Los Angeles. Additionally, I have the detailed financial report for the new year's advertising bid for our television operations..." His assistant efficiently laid out several documents.
"Okay, you can head back and get some rest."
...
Eric dismissed his assistant, placed the documents on the coffee table, stretched his tired body after a busy day, and was about to take a shower when there was a gentle knock at the door.
Guessing who it might be, Eric smiled and shook his head before opening the door to find Gisele and her two friends waiting outside.
Noticing Eric's silence and curiosity, Gisele spoke up first, saying, "Eric, we just wanted to say goodnight."
"Come on in," Eric said, stepping aside as the three girls entered the living room.
Gisele and Alessandra joined Miranda, who had unapologetically plopped down on the couch. However, noticing Eric's amused gaze on them, Gisele quickly got up and said, "Eric, do you drink coffee? I can make you some."
"It's in the kitchen; just don't make it too strong," Eric instructed, observing as Miranda grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. "You all can watch TV. Just don't mess with the papers on the table. I'll go take a shower."
The two girls nodded obediently, and Eric headed upstairs.
...
After showering, Eric changed into a casual T-shirt and jeans and went downstairs, finding the three girls distinctly spread across two sofas. Gisele and Alessandra occupied one with the other side of the couch, while Miranda comfortably nestled alone on a single chair like a curious kitten.
Holding a thick stack of papers, Eric walked to a single chair on the other side. He pulled out the advertising bid report for the television business and casually asked Gisele, "This month's VOGUE should be out soon, right? How's the cover looking?"
"It won't be out until the 10th, but I was hoping to show you," Gisele replied, retrieving the bag she had brought earlier and pulling out a stack of photos to sit beside him on the sofa armrest.
Eric temporarily closed the financial report, accepted the photos from Gisele, and began admiring them one by one. The girls showcased soft smoky eyes, draped in a light gray autumn/winter coat, wearing heels as they languorously posed on a rectangular prop, looking very much like lazy cats gazing seductively at the camera.
Miranda had snuck closer without Eric noticing and looked at the photos in his hands, saying, "Wow, so pretty! But Eric, I can take pictures like these too."
Eric chuckled, while Gisele ignored Miranda and selected a photo where she was seated on a sofa, exuding queen-like confidence. Excitedly, she said in a hushed tone, "Eric, this one is going on the cover, but Anna said these photos turned out really well and gave me six more for the spread."
Eric was satisfied with the quality as well and said, "Once this issue of VOGUE comes out, you'll definitely be busy. So make sure to work hard."
"Of course, um... Thank you, Eric," Gisele replied, carefully leaning in. Seeing no objection from Eric, she kissed him on the cheek. Unfortunately, it seemed she miscalibrated her balance and ended up falling right into Eric's lap.
Sitting on the other chair, Miranda kicked her legs in a light-hearted gesture of displeasure.
Eric steadied Gisele in her seat and then seized Miranda's leg, still resting on his knee, marveling at her long, delicate limbs as he joked, "Only nine months, so don't get too rowdy."
Caught off guard by Eric's playful grip on her legs, Miranda leaned awkwardly against the armrest with a blush creeping onto her cheeks. She clearly didn't get Eric's humor, curious as she inquired, "What do you mean nine months?"
Eric patted Gisele's tanned, toned leg, saying, "Well, there's one year for Gisele, one year for Alessandra, and you're nine months."
Gisele and Alessandra appeared puzzled by Eric's new "unit of measure," but that didn't stop them from looking smugly at Miranda.
Miranda nudged Eric playfully, not wanting to be outdone, she quipped, "I'm not nine months. At least I'm ten, and I'm still growing."
"Sure, one day you'll get to ten months," Eric replied, releasing her legs. "Alright, go watch TV; make sure you're in bed on time."
Miranda pouted playfully, "Eric, can I sleep here?"
"Nope."
"But I'm scared of the dark," Miranda countered, desperately searching for excuses, "They're both sleeping together, and I'm left all alone."
"That's because I told them to sleep together. I'll find you a buddy too, okay?"
"Not a chance."
[T/N: the comparison is basically alluding to the phrase: "legs as long as a year."]
*****
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