Chapter 85: She Cried
Chapter 85: She Cried
After pausing for a moment, Eric felt a little thirsty. He got up, took a can of beer from the refrigerator, drank a few mouthfuls, then returned to the sofa. Just as he was about to continue speaking, he glanced at the woman opposite him and immediately shut his mouth.
She was crying...
Helplessly, he reached beneath the coffee table, pulled out a box of tissues, and pushed it toward her.
“Alright, stop crying. I won’t say anything else.”
Unfortunately, that sentence had the opposite effect.
Julia grabbed several tissues and covered her face. Her tears fell even faster, and she even began choking up softly.
According to the usual script, at times like this, women generally needed a shoulder or something. Then there would be a few lingering love words, followed by finding some little dark room for pa pa pa.
But apparently, Julia had cried because of something he himself had said. Eric felt he did not really have the standing to do any of that.
So the atmosphere became awkwardly deadlocked.
One sat there staring helplessly.
The other sat there sobbing.
For a woman, feeling stupid, being criticized until she wanted the ground to swallow her up, becoming angry from embarrassment, then wrapping herself in a wall built from tears—it was perfectly normal.
You bastard, just give me an out. Comfort me a little more and I’ll come down immediately. Wouldn’t that solve everything nicely?
But now why does this feel so awkward?
Several minutes later, the woman finally had no choice but to stop crying on her own. She wiped her face, crumpled the tissue into a ball, and angrily threw it at the man opposite her.
“You really are a bastard.”
After saying that, she stood up and hurried somewhat flusteredly toward the bathroom.
The makeup on her face was ruined.
Ugh, she definitely looked ugly now.
After touching up her makeup and lingering awkwardly in the bathroom for a while, she finally walked back out with the timid air of a newlywed bride and sat back down in her original seat.
Not daring to scold him anymore, huh? Hmph!
“I... will pay attention and look for scripts suitable for you as quickly as possible. Don’t be so anxious. If you feel bored, you can enroll in some simple courses. That would help shape your image. The public tends to like actresses who strive to improve themselves.”
“Of course, taking some variety show appearances is fine too. You’ll need to ask Kapoor about those things. I’m just saying whatever comes to mind. He’s the professional manager.”
“Mm.”
Julia nodded obediently.
“Oh, right. About that matter... have you seen a psychologist yet?”
Julia shook her head, then glared resentfully at Eric again.
It was all this bastard’s fault.
After the movie’s release, she had suddenly become much freer. During her spare time, she looked up information and finally learned what Stockholm Syndrome actually was.
The examples listed in those books seemed absurd to her, but when she connected them with her own abnormal behavior, she could not help admitting the truth.
At the same time, the release of Pretty Woman had transformed her from a small actress into a major star almost overnight. That made her even less willing to seek psychological treatment.
If the psychologist accidentally leaked her condition, her acting career—which had only just begun—might be finished.
How could the public accept an actress who might turn into a sex slave at any moment?
Because of that, Julia did not dare tell even the people closest to her. At present, only she and Eric knew about this matter.
Eric quickly understood Julia’s concerns as well.
This really was troublesome.
If outsiders found out, a scandal would be unavoidable.
“I think this kind of thing probably has a lot to do with self-confidence. Honestly, I thought the way you acted when you first came to my house was pretty good. You looked so aggressive and overbearing. Keep that up, and maybe you’ll recover without medication.”
“You... nonsense. I looked up information. This is all your fault. If you hadn’t treated me like that that night, none of this would have happened.”
Eric raised both hands in surrender.
“Alright, it’s all my fault.”
“It was your fault.”
Seeing Eric’s awkward expression, Julia actually felt rather pleased.
“Oh right, where’s that... Drew Barrymore? Isn’t today the weekend?”
“She lives at a boarding school. She doesn’t have to come back on weekends. She probably didn’t know I came home today. The kid likes running around and making trouble. When I’m not home, she rarely stays here alone.”
Julia’s tone carried a trace of sourness.
“You treat her really well.”
Eric smiled.
“You’re not the first person to say that. The kid’s my creditor now. I owe her a full million dollars. These days, debtors are kings. You have to treat them properly.”
“Heh...”
“Are you going to Fox’s celebration banquet at the Hilton tonight?”
“Of course.”
Julia nodded and glanced at her watch.
“It’s getting late. I should go back.”
Eric helped the woman disguise herself again and escorted Julia out before returning to the villa.
After watching television out of boredom for a while longer, Eric went upstairs around sunset, changed clothes, and drove to the Hilton Hotel.
For a celebration banquet of a movie like Pretty Woman, which had exploded at the box office, paparazzi attention was inevitable.
Eric also disliked dealing with paparazzi. He originally intended to take the elevator directly from the parking garage to the banquet hall, only to suddenly realize he had forgotten to ask which floor the party was being held on.
He looked around. There was nobody else in the parking garage.
He could hardly ask the security cameras overhead.
Unwilling to give up, Eric waited in the underground garage for a while, hoping to run into another guest attending the banquet.
Unfortunately, luck was not on his side.
After waiting several minutes, nobody appeared. If he continued waiting, the cameras overhead might start treating him like a suspicious car thief.
Helpless, he walked out of the parking garage and was immediately surrounded by paparazzi.
Fortunately, Hilton security was fairly competent. They quickly came over to help block the crowd around Eric.
As camera shutters clicked wildly, the paparazzi shouted all kinds of chaotic questions.
“Director Williams, you disappeared for an entire week. Were you preparing your next movie?”
“Eric, did Julia Roberts sleep with you to get the lead role in Pretty Woman?”
“Lamborghini announced that orders for the newest Countach model reached 153 units within one week. Eric, will your next movie still include product placement advertising?”
“Eric, why didn’t Drew Barrymore come with you? Isn’t she living with you?”
“...”
Kind questions, malicious questions, trap-filled questions—every sort of chaotic inquiry buzzed endlessly around him.
Under those circumstances, it was very difficult for Eric to answer appropriately, so he dared not say a single word. Under the protection of security, he silently struggled forward.
Only after entering the Hilton lobby did the paparazzi finally stop following him.
The Hilton manager greeted him with a smile.
“Mr. Williams, welcome. The Pretty Woman celebration banquet is on the fourth floor. Would you like me to personally escort you there?”
Eric quickly shook his head.
“No need. I can go myself.”
After entering the elevator and pressing the button, Eric still noticed the manager smiling at him.
What was with that reaction?
Actually, the reason was simple.
The manager had happened to watch Pretty Woman. Because Eric had created the cool hotel manager character Barney Thompson in the film, the man had developed a very favorable impression of Eric.