บท 930: Chapter 932: Can You Help Me Out?
[Chapter 932: Can You Help Me Out?]
Eric felt the hopeful gaze of Rachel and shook his head. "If you were a few years older, it might work. This is a female-led movie with no supporting female roles, and I want the lead to be at least thirty."
Rachel Weisz nodded. Though a bit disappointed, she wasn't too bummed out. After Titanic, she wasn't lacking for movie offers. After chatting a bit more about Eric's films, she shifted the topic and joked, "I heard you've been in London for over a month just for that Spice Girls thing. Wannabe sounds really interesting -- I even bought a CD! But what does 'Zigazig-Ah' actually mean?"
"You got me on that one," Eric replied. He actually remembered that 'Zigazig-Ah' was a euphemism for 'shit and cigars,' but he couldn't explain that to Rachel without going into details, so he just vaguely said, "I felt that line needed something catchy after it."
Caroline, sitting next to Rachel, noticed Eric's expression as he spoke and realized he was brushing Rachel off. He knew but didn't want to explain. She glanced at Rachel and Melanie and realized she was the only one aware of this little secret, which made her smile.
Rachel was just casually asking; she didn't have the same burning curiosity about those words as the press and fans did. Since Eric wasn't explaining, she moved on. "With all the things happening at Firefly Group, are you sure it's okay you haven't gone back to Los Angeles in such a long time?"
"I'm the boss! As the boss, if I can't do what I want, then what's the point of living? How about you? What have you been up to lately?"
"I just wrapped a cameo in a movie and got back yesterday. I'm planning to stay through Christmas before heading back to LA," Rachel said, casually wrapping an arm around Caroline. "Also, Eric, how about giving Carly and Mel a day off? I want to take them shopping in the city."
"Sure thing," Eric nodded readily. "But you're a super big star now. Aren't you worried about being mobbed?"
"Ha! Just a little disguise and it's fine. I lost all the paparazzi just today."
"Then go have fun! Come back whenever; I don't have anything pressing going on."
Rachel nodded, about to pull Caroline and Melanie along when suddenly she remembered something. "Hey Eric, how about you join us?"
Eric shook his head. "I'm terrified of being surrounded by people. I'll pass."
"Ha! Didn't you just say that if you can't do what you want, what's the point? Come on, it'll be fun! Don't worry, we won't drag you around as a human credit card."
Caroline chimed in, also feeling tempted. "Yeah, Eric, come out with us!"
British paparazzi are notoriously relentless. However, Rachel's plan was just shopping and eating, not aimlessly wandering around, so after a moment of consideration, Eric agreed. He left Rachel's Jaguar in the Pinewood Studios parking lot, borrowed a couple of discreet Mercedes vans, and, accompanied by a security team, headed off to London with the three women.
Dressed carefully yet remaining low-key while shopping at some brand-name stores, the afternoon passed without much incident, although a few people recognized them.
...
As evening fell, the ladies, with nearly full trunks in both Mercedes, were looking for a restaurant when they passed the famous Harrods department store in Kensington. Rachel got excited and wanted to pick out some cosmetics, so Eric instructed the driver to park on the curb, and they all entered Harrods.
It's interesting to note that Harrods was owned by Dodi Fayed, who had previously dated Princess Diana. Had Eric not intervened, a memorial for both of them would have been set up in that very department store. Now, though, they had parted ways, both leading fulfilling lives. Not long ago, at another charity event at Kensington Palace, Diana was asked about her impression of Eric and bluntly remarked to a reporter, "Eric Williams is quite a rude guy."
Fortunately, the reporter was from News Corp.'s The Sun, so Diana's comments never made it to the paper. However, the interview's recording somehow made its way to Elisabeth, and Eric couldn't escape ridicule for it.
Even on a weekday, Harrods had way more customers than those brand-name stores. Eric didn't want to look too conspicuous hanging around with the three women, so he greeted them and casually strolled through the cosmetics area on the first floor.
...
Suddenly, a woman's voice asked politely nearby, "Sir, would you like to try Armani's new men's fragrance?"
Eric turned and recognized the salesperson in front of him, raising an eyebrow.
What a coincidence! Victoria Adams noticed Eric had stopped and immediately smiled, raising the sample fragrance to spray a bit on him. However, upon seeing the strange expression on his face, she suddenly blinked and asked hesitantly, "You... you're Mr. Williams?"
Eric quickly shushed her with a gesture.
Realizing she had lost her composure, Victoria waved her perfume bottle awkwardly, looking at Eric, who had grown stubble and was sporting a pair of glasses, unsure of what to say.
A little over two weeks ago, when she sensed that Eric was treating her differently while filming the Wannabe MV, Victoria had been secretly thrilled for days. After all, getting noticed by someone like Eric Williams was a huge deal. Yet, despite several nights of dreaming of him, once the MV wrapped, he hadn't made any further attempts to connect with her. Although she longed for some opportunity to be more proactive, she never found a moment to approach him alone, and everyone from the shoot dispersed afterward. Feeling a bit down for a few days, she had to keep auditioning and working as a fragrance promoter.
Now, Eric was curiously looking at Victoria, in her promotional outfit. He noticed she had dyed her hair back to black and remarked, "You look better with black hair. But aren't you an actress? Why are you here working as a promoter?"
Victoria looked a little embarrassed. She graduated from an art school at twenty and had only acted in a few stage plays over the years, struggling to find stable work.
After a brief hesitation, Victoria said, "I... I'm just doing this temporarily. I've been waiting for news from several auditions."
"Oh."
Eric nodded, noticing they didn't have much to discuss, and made to walk away when he heard some noise in the distance and caught voices calling out "Rose" and "Rachel."
Clearly, Rachel and the others had been spotted after all. Eric scanned the crowd surrounding the three women but didn't rush over. Instead, he took out his phone and quickly called his waiting security team outside, giving a few simple instructions. Moments later, four burly bodyguards hurried into the store, parting the crowd around Rachel and escorting them out of Harrods.
Having just instructed the bodyguards to take Rachel and the others away without waiting for him, Eric leaned on the counter in front of Victoria, waiting a bit until he was sure Rachel was far enough away. He gave Victoria a nod of acknowledgment and walked towards the store's exit.
Victoria Adams stood there, bewildered, watching Eric leave. A sudden realization struck her: if she missed this opportunity, it would likely be a long time before she found another.
Setting down the perfume bottle, Victoria dashed out from behind the counter and called softly, "Mr. Williams!"
Eric stopped and turned to see her approaching. "Is there something you need?"
"I--um," Victoria stuttered for a moment, gathering her courage. "Can I buy you dinner?"
"It is work hours, right? Planning to skip out?" Eric joked, glancing around. Seeing the disappointment on her face as she fidgeted, he added, "Alright, but let me treat this time."
Expecting a rejection, Victoria suddenly lifted her head, "Okay, wait here while I change clothes."
Eric smiled and nodded, watching Victoria hurriedly leave, then sat down on a nearby sofa to casually browse through a newspaper.
...
A few minutes later, Victoria returned wearing a black sports jacket and blue jeans, carrying a bag over her shoulder.
Eric stood, put down the newspaper, and accompanied her outside.
Walking next to Eric, Victoria sneakily glanced at his left hand casually tucked into his sweatpants pocket, wanting to take it, but ultimately lacking the courage.
A Mercedes van that had been waiting outside had already left, and upon seeing Eric emerge with an unfamiliar girl, the bodyguard in the front passenger seat quickly got out, opening the door for them.
Victoria looked at Eric a bit nervously, but at his nod, she slid into the car first.
Eric joined her inside and asked, "So, where do you want to eat?"
Victoria Adams shook her head. "I'm fine with anything."
"How about the Royal Garden Hotel?"
After suggesting this, Eric remembered he needed to reserve a table first. The Royal Garden Hotel was right at the Kensington Gardens exit, and Eric had been there multiple times for the premiere of Casino Royale back in June.
However, when he took out his phone, he realized he didn't know any of the restaurant's reservation numbers. This sort of thing was usually handled by an assistant or someone else close by.
Feeling a bit sheepish about not calling Caroline or the others for help, Eric flipped through his contacts. Recently, he had been in touch with Simon Fuller a lot, so he dialed him up to ask for a reservation.
Simon Fuller was undoubtedly one of the most prominent music managers in Britain at the moment. As Victoria watched Eric make calls as if directing his staff, she felt a rush of excitement.
The drive from Harrods to the Royal Garden Hotel took less than ten minutes. Upon entering the hotel, a waiter warmly welcomed them and led them to a window seat overlooking Hyde Park.
"The duck here is excellent, but I don't know if it'll suit your taste. You can try something else too," Eric casually ordered a dinner, handing the menu to the waiter, while recommending to Victoria.
With a smile, she looked up at Eric and obediently ordered the roast duck.
Once the waiter left, seeing Victoria still a bit anxious, Eric took the initiative to break the ice. "Now, let's talk about you. I still don't know much about you."
Eric, being quite the conversationalist, slowly helped Victoria relax, and she began to share about her life.
"After graduating from the Rain Art School, I wanted to be a singer, and I even auditioned for a band. I later found out that the guy leading the band, named Steve, was a stripper. We were rehearsing in a tiny studio north of Royal Park with a bunch of people for months, but after a while, the band didn't take off, and everyone drifted apart. For the last two years, I've been attending various auditions for bands, commercials, movies, and music videos. But my agent isn't really focusing on me, so I haven't had many good opportunities." Victoria rambled on. Even though Eric listened intently, she still worriedly asked, "Eric, do you find all this boring?"
"Not at all," Eric shook his head with a smile. "I'm a director, so I love hearing about other people's lives. One day, you never know when it might inspire a script."
"Oh," Victoria nodded with a sigh of relief. "I can actually feel that filming the Wannabe MV was kind of like preparing for your next movie, right?"
"Yeah, I plan to be the cinematographer next time, so I practiced with this MV."
"You want to be the cinematographer? I think it must be exhausting, just like how heavy those things look that you wear while filming... um, what's it called again..."
"Steadicam."
"Right, that! I think that's unnecessary; you could just hire people to do it."
"If I hired people to do everything, life would become pretty dull," Eric laughed and then asked, "How about you? What do you plan to do in the future?"
Victoria's eyes lit up with anticipation as if she wanted to say something, but she suddenly hesitated. Perhaps from years of drift without purpose, she really hadn't thought about her future. Calling out to Eric back at Harrods was purely instinctual, wanting to seize an opportunity.
After a moment of thought, Victoria responded, "Well, I don't really know what I want to do. But, Eric, what do you think of me becoming a singer?"
Eric shook his head, smiling. "You might have a tough time with that."
When it comes to musical talent, Victoria was always seen as the weakest link in the Spice Girls. Losing the chance to be part of the group, her aspiration to become a star seemed almost impossible. Eric remembered that Victoria garnered some recognition as a designer, but without the Spice Girls and Beckham's fame behind her, it would be quite a challenge for her to carve a place for herself in the fashion world.
Seeing Eric shake his head, Victoria felt disappointed. After a moment of hesitation, she still asked, "Eric, what do you think I'm suited for?"
"Didn't you say your family runs an electronics wholesale business? If it were up to me, I'd say settle down and help your dad with the business. Who knows, you might become a powerful businesswoman someday."
"Actually, I know most of the girls at the art school were stronger than me. But I just can't stand the idea of living quietly like my parents. I want to be famous," Victoria was obviously quite disappointed with Eric's suggestion. Sighing, she added, "Eric, can I ask you one question?"
"Of course."
"That time, during the filming of the Wannabe MV, why did you suddenly stop when you walked past me?"
Eric shook his head and chuckled. "It was nothing, just that you reminded me of someone from my past."
"Oh, she must have been amazing, right?"
"Yeah, you could say she's a real winner in life."
"A real winner? That's an interesting term. Do you think I can become a winner in life too?"
"That's hard to say; it depends on how you define being a winner in life."
"I just told you! I want to be famous," Victoria said, setting down her utensils and looking at Eric with hopeful eyes, a touch of desperation. "Eric, can you help me out?"
*****
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