I am Hollywood

Chapter 208: Chapter 208: Back to L.A.

Chapter 208: Back to L.A.

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[Chapter 208: Here]

"Thanks," the slender blonde flight attendant smiled as she handed a perfectly mixed cocktail to Eric, who quietly expressed his gratitude while sitting beside the small bar.

At that moment, he was on a private jet belonging to the Murdoch family. Before this, Eric had never anticipated that Murdoch would be so eager as to personally send a private plane to Venice to fetch him. However, despite the ulterior motives behind it, Eric was more than happy to take advantage of the luxury. After all, a private jet, with all its amenities, was far more comfortable than even first class on a commercial flight.

After attending the opening ceremony of the Venice Film Festival last night, and sitting through a premiere that morning, Eric had handed over the rest of his obligations to Jonathan Demme and others. He rushed onto the massive Boeing private jet to head back to Los Angeles. Having achieved such impressive results, it would have been a lie to say he wasn't anxious to get back to Los Angeles.

Besides his assistant, there was a vice president from Fox Television accompanying him, along with two young women quietly chatting on a nearby sofa -- Julia and Elisabeth. Allen and the manager wisely stayed in another lounge.

"What are you chatting about, Julia? You look so happy?" Eric casually asked, leaning against the bar, making small talk.

Julia was about to respond when Elisabeth shot her a glare: "What's it to you?"

Ever since they learned of the ratings miracle, Elisabeth's attitude toward Eric had become even more 'hostile,' though he wasn't sure why.

"If the topic involves me, then it surely concerns me," Eric laughed, raising his glass as he stood and walked over to the sofa, casually sitting next to Julia.

Seeing Eric sit beside her, Julia lifted her body slightly as if to move away but quickly relaxed. Elisabeth persisted: "Hey, who invited you to sit here?"

"Liz, I'm a guest. You can't be this rude," Eric replied.

"Being a guest means you should act like one," Elisabeth countered sharply.

"You're really not very hospitable, Liz. It seems that when we get back to Los Angeles, I'll have to mention this to Mr. Murdoch; maybe you should sign up for a lady-like etiquette class or something." As Eric spoke, he unintentionally adopted a tone akin to that of an elder, which only fueled the already smoldering irritation within Elisabeth.

After glaring at Eric for a moment and struggling to find a sharp retort, Elisabeth suddenly stood up: "I'm going to rest; feel free to do whatever you like, Mr. Guest." With that, the young woman clicked her heels and headed toward the bedroom.

At some point, both flight attendants had quietly left, leaving just Eric and Julia alone in the cabin.

Julia glanced at Eric, who was comfortably resting with his eyes closed. She straightened up but chose not to leave, instead sitting quietly next to him, subconsciously beginning to enjoy the tranquil atmosphere.

During their few days in Venice, it had been the longest stretch of time Julia had spent with Eric outside of a work setting. She noticed that compared to the demanding and controlling man he could be while working, Eric was generally laid-back in private. Even though Elisabeth always engaged him in verbal sparring, Eric had never lost his temper. In fact, it was usually Elisabeth who found herself at a loss for words after a few light remarks from him. Those few days together significantly altered Julia's perception of Eric. He was no longer the imposing figure she once thought him to be.

Time slipped by, and Eric showed no signs of moving. Julia took the opportunity to discreetly observe the man beside her. After days of travel and the toll of jet lag, Eric's youthful face displayed clear signs of fatigue, and stubble had begun to appear on his chin.

Yet, this slightly aged and rugged look stirred something in Julia; she felt an urge to reach out and touch his face. However, she didn't take that step. Instead, she gently sighed and picked up the empty glass that Eric had set down, placing it aside before sitting back next to him, her mind drifting back to the comments Elisabeth had made after hearing about the miraculous ratings.

She knew Eric was immensely talented; his films had consistently achieved remarkable box office success, and when he had ventured into television, he easily created a ratings sensation. But just how impressive were his achievements? It wasn't until Elisabeth, who was more knowledgeable in the industry, had explained it all to her that Julia could begin to comprehend the heights Eric had reached.

Eric shifted slightly, seemingly uncomfortable in his sleeping position. He leaned onto the sofa, his head resting on Julia's lap, one arm casually wrapping around her slender waist.

Startled by this gesture, Julia initially thought Eric had woken up, but when she saw that he had simply found a comfortable spot, sighing softly before drifting off again, she relaxed. Stifling a quiet laugh, she finally mustered the courage to lightly touch his chiseled face with her fingertip.

Just then, the blonde flight attendant who had mixed Eric's drink earlier returned to the cabin, seemingly to check if the guests needed anything. Upon seeing the intimate scene on the sofa, her eyes widened slightly. As a young person herself, she definitely recognized Julia and Eric and often followed the gossip of Hollywood. Still, witnessing the renowned young director sleeping on the lap of one of Hollywood's top actresses was hard to believe.

Noticing the attendant's surprise, Julia felt her cheeks flush slightly but signaled for silence. This gesture brought the dazed flight attendant back to reality. She hastily broke into a professional smile, intending to leave.

However, Julia stopped her with a wave and motioned for her to grab a blanket, which the flight attendant quickly did, gently covering Eric with it.

Once the attendant left, Julia finally relaxed, gazing down at Eric's sleeping face, her thoughts swirling.

Eventually, she thought to herself, He's resting on denim -- I hope this rough fabric isn't bothering him.

...

Because Venice was nine hours behind Los Angeles, after a lengthy flight of over ten hours, they arrived in Los Angeles, and it was still not even 8 PM local time. The summer evening had only recently begun to darken.

Many people awaited Eric's arrival at the airport, having learned of the time he was landing. Fortunately, since he had flown back on a private jet, his return was relatively discreet. Had he followed the original plan to take a commercial flight, he would have surely been swarmed by a horde of press anticipating his landing.

As soon as Eric stepped off the plane, he was approached by several groups waiting outside the airport. These individuals had initially been strangers to one another but quickly understood each other's intentions upon witnessing the chaos and hurriedly moved closer.

"Mr. Williams, I'm Mr. Murdoch's assistant..."

"Mr. Williams, Mr. Eisner sent me to wait for you..."

"Eric, we met during recording; I'm the manager of CBS Los Angeles..."

Eric smiled as he shook hands with each of those clamoring to introduce themselves. Once there was a moment of relative quiet, he finally said, "I'm truly sorry; I just arrived back in Los Angeles and am still adjusting to the time difference. Can we discuss everything tomorrow?"

Of course, the crowds were not about to disperse at Eric's mere suggestion. They pressed on, continuing to speak until Eric began to walk away, not wanting to engage too deeply.

Eric had anticipated this scenario but hadn't expected so many people to try to catch him as he exited the airport. He hurried into a black car that Jeffrey had sent, and once Allen had stowed the luggage and joined him in the backseat, Eric bid farewell to the crowd outside, consciously waving to Julia and Elisabeth, who stood a bit farther away.

...

Watching as Eric's car drove off, the onlookers felt a wave of disappointment as they dispersed to their own vehicles.

While the others left without much issue, Elisabeth certainly didn't mind. Yet, noticing that the assistant sent by her father seemed ready to leave without acknowledging her, Elisabeth felt a spark of indignation. She crossed her arms and called out, "Hey, Vincent, am I invisible

or something?"

"Apologies, Miss," Vincent, the assistant, had focused entirely on Eric and truly hadn't registered Elisabeth's presence. He hustled over, "I'm sorry, Miss, I didn't realize you were here. I couldn't catch Mr. Williams before he left, and I'm not sure how to explain this to Mr.

Murdoch."

Elisabeth dragged Julia toward a luxurious Bentley, fuming, "I don't care how you explain it; just take us back to Beverly Hills."

"However," Vincent hesitated, trying to keep up with them. "Miss, I really need to report back to Mr. Murdoch soon; he's waiting at Century City Headquarters."

"This late at night, you expect us two girls to catch a cab back? What if something happens to us?" Elisabeth stated, forcefully handing Vincent their luggage as she whisked Julia into the Bentley and closed the door with a decisive thud.

Vincent sighed, shaking his head in resignation. He had no choice but to converse for a

moment with the Fox vice president who had been sent to fetch Eric, quickly stowing the

suitcases in the trunk before taking a seat in the front passenger side, instructing the driver to proceed while reaching for his mobile phone to dial a number.

*****

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