[Chapter 972: Going to New York]
Eric thought for a moment and said, "Since that's the case, let's have you model and go to New York. I'll have Cindy take you personally."
Miranda Kerr was taken aback and quickly shook her head. "Eric, I'm not going to New York. I haven't even graduated high school yet."
"Gisele and Ale started making it on their own at fourteen, and you're two years older than they were."
Miranda finally realized that Eric wanted to send her away. She wasn't naive, so it didn't take her long to understand his intentions. With some resentment, she shot a glance at Scarlett Johansson beside her. Then, she got up, walked around the desk, and wanted to jump into Eric's arms to act cute. But Eric blocked her.
Eric prevented the girl from throwing herself at him. He gently lifted her by the waist and set her down on his large desk, his demeanor firm. "Or you can return to Australia and continue high school. I can send you back right now; your parents would surely want you home."
Having just kicked off her shoes, Miranda had initially intended to playfully tease Eric by elevating her feet for him, hoping he would overlook her small mistake today. But when she heard Eric say that, her heart began to race. If she really went back to Australia, who knew if Eric would care about her again? She might never have a chance to live this kind of life again.
Looking at Eric with a pitiful expression for a while, seeing he had no intention of backing down, Miranda finally said, "Then I'll go to New York. But, Eric, what about my parents?"
"That's something you have to convince them about. If they don't agree, I'll have to send you back to Australia."
Miranda's parents were the soft-hearted kind; Eric didn't believe this would stand in the way of what the girl wanted to do.
When Miranda saw that using her parents as a shield wasn't effective, she took advantage of Eric's momentary distraction, jumped off the desk, and implored him like a small kitten, "Eric, please forgive me this once. I promise I'll behave and won't randomly bring strangers to you again."
"Cut it out. I'll have Mel arrange things for you. Once you get to New York, you can stay with Gisele and Ale. Didn't you always love that house?"
"Eric..."
"I just remembered, you're still using that Citibank black card, right? Once you start earning your own money, maybe you won't need it anymore."
Hearing this, Miranda stopped her antics and hurriedly said, "No, Eric, I'll listen to you. I'll go to New York."
Eric patted her on the waist and smiled. "That's my little darling. Now put your shoes on, and you can head back."
Miranda took her time putting on her shoes and then leaned in to peck Eric on the cheek before walking towards the door, not even glancing at Scarlett again. Although she initially approached Eric to flaunt her close relationship with him, at this moment, she naturally transferred all the blame onto Scarlett.
Watching Miranda leave the office, Eric picked up the phone's receiver and explained the situation to Melanie. Then he looked at Scarlett Johansson, who sat across from him, unsure what to do.
...
Scarlett, looking about fourteen, in stark contrast to the fourteen-year-old Miranda who had already seemed like a little pixie, was still shy and awkward. At that moment, she was neither childlike enough to be a true child star nor mature enough to be an adult actress.
Noticing Eric's gaze on her, Scarlett busied herself with the computer on the desk, unsure if she should leave or stay.
After hesitating for a moment, she remained, patiently waiting for Eric's reaction. After the earlier incident, her friendship with Miranda seemed to have completely soured. If she left now, she probably wouldn't get another chance to see this Hollywood mogul again.
With thoughts of this 28-year-old man's impressive stature floating in her mind, Scarlett couldn't help but sneak glances at Eric, who was focused on his work. In the midst of her budding teenage fantasies, she thought, How nice would it be to have a boyfriend like him?
She recalled hearing that Drew was younger than her when she was with him; he seemed to like younger girls.
"I checked on it," after some time, Eric switched off a casting packet for The Horse Whisperer sent from Fox, looked up, and noticed Scarlett shyly avoiding his gaze. He smiled and continued, "The character of Grace in The Horse Whisperer is supposed to be thirteen. Kirsten's acting is good, but she's too tall now; she's already close to 170 cm, so it wouldn't make sense for her to play a thirteen-year-old girl. Originally, Harvey really wanted Natalie Portman for the role. Although she's a year older than Kirsten, she's petite enough to play a thirteen-year-old girl. However, since she has The Phantom Menace coming out at the end of the year, among the remaining younger actresses, your audition experience and performance are the best, so you have a good chance at this role."
If Eric wanted Scarlett to land this role, he could simply have a word with Harvey.
But he didn't pursue that route, not because he didn't want to owe Harvey a favor -- the back-and-forth of favors usually strengthened relationships -- but mainly because Eric didn't want to get too involved with this project. A $50 million art film had a high potential for loss. Miramax had just been shackled by their parent company, limiting their productions to under $50 million, and if Eric intervened in this project and it flopped, he'd likely get blamed, which was something people habitually did.
Scarlett nodded obediently. Eric talking to her this much was far beyond her expectations, and she didn't dare hope for anything more.
Thinking for a moment, she found a rather interesting topic. "Mr. Williams, I heard that Natalie Portman was found by you on the street?"
Eric nodded jokingly, saying, "Pretty much. I usually pick girls off the street; it's the first time I've encountered someone who comes to me willingly like you."
Scarlett immediately felt shy and lowered her head. "Um, Miranda said that you, you'd be willing to help us, so we came together. Mr. Williams, please don't be mad at Miranda, okay?"
"Sure," Eric responded with a smile, shutting down the computer and standing up. "Let's go. I have to get back to work. You just wait home for good news."
"Okay, thank you, Mr. Williams," Scarlett stood up and followed Eric out of the office.
Once outside the building, Scarlett followed obediently beside Eric, watching the occasionally passing studio staff greet him respectfully. She couldn't help feeling a bit envious and yearning.
After exiting the administrative area, Eric stopped at the entrance to the film set and turned to the girl beside him. "Well, this is where we part ways. Do you want me to have someone take you home?"
"No, no need," Scarlett shook her head, her toes rolling against the ground. After a moment of hesitation, she looked up at Eric and asked, "Mr. Williams, will I still be able to see you in the future?"
"Of course! As long as you're in Hollywood, there'll always be a chance."
"I mean...," Scarlett's gaze flickered, and she went on, "Mr. Williams, can I leave you my number so you can call me anytime?"
Eric was a bit surprised. He studied her a few times and smiled as he took out his phone from his pocket. "Here, put your number in."
Scarlett hadn't expected Eric to agree and excitedly added her home phone number to his contacts. She then said, "Mr. Williams, if I'm not filming, I'm usually home at night, so you can call me then."
"Sounds good," Eric nodded, took the phone from her hands, and put it back in his pocket. "Goodbye for now."
"Goodbye," Scarlett replied. Although she said that, she took a small step closer, and when she noticed Eric didn't move, she disappointmently waved goodbye and turned towards the exit of the studio.
...
With Firefly Group growing stronger in Hollywood, the Playa Vista area gradually became more prosperous. Scarlett easily hailed a cab outside the studio and instructed the driver to take her to Beverly Hills. She leaned back in her seat, replaying everything that had just happened, and occasionally broke into a small smile.
Scarlett Johansson lived in a residential area near the Los Angeles Country Club at the base of Beverly Hills. Although it was an affluent area, it paled in comparison to the truly wealthy who resided up in the hills. Scarlett's father, Karsten Johansson, was a fairly successful architect and was essentially the main breadwinner of the family. Her mother, Melanie Sloan, held the title of producer, but as the saying goes in Los Angeles, even a billboard falling could hit a few producers; Melanie rarely landed significant work and mostly served as a full-time housewife.
As soon as Scarlett entered the door, Melanie greeted her eagerly. "Honey, did you see Eric Williams?"
Excitedly nodding, Scarlett bit into an apple she had taken from the coffee table in the living room, comfortably hugging a cushion as she sat on the couch. "Yes, Mom! Mr. Williams said I have a good chance of landing this role."
Seeing her daughter so thrilled, Melanie initially thought this meant the job was as good as done. However, hearing her daughter's words, she frowned; Scarlett's retelling sounded like a rehearsed formality.
Noticing the expression on her mother's face, Scarlett knew exactly what she was thinking. As a girl who had begun valuing her privacy, she wasn't inclined to share every detail of today's encounters with her mother. Nonetheless, she reassured her again, "Don't worry, Mom. Unless something changes, I practically have the job."
"Sweetie," Melanie said with a helpless smile as she sat beside her daughter. "Tell me all the details about how your meeting with Mr. Williams went so I can analyze it for you."
"Oh no, I'm not telling you," Scarlett said, evading her mother's questions. She picked up the cushion and dashed upstairs to her room.
...
Once inside her room, Scarlett locked the door behind her and flopped onto her bed. After tumbling around for a bit, she paused to glance at the little phone on her desk.
She wondered when he might call and what might happen when he did.
Lost in thought for a while, she suddenly jumped up and went to the bathroom. She posed in front of the mirror for a second, then finally took off her clothes to examine her figure more closely.
Though her body wasn't as good as Miranda's, and she wasn't as tall as her, Scarlett felt quite pleased adjusting her bra; her chest was definitely larger than that flat-chested girl's.
...
After several hours of lounging in her room, Scarlett remembered that it was Oscars night and hurried downstairs to turn on the TV.
The Oscar red carpet ceremony had already begun, but Scarlett wasn't in the mood to admire the glamorous dresses worn by the starlets. Instead, she anxiously awaited the appearance of one particular figure. As the evening unfolded, with her father getting home, her sister Vanessa and younger twin brother Hunter also gradually returned, and the house quickly grew lively.
Although Karsten Johansson hadn't chosen a path into Hollywood, due to her grandfather and her mother's family ties, their family had numerous connections in the industry. Scarlett was born in New York, but for the sake of their children's careers in Hollywood, the Johnsons had moved to Los Angeles a few years prior. Now, aside from Scarlett, her brother and sister were both working as actors in Hollywood.
Thus, as the television screen displayed the lively Oscar red carpet event, the family couldn't help but discuss movies and began asking about Scarlett's audition for The Horse Whisperer.
They all knew that landing this role meant Scarlett could establish her footing in Hollywood without relying on family connections. While they had advantages compared to the average person, their connections would hold little weight for a project like The Horse Whisperer; in the end, it all depended on skill and luck.
Melanie hadn't told her husband or the other kids about sending their daughter to Firefly Studios, but when Eric appeared on screen just after the red carpet ceremony started winding down, the conversation quickly turned toward him. Listening to her father and siblings speculate and gush about Eric, Scarlett felt like a small fox hiding its prize, her gaze growing more focused on the screen as she eagerly awaited each of Eric's appearances.
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