"Hey, Nicole, I'm back."
Lying on the bed, Eric called Nicole Kidman. They hadn't spoken for a few days, and he was beginning to miss the beautiful actress. First, he needed to assess the situation, and if all was well, he'd arrange a meeting. Simply walking out of her house like last time seemed a bit too risky.
From the other end of the line came Nicole Kidman's soft voice: "Eric, when did you get back?"
"Today. I just got home and had dinner. Are you home?"
"And what do you want?"
"Nothing much, I've got a gift for you. I want to give it to you in person; otherwise, how could I show you how sincere I am?"
Nicole Kidman chuckled softly: "Dear Eric, I'm afraid you won't be able to catch me."
"Why? You're not home?"
"That's right. When I saw that you had gone abroad, I decided to follow your lead and leave as well. I'm in Australia now, back at my place."
"Oh..." Eric was a bit disappointed.
"Don't worry, darling, I'll be back in a few days. The attention on us has almost died down. Thanks to Halle Berry, who took the Best Actress award from me, we're even now. Sweetheart, just wait a little longer, okay?"
Across the Pacific Ocean, Eric had no other choice.
"Alright, if I had known earlier, I wouldn't have returned to America. I would've flown straight to Australia to be with you. We could've spent the vacation together—it's perfect weather there now."
"Yes, it's autumn here, the most comfortable time of the year. But why didn't you reach out to me? It's already been a week. If you had texted me even once, you would've known where I was, and we might already be enjoying the Sydney Opera House together."
Eric awkwardly chuckled: "Nicole, you've got it wrong. I went to China for work; avoiding the paparazzi was just an added bonus. The trip had been planned for a long time. Even without our situation, I would've gone anyway."
"You can't imagine how busy it was over there. I had to deal with a lot of issues, and I only had a week. Every evening was filled with meetings and urgent business."
"Every night after another round of drinks, I hugged the toilet and then collapsed half-dead in bed. But in my dreams, you were always with me."
"I miss you, Nicole."
Eric tried to speak as sincerely as possible, but such sweet words might only impress young girls like Gal Gadot. Nicole Kidman, however, had developed an immunity to such tricks.
She let out a playful hum, like a mischievous puppy, but then her tone turned serious.
"Eric, although your words are touching, I want to ask you: why didn't you reach out to me?"
"You had a whole week. Why didn't you text me even once?"
"Mom, I hear you, I'm coming! Sorry, Nicole, I need to take care of something."
Eric shouted into the empty room and quickly hung up the phone.
In Australia, staring at the dropped call, Nicole Kidman was both angry and amused as she tossed her phone onto the couch.
"What happened, sweetheart? Did someone upset you?" her father asked, sipping a beer.
"Nothing, just a little rascal."
The old man grinned: "Seems like it's not just any little rascal. I'll have to meet him sometime."
"Dad!" Nicole widened her eyes.
"Darling, I hear you, I'm coming!" her father shouted into the air, then quickly disappeared.
...
On the Transformers set.
Patty Jenkins was flipping through the remaining shooting schedule, while Neill Blomkamp was organizing scenes, and the actors were gradually gathering and checking in.
Suddenly, someone loudly shouted, "Director!" and Patty Jenkins reflexively responded, looking up to see Eric entering the studio.
Chris Evans, Gal Gadot, and many others immediately surrounded him.
She froze for a moment and then remembered she was the assistant director. Eric had been gone so long that she had almost forgotten.
"Everything's fine. Filming is nearly complete, and in the fall, I can finally start working on Monster," Patty reassured herself as she approached.
"Don't rush, don't rush! I know you've all missed me and waited for my return. Now I'm back, and I've brought gifts for everyone!" Eric said, pointing to two large bags being carried by Chen Xin and Peter. Inside were souvenirs from China.
"Everyone gets one! Come and get your gifts!"
"Ooooh!" Immediately, everyone surrounding Eric rushed towards the bags.
Patty Jenkins crossed her arms over her chest: "Look at them, how they instantly lit up. But Eric, you must be the most carefree director in the world. You were gone for 23 days—that's just unbelievable. I'm sure no other director or crew in the world could get away with something like this."
Eric immediately praised her: "Patty, I'm confident because you're here. You're a great director. Leading a massive project like Transformers is something few in Hollywood could handle, but you've done it."
However, his words seemed to only deepen her sense of frustration.
"Yes, that sounds nice, but it feels a bit sarcastic. Every shot I directed was under your guidance. In fact, it didn't make my job easier—it often made it harder."
Eric was always open and honest with his people, so Patty Jenkins also decided to speak her mind.
She considered herself someone with artistic ambitions and preferred directing more intellectually stimulating films. But working with Eric, she often felt like a puppet, and it weighed on her heavily.
Any director in her position would feel the same, because every director has a deep desire for self-expression, and suppressing those feelings leads to suffering.
"Alright, Patty, I get it. I promise that with Monster, you'll have full creative freedom. MGM will only be investing and won't interfere with the filmmaking process, agreed?"
Patty calmed down a bit: "The filming of Transformers is almost complete. If I work alone, it'll take about two weeks, but if you join, I think we can wrap it up in just a week."
"Okay, if nothing urgent comes up, I'll stay on set for the whole week. Let's try to finish in five days!"
While everyone was eagerly dividing the gifts, Eric quietly slipped away into the makeup room.
As soon as he shut the door, Gal Gadot was already there, pushing him into a chair. Her long, slender legs wrapped around him, and her arms clung tightly around his neck, kissing him passionately.
After a long French kiss, Eric gently brushed her hair away from her temples.
"Your eyes are sparkling, darling!"
"So you'll know how much I've missed you."
"Mmm..."
Gal's passion ignited a fire in Eric. He was ready to continue when suddenly, the radio on the table rang.
"Gal, where are you?"
Hearing Neill Blomkamp's voice, she snapped back to reality.
"Damn, I forgot I've got a scene now. I need to get ready."
Eric firmly grabbed her hand.
"I'm the director. I decide whose scene gets shot."
"Yes, but don't you think Patty and Neill will come looking for you? You are the director, after all."
"Uhh..."
Eric couldn't argue with that. If Patty continued directing in his presence, his return would be pointless. Shaking his head, he pulled out a small, elegant box from his pocket.
"This is a gift just for you. Beautiful earrings, deserving of a special person."
Gal beamed with joy. She opened the box and quickly kissed Eric. But since filming rules prohibited wearing jewelry, she carefully put the box away and blew him a kiss before slipping out of the room.
Sighing, Eric tried to contain his desires. Women had the advantage in this area—it's usually not obvious with them, unlike with men.
A few minutes later, after adjusting his clothes, he opened the door.
"Bam!"
Suddenly, someone barged into the room, and Eric was once again pushed into the chair.
"Oh! Chloe, it's you!"
It was Chloë Sevigny. Eric had thought she had finished filming and left the set.
"Eric, what are you doing here?" Chloe asked irritably.
"Me? I'm just taking a call. It's quiet in here."
"Really? But I saw Gal come in here."
"So what? The makeup room isn't my personal space."
"Let's see."
Chloe reached out, and after running her tongue across Eric's cheek, whispered, "There's something wet here. Seems like someone was up to something naughty."
Eric wasn't about to back down.
"Yeah, that's you!"
"Me? Alright then, let's do something about it!"
"What?! Now is not the right time."
Eric knew Gal might be watching them, and if he didn't leave soon, it would raise suspicions.
"Don't worry, no one saw me come in, especially not Gal."
Chloe knew what was bothering Eric and tried to ease his concerns.
"Then quickly!"
Eric pinned her against the door to ensure no one entered, and without any foreplay, got straight to it.
Ten minutes later, he walked out of the makeup room with a calm expression. He was lucky—no one seemed to notice. Except for Gal, who threw him a discreet glance.
"Eric, why did it take so long?" she asked suspiciously.
"Darling, I needed to calm down. You're too hot—it's not easy."
His compliment flattered her, but it still seemed odd.
"But that long?"
"You'll soon understand when you can't hold yourself back."
Gal blushed and playfully pinched him before running off.
"Transformers, Scene 133, action!"
With Patty Jenkins' command, work resumed. Eric reviewed the shooting plan and the previous takes.
Chloe appeared beside him again, like a ghost.
"You hurt me!" she complained.
Without a hint of remorse, Eric replied, "You asked for it, sweetie. And why are you still here? Your scenes are done. Tom Hardy and Michael Fassbender have already left."
"Are you trying to get rid of me? Once the fun's over, you just forget everything?!"
Eric glanced around cautiously. "If you keep speaking louder, the whole crew will hear."
"I'm not trying to get rid of you. I actually have a new job for you."
"What?"
"Did you forget? In Santa Monica, I mentioned a new project. You'll be the lead actress."
Chloe's face lit up, though she asked cautiously, "Is it another indie film?"
"No, it's a horror movie. The director of Saw will helm it, and I helped with the script. I'm sure it'll be a hit, and soon you'll forget all those typecast roles."
Chloe kissed him happily and left.
True to his word, over the next five days, Eric fully dedicated himself to the shoot, which significantly sped up the process.
When Chris Evans roared and raised his hands, his face twisted in rage—the final scene was shot.
"Excellent! I declare the filming of Transformers officially complete!"
The crew erupted into applause and cheers. After 64 long days, the shoot was finally over.
It was a record time, achieved thanks to massive efforts. Now the team had a well-deserved break, and only a select group of specialists would continue working on post-production.
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