I am Hollywood

Chapter 391: Chapter 392: An Itch Hard to Bear



[Chapter 392: An Itch Hard to Bear]

As the head of security for the estate and someone who often accompanied Eric, Carter Moen knew about Eric's relationship with Elisabeth. He signaled to others to put their weapons away before politely saying to Elisabeth, "Miss Murdoch, we didn't receive any word that you were coming. We thought you were an intruder."

Elisabeth had indeed arrived unannounced. With plenty of paparazzi lurking outside the estate, she had to charter a helicopter to avoid becoming a hot topic for gossip magazines.

Of course, Elisabeth wasn't about to share any of this with them. Instead, she simply asked, "Where's Eric?"

Carter Moen's expression shifted somewhat as he realized there was already a lady in the estate. He was aware that Eric had a habit of not inviting other women over when there was already one present, which meant that this young lady had come uninvited.

But those were matters for the master of the house to deal with, so he just said, "Mr. Williams is in the villa. Would you like me to notify him?"

"No need. I'll go to him myself," Elisabeth replied before striding towards the cliffside overlooking Liberty City.

...n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Upon reaching the door, Elisabeth pushed against it only to find that the heavy one-way glass door was locked. She leaned against the door to peer inside but saw nothing.

Just as she was about to ring the doorbell, she noticed the keypad next to it. A mischievous thought crossed her mind. She took out her Motorola mobile phone and swiftly dialed Drew, the young lady, to get the security code.

After entering the code, she pushed the door open and stepped inside. Elisabeth deliberately removed her little ankle boots and placed them aside, walking silently across the polished floor in her thin socks.

As she passed through the hallway, Elisabeth quickly spotted Eric by a large glass window facing the sea. Several sofas and lounge chairs were arranged nearby, and Eric sat alone in the farthest chair, diligently sketching something on his lap board.

As she drew closer, Elisabeth initially intended to sneak up behind Eric to give him a little scare. However, her eyes widened in surprise when she saw a young woman reclining on the opposite sofa -- none other than Jennifer Connelly. What astonished Elisabeth was Connelly's attire.

"Don't move," Eric said with mild annoyance, glancing up.

Connelly froze, and upon noticing that the woman's gaze had shifted, Eric turned around and, seeing Elisabeth, remarked, "Ignore her. Just stay there; I'll finish up soon."

Considering the other person was only a woman, and with Eric's insistence, Connelly dutifully settled back down, though a rosy hue crept into her cheeks.

Noticing how Elisabeth was eyeing her figure with a tinge of jealousy, the initially tense Connelly relaxed, a slight smile appearing on her lips.

Elisabeth huffed softly and walked over to sit on the armrest of Eric's single sofa. Eyeing the nearly finished sketch resting on his lap, she retorted, "Is this what the private life of a billionaire looks like?"

"Shut up," Eric mumbled without looking up, clearly annoyed by her interruption as he focused on his drawing, gripping his charcoal pencil firmly.

Elisabeth, pouting, raised her little fist and circled it around above Eric's head before finally pulling it back sheepishly.

Getting up, she moved to the nearby round table and poured herself a cup of coffee. Holding the cup, she sat down in another single sofa, bored as she watched Eric draw.

Even though she didn't want to admit it, there was something undeniably captivating about Eric's intense focus while he sketched. For a fleeting moment, Elisabeth wished she were the one lounging on the sofa instead of Connelly.

Just as that thought crossed her mind, Connelly let out a quiet "psh psh."

...

More than ten minutes later, Eric finally looked up and said, "Sweetheart, you can get up now."

Connelly unfolded a light blanket draped over her, smiling as she leaned in to see Eric's finished sketch. "Wow, this is amazing! Is this really me?"

"Of course. Only a beauty like you could inspire such artistry," Eric said with a grin, setting the charcoal pencil aside and grabbing a wet wipe to clean his hands.

Curious, Elisabeth leaned in to get a better look at the lifelike woman on the board. Though she secretly agreed with Connelly's assessment, she scoffed, "It's nothing special. I could do that too."

Eric patted Connelly on her waist, wrapped in the blanket. "Sweetheart, go put on some clothes, and give me a moment to deal with this unwelcome guest."

Connelly chuckled, casting a sideways glance at Elisabeth. She understood Elisabeth's identity, so she didn't gloat too much and obediently rose to leave.

Once Connelly ascended the nearby stairs to the second floor, Eric organized his sketchpad and asked, "So, what's up? Hmm... judging by that aggressive look of yours, I bet you're here because you can't scratch that itch and want me to handle it?"

Elisabeth hummed a bit, about to retort when she recalled her father's advice and softened her tone. "Eric, could you let Robert Shea's shares go to Fox? My dad said, with those shares, we absolutely won't participate in any decisions at Firefly; you'll still have total control. That promise can be written into the agreement."

The moment Elisabeth arrived, Eric anticipated what the girl's intentions were.

The most anxious regarding Robert Shea's 25% share belonged not only to Firefly itself but undoubtedly Fox as well. If another film company snagged them, it could be more bearable, but if those shares fell into the hands of the big three networks, it would surely threaten the partnership between Firefly and Fox Broadcasting.

Even if Friends and a couple of other shows were unlikely to be snatched away, Firefly might still develop new programming to compete with the big networks against Fox. That's definitely not what Murdoch would want to see.

Moreover, when it came to business interests, personal friendships didn't weigh heavily. After all, any company had a large team employing many people. Eric couldn't overlook that management would naturally strive for maximum profit. Hence, failing to secure those shares or having them snatched away by competitors could naturally sway Firefly's management towards the other side.

She gestured towards the coffee on the small round table, dissatisfied, wrinkling her nose slightly. Reluctantly, she poured Eric a cup and handed it to him.

*****

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