[Chapter 629: The Fish Was Thirsty to Death]
After breakfast, Kelly Haynes sent her daughter and Jennifer Garner on their way, then returned inside. Eric Williams had already come downstairs, his suit and tie draped over his arm, a newspaper in hand.
Kelly approached Eric, gently buttoning the collar of his shirt and helping him tie his tie. "What were you all chatting about for so long?" she asked.
"She's a smart girl, just a little idle chit-chat," Eric responded, leaning down to kiss the lip of his assistant.
Kelly laughed and playfully pushed Eric away, continuing to fix his tie. She remembered Jennifer's slightly flushed face when she came downstairs and said, "Well, Jennifer is lucky. I thought you were doing something else."
Eric didn't mention the earlier incident, responding casually, "She's not really my type; you know that."
Kelly finished tying the tie and checked the collar, grinning as she asked, "What kind of type do you prefer, then?"
With a playful glint, Eric wrapped an arm around Kelly's soft waist, saying, "Of course, someone like you."
Feeling Eric trying to push her towards the sofa, Kelly blushed and hurriedly said, "No, Eric, it's already eight-oh-five. I need to get to the office before nine."
Although there was almost an hour until nine, Eric understood that traffic in Los Angeles at that time would be heavy, and not leaving early could easily lead to being late. After giving Kelly a quick kiss on the cheek, he handed her the Los Angeles Times, pointing to a news item. "Ronald Perelman's MacAndrews Group announced yesterday that they purchased $400 million in Firefly long-term bonds. I don't think this is straightforward; it might relate to what's been happening lately. Send this paper to Katzenberg and the others; I expect to see a report on this by this afternoon."
Upon hearing Eric's business talk, Kelly adopted a professional demeanor as she quickly scanned the short news article. "I'll deliver it to Mr. Katzenberg right away."
Eric then thought of Chris, who had just returned to New York from Boston. He had advised Chris to keep an eye on news about Marvel, and since it involved Ronald Perelman, Marvel's current controller, he said, "Also let Chris know he should watch this closely."
Kelly nodded again and added, "Should we inform Mr. Buffett and the others as well?"
"They must already know, but we should formally notify them. I think Buffett and David West will see some clues."
After Kelly drove to the Firefly headquarters in Burbank, Eric headed to the Firefly Studios in Playa Vista.
...
Compared to Burbank, which was about twenty kilometers away, Playa Vista was less than ten kilometers from Santa Monica, and the road conditions were much better than in the city center. Eric arrived at the studio in just twenty minutes. Remembering the meeting request from Peter Schneider and Roy Disney from the animation department, Eric decided to speak with them. Instead of going directly to the Victoria's Secret studio, he went to his office in the administrative area.
After opening his computer and handling a few emails, he glanced at the time and noticed it was already a quarter past nine. Frowning, he was about to call and check on the situation when a knock sounded at the door.
Thinking it was Peter Schneider and Roy Disney, and even though they were fifteen minutes late, Eric wasn't an overly harsh boss, especially since they might be parting ways soon. So he said casually, "Come in."
However, it was his studio secretary who entered the room.
The young secretary glanced at Eric's expression, looking a bit cautious as she said, "Mr. Williams, I just received a call from Mr. Schneider. He said he has an urgent matter and can't come."
Eric shook his head with a smile, unsure if it was self-deprecating or something else. "If they're canceling the meeting, why not give me a heads-up beforehand? Do they have to wait until now? Are they playing games with me?"
It was the first time the young secretary had witnessed a subordinate cancel a meeting so rudely. Aware that this young boss might be annoyed, she slightly shrank her neck and quietly replied, "Mr. Williams, I... I don't quite know."
Eric suddenly lost interest in pursuing the issue and waved his hand. "Forget it; go back to work."
The secretary quietly slipped out of the office. Eric took a moment to read through some emails, feeling much of his irritation fade away. He shut down his computer and left the administrative building for the Victoria's Secret studio.
...
As he walked into the bustling studio, Edward Razek, the assistant for the Victoria's Secret fashion project, met him alongside the chief designer, Todd Thomas. "Eric, the British military-style angel costume you designed is ready. Want to take a look?"
Eric sensed Edward's enthusiasm today but didn't dwell on it as he nodded in agreement.
The three moved to a work area, and Eric's eyes immediately landed on the costume he remembered - a stunningly bright red British military uniform with striking black wings. This was the second opening outfit for the 2013 Victoria's Secret show, modeled by Behati Prinsloo. Being an aficionado of costumes, Eric fondly remembered that show, mainly because it featured a certain girl stealing the spotlight, alongside this exceptional British military angel outfit.
Furthermore, Eric had good reason for choosing this angel costume. Among the themes offered by the Victoria's Secret design team, there was a British style, and since he already had a template in mind, he confidently settled on this theme. He even gave it a new name inspired by a recent term popular in the rock scene - the British Invasion. However, aside from this military outfit, Eric didn't present any other angel outfits, as the British elements encompassed gentlemen, football, umbrellas, and more.
Edward Razek and Todd Thomas were equally pleased with the angel costume Eric had produced. After appreciating it for a moment, Edward suggested, "Eric, how about we find a fitting model to try it on?"
"No need," Eric shook his head, replying. "Call Miss Kruger to come in for a fitting. I designed this angel outfit specifically for her."
The just-eighteen Diane Kruger bore a youthful essence similar to Behati's, making her the perfect candidate for this angel outfit. Eric hadn't planned to immediately market this high-priced bra, so this angel outfit was fit for the opening of the inaugural Victoria's Secret show, both in terms of its dazzling quality and representation of the British theme.
The first batch of signed Victoria's Secret angels had begun training, including Diane Kruger. Todd Thomas upon hearing Eric's instruction, volunteered to make the call.
Sensing Eric was in a good mood, Edward said, "Eric, we still need to finalize the last spokesperson, Miss Schiffer..."
Eric smacked his forehead. "Oh, I've been so busy lately; I almost forgot about that. Claudia has commitments with other lingerie brands, so she probably can't participate in the show. Do you have anyone else to recommend?"
Edward thought to himself that even without hurdles, Claudia Schiffer certainly wouldn't participate in the Victoria's Secret show.
However, he kept his thoughts to himself and hesitated before saying, "Eric, Miss Crawford contacted us yesterday, saying she still wishes to participate in this Victoria's Secret show and is fully available with the project schedule."
"Isn't she already..." Eric began, somewhat absent-minded, then suddenly turned to Edward with a smile. "Did something happen?"
Edward realized that Eric might genuinely be unaware. "Warner just fired Miss Crawford and handed the lead role in the next project to Miss Schiffer."
Eric quickly understood that Joel Silver might still be somewhat unwilling and perhaps wanted to pull Claudia into the project, thereby dragging him along too. However, Eric was far less concerned with what women accepted as roles these days, and unless it was an exceptional film, women wouldn't even bother him about it. So Joel Silver's calculations were fundamentally flawed from the start. If this project remained as it was, Claudia's acceptance would certainly impact her popularity significantly. In the original timeline, Cindy Crawford completely ruined her Hollywood path due to this very film.
That said, he reasoned that even if the movie flopped, with him in the picture, Claudia would certainly not fall from grace like Cindy Crawford did.
Noticing Edward was waiting for his response, Eric realized that his assistant had been asked to make the suggestion. He smiled, saying, "If you think it's suitable, let's go with Cindy Crawford for that last spokesperson spot."
Cindy Crawford was one of the highest public-profile supermodels, and just a few years ago, she had her own TV show. The inaugural Victoria's Secret show was banking on public appeal, and having such a star model could certainly boost interest. Eric had deliberately ignored her at the True Lies celebration party mainly because that woman greedily tried to juggle both acting and modeling. Filming was impossible alongside modeling commitments, which would invariably squeeze the time for Victoria's Secret rehearsals. Eric regarded this fashion show with the utmost seriousness, equal in importance to filming, and certainly wouldn't allow such a disruptive factor to exist.
Edward initially thought Eric might refuse but was surprised by his quick agreement, his expression becoming somewhat strange.
"Edward, you wouldn't think I caused a hiccup in her lead role, would you?"
Edward snapped back to reality and chuckled. "Many in the circle think so, but I don't see it that way anymore."
Eric didn't mind this little gossip shared by Edward. He shrugged, saying, "While I'm not entirely clear on what's been going on, Cindy looks more like a fish caught in someone else's troubles, and I honestly didn't expect Joel Silver to invite Claudia. But, well, if the benefit lands with my lady, I'll take the blame."
Edward found Eric's perspective amusing. He chuckled along but didn't press further. "Miss Crawford is still waiting for news; shall I ask her to come in to discuss the contract?"
"Alright," Eric casually nodded, then asked, "How's the music selection going?"
"I've picked five songs for each theme. I'll have Sam bring them to you."
...
Cindy Crawford felt that the recent days had been dreadful. That despicable brat had caused her to lose a film role she labored months to secure in retaliation for her refusing to walk the Victoria's Secret show. To make matters worse, he handed the role that was originally hers to his woman.
That wouldn't have been sufficient, but a rumor spread throughout the industry that Eric wanted to go after her. People she had cultivated in Hollywood suddenly began to distance themselves from her; even the endorsement contracts she was negotiating were abruptly withdrawn by brands. According to her agent's sources, they were worried that Eric Williams targeting her could lead to her being blacklisted.
Though she was clever, she couldn't fathom why Eric Williams would want to blacklist her. Even with the largest media group in North America, it didn't seem logical that he could influence all media outlets, right?
When she asked her agent, he couldn't provide answers but suggested that if she wanted to continue her career, it would be best to compromise with him.
That bastard!
That btch!
As she glared out of the car window at the massive studio, Cindy couldn't help but curse a few times. However, after the driver opened the car door, the woman who initially looked disheartened regained her alluring and elegant demeanor in less than a second. After stepping out, she offered a charming smile to the dazed driver.
Cindy Crawford always reveled in the awe that men had for her. She just wasn't aware that if it weren't for her addiction to being in the spotlight, she wouldn't need to sacrifice so much to maintain such an allure.
Her agent Jeremy had just stepped out of the passenger seat, and as they were about to head towards the studio, another car pulled up in front of them.
Diane Kruger was rehearsing on the training platform when she heard Eric's call. She quickly changed out of her practice outfit and rushed over. Not anticipating this occasion, she was dressed simply in a t-shirt and jeans that day. Therefore, upon exiting, she happened to run into Cindy Crawford, who was wearing a powerful black low-cut gown, making her feel a tad inferior.
Cindy glanced at the young girl chosen personally by Eric, her eyes scanning up and down before a flicker of jealousy struck her heart, though her smile just barely concealed her scorn.
What a poor choice of man.
With that thought, when she noticed someone approach from the studio, Cindy quickly regained her composure, thinking they were there to greet her, and smiled as she walked forward.
"Cindy, what brings you here?" Todd Thomas, the chief designer for Victoria's Secret, recognized Cindy Crawford right away. However, before she could respond, he hurriedly waved to Diane Kruger. "Miss Kruger, we need to head inside; Mr. Williams has been waiting for you a long time."
Diane nodded, ignoring Cindy and swiftly followed Todd into the studio.
Left standing awkwardly on the side, both Cindy Crawford and her agent Jeremy exchanged uncomfortable glances, both restrained from speaking. Just as they were about to step into the studio, they were once again unceremoniously halted by the tall security guard at the door.
To prevent any leaks about the Victoria's Secret show, the studio security had been instructed to eject anyone who entered without permission immediately.
So, despite having just seen Todd Thomas greet the girl, since neither of them presented their passes, the security guard wouldn't dare risk his job to let them in without authorization.
Feeling slighted by the lack of attention, Cindy's resentment surged again, almost threatening to overflow. Her agent Jeremy, appearing more level-headed, stepped in. "We're invited by Mr. Razek."
The guard nodded and said, "I'm sorry, sir. I need to confirm."
Since it was just a studio, they didn't have an intercom system. The guard spoke briefly with another colleague and then headed inside.
A few minutes later, he returned, gesturing for Cindy Crawford and Jeremy to enter.
Cindy instinctively clenched her fists, feelings of indignation rising within her. The girl, who was practically a little ugly duckling, had someone to greet her, while she came personally and couldn't even get a hello? What was that?!
Jeremy didn't want Cindy to storm off in anger. If this employer got blacklisted, it would be challenging for him to find a lucrative supermodel client like her again, which directly impacted his income. Pulling her aside, Jeremy urged, "Cindy, let's just go inside."
Cindy felt mocked by the two guards, but Jeremy's words were like a lifeline, allowing her to nod slightly. With a stern expression, Cindy stepped toward the studio, where music echoed from inside.
*****
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