[Chapter 563: I'm Not Going]
"'Who are you?' asked the little prince, and added, 'You are very pretty to look at.'
'I am a fox,' the fox said.
'Come and play with me,' proposed the little prince. 'I am so unhappy.'
'I cannot play with you,' the fox said. 'I am not tamed.'
'Ah! Please excuse me,' said the little prince.
But, after some thought, he added:
'What does that mean -- tame?'
'You do not live here,' said the fox. 'What is it that you are looking for?'"
Joanna Pacula sat on the beach mat, holding a thin copy of The Little Prince, reading slowly and gently. Her voice carried a soothing tone, blending with the sounds of the nearby waves and the afternoon breeze.
This was a private beach at a mansion in East Hampton, Long Island, where pure white sand was spread out beneath a beach mat. Behind her stood a sun umbrella, shielding a good part of the harsh afternoon sun. Next to the mat, a small round table was casually scattered with snacks and drinks.
Eric, wearing only a pair of beach shorts, relaxed on his side with his arm propped up, squinting his eyes, perhaps dozing off. In the half-meter distance between them lay a thick blanket, on which two adorable little ones lay. Kevin, closer to Eric, had his eyes closed and his little mouth slightly open as he peacefully slept. Near Joanna, Hawaii had her bright baby eyes wide open, watching her mother read with keen interest. She only blinked a few times when Joanna turned a page, as if urging her to continue.
Having left Los Angeles for a week, Eric had turned off his mobile phone, stopped reading the recent frustrating newspapers, and no longer spent too much time thinking about work. Each day, he spent only an hour managing emails and devoted most of his energy to the two little ones, moving in the direction of becoming a full-time dad.
After finishing another page of the book, Joanna reached over to gently touch her daughter's soft blonde hair and glanced with satisfaction at Eric not far away before continuing to read softly. Having emerged from the The Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in her early twenties, she chased fame, faced setbacks, enjoyed minor glories, and experienced major downfalls. Like a small boat lost in the vast ocean, drifting aimlessly, at thirty-five, she had finally docked in a calm cove surrounded by three mountains. Though it was only seventy percent perfect, she no longer demanded more.
Even the sudden retreat after Twister had sparked a flurry of speculation and mockery from the media, Joanna remained calm, for she knew there was a little man who would protect the two of them very well.
And he indeed protected them well.
After reading for a while longer, Joanna heard a voice behind her and turned to look. A tall figure dressed in a T-shirt and hot pants was coming down the stone steps connecting the beach to the mansion.
Seeing Joanna looking at her, the girl waved and stepped down the stairs, took off her high heels and left them to the side as she quickly walked over on the fine sand. She crouched down next to Joanna, wrapped her arms around her neck, gave her a cheeky kiss on the cheek, then leaned over to peck Hawaii's little face gently before squeezing Kevin's chubby cheeks, and then stood up again.
Joanna watched her sister finish all that and then move toward Eric, a hint of helplessness flashing in her eyes. "Ewa, you said you were going to participate in the fashion week show. Shouldn't you be training right now?"
A few months ago, with Joanna's help, Ewa Pacula had managed to immigrate successfully. Although she was fourteen years younger than Joanna, Ewa was still a beautiful girl in her own right. With Emily's assistance, Ewa quickly signed with a modeling agency and recently received an invitation to walk the runway at the September fashion week from Emily's fashion company.
"I came here to work," Ewa said, picking up a cup from the small round table to pour herself some juice. Then she lay down on the mat next to Eric, tugging on a strand of gold hair by her ear and lightly teasing Eric's face with it.
Just as Joanna was about to admonish her sister to stop, she saw Eric shake his head and wake up.
Seeing Eric open his eyes, Ewa immediately let go of the hair and casually greeted him, "Hi, Eric."
Eric instinctively touched his cheek, and upon seeing the girl greeting him, he understood, sitting up to respond to Ewa. Just then, he heard the piercing cry of a baby next to him. Because Joanna had stopped reading, Hawaii, who had been about to doze off, started crying along with her brother.
Eric had no time to deal with Ewa; he and Joanna quickly each picked up one of the two little ones. After a quick check, he said, "He needs a change, Joanne. Let's go back."
Ewa tentatively leaned over and asked, "Eric, do you need me to help?"
Eric pointed to the blanket on the beach mat. "Take this back, and don't worry about the rest. Let the maid handle it."
Ewa nodded, squatting down to fold the blanket. By the time she stood up, Eric and Joanna had already walked to the nearby stone steps, and she hurried to catch up. She slipped on her high heels beside the steps, walking along the lush bush-lined path back into the mansion.
...
Looking at the green trees surrounding her and the luxurious villa not far away, Ewa couldn't help but feel uncontrollable envy.
In just a few months in America, Ewa had come to grasp just how wealthy her sister's little man was. Eric had bought six properties in Southampton and East Hampton to shield the two women and the children from disturbances. In the initial period after Ewa arrived from Poland and stayed with Joanna, they had moved rather frequently while being reunited after such a long time apart.
However, Ewa hadn't had time to adapt to this lavish lifestyle before Joanna sent her to Manhattan for modeling training. While Joanna had arranged a living situation far superior to those shared by girls who trained with her but could only stay in basements, Ewa found herself yearning to live in that spacious, luxurious mansion with servants waiting on her all the time.
...
Due to some easily perceived psychology, after Eric arrived on Long Island, Ewa had already come back from Manhattan three times in a week, which was the reason Joanna felt so helpless.
When Joanna was with Eric, his mature demeanor made them seem like peers. However, though Ewa was only a year younger than Eric, Joanna viewed her more like a daughter -- with affection and indulgence -- and she felt resigned about Ewa's little crush. While Joanna could accept serving Eric alongside Virginia, she struggled to imagine what would happen if her sister got close to him.
Virginia was not as easygoing as Joanna. After recovering for a few months postpartum, she quickly accepted a role and was now out filming. When Eric wasn't around, the two little ones were cared for by Joanna and a few nannies.
After getting home and gently placing her daughter in the crib and asking a nanny to watch closely over her, Joanna then approached Eric, who was changing Kevin's diaper. She worriedly glanced at her sister, who was wandering around the hall, and lightly tapped Eric's arm.
"What's up?" Eric continued attending to his son meticulously, not lifting his head, casually asking.
"Eric, can you... not flirt with Ewa?"
Eric chuckled, finishing changing his son's diaper, and lightly tickling the baby's tummy, he said, "You saw clearly. It's your sister who's flirting with me."
With a furrowed brow, Joanna was just about to say something when Eric turned to hold her close, patting her back gently. "Don't worry. I promised you."
Joanna dared not believe it. "You're not kidding me, are you?"
Eric chuckled, letting go of Joanna, picking up their squirming son and soothing him softly, "Why would I want to deceive you?"
Joanna turned her head to glance at her sister, who was looking at a painting on the wall in the west hall, suddenly asking, "Isn't Ewa pretty enough?"
Ewa was definitely pretty, but Eric always felt that she lacked the life experience that molded Joanna's charm; therefore, he never entertained any different thoughts.
However, Eric didn't express his evaluation outright, forcing himself to suppress a smile and shook his head. "Oh, you women, your thoughts are always so strange."
Joanna also realized that her question was a bit inappropriate, a blush of embarrassment rising on her cheeks as she playfully swatted Eric, saying, "It's all your fault."
As Eric saw their son squinting again, he handed him over to the nanny and headed upstairs saying, "I'll go take a shower first."
...
When Eric came down again, the two sisters were sitting side by side on the living room couch, flipping through a magazine. Eric greeted Ewa, personally brewed some coffee, and brought a tray over to the couch, pouring some cups.
After chatting a bit with Joanna, Ewa looked up and asked, "Eric, are you free recently?"
Eric handed the steaming coffee to the two women and smiled, "Of course, what do you need help with?"
"Well, Emily asked me to invite you to participate in her company's runway show at fashion week."
Eric remembered hearing Ewa casually mention she'd be part of the New York fashion week show starting September 10th. Upon hearing the invitation, he immediately lost interest. Not only did he know nothing about fashion shows, but even if he went, he would feel completely out of place. More importantly, in his view, most models at major fashion shows simply didn't meet his standards of beauty. And those that did might just end up looking weirdly styled by the designers.
"I'm not going. I can't appreciate that stuff," Eric shook his head and bluntly stated.
Ewa looked at Eric's quick refusal and immediately put on a pitiful expression, shaking Joanna's arm as if trying to leverage her sister for support.
Joanna, feeling helpless, finally said, "Eric, I used to be a model for a while too. The truth is, many guests at fashion shows don't really understand the art. The organizers invite them just to boost the show's fame and attention. You haven't got anything happening recently, just go once, okay? Didn't you invest in Emily's fashion company too?"
Holding the coffee, Eric listened to Joanna and nodded readily, "Alright, I'll go."
Joanna thought Eric would continue to refuse, mentally preparing to say more reasons, but with his straightforward acceptance, she was momentarily taken aback before quickly understanding. She smiled lightly. Meanwhile, her sister let out an involuntary grunt, shaking Joanna's arm again, "Joan, look at him, he's doing this on purpose."
Eric looked up, making a surprised expression at Ewa, as if to say 'I was being so subtle and you caught on!'
Ewa rolled her eyes before pulling out the invitation she had prepared beforehand from her bag, handing it to him, then turning to Joanna, "Joan, you can come along too."
Joanna reached out to help her sister smooth down her hair at her ear and replied, "If I go, who will take care of the two little babies?"
Ewa pointed to the nannies in the nursery looking after the two little ones, "Aren't they sufficient?"
But Joanna just gently shook her head.
Seeing Joanna refuse, Ewa stopped persuading her and immediately turned to Eric, "Eric, can I come out with you during the show?"
Eric looked puzzled, "What do you mean?"
"I mean walking out with you so someone can help take some pictures of us together. What do you think?"
"Why?"
Ewa unabashedly replied, "Because you're very famous, appearing with you will help a nobody like me get some recognition quickly."
Eric glanced at Joanna, saw her smiling without saying a word, and reluctantly nodded, "Alright, but my reputation isn't all that good, so be careful others don't write something ridiculous."
Ewa felt a sense of excitement at the idea and immediately waved her hand, "Don't worry, I don't mind at all."
Eric glanced at the invitation, noting the date was September 12. After a week of resting in Long Island, Eric's previously inexplicable emotions had faded significantly. He suddenly remembered there was a movie being filmed in New York around this time that he had forgotten about until now: Luc Besson's famous film, Leon: The Professional.
While he had chosen to collaborate with Gaumont on making this film, Eric had not intervened much and had even forgotten about it for quite some time. According to the preparation schedule, the film had likely already begun production.
Perhaps attending the fashion week would also provide an opportunity to check out the film set. But suddenly, Eric wondered who that little girl would be in this timeframe.
*****
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