Chapter 317: Little Vase
Chapter 317: Little Vase
After breakfast, Eric brought the woman outside the manor. A red-and-white Bell helicopter was already parked on the helipad.
Seeing Eric appear, the helicopter pilot quickly jumped down and walked toward the two of them.
He was a towering white man nearly two meters tall, with light stubble on his face and sharp eyes. There was a distinctly military bearing in both his words and mannerisms. He was probably a retired soldier.
“Hello, Mr. Williams. I’m Mark Behrman,” the tall man introduced himself as he approached Eric and Famke Janssen.
“Hello, Mr. Behrman,” Eric replied, shaking hands with him. “I assume you already know your assignment?”
“Of course,” Mark Behrman nodded, then turned to Famke Janssen. “Miss Janssen, come with me.”
“Eric, I still think…” The woman glanced at the helicopter, then turned toward Eric, still somewhat hesitant.
Eric wrapped an arm around her and kissed her on the cheek.
“Alright, Famke. It’s nothing. You’ll gradually get used to this in the future.”
“Miss Janssen, are you worried about airsickness? You can relax. From here to Calabasas only takes a little over ten minutes. Very quick.”
Seeing Mark Behrman speak up, Famke Janssen said nothing more. Otherwise, she would only embarrass Eric.
Soon, the woman boarded the helicopter.
Eric stepped back slightly and waved toward the slowly ascending helicopter. Watching it gradually fly farther away until it became a tiny white dot, he found himself thinking that perhaps he should hire a dedicated helicopter team.
That way, he could save a lot of time traveling between Malibu and the city.
Besides, compared to private jets, helicopters were much cheaper. The price of one helicopter was only equivalent to that of a high-end sports car. Even hiring a full crew responsible for piloting and maintenance would not cost much per year.
More importantly, it would help protect his privacy. No matter how aggressive paparazzi were, chasing after helicopters was not exactly realistic.
Returning to the villa, Eric walked over to the area beside the hanging chair where the two of them had tangled together the previous night.
Scattered everywhere were fragments of rose-red silk fabric.
Clearly, they were the “remains” of that expensive evening gown from last night.
Casually gathering the torn pieces and tossing them into the trash, Eric sat down in the hanging chair and gazed out at the sea beyond the windows while thinking over everything that had happened yesterday.
Since he had already made up his mind about certain things, Eric had no intention of changing it again.
As for the women from before, even Drew included, Eric would often domineeringly tell them things like “You’re my woman.” But if they truly insisted on leaving him, Eric never really intended to stop them.
Having lived through two lifetimes, he had originally viewed many things very lightly.
But now, he had decided never to let that happen again.
Eric had resolved to gather every woman he fancied around him.
This was not some delusional fantasy.
He could give them everything they wanted.
Whether materially or in terms of fame and status, were the women who stepped into Hollywood not all pursuing precisely fame and fortune?
So if he gave them everything they desired, then naturally they also had to give him what he wanted.
It was an equal exchange.
Very fair.
Of course, all of this was built upon power.
Once Eric possessed enough influence in Hollywood, those women who accepted what they wanted from him while refusing to give anything in return would definitely need to think carefully about the consequences.
Famke Janssen was the first in his plan.
After spending most of the day together, Eric had already more or less figured out the tall woman’s personality.
Proud. Independent. Slightly feminist.
At the same time, however, Famke Janssen also longed for Hollywood’s extravagance and dazzling nightlife.
That was also why, during breakfast, she ultimately did not refuse the Beverly Hills property Eric wanted to give her.
Without Eric, it might have taken the woman a very long time to obtain such things.
In his previous life, Famke Janssen had always remained a second-tier actress in Hollywood. Although she played Jean Grey in the X-Men series, compared to Halle Berry, who played Storm and became a major “vase,” Famke Janssen could at most be considered a little vase.
In Eric’s memories, like many Hollywood stars whose careers eventually hit bottlenecks, she later switched over to filming television dramas.
But now, under Eric’s arrangements, Famke Janssen had already become the female lead of The X-Files.
Although that television series would definitely leave a strong imprint on the actress’s image, as long as Eric was willing, helping the woman transition onto the big screen would be incredibly easy.
She could even develop in both television and film simultaneously.
Naturally, obtaining all of that came with prerequisites.
After thinking for a while, Eric smiled and stood up.
Now, it was time to deal with the matter concerning the other woman.
…
Jennifer Connelly woke up very early.
Wrapped in the blanket, she stared blankly at the bedroom. Her head still throbbed dully from the hangover.
As a girl, she quickly realized that this was obviously another girl’s room.
Moreover, there were no signs whatsoever that she had been violated.
That discovery made her quietly let out a breath of relief.
Only fragmented memories remained in her mind. It was difficult for her to recall exactly what had happened last night.
She only remembered that she had been upset, so she drank a great deal of alcohol.
Very drunk.
After that, there was nothing more.
She had simply woken up here.
The faint morning light gradually gave way to sunlight. The bedroom grew brighter and brighter until even the curtains could no longer block it out.
Just as she was feeling somewhat lost, the bedroom door opened.
Jennifer quickly pulled the blanket tighter around herself and looked nervously toward the doorway.
A girl wearing a dark blue long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans walked in. Seeing Jennifer staring with wide eyes, she smiled, revealing two rabbit-like front teeth.
“Miss Connelly, you’re awake?”
Jennifer Connelly vaguely remembered her now.
This girl should be Francis Coppola’s daughter, Sofia Coppola. Jennifer had met her briefly when she first arrived at the party last night.
“Hello, Miss Coppola. May I ask, this place is…”
“This is my house. You got drunk last night, so Eric let you sleep here.”
Eric.
Eric Williams.
Very quickly, she remembered the spirited young figure she had seen from afar last night.
Hearing Sofia Coppola’s words, Jennifer Connelly suddenly felt wronged for some reason.
Then tears welled up in her eyes.
“What’s wrong? Are you still feeling sick? You drank really hard last night. If not for Eric, you might’ve been…”
Seeing the woman suddenly turn teary-eyed, Sofia Coppola asked with concern. Very quickly, however, the girl decided it was probably better not to mention last night’s events.
“I’m fine,” Jennifer Connelly shook her head.
After hesitating briefly, she quietly asked:
“Then… then what about him?”
“Him? Oh, you mean Eric? He already went back,” Sofia Coppola replied.
Jennifer shrank slightly deeper beneath the blanket as an uncontrollable wave of disappointment rose in her heart.
After chatting for a few more sentences, Sofia Coppola casually dragged over a small stool from beside the vanity and sat at the bedside.
Curiosity filled her voice as she asked:
“Hey, Jennie, what exactly is going on between you and Eric? He got really angry for your sake last night. He almost fought with the guy who brought you here. Anyone could tell he likes you a lot. But he also said he hadn’t seen you for a whole year?”
Jennifer Connelly froze upon hearing that.
Yet she merely shook her head without answering.
Truthfully, she did not know how to answer either.
Seeing the woman unwilling to speak, Sofia did not force her.
Instead, she continued:
“Oh right. Before leaving last night, he found your address book and called someone named Jim Lester. He told him to meet him at ten this morning. Jim Lester is your agent, right?”
The woman froze again before softly giving an affirmative hum.
At the same time, a faint sense of expectation rose within her heart.
Yet this expectation was not for her acting career.
Rather, it was because she learned that that guy was still paying attention to her.
While Sofia Coppola continued chattering away, a maid knocked on the bedroom door.
“Miss, breakfast is ready.”
“Oh, we’ll come right away,” Sofia answered before turning toward Jennifer Connelly. “Come on, get up. Let’s go to the dining room together.”
More than ten minutes later, after washing up simply, Jennifer Connelly followed Sofia downstairs to the dining room.
Several people were already seated there.
Francis Coppola and his wife, Sofia’s brother Roman Coppola, and Nicolas Cage, who had apparently stayed overnight after the party.
Seeing his daughter bring Jennifer Connelly into the dining room, Francis Coppola warmly greeted her.
“Good morning, Miss Connelly. Did you rest well last night?”
“Very well. Thank you for your concern, Mr. Coppola,” Connelly replied somewhat stiffly before nodding politely toward the others in the dining room.
During their brief exchange last night, Francis Coppola had looked at her entirely as though evaluating a beautiful vase.
But now, his tone sounded like that of a kind elder.
That made Jennifer Connelly feel somewhat flattered and overwhelmed.
Just as she was wondering how she should respond next, Sofia had already pulled her over to sit at the dining table while servants skillfully set breakfast before the two of them.
“So, Sofia, you really decided to listen to that kid and not play Mary Corleone anymore?” Francis Coppola quickly shifted the topic toward his youngest daughter after the two girls sat down.
Hearing this, Jennifer Connelly subtly perked up her ears.
She sharply sensed that the “that kid” Francis Coppola referred to was probably Eric Williams.
Sofia quickly confirmed her guess.
“I think what Eric said makes a lot of sense. I’ve never had any film acting experience before. I don’t want to ruin all of Dad’s hard work because of me.”