[Chapter 910: Private Airport]
On a bright morning, Gwyneth Paltrow woke up a couple of hours earlier than usual, probably because she had stayed over at Drew's house. Walking down to the dining room, she found Eric sitting at the table, enjoying his breakfast.
"Good morning, Eric," she greeted him casually before asking the twins to help prepare her breakfast. Taking a seat across from Eric, she glanced at the newspaper in his hands and inquired, "Eric, hasn't Drew gotten up yet?"
Eric nodded, "Yeah, why are you up so early?"
"It's already seven o'clock! I don't have a habit of sleeping in," Gwyneth replied without a hint of guilt. Her eyes flickered toward the glass of milk next to Eric, and she added, "Eric, I'm a bit thirsty. Can I have that glass of milk?"
Eric smiled and pushed the glass toward her, then called out for Natasha to prepare another one for himself as he continued reading the newspaper.
Gwyneth took a sip from the glass, smacked her lips, and recalled what Drew and Eric had discussed the previous night. She raised her gaze and asked, "Eric, are you really planning on buying four private jets all at once?"
"Yeah, what about it?" he responded.
Gwyneth scrunched her shoulders, and this time it wasn't an affectation. Hearing Drew and Eric talk about the purchase of four private planes last night left her with a strange feeling. Although she came from a good background, her experience with private jets had been minimal growing up. But here was Eric, planning to buy four at once and build private airports on both coasts -- something she never imagined would occur to her.
However, considering Eric's place at the top of Forbes' wealthy list, she found it more acceptable, though it intensified her envy toward Drew, thinking how lovely it would be if something like that could happen to her.
"I just think, will you actually use them all?"
"Ha, if you want to use one, you can borrow it from Drew," Eric chuckled.
Gwyneth blinked and leaned forward, slightly regretting not sitting next to Eric. With a teasing tone, she said, "Can't I just borrow it from you?"
"Sure."
"Then it's settled," Gwyneth seized the opportunity. "But I don't have your cell number yet. Can you give me one? A personal one, please."
This time, Eric gently shook his head, refusing, "If you want to reach me, just contact Drew."
"Hmph, you just said I could borrow from you!" Gwyneth playfully pouted, taking another sip from her milk and deliberately licking her lips in a flirtatious manner. Unfortunately, Eric didn't acknowledge her at all.
As she noticed Eric's indifference, Gwyneth was about to make another move when Drew sleepily wandered into the dining room, barefoot, wearing a tank top and short shorts, looking drowsy. She dragged a chair across to sit beside Eric and leaned against his shoulder with a small yawn, quickly shifting as she felt uncomfortable.
Watching Eric smile affectionately and wrap his arm around the girl to keep her from bumping into the table edge almost made Gwyneth want to shout out, "Why doesn't this little brat go back to sleep!"
On the other side of the table, the girl nestled against Eric's arm, mumbling before finally saying, "Eric, have Natasha get the car ready. We're heading to Ventura in a bit."
Eric gently suggested, "Why don't you eat something first? You can sleep on the way."
"Uhm, I haven't brushed my teeth. I'm not eating."
"Ha, then go brush your teeth."
"I want to take a shower too," a small, pale arm reached up from under the table, tugging at Eric's shirt collar as she playfully implored, "Eric, carry me."
Eric looked helpless but set down his newspaper and picked up the girl, leaving the dining room.
Feeling completely ignored throughout that process, Gwyneth felt a surge of anger as if she wanted to throw her glass of milk against the wall. When Natasha walked in with a salad, politely placing it before her, Gwyneth instinctively considered making a snide remark. But then she remembered the two quiet Russian girls at the gym, and she swallowed her words, feeling inexplicably upset instead.
...
After quite a while, Eric and Drew strolled back into the dining room, chatting and laughing, both dressed in new clothes. Gwyneth couldn't help but wonder if they had gotten into any mischief during their absence.
With a smile, she teasingly winked at Drew and casually asked, "Drew, isn't building a private airport in Ventura a bit too far from Los Angeles?"
Ventura was a small city north of Los Angeles, over a hundred kilometers away. Gwyneth had overheard Eric and Drew discussing the plan to build a private airport in Ventura the night before.
"Honestly, I wanted to build it in Los Angeles too, but unfortunately, the runway for a Boeing 747 needs to be at least three kilometers long. I searched for a long time in LA but couldn't find a suitable spot, so here we are in Ventura. But it's less than 50 kilometers from the Liberty City estate; it's not too far. It's about the same distance from Liberty City to LAX," Drew explained. "By the way, Kate, it's the weekend -- would you like to join us? Ventura is perfect for a weekend getaway, and Eric and I are thinking about picking up a small estate there."
Though she had planned to have lunch at home, Gwyneth quickly nodded without a second thought. "Sure," she replied, glancing between Eric and Drew. "As long as you guys don't mind me tagging along."
The girl immediately chimed in, "Then you can invite your boyfriend too! We plan to stay in Ventura for two days and come back on Monday."
Gwyneth stole a glance at Eric, smiled, and shook her head. "I don't have one right now. Or maybe you could lend me yours?"
"Ha ha, not happening," the girl giggled and shook her head while wrapping her arm around Eric's, whether intentionally or not. "But you can try to snag him; whoever gets him, wins."
...
After breakfast, Eric made a call to have a team of bodyguards come over, and they set off from Beverly Hills.
They drove through downtown Los Angeles, heading north along California Highway One. After a little over an hour, they entered another residential area.
In Drew's Range Rover, Eric sat in the middle while the girl occupied the seaside spot. Passing through Oxnard, just south of Ventura, the girl whimsically pointed to a fenced-off area near the coast and said, "What a pity, if only we could build the airport here."
Eric only smiled. Gwyneth, sitting next to Eric, leaned in closer, drawn by curiosity, and asked, "So why don't we build it here? I think it's quite suitable."
Summer clothes were light, and Eric felt the soft body of Gwyneth leaning in deliberately. He shrugged it off, just explaining, "This is the Mugu Naval Base."
"Haha, well, that definitely won't work," Gwyneth chuckled but didn't lean away, adding, "In that case, can we build the private airport nearby? I seem to recall something about no-fly zones near military bases?"
"No problem," Eric didn't answer, but Drew on the other side said, "I've already consulted with lawyers. Plus, Oxnard has two civilian airports, and the northern one is less than ten kilometers away. If there's a no-fly zone, those two airports wouldn't exist."
Chatting along the way, they quickly arrived in Ventura.
...
The group first checked into a private resort and then met with a local official to survey the airport site Drew had selected.
The plot was next to a dry riverbed in the southern part of Ventura, and when Eric and Drew stepped out of the car, they found themselves surrounded by farmlands.
The city official, named Jack Wilson, also exited the vehicle and led the group along a simple concrete path cutting through the fields, explaining, "Mr. Williams, you see, the Ventura Harbor is to the south. If you have a yacht, you could dock it here. Oh, the land for the private airport is right here. From where we are standing, all the way west for three kilometers and one kilometer south, totaling 300 hectares. Ms. Barrymore mentioned this airport will need to accommodate ten jets, so this land should be sufficient. Of course, if you want to build two intersecting runways, you would need to extend north by at least 500 meters, but I think that's unnecessary; both of Oxnard's civilian airports only have one runway."
Eric nodded, turning to the girl beside him, "Are we building one runway or two?"
The girl beamed and held up two fingers, "We have already picked out the land on Long Island, it's for two runways."
"Ms. Barrymore, this place can't be compared with Long Island," Jack Wilson interjected, smiling. "We are in a densely populated area. If you want a larger plot, it will cost more and take longer for approval. After all, getting closer to residential areas means building approval will require public consent. Here, however, the distance is just right, so you won't need to hold public hearings, and you can start construction sooner."
Feeling as though land had been a recurring concern for him lately, Eric eyed the vast fields to the north with little thought. He decided to secure as much land as possible to avoid future predicaments like the Firefly theme park situation. So he said, "If possible, let's build two runways. We are not in a hurry. If we can extend further north by another kilometer, securing 600 hectares is fine too."
Once Eric made his decision, Jack Wilson smiled and nodded, saying, "In that case, Mr. Williams, building this airport will take at least a year before construction can begin."
Eric asked with a smile, "Jack, don't you want me to buy more land? That'll contribute to Ventura's taxes, right?"
Jack Wilson nodded, his eyes twinkling with shrewdness. "Of course, but I'm just here to provide you with the best advice."
As they all chatted and strolled around the surrounding land for half an hour, Jack Wilson explained various details regarding the construction of the private airport. By midday, everyone returned to Ventura.
...
As a primarily leisure-oriented small town, Ventura's harbor was filled with hundreds of yachts of all sizes. After completing their official business, they all decided to rent a yacht for an afternoon at sea.
The white yacht drifted leisurely about ten kilometers from the coastline. Eric, dressed in swim trunks and sunglasses, lounged on the deck soaking up the sun. When he saw the twins secure the engine and come over, he sat up and smiled, "I had no idea you guys could operate a yacht. By the way, can you fly a plane?"
The two girls exchanged shy smiles and obediently sat next to Drew, one of them nodding, "Helicopters, we can."
The girl sitting next to Eric also sat up, wrapped her arms around one of his, and grinned, "Eric, they can do everything! Maybe they're KGB agents sent to lure you in!"
Eric playfully tapped her on the forehead, eyeing the twins as he joked, "They do look the part. So, what are your plans? As long as you don't plan to kill me, I'll cooperate."
The twins continued to smile shyly, shaking their heads, "No, Master. This is something the boss had us learn."
Gwyneth, feeling a bit overlooked, put her juice down and decided to chime in, "Eric, didn't you say you were buying four private jets? Why did Jack Wilson mention ten?"
Eric explained, "Building a private airport just for four jets would be wasteful. Other people are going to buy in too."
Gwyneth was intrigued, "Who?"
Eric didn't answer, smiling instead, "You could buy one too and just store it here."
Gwyneth's eyes sparkled with longing, only to reluctantly shake her head, glancing at Eric hopefully, "Right now, I can't even afford a good car, let alone a private jet."
"When you become a big star in the future, you will be able to buy one."
"But who knows when that will be? Besides, even if I could buy one, I definitely couldn't afford a Boeing," she said enviously, looking at Drew, who was chatting with the twins about something, before adding, "Eric, buying 1500 acres, oh, that's 600 hectares, must be very expensive here?"
Eric liked using hectares as a measure unit; that morning, Jack Wilson had played along with his habit. Gwyneth was clearly influenced by their earlier conversation, adopting hectares instead of her usual acres.
"If it were in LA, it would be quite pricey. But here, it's different. For just the land, it won't exceed $20 million."
Though the plot mentioned by Drew was near Ventura's town center, it was still farmland, so it wouldn't be that expensive. Jeffrey had only spent seven million dollars on that 2000-acre farm in Maryland. The biggest costs associated with private airports usually came from the ongoing operations and maintenance later on.
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.