Chapter 030: Michael Eisner’s Invitation
Chapter 030: Michael Eisner’s Invitation
“Ah!?” Lester had not expected Eric to suddenly ask about Amy Pascal. “Pascal… Ms. Pascal resigned.”
Eric asked in confusion, “Resigned? Why?”
Lester’s mind spun rapidly for several seconds before he said, “I’m not too sure either. Maybe she was dissatisfied because the company didn’t arrange for her to participate in the Home Alone project, so she resigned.”
Eric could tell from Lester’s shifting eyes that he was lying, but he did not expose him. He said with disappointment, “That’s truly a pity. In that case, I’ll take my leave.”
Only after Eric entered the elevator did Lester knock and enter Blount Cohen’s office.
Blount Cohen no longer looked as smiling and amiable as he had when entertaining Eric earlier. His brows were tightly furrowed as he held a document, but his gaze was clearly not focused on it.
“Mr. Cohen, this is what you asked for.” Lester placed the folder in his hand in front of Blount Cohen. After hesitating for a moment, he still said, “I ran into Eric Williams outside just now. He asked about Amy Pascal.”
Blount Cohen abruptly raised his head and stared sharply at Lester. “What did you say?”
Seeing Blount Cohen’s gaze, Lester subconsciously wanted to take a step back. He steadied himself and said, “I told him Amy resigned because she was dissatisfied that the company didn’t let her participate in the Home Alone project.”
Blount Cohen silently stared at Lester.
Lester continued, “I think Eric Williams and Amy Pascal aren’t very familiar with each other. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked me where Amy Pascal’s office was. He definitely would have privately gone to thank Amy himself. So he probably won’t go to Amy to verify what I said.”
“You think?” Blount Cohen’s expression did not relax at all.
Lester’s scalp tingled. He cursed inwardly about why unlucky things always happened to him. “Mr. Cohen, even if it’s exposed, it won’t matter much. It would instead make Eric dissatisfied with us. That would still help us execute the plan. If he’s dissatisfied with us, he’ll be more likely to accept Disney’s terms.”
Blount Cohen thought about it and found that this was indeed the case. Only then did he relax slightly and wave his hand. “Alright. You may leave first.”
…
Driving along Hollywood Boulevard, Eric thought about everything he had encountered at Columbia today.
He could be certain that Columbia was unwilling to let him gain too many benefits from the gambling agreement and had already started taking certain actions.
There were now two clues.
One was the compensation document in his hand.
The other was Amy Pascal.
Eric parked the car in a parking lot far from home, then walked and slipped into his house through the back door. He went to the second floor and looked outside. There were still quite a few reporters lingering in front of the house.
When the reporters outside discovered that Eric had suddenly appeared at the second-floor window, they immediately raised their cameras and started taking pictures.
Looks like I need to move as soon as possible, Eric thought.
Then he quickly laughed self-mockingly.
Even the Runkel family had moved to Beverly Hills, yet Eric only now realized he had just a few hundred dollars in scattered cash left.
What a perfect example of poverty.
Just as he was somewhat lost in thought, the telephone suddenly rang behind him.
Eric picked up the receiver. “Williams residence. May I ask who this is?”
“Is this Mr. Eric Williams? I’m Mr. Michael Eisner’s assistant. Mr. Eisner would like to invite you to lunch. I wonder whether Mr. Eric is free?”
Disney president Michael Eisner.
Eric was not surprised that the other party knew his contact information. He was only curious about the purpose behind the invitation.
“May I ask what this is regarding?”
The other party said, “It concerns Mr. Williams’s Home Alone. Disney is interested in Home Alone’s overseas rights.”
Since Columbia’s offered terms were disappointing, Eric did not mind cooperating with another company.
“Alright. Where should we meet?”
“We’ll send someone to pick you up. They’ll arrive soon.”
Eric hung up and lowered his head in thought for a while.
Then he picked up the phone again and called Jeffrey Hansen. “Jeffrey, it’s Eric.”
Jeffrey Hansen’s tone was somewhat excited. “Hey, Eric, Home Alone’s first-week box office was truly astonishing. I called you this morning to congratulate you, but unfortunately no one picked up.”
“Oh, sorry. I was at Columbia discussing some matters then.”
“It’s fine. Eric, did you need something from me?”
Eric said, “Today, when I went to Columbia to discuss Home Alone’s next release plan with Blount Cohen, I found many strange things. I feel like Columbia may be brewing some kind of scheme. And I heard from Lester Reed that Amy suddenly resigned. I was wondering if you could contact her…”
Jeffrey Hansen hesitated for a moment before saying, “Eric, I don’t think contacting Amy will help with this. Even if Amy resigned, given her personality, she would never reveal Columbia’s business secrets. Can you tell me what abnormalities you noticed? You know, I’ve been in Hollywood for more than twenty years. Maybe I can help you analyze it.”
Seeing that he could not count on Amy Pascal, Eric had no choice but to explain the events of the morning in detail.
After listening, Jeffrey fell silent for two minutes before saying, “Have a lawyer look at that compensation agreement. I think the problem is very likely there. If not, then I can’t see any other issues for now. Eric, can you remember any other details?”
“Other details?” Eric muttered to himself. Then he remembered the phone call just now and said, “Right, just before I called you, Disney’s Michael Eisner suddenly invited me to lunch and said he was interested in Home Alone’s overseas rights.”
“Michael Eisner…” Jeffrey repeated the name. His voice suddenly grew louder. “Michael Eisner and Blount Cohen are friends. Eric, you must be careful later. Don’t agree to anything Michael Eisner says. Columbia’s offer for Home Alone’s overseas share is very low, and right after that, Disney’s Michael Eisner contacted you over this matter. If someone says there’s no connection between the two, even God wouldn’t believe it.”
As Eric listened to Jeffrey’s warning, the corner of his eye suddenly caught sight of a silver sedan pulling up outside his house.
He said, “Jeffrey, the car Michael Eisner sent to pick me up has arrived.”
“Then go, Eric. Remember, no matter how beautifully the other party speaks, don’t agree to anything.”
Eric nodded and agreed. He hung up and went downstairs.
After confirming his identity, the driver and another man pushed through the reporters and escorted Eric into the sedan.
Half an hour later, Eric met Michael Eisner at the Hilton Hotel.
At this time, Michael Eisner was only in his forties and in the prime of life. Holding the reins of Disney, one of the six majors, at such an age, he inevitably seemed somewhat high-spirited. However, he had not yet evolved into the later Disney tyrant, and his manner toward others was still very approachable.
“I’m really a little envious of you, Eric. When I was eighteen, I was still smug about getting into Denison University. But you’ve already reached heights many people can’t reach in their entire lives.”
Inside the restaurant at the Hilton Hotel, Michael Eisner and Eric did not rush into business. Instead, they chatted casually.
“Actually, I originally planned to apply to the University of California, Mr. Eisner. Unfortunately, something happened at home, so I had no choice but to take the road of self-reliance. Luckily, my luck has been pretty good.”
Michael Eisner shook his head. “No, it absolutely isn’t luck, Eric. Although this is only our first meeting, I’ve looked into your story. If someone doesn’t have talent, even if Lady Luck favors him endlessly, he still won’t achieve such astonishing accomplishments. You are one of the most outstanding young people I’ve ever met.”
“Thank you for your praise, Mr. Eisner. You’re also one of the people I admire most. Not many people can take charge of one of the film giants at your age.”
Michael Eisner clearly enjoyed Eric’s compliment and smiled. “Since I’m one of them, may I know who you admire most, Eric?”
Eric thought for a moment and said, “The person I admire most should be Howard Hughes.”
“Oh.” Michael Eisner nodded. “He truly was a legendary figure. Speaking of which, Eric, there are some similarities between the two of you. Perhaps you’re even more outstanding than him. The reason he was able to achieve so much was largely because he inherited his father’s enormous fortune. But you didn’t rely on anyone, and you’re already about to become the youngest billionaire.”
Hearing Michael Eisner’s praise, Eric smiled somewhat bashfully.
If he had not been reborn, he might now still be inside his company’s shabby studio, shooting television commercials for health products and the like.
If one ignored Michael Eisner’s arbitrary and domineering personality, he truly was a person with great charisma.
During the lunch, the two ate and chatted, and the atmosphere was quite pleasant.
If Eric had not called Jeffrey Hansen in advance and become wary of Michael Eisner, he might have become friends across generations with him by now.
After the waiter cleared away the tableware, Michael Eisner said, “Alright, Eric. Let’s talk business.”