[Chapter 933: Opportunities to Strike at Various Targets]
In the expectant gaze of Victoria Adams, Eric paused deliberately for a moment before replying, "Honestly, I'm not too fond of helping others. But lately, I've felt in a good mood, so how do you want me to help you?"
Victoria's eyes immediately lit up. She was about to say something but hesitated again. She didn't expect Eric to agree so readily and hadn't thought about how to ask for his help.
Eric noticed Victoria's flustered state and smiled. "How about this: since you're studying dance, you could be a backup dancer. What do you think about becoming a backup dancer for Madonna? I know her pretty well, so recommending you as her contracted dancer wouldn't be a problem. Just so you know, Jennifer Lopez used to be a backup dancer for Janet Jackson. Many singers in the industry have had similar experiences; this would be a great starting point for you."
Deep down, Victoria wanted to be a signed singer or an actress in Hollywood. She knew that achieving these goals would be easy for Eric. However, since Eric offered his idea, Victoria, being perceptive, didn't refuse. Although Madonna's stardom had been waning in recent years, she was still a global pop sensation. Becoming her backup dancer was indeed a good starting point, at least far better than her current aimless endeavors.
Eric could see Victoria's unwillingness. If she had declined, he wouldn't have offered her any further help.
Victoria's talent was rather average, and pushing her towards Madonna was simply due to Eric's recent good mood. Otherwise, he would likely have chosen to observe from a distance. Since his rebirth, too many destinies had changed because of him; some gained fame while others remained obscure. One more or one less didn't really matter.
Once Victoria agreed, they discussed some details.
After dinner, it was already nine o'clock. They left the restaurant and walked to the parking lot. Victoria slipped into an expensive Mercedes van first. She hadn't forgotten the rumors about Eric being a playboy, and the thought of possibly being taken back to his place filled her with a mix of anxiety and anticipation.
However, Eric showed no inclination to get in the car. Instead, he looked at Victoria in the car and said, "If you can make it in time, I can take you with me when I leave England in the next few days. And let the driver know where you live; he'll take you home."
Victoria hurried out of the car, nervously clutching her handbag, and asked, "Eric, um, do you plan to stay in a hotel?"
"I'm not staying in a hotel. I have a place on Garden Street nearby; it's just a short walk from here."
Victoria realized that Garden Street was next to the Royal Garden Hotel, an area filled with mansions. She felt a pang of envy but suddenly also felt reluctant. "Then, can I drop by sometime?"
"Let's talk about it later. Not today," Eric shook his head, refusing. He had no interest in pursuing someone at the moment, especially considering that Victoria Adams was not his type.
After sending Victoria off, Eric turned back to his mansion on Garden Street to rest.
...
After spending a few more days in London, on November 7th, he received a call from Chris in New York. Emily had given birth to a baby boy, so Eric set off from London to New York.
With the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show coming up, it was the busiest time of the year for LTD Group. The day after Emily gave birth, she couldn't wait to return to work, but her family insisted she rest and forced her to stay at a manor in East Hampton, which Chris had recently bought. It was conveniently close to where Eric's women and children lived, making it easier for the families to look after each other.
When Eric returned to East Hampton, Emily eagerly planned to arrange a childhood engagement for her chubby son, whom she had just named Daniel, with Hawaii.
Eric looked down at her scornfully and firmly refused. This cunning woman had never mentioned engagement arrangements before the baby was born, clearly worried about having a daughter who would have to marry his "dumb son." Although Kevin had become much smarter than many children his age under Virginia's careful guidance in the past two years, without comparison, it could be hard to say he was smart in front of the Hawaii.
...
With several years of experience, this year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was scheduled for November 27th. The time between the show airing and the actual event had been shortened from one month to just one week, with the broadcast set for December 3rd.
However, Eric couldn't stay in New York until Thanksgiving or the fashion show. He returned to New York on November 9th and spent less than a week in East Hampton before hastily heading back to Los Angeles. As the year drew to a close, his company needed him more frequently for public appearances, especially with the two major hot seasons approaching.
...
For the summer box office, apart from the animated film Finding Nemo, the live-action films released under Firefly Group -- like Con Air, Bad Boys 2, and George of the Jungle were not particularly successful at the North American box office. Fortunately, Con Air and Bad Boys 2 did exceptionally well overseas, which helped Firefly recover costs and turn a profit.
Like the summer box office, the year-end Thanksgiving and Christmas slots were still crowded.
But Firefly Group had three heavyweight films releasing: Jurassic Park 3, Monsters, Inc., and Rush Hour 2. Furthermore, MGM's Night at the Museum 2 was also pushed from the summer slot to Thanksgiving for various reasons. Meanwhile, Fox was banking on Miramax's The English Patient and Good Will Hunting to make a splash at awards.
...
In addition to movie-related matters, after three months of preparation, Firefly Electronics in Malaysia launched the Fireflyer player assembly factory. By the time Eric returned to Los Angeles, the first batch of 100,000 Fireflyer players had arrived in San Francisco and would soon be distributed across North America. In the following month, the overall monthly production capacity of Fireflyer players was expected to approach one million units, essentially meeting the needs of the North American market.
Yet, considering the planned expansion into European and Asian markets next year, Firefly Electronics was still working tirelessly to expand its component supply chain and build new assembly plants.
...
When Eric placed Victoria Adams into Madonna's backup dancer team, he also received news that the long-standing lawsuit between Madonna and Warner Records regarding digital music distribution rights had turned a corner. Given that Madonna had the upper hand in the lawsuit, Warner was concerned that a loss could set a legal precedent and began reaching out privately to seek an out-of-court settlement.
While many second- and third-tier artists still couldn't secure individual digital music distribution rights from their record companies, most first-tier stars began seeking related supplemental agreements to retain control over their digital music rights. Clearly, this also provided many opportunities for Yahoo Music Store to make various moves.
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