Chapter 315: Reunion
Chapter 315: Reunion
After considering his wording for a moment, Eric finally said, “Since your father wants you to play Mary Corleone, I assume you must have already attended an audition before this, right?”
“Of course,” Sofia Coppola nodded.
“Then how did your father evaluate your audition performance?” Eric asked patiently, guiding her step by step.
Upon hearing this question, the girl immediately became somewhat guilty. “Dad said my acting was… was pretty good.”
Sofia Coppola’s hesitation instead allowed Eric to continue the topic without any pressure.
“You grew up on Coppola family film sets. You’ve seen the performances of countless actors. You should be able to recognize what your own acting skills are really like, right?”
“I think if I rehearse more during filming, I’ll definitely meet the requirements. Besides… besides, Dad also said that even if my acting isn’t good, it doesn’t matter. After all, this is my first time.”
As if remembering her father’s encouragement, Sofia Coppola raised her head and looked directly at Eric with renewed confidence.
Eric sighed emotionally. “That alone shows just how much your father loves you. You definitely understand better than I do what The Godfather series means to him. This series is the glory of Francis Coppola as a director. I believe that toward any other actor in The Godfather Part III, your father absolutely would never say, ‘Even if the acting is bad, it doesn’t matter.’ Only toward you is he this tolerant. Since that’s the case, you should think even more for your father’s sake. The Godfather Part III is the concluding chapter of The Godfather series. I believe nobody in the Coppola family would want flaws to appear in it because of an actor’s performance, right?”
After hearing Eric’s words, Sofia Coppola lowered her head and fell silent.
Eric gently patted the girl’s back as he continued, “In Hollywood, as the daughter of the Coppola family, you have far more opportunities than other people. If you’re truly interested in acting, I think it would be best to follow your cousin’s example. Start from small roles and slowly hone your acting skills.”
After a while, Sofia Coppola raised her head again. Eric could tell from the girl’s expression that she had already made a decision, so he smiled slightly at her.
Who knew Sofia Coppola would not be so appreciative. The small hand wrapped around Eric’s waist scratched him lightly behind his back in dissatisfaction.
“Eric, everyone says you’re a playboy. As a playboy, shouldn’t you be sweet-talking and flattering women the moment you see them? Your reaction is completely wrong.”
The topic changed so abruptly that Eric did not know how to respond for a moment.
Seeing Eric speechless, the girl’s expression dimmed. Somewhat self-consciously, she said, “Alright, alright, I know. I’m not that pretty. But you don’t need to react like this, do you?”
Eric immediately shook his head. “No, Sofia, you’re very beautiful. If you don’t believe me, you can ask your father.”
“How could my father possibly say I’m not beautiful?” the girl rolled her eyes at him, though she no longer pursued the issue.
The song ended, and the people on the dance floor began leaving. Eric also held Sofia Coppola’s small hand as they walked out together.
“Eric, I’ve decided to follow your advice and start from small roles,” the girl said as she picked up a glass of red wine beside the long table and gestured toward him. “I hope we can work together in the future.”
“We definitely will,” Eric replied with an unchanged smile as he clinked glasses with her.
Inwardly, however, he silently added: “As long as you don’t become an actress.”
“Then enjoy yourself. I’m going to tell my father about this right now,” the girl said before turning and leaving.
After the girl departed, Eric looked around but could not find Famke Janssen anywhere. He guessed the woman had probably gone outside the villa.
Combined with the other matter weighing on his mind, Eric decisively headed outside as well.
He had to confirm it before he could truly be at peace.
Dealing with guests who came over to greet him along the way, Eric soon arrived at the garden.
…
“N-No more, Mr. Brandt. I… I…”
The woman stammered twice before suddenly feeling the world spin around her. Her body tilted crookedly to one side.
Tony Brandt swiftly caught her and let Jennifer Connelly lean against him. The arm around the woman greedily rubbed against her soft waist. If there had not been other guests nearby, he probably already would have been unable to resist grabbing those soft breasts.
Although it was not as if nobody had noticed Tony Brandt deliberately getting the woman drunk, such things happened frequently at Hollywood parties. Furthermore, Jennifer Connelly had never shown much resistance from beginning to end, so the guests who witnessed it naturally regarded the situation as consensual.
“Miss Connelly? Miss Connelly?” Tony Brandt softly called twice beside Jennifer Connelly’s ear.
The woman glanced at him hazily with misty eyes. She also seemed to realize her current condition. Her small hand instinctively pushed weakly against the middle-aged man’s body, though she had no strength whatsoever.
This completely reassured Tony Brandt.
Raising his voice high enough for the nearby guests to hear, he said, “Miss Connelly, let me take you home.”
Naturally, the woman could not give any reply.
Several male guests who heard Tony Brandt’s words merely exchanged ambiguous looks with their companions while secretly envying his good fortune with women. The female guests frowned slightly, but none of them spoke up to interfere.
Tony Brandt had just lifted Jennifer Connelly over his shoulder and was preparing to take a shortcut directly outside when a cold voice suddenly rang out.
“Sir, where are you taking her?”
Tony Brandt’s body stiffened.
Cursing at the busybody inwardly, he nevertheless had no choice but to temporarily set the woman down on a nearby chair before turning around.
He saw Eric standing there expressionlessly, one hand in his pocket and the other holding a glass of red wine, his gaze moving back and forth between himself and the woman.
“So it’s Mr. Williams. Very pleased to meet you. My name is Tony Brandt. I’m also a director,” Tony Brandt quickly regained his composure after recognizing Eric and extended his hand toward him.
Eric merely glanced at the hand being offered before lifting his chin slightly toward Jennifer Connelly.
“Where are you taking her?”
Tony Brandt awkwardly withdrew his hand and glanced at the woman behind him.
If he let go now, perhaps nothing else would happen.
Unfortunately, during the process of getting Jennifer Connelly drunk, Tony Brandt had also inevitably consumed alcohol himself and was currently about seventy percent drunk. Thinking of the woman’s breathtaking beauty, lust completely overtook his brain for a moment.
“Mr. Williams, you mean Jenny? She’s my girlfriend. She accidentally drank too much, and I’m planning to take her home.”
Eric’s heart twitched painfully. Looking at the drunken woman, he could not help saying, “She’s drunk, so naturally you can say whatever you want. But I absolutely don’t believe she’d ever become your girlfriend.”
Tony Brandt froze for a moment, then spread his hands as though the situation were absurd.
“Mr. Williams, Jenny came here together with me—”
“Shut up. You’re not allowed to call her Jenny!”
As if stimulated by something, Eric suddenly raised his voice.
Tony Brandt trembled in fright, and much of his drunkenness instantly vanished. However, because of Eric’s outburst, nearby guests also curiously gathered around.
The sharper ones recognized Eric immediately. Seeing that conflict seemed likely between him and Tony Brandt, they thought it over and decided not to stay and watch the spectacle, hurriedly leaving the garden instead.
Seeing the crowd gather, Tony Brandt, now unable to back down, quickly raised his voice.
“Mr. Williams, you’re being far too rude. Miss Connelly came here together with me. If she’s not my girlfriend, is she yours instead? Everyone here can testify that Miss Connelly and I came together. What exactly do you want?”
The surrounding guests looked at the three people in the center.
Most of them did not recognize Tony Brandt, but Eric’s identity was impossible to ignore.
After hearing Tony Brandt’s words and remembering Eric’s playboy reputation, the crowd immediately began pointing and whispering toward Eric. However, due to Eric’s current status, nobody dared openly step forward to support Tony Brandt.
Seeing that the surrounding atmosphere seemed to favor him, the alcohol emboldened Tony Brandt further.
“Mr. Williams, don’t you think you’re being unreasonable? My girlfriend got drunk. I’m just trying to take her away. What right do you have to stop me?”
Crack—
A sharp sound rang out.
The snapped wineglass fell to the ground in two pieces. The crisp sound of glass striking the stone pathway startled everyone nearby.
Eric stared blankly at the cut on his hand caused by the broken glass. In a voice as soft as muttering to himself, he said:
“You can’t take her away. At least wait until she wakes up. If she personally admits she’s your girlfriend, then… I’ll apologize.”
Seeing Eric lower his head, Tony Brandt assumed the other party was feeling guilty, and his voice became even louder.
“Mr. Williams, you have no right to do this. Miss Connelly is drunk and feels terrible. She needs rest.”
After saying that, Tony Brandt glared fiercely at Eric and turned to help the limp woman on the chair up once more.
At that moment, the crowd parted as seven or eight anxious-looking people hurried in.
“Eric, what happened to your hand?”
Famke Janssen, who had arrived together with Francis Coppola, immediately noticed Eric’s bleeding right hand. She hurried over worriedly, grabbed his hand, inspected it briefly, and quickly pressed down on the still-bleeding wound.
Meanwhile, Sofia Coppola also rushed over. In just a few motions, she removed the silk scarf matching her evening dress and together with Famke Janssen began bandaging Eric’s hand.
Seeing that Eric did not seem seriously injured, Francis Coppola looked over the scene before pulling someone aside.
“Corett, what happened?”
The guest named Corett had happened to witness Tony Brandt deliberately getting the woman drunk. Now, seeing Francis Coppola’s daughter and another tall woman carefully treating Eric’s wound, he immediately understood the situation.
He promptly exaggerated the story while recounting how Tony Brandt had gotten the woman drunk and describing what had just happened.
The moment Francis Coppola appeared, Tony Brandt felt a terrible premonition rise in his heart. The momentum he had built vanished completely, and his drunkenness fully dissipated.
Before he could think of a remedy, Jennifer Connelly, who had been slumped weakly in the chair, suddenly murmured faintly:
“Water… I want… water…”
Although her voice was soft, it immediately drew everyone’s attention.
Seeing Jennifer Connelly’s beautiful face, Sofia Coppola—still extremely interested in gossip—recognized her at once. Recalling scattered reports from the tabloids earlier in the year, she said to Eric with a trace of jealousy:
“Wow. Eric, another one of your girlfriends.”
The girl’s unintentionally jealous words caused Famke Janssen’s movements to stiffen briefly.
Meanwhile, upon hearing those words, Tony Brandt’s legs nearly gave out beneath him.
Although Francis Coppola knew Eric was a womanizer, he did not pay as much attention to scandals as his daughter did.
Originally, after hearing the sequence of events from Corett, Francis Coppola had not known how to handle the matter. After all, although Tony Brandt’s methods had been despicable, Jennifer Connelly certainly would not have been so easily intoxicated if she had truly refused.
Therefore, Coppola had initially assumed Eric had taken a liking to Tony Brandt’s female companion and impulsively played the hero rescuing the beauty.
But now, after hearing his daughter’s words, Francis Coppola immediately believed it.
In a stern voice, he questioned Tony Brandt:
“Tony, how could you do something like this?”
“Mr. Coppola, this is a misunderstanding. Miss Connelly just accidentally drank too much. I was about to take her home.”
Hearing Tony Brandt continue arguing even now only made Francis Coppola’s tone harsher.
“With so many people here, are you still trying to lie?”
“No, I’m not. I—”
Tony Brandt waved his hands frantically before quickly turning toward Eric.
“Mr. Williams, this really is a misunderstanding. If I’d known earlier—”
Eric sighed and ignored Tony Brandt completely.
Stepping forward, he picked up the utterly drunk woman in his arms before saying to Francis Coppola:
“Sorry, Mr. Coppola. I’ve caused trouble for you.”
“It’s nothing,” Coppola replied before turning toward his daughter. “Sofia, take Eric to a room so this… young lady can rest for a while. There should be hangover soup in the kitchen.”
“Eric, come with me.”
The girl immediately led Eric away from the crowd.
After taking several steps, Eric suddenly remembered something and turned back toward the tall woman.
“Famke, come too.”
Famke Janssen, who had thought she would be awkwardly abandoned there, visibly relaxed and quickly followed through the crowd.
Seeing this scene, the guests could not help showing envious expressions.
He truly was a playboy. Holding one woman in his arms while still not letting another go.
Once Eric’s figure disappeared, Francis Coppola turned toward Tony Lambert.
“Tony, leave. Don’t come here again.”
“No, Mr. Coppola, this really is a misunderstanding. I didn’t—”
Seeing Coppola turn to leave as well, Tony Brandt no longer dared continue arguing. He desperately grabbed Coppola’s arm and pleaded:
“I’m sorry, Mr. Coppola. I was wrong. I truly was wrong. I’ll apologize to Mr. Williams right now. I’ll apologize to Miss Connelly too. Mr. Coppola, please give me another chance.”
Coppola disgustedly shook his arm but failed to free himself.
“Tony, leave. Replace the female lead and finish your film properly. If you continue causing trouble, I’ll call Cliff.”
The moment he heard Coppola mention calling the investor of his movie, Tony Brandt immediately released his grip.
Freed from him, Coppola left without another glance back.
The guests who had originally stayed to watch the spectacle cast one final sympathetic look at the devastated middle-aged man.
Once tonight’s incident spread, after being personally thrown out by Francis Coppola and offending Hollywood’s rising star Eric Williams, Tony Brandt could forget about surviving in Hollywood in the future.
After all, anyone considering working with him later would inevitably wonder whether the Coppola family or Eric Williams might have opinions about it.
Hollywood did not lack people. Few would be willing to take such a risk.
…
“Eric, put her on the bed. I already had the servants prepare hangover soup,” Sofia Coppola said as she led Eric all the way to the second floor of the villa and opened a room for him.
“Thank you, Sofia.”
Eric placed Connelly onto the large bed before glancing around the room and suddenly realizing something.
“This isn’t your room, is it?”
Sofia hurriedly stuffed several intimate pieces of clothing into the wardrobe. Her face reddened slightly as she explained:
“Yes.”
Sensing the girl’s embarrassment, Eric stopped looking around further.
He sat beside the bed and looked at the flushed beautiful face lying there.
After not seeing her for a year, the woman’s face had become slightly thinner, though it also carried more elegance and charm.
A middle-aged maid arrived at the doorway carrying a tray and looked into the room.
Standing near the door, Famke Janssen took the tray from her hands.
“I’ll do it.”
The maid nodded, handed over the tray, and left.
“Eric,” Famke Janssen said as she handed him the hangover soup.
Eric accepted the bowl and looked up at the woman.
“Sorry, Famke.”
Famke Janssen forced a smile. “It’s alright.”
…
In her hazy state, Jennifer Connelly felt herself being placed onto a soft bed.
She vaguely recalled fragments of what had happened before she became drunk.
Feeling that something was wrong, she tried to struggle upright, but she could not muster any strength anywhere in her body.
Soon afterward, she felt someone helping her sit up. A voice both unfamiliar and familiar sounded beside her ear.
The woman struggled to open her eyes slightly before quickly revealing a faintly self-mocking smile.