[Chapter 890: No Room for Error]
After the premiere, Drew and Eric spent a weekend in London before her flying back to Los Angeles. MGM and Warner Bros were preparing for a signing ceremony regarding the share transaction of E! Entertainment Television, which required Drew's personal attendance.
The day after the premiere, Eric discreetly instructed the head of Firefly's UK branch to negotiate with J.K. Rowling for the film rights to the Harry Potter series. To ensure everything was foolproof, he didn't rush to leave. The box office success of Casino Royale exceeded expectations. Following a busy month back in Los Angeles, there was no pressing need for his in-person presence. Eric decided to take the opportunity to rest in London for a while.
While Casino Royale shattered multiple box office records in North America, Southeast Asian currencies entered a period of turmoil.
...
On July 2, after enduring two weeks of resistance against currency speculators, the Thai government found itself out of options and was forced to abandon the fixed exchange rate for the Thai baht, adopting a floating rate instead.
On the same day the announcement was made, the baht dropped 17% against the dollar. Affected by the baht's collapse, other Southeast Asian currencies like the Singapore dollar, Philippine peso, Indonesian rupiah, and Malaysian ringgit began to fluctuate dramatically, making Southeast Asia the hunting ground for international currency speculators in the months to come.
According to Chris's report from Tokyo, by the close of trading on July 4, Firefly's secretly established short positions in Thai baht yielded over $30 million in profit within just three days, and this was only the beginning.
...
In London, early Saturday morning, Eric had just gotten up when Peter Rich hurriedly arrived with good news -- Firefly's UK branch had successfully secured the film adaptation rights for the Harry Potter series.
"Eric, we've signed a rights agreement with Ms. Rowling. Moreover, the document includes her story outlines for the entire series. She will arrive in London at 2 PM today, and I will personally bring her to discuss with you in detail," Peter mentioned.
Handing several documents to Eric, Peter continued, "Also, from San Francisco, the first batch of products from the new Fireflyer player factory has been completed. Mr. Victor McNally wants to cancel the Amazon pre-sale event on July 10 to allow for open purchasing while simultaneously launching the product in Europe."
As Eric read through the Harry Potter rights agreement, he multitasked, "Opening purchasing in North America is fine. The combined monthly output of both factories is only 450,000 units, and the North American market is still undersupplied. Starting sales in Europe will lead to stock shortages in both places. Additionally, the online music store issue is significant. Let's have them wait until next year's second-generation product release to consider this matter. I'll personally call them today to discuss."
Peter nodded and briefly reported on a few other documents. Once Eric set aside the agreement, Peter pulled out an invitation and handed it to him. "This was passed on from Kensington Palace. Princess Diana is hosting a charity gala tonight to raise funds for Bosnian refugees, and they hope you can attend."
Eric took the invitation and glanced at it, a playful smile appearing on his face as he casually remarked, "I read in the newspaper a couple of days ago that she seems to be planning to get engaged?"
Peter was puzzled as to why Eric would suddenly bring this up. Unless Eric specifically requested to gather this kind of information, Peter usually didn't pay much attention to such gossip.
However, ever since Princess Diana officially divorced Prince Charles last year, many wealthy individuals have openly pursued her. For these men, winning over a former British royal must certainly satisfy some darker vanity.
Stealing a glance at Eric, Peter wondered if his boss, given his nature, might also consider pursuing the Princess.
Noticing Peter's silence, Eric looked up and caught the strange expression on his face, laughing, "You think I'm interested in Diana?"
"Uh, well," Peter quickly shook his head, feeling embarrassed and unsure how to respond.
Eric nonchalantly tossed the invitation onto the coffee table, saying, "I'm not interested in her at all. Just a pitiful woman who doesn't know how to leave room for others or herself."
Eric's seemingly random comment left Peter a bit confused. However, with the day's reports complete, the girl in the villa's dining room named Christina Aguilera was clearly waiting for Eric to have breakfast with her, so he excused himself to leave.
...
As he drove away from Kensington Gardens, Eric's words continued to echo in Peter's mind. After traveling a short distance along Kensington High Street, Peter finally turned off the car and couldn't suppress his curiosity. He stopped at a newsstand to buy several newspapers and returned to the car to search for the latest news about the Princess.
It turned out that recently, Diana was reportedly reaching marriage terms with Dodi Fayed, the son of the famous owner of the luxury Harrods department store in London. Some newspapers even speculated that Diana might be pregnant.
After reading the related news, Peter's mind began to race with Eric's previous comment, and a cold shiver ran down his spine.
Just from Dodi's name, it was easy to see what kind of background he came from. However, England had always been a devout Catholic country, and the other fifteen countries around the globe that still regarded the British monarch as their head also tended to be predominantly Catholic. While the glory of the Middle Ages was gone, the influence of religion on Western nations remained far beyond outside imagination.
As the mother of Prince William, the second in line to the British throne, Diana was seemingly courting a Muslim stepfather for the future monarch; that was quite clearly not leaving any room for anyone.
Reflecting on Eric's tone when he made that statement, Peter shuddered and rolled up the few newspapers in front of him, tossing them aside to clear his mind of the day's thoughts. Despite having a good impression of the Princess, meddling in such matters was definitely not something a minor player like him could involve himself in.
...
Kensington Gardens Villa.
After Peter left, Christina emerged from the dining room wearing a small apron, giving her an air of unexpected charm.
Before Drew returned to Los Angeles, she had brought Christina, who attended the Casino Royale premiere in London. Drew didn't hide her "personal motives" at all, claiming that rather than allowing Eric to go around chasing after every woman, it was better to have a familiar woman by his side.
Growing up in a somewhat troubled single-parent household made Christina much more mature than girls her age, enabling her to understand the intricacies of life better. This was evidenced by how she had earned Drew's approval. Despite appearing friendly and easygoing with anyone, her standards were even higher than Eric's, and few people could manage to get close to her.
Though she occasionally harbored her own thoughts, she always presented herself as a charming and lovable person in front of Eric, making others feel quite comfortable.
Seeing Eric still reading the documents, Christina approached and sat down beside him. "Eric, let's eat first; breakfast will get cold."
Eric nodded, planning to take the folders on the coffee table into the dining room to look over while eating when Christina eagerly leaned over and picked up the stack of documents. "Let me help."
"Sure," Eric smiled and stood up, heading toward the dining room.
As Christina was about to follow him, she noticed the invitation on the coffee table and curiously picked it up. While she always tactfully avoided listening in on Eric and Peter's conversations about business, she hadn't heard their recent dialogue. Upon seeing it was an invitation to Princess Diana's charity gala, Christina immediately felt a surge of interest; events involving the British royal family were appealing to her.
Upon reaching the dining room, she placed the folders beside Eric and pointed at the invitation that had been intentionally placed on top, eyes hopeful, "Eric, are we going to this gala tonight?"
Eric asked, "Do you want to go?"
Christina nodded eagerly, "Uh-huh."
"Then let's just go and enjoy the atmosphere tonight," Eric replied, believing it wasn't necessary to avoid such events, "But remember, attending these galas requires donations. If they ask for too much, I might have to donate you instead."
Christina cheerfully brought over breakfast, laughing, "Oh, you wouldn't do that!"
...
Joanne Rowling felt as if her recent circumstances were like a dream.
Since graduating from university ten years ago, her life had constantly been a struggle. Her only marriage left her deeply traumatized, leading her to fleeting thoughts of despair during episodes of depression. After the divorce, she settled in Edinburgh, Scotland, with her daughter Jessica and they lived on less than PS100 a month in welfare.
Despite her dire financial situation, Joanne, having barely stabilized her life, finally decided to devote herself to becoming a novelist. However, the first work she completed over a two-year span had been rejected six times in recent months. Just as she was beginning to lose hope, a week prior, representatives from HarperCollins and the UK branch of Firefly Group suddenly approached her, expressing interest in publishing her novel and acquiring the film adaptation rights.
Due to her financial difficulties, Joanne couldn't afford a professional agent. Faced with HarperCollins and Firefly's representatives, she relied solely on her limited bargaining power while remaining realistic and reasonably content with the prospect of publication. Moreover, the figures Firefly offered for her rights felt unreal: PS1 million per book. She had never imagined having such wealth, especially considering her intended five-book series.
Joanne recognized the urgency behind their bid for her book's rights, but she had never been an aggressive woman and didn't feel entitled to hold out for more; her only condition was that Firefly must pay her the full rights fee immediately upon signing -- Jessica would soon turn four, and she hoped for her daughter to receive a quality preschool education, which required money. Consequently, within a short week, all contracts were signed. She thought everything was settled until the Firefly representative insisted she visit London, claiming Eric Williams wanted to talk with her.
Eric Williams, indeed.
...
As the black Mercedes lingered at the entrance for a moment, the driver presented a pass. The gatekeeper seemed to have a brief conversation with someone before they were allowed in.
Gazing at the luxurious mansion-like villas lining the verdant streets, Joanne anxiously tightened her grip on her purse resting on her lap, her nerves heightened. The series of rejections from multiple publishers had severely undermined her confidence. Now, having received a PS1 million check from Firefly Group, her mental burden felt even heavier. If her novel didn't appeal post-publication, what would she do then?
The car didn't go far before it pulled into a villa's courtyard. Through the window, Joanne spotted a man and a woman waiting. Though they dressed casually, the man was evidently Eric Williams; she couldn't recognize the woman beside him, as she didn't seem to resemble Drew Barrymore, the one often rumored to be very close to Eric.
When the car came to a complete stop, Joanne reached for the door to exit herself. Upon seeing the driver step out and turn toward her, she instantly understood, awkwardly retracting her hand and patiently waiting for him to open the door. Only then did she carefully step out.
As soon as she steadied herself, she felt Eric reach out to her, "Ms. Rowling, it's a pleasure to have you here."
"Hello, Mr. Williams," Joanne quickly extended her hand for a brief handshake while carefully observing Eric's youthful and handsome face, her cheeks slightly flushing. She felt her behavior was inappropriate and forced herself to look up again.
"This is Christina; you can call her Chris or Tina," Eric introduced the girl beside him.
Christina sensed Joanne's tension and extended her hand, saying, "Ms. Rowling, I've read your novel; it's brilliant."
Joanne shook hands with Christina, replying, "Oh, thank you."
*****
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