Chapter 311: Muttering to Himself
Chapter 311: Muttering to Himself
Brad Pitt and Famke Janssen got into Hans Whittle’s car together. Although they both sat in the back row, both of them instinctively sat close to the doors, as though neither wanted any contact with the other.
“Mr. Hans, may I use your mobile phone?” Brad Pitt thought for a while and felt it would be better to inform his agent about this matter.
Hans Whittle handed over the large brick-like phone beside him. Brad Pitt thanked him, then dialed his agent, Theresa Cody. In front of Famke Janssen and Hans Whittle, he briefly explained the situation, then hung up.
Seeing the undisguised contempt on Famke Janssen’s face beside him, Brad Pitt really wanted to curse at her face: What right does a bitch who climbed up through a man have to look down on me?
Over an hour later, the three arrived at Firefly’s headquarters. Brad Pitt’s agent, Theresa Cody, was already waiting outside. Hans Whittle said something to the receptionist, then led the three directly upstairs to Eric’s office.
“Mr. Williams is auditioning actors right now. You’ll need to wait for a while first. I still have something to handle, so I’ll head back,” Hans Whittle said. After giving a few instructions to the secretary who brought them coffee, he quickly left. Eric had only instructed him to bring Brad Pitt and Famke Janssen over; Hans Whittle had no desire whatsoever to “sit in” on this kind of matter.
After Hans Whittle and the secretary both left, Theresa Cody, who was sitting on a large sofa, whispered with Brad Pitt for a while, then looked at Famke Janssen across from them.
“Miss Janssen, could you do us a favor?”
Famke Janssen had originally been lowering her head and idly flipping through a magazine casually placed on the coffee table. Unlike Brad Pitt, she did not feel so insecure about gains and losses. After all, compared to Brad Pitt, who had struggled in Hollywood for seven or eight years, she was still only a newcomer.
In any field, before suffering countless setbacks, newcomers always felt that they surely still had many, many chances. If they failed or missed one, they could simply start over.
Hearing Theresa Cody’s words, Famke Janssen raised her head and looked at the petite yet elegant woman across from her, but did not speak.
“It’s like this, Miss Janssen. You and Brad really have no relationship at all, right? Then later, could you…”
“Don’t worry. We didn’t have any relationship to begin with. You don’t need to worry that I’ll say anything reckless,” Famke Janssen said coldly, then lowered her head again.
Theresa Cody looked somewhat embarrassed, but still continued explaining. “Miss Janssen, Brad is different from you. It wasn’t easy for him to get this male lead opportunity.”
The woman’s grip tightened around the magazine in her hands, but she said nothing more.
The room immediately fell silent.
…
“Thank you for your audition, Mr. Brosnan. We’ll notify you of the result as soon as possible.”
Inside a spacious audition room, an assistant spoke to a handsome man who looked to be in his thirties.
After the man left, the two assistant directors beside Eric leaned closer and asked, “Mr. Williams, what do you think?”
“Still not right,” Eric shook his head and drew an X beside Pierce Brosnan’s name.
This 007 actor had left too deep an impression on him. After all, the man had played 007 in four consecutive films, and they were all from a relatively recent era. It was impossible for Eric not to remember him. Although Brosnan’s acting was good and his image was also very suitable for a bank manager, Eric simply could not mentally place him into the role of Sam, the male lead of Ghost.
“In that case, we got nothing from today’s auditions,” one assistant director said with a joking complaint.
“No rush. We’ll take our time.” Eric closed the folder in front of him and instructed his assistant to put it away before saying to everyone, “We’ll continue tomorrow. I still have some matters to handle, so I’ll leave first.”
After leaving the audition room, Eric took the elevator to his office on the top floor. He pushed the door open and immediately saw three people in the office divided into two clearly separate groups.
Seeing him enter, the three people in the office quickly stood and greeted him.
“It’s fine. Sit,” Eric waved his hand. Seeing Theresa Cody, he smiled. “Ms. Cody, what brings you here?”
Theresa Cody smiled and said, “I happened to be free.”
Eric nodded noncommittally, walked to his desk, took out a newspaper, then returned to another sofa in the resting area and sat down. He spread the newspaper on the coffee table in front of him.
“It’s like this. I…”
Just as Eric began speaking, Brad Pitt anxiously blurted out again, “Mr. Williams, this really is a misunderstanding. Miss Janssen and I have absolutely no relationship.”
Eric frowned slightly. “What?”
“It’s like this, Mr. Williams,” Theresa Cody said. Although she blamed Brad Pitt for being unable to keep calm, she still took over Eric’s question. “Yesterday, when The X-Files was filming in Santa Monica, Brad and Miss Janssen happened to arrive at the filming location together. After parking, they walked toward the set along the same road. This photo was secretly taken by paparazzi at that time. It really is a misunderstanding. There’s nothing between the two of them.”
Eric looked at Brad Pitt and Theresa Cody, who were urgently trying to clarify things, then turned toward Famke Janssen.
Seeing Eric look at her, the woman unwillingly nodded lightly. “Yes. Mr. Pitt and I have no relationship. It was only a coincidence.”
Eric folded the newspaper and shrugged. “Alright. Looks like there’s no need to keep discussing this. Ms. Cody, Mr. Pitt, you may leave first.”
Brad Pitt and Theresa Cody both looked delighted, knowing that Eric did not plan to pursue the matter further. After thanking him, they quickly pushed open the door and left.
After the two left, Eric walked to the coffee machine and poured two fresh cups of coffee. Returning to the sofa, he handed one to Famke Janssen.
The woman held it and took a sip. She raised her head and quickly glanced at Eric before softly saying, “What are you going to do with me?”
“What?” Eric had been tired all day and had just leaned back on the sofa, so he did not catch the woman’s voice for a moment.
“Hmph.” Famke Janssen snorted softly, carrying a faint air of resignation. “I said, what are you going to do with me?”
“Did something happen to upset you?” Eric asked curiously when he heard the dispirited tone in her voice.
“It’s all your fault, you bast…” the woman muttered, but she abruptly stopped herself before saying the final word.
Eric smiled, half-closed his eyes, exhaled, and leaned against the sofa. “Come rub my temples for me, alright? I’ve been tired all day, and my head hurts a bit.”
A moment later, a pair of cool, slender fingers gently pressed against him. A scent different from other women’s drifted to Eric’s nose. It was faint and very pleasant.
“If I said that when I saw the news in the newspaper this morning, I only called you two over to tell you to keep a lower profile, you definitely wouldn’t believe me, right?” After a while, Eric suddenly said.
The fingers massaging him paused briefly, then soon began rubbing gently again.
“Heh, you definitely don’t believe me. Even I don’t quite believe it myself, but it’s true. In this TV series’ setup, the male and female leads won’t get together even by the end. They’ll always maintain an ambiguous relationship, which is also a way to keep the ratings stable. If the two of you got together in reality, then the ambiguity in the show would seem somewhat fake. That’s why I wanted you two to keep a low profile and avoid being discovered by the paparazzi as much as possible.”
The woman still did not speak, but the fingers massaging Eric became much softer.
Eric continued speaking, as though muttering to himself. “This morning, I almost got into a fight with my partner. He feels that what he has received still isn’t enough, so he wants more. People always want more. People are greedy. There’s actually nothing wrong with that. But if he wants more, then he should show the corresponding ability. Does he have that ability?”
“Jenny left me some time ago. She counts as my… first woman. That turmoil, all those damned things, she chose to leave. Actually, she wasn’t wrong. But I keep thinking of getting her back, even if I have to be like the great villain in a story, build a castle on the edge of a cliff, lock her inside, and raise her like a princess. My princess alone.”
“I built a house by the sea. I wanted to face the sea, with spring warmth and flowers blooming. Then one by one, everyone left. In the end, I discovered that I was the only one facing the sea. The house is too big. Too empty.”
“I wanted too much, but I can never hold on to even one of them. In the end, they all run away. I’m too lazy to chase anymore. Anyway, they’ll always run. I really was interested in you at first. Your legs are very long. I like them very much.”
“That’s because you’re too softhearted,” the woman finally could not help interjecting for some reason, even though Eric’s final words made her blush slightly.
Eric froze for a moment, then laughed. “That’s right. I’m too softhearted. Those little women all need to be taught a lesson.”
The woman seemed to choke for a moment, then said, “Uh… I take back what I just said.”
Eric caught one of the woman’s small hands, pulled Famke Janssen over, dragged her into his arms, and wrapped an arm around her waist. The woman obediently allowed him to move her and gently pressed her face against Eric’s chest.
“Have you seen Scent of a Woman? I wrote that script.”
After hesitating for a moment, the woman still denied it. “No. I’ll find time to watch it.”
“Actually, I can distinguish the scent of every woman I’ve been intimate with. Now I’ve remembered yours too.”
The woman mocked, “That doesn’t sound like a good thing, does it?”
“Seems like it really isn’t a good thing,” Eric laughed self-mockingly. “How could being chosen by me be any good thing? It’s very hard for them to escape.”
“Uh…”
“See? Since things are already like this, don’t run either.”
“I still have to try. Maybe I can escape. I won’t be satisfied unless I try. Besides, what kind of man wants to possess so many women? At least, in this era, that shouldn’t be possible, right?”
“No. You’re wrong. It’s entirely possible,” Eric said.
The two chatted aimlessly, and before they knew it, time slowly passed. Eric fell asleep while holding the woman.
When he woke again, it was already completely dark outside. A woman’s jacket was draped over him. Eric put the jacket aside and stretched. Feeling light behind him, Eric turned around and saw Famke Janssen sitting behind his desk, quietly reading a magazine with her head lowered.
Sensing that Eric was awake, the woman raised her head and smiled. “Did you sleep well?”
“What time is it now?” Eric stood and asked.
The woman looked at the wristwatch on her hand. “Seven-twenty. The company security guard knocked just now. I told them you had something to handle, so they didn’t say anything else.”
“Oh. Why didn’t you go back?” Eric nodded, then subconsciously asked.
Famke Janssen raised her attractive brows. “Do you want me to go back?”
“Alright, pretend I didn’t ask.” Eric shrugged. “So, do you have any plans tonight?”
“If you hadn’t called us over, I probably would have gone bar-hopping with Brad Pitt. Now that’s definitely impossible. Maybe, if there’s nothing else, I’ll go back, wash up, sleep, then continue work tomorrow and film.”
“You didn’t have a boyfriend before?” Eric asked curiously.
“I’m already twenty-five, alright? How could I not have had a boyfriend?” the woman said helplessly. “He was a photographer. But before I came to Los Angeles, we broke up.”
“Oh.” Eric nodded. “Then what next?”
“Hm?” The woman tapped the corner of her mouth. Seeing the smile on Eric’s face turn wicked, she asked curiously, “What do you think?”
“Alright, maybe…” Eric thought for a moment, then walked around the desk and came to the woman’s side.
Seeing Eric’s movement, Famke Janssen thought the man was going to do something here. She shrank her neck slightly, but showed no intention of avoiding him. Instead, her eyes carried a hint of expectation.
Yes, expectation.
But the woman had clearly misunderstood Eric’s meaning. The man only came to her side, pulled open a drawer, rummaged through it for a while, then took out a stack of invitation-like cards and smiled.
“Then let’s go to a party. I’ve received so many invitations, but I’ve never gone to one.”
“Ah…” The woman opened her mouth, then quickly looked at what she was wearing. “But this outfit isn’t suitable for a party. Right, where’s the party being held?”
“Most of them should be in Beverly Hills. You know, that’s where the most celebrities are.” As Eric spoke, he casually flipped through and picked one, probably received today. “How about this one? The Coppola family’s.”
“Francis Coppola?” the woman asked, raising her brows.
Eric nodded. “Yes, the Coppola who filmed The Godfather. I’m also rather curious how I ended up receiving an invitation from their family.” Eric flipped through the invitation in his hand and confirmed it once more. “Received today. My assistant usually handles these things. Although I basically receive invitations every day, I’ve never attended one.”
“Then I’m the first?” the woman raised her brows.
Eric smiled. “Yes, you’re the first.”