章 145: Chapter 145: Fire That Maid
[Chapter 145: Buy]
"What are you still doing here?" Eric turned his head, surprised to see the girl leaning against the piano, looking a bit flustered.
"I, uh, I'm sorry, I'll step out now," Nicole carefully placed the sheet music back in its place and walked toward the door, but Eric stopped her: "Nicole."
"Yeah?" The girl paused at the doorway, one hand grasping the doorknob, turning her body around with a questioning look in her eyes.
Eric swiveled in his office chair, gesturing around the study: "This area isn't part of your cleaning responsibilities. It might be a bit messy, but I've gotten used to where I keep my files, you know?"
"Yes, I understand. I won't come in without your permission," she nodded, remaining at the door, seemingly filled with a kind of anticipation. "Eric, is there anything else?"
He shook his head. "Nothing more. You should get some rest. Good night."
"Good night," Nicole replied, watching Eric turn back to his screen. Feeling a little deflated, she left the study and gently closed the door behind her.
...
In the following days, the girl's life felt quite calm. Every morning she woke up, made breakfast for Eric, sent him off, then spent hours cleaning. If not for her clothes that constantly reminded her of her identity, she might have started feeling like a housewife.
This new sensation was actually quite nice. At least it wasn't like what she had imagined at first -- spending months as Eric's plaything, enduring various forms of mistreatment and conditioning. Although she was mentally prepared for that, none of it ever happened. After dressing her up according to his ideal, Eric rarely paid attention to her. This led her to question her femininity, and one day, she even sneakily stuffed two layers of padding into her top, flaunting herself in front of him. Eric merely chuckled with interest but didn't engage, making her feel embarrassed. After that, she didn't dare try such things again, playing the role of a good maid instead.
Besides her designated chores, she had plenty of free time. When bored, she would read newspapers, watch TV, and reread the script. She even asked Eric to get her lots of magazines, never sneaking out again. Since reality was so much better than she had expected, she didn't mind being a compliant little canary.
She knew Eric had been busy with the post-production of a movie called Running Out of Time, and he wasn't home every day. Sometimes, he would spend the night at his girlfriend's place, a lucky girl indeed. She had seen photos of Jennifer Aniston and envied her fortune. By late May, Eric even made a trip to England, leaving her all alone in the villa, supposedly to visit the set, but he hurried back after just two days.
At the end of May, she saw in the newspapers that the North American box office of Home Alone had surpassed $300 million and was officially winding down. This news dominated the newspapers for the following week, with various critiques praising Eric to the heavens. The stock for Columbia Pictures saw a significant rise as a result.
What captivated her even more was that Eric was set to earn a whopping $120 million share.
To Nicole, $120 million sounded like astronomical figures. She had come to Hollywood yearning for wealth and fame, dreaming of becoming a top Hollywood star like Julia Roberts. But according to what Eric had previously told her about Julia Roberts' $6 million fee, she would need to star in 20 films to make that much money. Even a star staying at peak popularity, making two films a year, would take a decade to reach that, and everyone knew that wasn't feasible. Most stars only maintained their prime for about a decade, during which their pay fluctuated according to the success of their films.
Thinking of all this, her previously calmed heart began to stir. If she could become the mistress of this mansion, she would have direct access to everything she desired. Nicole even came up with a few alluring plans that she thought could work, but unfortunately, those schemes never saw the light of day.
Because summer approached, the little imp returned.
...
It was a little after 4 PM when Nicole was in the yard trimming the grass and heard the gate open. She knew Eric usually wouldn't be back at this time, so she went to check, only to see Drew Barrymore bustling in with her luggage, closing the gate behind her.
Nicole approached cheerfully to greet her and attempted to help carry the bags, as befriending Drew was an important part of her plan.
But surprisingly, upon seeing her, the girl's eyes widened, her expression one of disbelief, and she circled around her several times before finally asking the devastating question: "Did he -- you?"
Seeing Nicole frozen in confusion, Drew wore a satisfied yet relaxed smile: "Certainly not, huh? But I can see why. With a chest like yours," she quipped, reaching out suddenly to grab Nicole's chest. She wrinkled her nose, "How pitiful; you didn't even reach A+."
"You..." After the surprise attack, Nicole finally reacted, shielding herself and blocking Drew's possible advances, unable to resist retorting, "Yours isn't that great either."
"I'm only fourteen, so I have plenty of time to develop. You're what, thirty this year?"
"I can't be bothered with you," Nicole noticed Drew's hostility and gave up on the idea of getting along with this little girl, turning back to her lawnmower to continue her work.
Drew recalled Eric mentioning that he liked Japanese maid outfits and thought he was joking. She never expected to see a tall, sexy girl in a maid outfit suddenly appearing in the villa, which instinctively ignited her resistance and hostility. She didn't want Eric to have another woman around; she hadn't even gotten rid of Aniston yet, and now here was another one. What an exhausting job it would be to boot them all out later!
"Hey, you, help me with my bags, will you?" Even though she was well aware of Eric's "unwholesome intentions," Drew still genuinely thought of Nicole as his hired maid.
"Sorry, Ms. Barrymore, I'm not your servant, so I'm under no obligation to do that," Nicole coldly pressed on the lawnmower, not even turning around.
The girl exploded with rage: "I... I'll tell Eric to fire you today!"
Now realizing Drew had taken her for an actual maid, Nicole indifferently tossed out, "Do as you please."
Fuming, Drew stomped her foot and carried her bags one by one back to the villa. After finishing the lawn, Nicole returned inside to start preparing dinner.
Drew watched Nicole's silhouette, increasingly infuriated. After contemplating for a moment, she grabbed the cordless phone and dialed Eric's number.
It rang several times before someone answered.
The girl flopped onto the sofa in the living room, hugging a cushion, her voice shifting to a feigned softness: "Eric, I love you."
...
In the Fox Studios, the main scenes of one of the sets were already prepared, and today they needed to film a few interspersed shots. Eric walked into a quiet corner, answering Drew's call while holding the Motorola that had been gifted as part of an advertisement deal. He was perplexed: "Drew, isn't today a day off? Are you home now?"
"Eric, I love you," came the soft voice from the other end.
"Alright, stop fooling around. If you need something, get to the point. I'm busy," Eric said, wedging the mobile between his neck and shoulder and glancing at his watch. "It's not even five yet. I'll probably be home around six."
"Eric, I love you," the girlish voice repeated, sounding needy.
Eric paused a beat before responding: "Just buy whatever you want -- just say it outright!"
"Uh, Eric, you're so mean," Drew huffed, tossing her head back in frustration. "I said I love you countless times, and you don't even respond."
"If you don't get to the point, I'm hanging up," Eric threatened.
"Alright, alright, Eric, can we fire that maid?" Drew raised her voice, causing Nicole, who was slicing tomatoes in the kitchen, to roll her eyes.
"You mean Nicole? She's not my employee; she's just here to help."
"But I don't like her."
"Nicole cooks really well. You'll like her once you try it tonight. Just behave yourself; I'm hanging up now." Eric finished and cut the call.
...
In the villa, Drew fumed, waving her petite hand, wanting to throw the phone down. When she looked up, she saw Nicole smugly leaning against the kitchen doorway, holding a glass bowl and stirring eggs, a slightly triumphant smile on her face. "So, how's it going, little one?"
"Don't call me 'little one,' you flat-chested girl!"
Though feeling a bit insecure, Nicole shrugged disparagingly in response to Drew's provocation. "Maybe someone likes this type."
"He doesn't," the girl shot back, unable to resist.
"People's tastes can change," Nicole casually remarked, turning to return to the kitchen, leaving an enraged Drew behind.
"Hmph, I absolutely positively won't let you succeed!" the girl declared, shaking her little fist as she vowed.
...
On May 24, with Spielberg's blockbuster Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade hitting theaters, signaling the start of the summer movie season, Eric was busy with intense post-production work, but he remained very focused on the film. The film earned $30 million in its opening weekend across over 2,300 screens. In the second and third weeks, the box office decline remained within 20% to 30%. By mid-June, it had surpassed $100 million in its first three weeks.
The post-production work wrapped up in mid-June. Although Eric was willing to spend money in many areas, the production budget only totaled $34 million -- after all, the crew's finances were handled by Columbia. The movie didn't require excessive spending on grand sets or any special effects. After the higher-ups at Columbia viewed the finished product, they readily agreed to invest the remaining $6 million budget into marketing the film.
Simultaneously, the first major summer blockbuster Columbia was pinning hopes on, Ghostbusters II, also launched successfully across 2,400 screens.
*****
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