[Chapter 785: Gisele's Ambition]
After Eric finished his shower, he headed downstairs to find Gisele and Alessandra had prepared milk and cereal. Perhaps the topics they had just discussed were too sensitive, as both women wore expressions that suggested they felt a bit uneasy, anxious, yet also hopeful. The prospect of the three of them being together added to their embarrassment.
Eric noticed the two girls sipping their porridge like little cats, seemingly stalling for time. He knew exactly what they were thinking and joked, "Make sure to eat up; you might need the energy later."
Gisele and Alessandra both blushed simultaneously, thinking Eric might be getting impatient. They hastened their pace, eager to finish their meal.
After finishing their late-night snacks around midnight, Eric took the two girls upstairs to a guest room. He opened the door and gestured for them to enter.
Gisele and Alessandra stepped inside and surveyed the spacious bedroom.
The room was about fifty square meters. Against the left wall was a large bed, surrounded by simple yet elegant furniture and appliances. At the far side, there was a door that likely led to the bathroom. A full glass wall formed the southern side of the room, and while the lights were bright, faint starlight and the dim ocean surface were still visible through the glass.
Having only come to the estate for the first time, the girls subconsciously viewed this room as the master bedroom. They walked to the edge of the large bed, turned around together, and awkwardly looked to Eric.
Leaning against the door, Eric studied the two of them for a moment before saying, "There are spare toiletries in the bathroom, all brand new. Freshen up and get some rest; it's already quite late."
Upon hearing Eric's words, Alessandra was momentarily stunned. Under normal circumstances, this wasn't how the scenario would typically unfold.
Gisele's reaction mirrored Alessandra's, but she quickly gathered her wits. After a brief moment of relief, a sense of nervousness returned. She knew very well that if they sought Eric's help and support, their bodies were their only bargaining chips. If Eric rejected them, what else could they offer?
Gisele mustered her courage, approached him, raised her hand hesitantly, and then awkwardly lowered it. "Eric, you're not... sleeping here?"
Alessandra, too, regained her composure and stepped forward. "Eric, you can stay."
Eric chuckled softly, lifted Alessandra's youthful face with his hand, and traced his finger along her glossy pink lips. He felt her warm tongue flick out to lick his fingertip before he withdrew his hand and said, "You shouldn't wear pink lip gloss; that color doesn't suit you at all."
Upon hearing this, Alessandra instinctively raised her hand to wipe off the gloss but then remembered how inappropriate that would be. She'd just end up smearing pink all over her mouth, so she awkwardly let her hand drop.
"Alright, get some sleep," Eric said, glancing at Gisele with a smile. "You two are mine sooner or later. So, no need to overthink things. Just don't let me down."
...
Just as Eric closed the door, Alessandra eagerly lifted her hand, wiping her lips as she headed toward the bathroom.
Gisele followed her in and saw Alessandra holding a towel to her mouth, which made her smile with a hint of schadenfreude.
Alessandra caught a glimpse of Gisele but felt helpless, murmuring as she wiped, "I'll never let that Sandra woman give me fashion advice again. Oh my god, Eric must hate my lip gloss. That's why he said that."
Gisele approached the sink, opened the nearby cabinet, and took out a brand new toothbrush and toothpaste, grinning, "I think it looks nice. Hehe, pink lip gloss makes you look more like a little chick."
After wiping off the lip gloss, Alessandra realized what Gisele meant and asked, "You, you figured it out long ago?"
Gisele didn't respond. She filled a cup with water and began to brush her teeth.
Of course, she had noticed it; Alessandra was a year younger than her, and both of them were still youthful. Instead of dressing more maturely, wearing pink lip gloss just made them look awkward. Still, she didn't feel obligated to give Alessandra a heads-up.
After their respective thoughts during the wash-up, the two girls, wrapped in bathrobes, came out of the bathroom and realized something else: they would be sleeping in the same bed tonight. While the bed was large, it somehow felt strange.
They exchanged glances and shared a single thought: was Eric doing this on purpose?
After all, such a large mansion must have plenty of rooms.
It was already past midnight, and both girls started to feel sleepy. Even though those thoughts lingered, they didn't delve into them. Gisele turned off the lights, and as she crawled onto the bed, she found Alessandra already lying on the other side. After shedding her bathrobe and pulling up a corner of the thin blanket to cover herself, the initial fatigue tangibly lessened.
"Hey, what do you think that girl we met earlier would do if she were here?" Alessandra suddenly asked, referring to Miranda Kerr they'd seen that afternoon.
Gisele rolled onto her side to face Alessandra and replied, "She would definitely sneak into Eric's room."
As soon as the words left her mouth, a brief silence filled the room.
After a minute or two, Alessandra spoke again, her tone filled with eagerness. "So, would you dare to go over?"
In the dim light, Gisele blinked, then quickly replied, "If you dare to go, I'll dare too."
"Why don't we," Alessandra hesitated for a moment, then suggested, "go together?"
Gisele replied, "It was your idea, you should go first."
Alessandra twisted her body, feeling fueled, "I thought you'd be braver than me!"
Gisele had no intention of arguing over this. "I'm actually pretty timid."
Alessandra huffed lightly, sitting up. "Then don't come with me."
Gisele decided to ignore her and turned away, presenting her back to Alessandra.
Biting her lip, Alessandra soon made up her mind. She slipped off the bed, put on her bathrobe, and quietly tiptoed out, not bothering to turn on any lights.
Hearing the soft creak of the door, Gisele comfortably reclined, relaxing her body and smiling smugly to herself.
"You know, Eric likely anticipated that girl Miranda would do just that, which is why he didn't bring her back."
Gisele squinted her eyes, patiently looking forward to what was about to unfold. After an undetermined amount of time, the door quietly opened, and Gisele sat up to look. In the dim light, she saw Alessandra returning, looking quite solitary.
Making her way to the bed, Alessandra whispered, "I... the villa is too big. I couldn't find Eric's room."
Gisele felt disappointed and fell back onto the bed.
Sigh... she really was foolish.
...
They ended up falling asleep quite late. Unfamiliar with the new environment, they forgot to close the curtains. When the daylight broke, Gisele and Alessandra woke up simultaneously, realizing how close they were. Gisele's hand rested on Alessandra's waist, leading to an awkward moment as both girls quickly regained their composure.
After getting dressed and washing up, they stepped out of the room. The villa was unusually quiet in the early morning. The sound of their high heels echoed sharply against the floor, prompting them to tread lightly. In no time, Gisele simply shed her high boots, and Alessandra followed suit, carefully descending the stairs barefoot like two curious cats tiptoeing around while the owner slumbered. They traversed through the living room, meeting room, gym, library, dining room, and kitchen -- they explored every nook.
Eventually, captivated by the view outside the glass wall in the hall, they cozily nestled into two space chairs by the glass, enjoying the mesmerizing ocean view that felt like a real-life IMAX experience.
Los Angeles was just as sunny, the sky a breathtaking blue, the rising sun barely peeking above the horizon while the sparkling sea seemed adorned with countless golden ornaments. A few gulls glided effortlessly across the expanse of sea and sky, adding life and vitality to the scene.
The space chairs felt like droplets hanging from a stainless-steel structure, gently swaying like swings.
Gisele tapped her toes against the floor, gently rocking, unconsciously taking deep breaths. Suddenly, she thought, maybe this was the life she longed for.
Too bad, she was just a passerby here.
"I've decided; I want a house like this someday so I can eat breakfast by a window with a sea view every morning..."
Alessandra shared her yearning, but upon hearing Gisele's words, she couldn't help but dash her hopes. "Wake up! We'd never be able to afford a place like this, and besides, this villa is said to be one of a kind in the world. Even if you had the money, you couldn't buy it."
A sudden wave of determination surged through Gisele. "Even if it can't be exactly like this, I want something similar. And even if you don't want a house like this in your life, why drag me into it?"
"Who says I don't want one?"
"You just said that yourself."
"I was just stating a fact."
"The future hasn't happened yet; how do you know it's a fact?"
Feeling Gisele's bitingly competitive nature, Alessandra took a step back. "I don't want to argue about this with you."
Just then, a voice suddenly came from behind them. "What are you two talking about?"
Both Gisele and Alessandra jumped out of their chairs, looking a bit flustered. However, realizing they had just spoken in Portuguese and Eric couldn't understand, they relaxed.
Eric noticed Gisele and Alessandra's bare feet and chuckled, "Where are your shoes?"
"Oh, they're over there," Alessandra pointed toward the stairs, instinctively replying in Portuguese, before quickly switching to English to repeat herself.
Eric didn't let the girls put their boots back on. Instead, he led them into the gym for their morning exercise routine before they prepared breakfast together.
...
By around eight o'clock, Eric settled down at the round table by the glass wall, where he frequently worked. The table held a laptop, several documents, and a sketchpad.
As Eric sent Gisele to fetch the day's newspaper, Alessandra curiously took a seat across from him. She casually started chatting about the morning's events, and without any loyalty, she revealed Gisele's ambitions to Eric.
Eric smiled and asked, "Don't you want that too?"
"Of course, who wouldn't want that?" Alessandra rested her chin on her hand, leaning across the round table. "I just think it sounds exhausting."
"I think people shouldn't live too comfortably; you should put some pressure on yourself."
Alessandra pouted slightly. Today, she wasn't wearing any lip gloss. Her lips were naturally colored, making her face appear even sweeter.
"I just think," she mused for a moment, playfully smiling, "I'm a woman. I shouldn't have to work that hard."
"Heh," Eric shook his head. He liked ambitious women, but he also appreciated those who enjoyed life. Perhaps Alessandra was right; they were women -- beautiful women, so men would always be more tolerant of them.
Gisele returned, holding a stack of newspapers, and sat beside Eric. Just as she was about to speak, she glanced around and noticed their conversation had abruptly stopped, prompting her to realize they must have just been discussing her. Her expression turned slightly uneasy. Still, Gisele mustered her courage and asked, "Eric, what were you guys talking about?"
"You," Eric replied, taking the newspaper from her, flipping it open with a grin. "The ambitious girl from Brazil."
Gisele understood; Alessandra must have shared her earlier comments about wanting a life like this with Eric. She shot a glare at Alessandra, wanting to explain but unsure of how to start.
Noticing Gisele's look, Eric interjected, offering her an escape. "Actually, I like girls with ambition."
"Really?" Gisele asked, somewhat shyly.
"Of course," Eric nodded, smiling, and he couldn't help but recall the Gisele of his original timeline.
She was undeniably a miracle in the modeling world. For many years, she topped the Forbes supermodel earnings list, raking in tens of millions of dollars, far outpacing other supermodels earning just hundreds of thousands. Moreover, apart from her income as a supermodel, Gisele's other gains primarily came from her astute business investments.
Eric enjoyed wonders, particularly if they were linked to women; it was even more delightful to contemplate.
As he pondered, Eric suddenly thought, why not create a miracle himself? After all, he had an already exceptional "template" before him. He could easily elevate Gisele to an even higher status than in his past life, just like Drew.
Eric had never been indecisive. He turned to Gisele and said, "If you really want that, maybe I can help you achieve your dream."
"Ah," Gisele exclaimed, surprise washing over her. After a moment of anxious contemplation, she asked, "What would I need to give in return?"
*****
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