"Kneel! And lift your rear!"
At Eric's command, Chloë Sevigny rolled her eyes.
A wild onslaught ensued, leaving her seemingly completely exhausted, flipping over and rolling her eyes.
Eric got dressed and left the estate.
It was already seven in the evening. The winter sun had set early, and it was pitch dark outside. The colorful streetlights shone brighter than usual.
Eric headed to the film festival venue. Despite the late hour, the place was bustling with life, as watching movies in the evening is a special pleasure.
He had charged his phone in advance and turned it on after several days of being off. The screen instantly filled with numerous messages and missed calls.
Clearing his throat, he selected one of the numbers and called back:
"Hello, Serge, what's up? Why so many calls?"
From the other end came a tense voice, clearly holding back anger:
"Eric Cooper, you finally answered! Tell me, where are you right now?"
"I'm at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City. Didn't you know? I gave an interview a couple of days ago."
The sound of teeth grinding was audible even over the phone.
"Yes, I know you're in Park City. Where exactly are you right now?"
"What's wrong, buddy? You sound upset. Alright, let me think, I'm at the theater showing Whale Rider."
Serge quickly replied:
"Don't move, wait for me there, I'm coming!"
Eric didn't have to wait ten minutes before he saw Serge Hassenfeld running towards him with a group of people.
"Is he really planning to beat me up? Although, in a public place, he probably wouldn't dare!" thought Eric, spreading into a wide smile and waving.
"Hey, I'm here!"
Seeing Eric, the group of people sped up and surrounded him.
Serge's eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was icy:
"Eric Cooper, you made me search for you everywhere. Why weren't you answering your calls? Where were you hiding?"
"Hiding? From what? I've been in Park City all this time."
"Then why couldn't I find you? I turned this place upside down."
Eric awkwardly smiled:
"I was meeting with some actresses, so I couldn't wander around the city. I've spent all my time in the resort complex, not stepping out. And to avoid distractions, I turned off my phone."
"Even the president needs a break. I've been working tirelessly for months, what's wrong with relaxing for a few days? Buddy, you look so worn out, are you sick?"
Serge felt like lightning had struck his head. For the past two days, the old man had been driving him like a dog, he couldn't sleep properly, while this brat was having fun with actresses. He really wanted to punch Eric right in the face.
But he couldn't succumb to anger! He had to hold on!
"Do you not know what happened? Because of your interview, Hasbro's stock keeps falling, we suffered huge losses because of you!"
"What? That can't be, I just said a few words."
Serge, already not understanding whether Eric was pretending to be a fool or actually was one, but he didn't have time to figure it out.
"Are you crazy? Why did you say you would be the director? You don't know anything about it!"
Seeing Serge's anger, Eric also took on a worried look:
"What? I didn't say that! I said I would participate in the filming, but only nominally, of course, I'm not the real director!"
"Those damned journalists, they twisted my words. And the company, they misunderstood everything too. Those flatterers, I'll fire them as soon as I get back!"
Seeing the confidence on the young man's face, Serge, without wasting time, pulled him by the hand and led him to the main hall.
"Wait, what are you doing?"
"Of course, we'll clarify. We need to announce the truth and get the stock back to its previous level!"
In the main hall, the film had just ended, and compared to The United States of Leland, there were a lot more journalists here.
When the filmmakers thanked the audience and left, Serge, dragging Eric along, staged another thrilling show.
The journalists were clearly more interested in this important figure from MGM than in the little-known directors and actors.
"Yes, besides me, there will be other directors working on Transformers. It's a complex and large-scale film, and I can't handle it alone. Don't misinterpret my words."
Some journalists who had interviewed Eric a few days ago exchanged puzzled looks: had they misunderstood him?
Not giving them a chance to ask questions, Eric quickly switched the conversation to the film:
"Hasbro is a great company, and they will assist MGM in the Transformers adaptation. They are true professionals in this, and viewers will see a completely new version!"
One of the journalists immediately raised his hand and asked:
"Mr. Cooper, do you mean that the Transformers in the film will be different from those in the cartoon?"
"Exactly. The technology in movies is much more complex. We will redraw each Autobot down to the smallest detail. They will have rich expressions, impressive, and dynamic transformations. They will be even more powerful and lifelike."
"The sketches are already ready, and MGM will post a video on its website. Everyone will be able to see the new Autobots and Decepticons."
"That's all for now!"
With that, Eric quickly left the stage, not giving the journalists a chance to ask more questions.
"Well, judging by what you said, I think everything is okay now."
Serge's eyes were still bloodshot:
"It's not clear yet, the market is closed, and we'll only see the result tomorrow."
"So can I go now?"
"No! You're staying with me, I won't let you go anywhere!"
Eric shook his head:
"Serge, don't say that, everyone's watching us."
"Alright, I'll stay, but only if you come with me. Look at yourself: your lips are white, your eyes are red, and your breath is awful. Did you not brush your teeth?"
Serge stepped back, covering his mouth with his hand. For a person of his status, this was extremely embarrassing.
But Eric didn't pay attention to this and friendly put his arm around Serge's shoulders:
"Come on, relax. Tonight, it's on me!"
Serge, who had been utterly exhausted by the old man in the past few days, suddenly felt a warm affection for this young man.
"He's quite a good person!"
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