[Chapter 986: Hello]
The California coastal highway was naturally a bit congested during rush hour, but Eric's car made it to Liberty City before six o'clock.
As he watched the Shell Villa come into view, regret washed over Eric for so easily agreeing to this meeting in the first place. Now that he was about to face it, he felt the awkwardness and strangeness of the situation. Although he inherited the memories and even certain emotions of this body, he could never truly connect with a mother he had never met.
The car came to a gentle stop in front of the mansion, and Carter Moen, who had personally driven Eric, glanced at him in the rearview mirror without urging him on. After a few years, he had become Eric's confidant and was well aware of today's significance.
After a brief period of silence, the mansion's door opened, and several women stepped outside. With no choice left, Eric got out of the car to greet them.
...
Walking between Caroline and Melanie was Olivia Wilson, the very woman Eric had seen at the London premiere of Casino Royale, wearing a black shirt. Today, she was dressed in a well-tailored black shirt paired with light gray pants. Remembering how he had even offered her an autograph on a bill back then, Eric felt even stranger.
As he approached, Eric found himself momentarily at a loss for words. The woman looked at him with an expression of mild shock, the same as when they first met.
Melanie stood slightly behind her, trying to make herself invisible, while Caroline hooked her arm around her aunt's, seeing the two of them silent. She took the initiative to break the ice, saying, "Eric, this, this is my aunt."
Eric hesitated for a moment and then extended his hand. "Hello, uh, ma'am."
The woman looked at Eric's outstretched hand, and her initial anxiety eased. She was a strong woman but still feared her child would question her, bombarding her with a slew of "why's" during their first meeting. The situation was far better than she had imagined. She didn't expect Eric to address her by any title on their first encounter, but with a forced smile, she shook his hand and said, "Eric, you can call me Jane."
Jane was the woman's middle name, of which Eric was well aware.
Nodding vaguely, Eric replied, "Then let's go inside."
...
They all headed towards the mansion together. As Eric walked side by side with the woman, he attempted to break the silence, asking, "So, what's for dinner?"
"Eric, Auntie personally prepared dinner; it should be ready soon," Caroline chimed in. She had hesitated to walk between her aunt and Eric but ultimately decided to cling to her aunt on the other side, peeking her head out as if trying to take credit.
"Oh, thank you."
As Olivia Wilson listened to their conversation, she caught a waft of light floral perfume emanating from Eric and suddenly felt it must be from a, hmm, mature woman.
Since Eric first emerged in Hollywood, Olivia Wilson had recognized him as her son. Over the years, she had quietly observed everything about him and had, of course, read about some of the more scandalous rumors in magazines.
Reflecting on these thoughts, a wave of bittersweet emotion and guilt washed over Olivia Wilson.
The twins pulled open the glass door to the villa and stepped into the grand foyer. Olivia paused and softly said, "Eric, you've had a long day; you must be tired. Why don't you take a shower first?"
"Uh, sure," Eric nodded instinctively, eager to escape the awkwardness, even if just for a little while. "I'll see you in a bit."
Afterward, Eric nodded to the women and turned to head upstairs.
...
Watching the tall figure of the young man retreat, almost in a rush, Olivia chuckled and instructed the twins, "Natasha, Eve, go help Eric get a set of clothes. We'll manage in the kitchen."
"Sure, ma'am," the twins agreed and obediently ascended the stairs.
Once Eric and the twins were out of sight, Olivia Wilson tugged on Caroline, who was gazing stupidly after them. "Come on, Carly, you ought to trust your cousin a little more."
Caroline pouted and playfully shook her aunt's arm, saying, "Auntie, you're already taking his side. He's really not that great."
"Ha! He's treated you well over the years, hasn't he? Otherwise, why would you stick around him so devotedly?"
After Olivia made this statement, Melanie, who had remained silent until now, nodded in agreement, feeling a tinge of grievance. She silently thought, This is just fantastic, but how pitiful for me!
"He," Caroline frowned and said, "he's known I'm his cousin all along."
Olivia Wilson paused for a moment, affectionately stroking Caroline's face. "Silly girl, if this were anyone else, they might treat you terribly. They wouldn't genuinely consider you a sister."
Though simple-minded, Caroline was definitely no fool. In fact, she was much smarter than most. However, her kind nature prevented her from thinking the worst of people or situations. Still, that didn't mean she was oblivious. With her aunt saying that, she quickly pieced it all together.
As they walked towards the kitchen with her aunt, Caroline hesitated and asked cautiously, "Auntie, why did you leave back then?"
Olivia Wilson halted momentarily before recovering her composure. She didn't answer Caroline's question and only gently advised, "Auntie is a weak woman, Carly. You should never be like me. If there's a boy you like, hold on to him tightly and don't care about anyone else's opinions."
"Alright," Caroline nodded, resting her head on Olivia's shoulder. "Auntie, I like Eric."
...
Having soaked in the tub for a comfortable while, Eric, realizing he couldn't hide forever, finally planned to rise when he heard a soft knock on the door.
His heart skipped a beat as he asked, "Who is it?"
"It's us, master."
Relaxing, Eric drew back into the bubble-filled tub and replied, "Come in."
The twins entered, one after the other. Natasha carried a full set of clothes, while Eve held a small basket to gather the clothes Eric had changed out of.
Observing their actions, Eric furrowed his brow. "I didn't say anything about changing clothes, did I?"
Natasha replied softly, "It's what the lady instructed."
Eric was still slightly perplexed but smiled, asking, "You two are really getting into character! By the way, how did Drew react to the news?"
"Boss," Natasha paused and replied, "she was angry."
Natasha's nonchalant tone amused Eric, who could easily picture the girl's frantic reaction. He chuckled but said nothing more. Once the twins left, he emerged from the bath, rinsed off, and dressed before heading downstairs.
...
Having spent a little too long in the bath, the villa's lights were already on by the time he made it downstairs, and dinner was prepared.
Noticing Eric's mild discomfort and lack of resentment typical of a long-separated mother-son pair, Olivia Wilson felt a wave of relief pass over her. During dinner, they chatted casually, and the atmosphere remained congenial.
After dinner, Eric suggested the twins could entertain the women for the night while he hid away in his study under the pretext of work.
...
Perhaps because he had managed to catch a proper nap at the Desperate Housewives set that afternoon, Eric didn't feel tired until the early morning. He woke again before six o'clock the next day.
The filming of Iron Man continued, but Eric didn't have to rush for his scenes until the afternoon.
After getting up and washing up, he changed into a tracksuit and headed to the gym, only to find someone already there.
Still adjusting to staying at the Liberty City Manor, Melanie had also woken early. Uncertain of how she ended up there, she was mindlessly jogging on a treadmill and swiftly stopped upon seeing Eric.
"Good morning, you can continue," Eric smiled at Melanie and stepped onto the treadmill beside hers. "How did you sleep last night?"
"Really well," Melanie nodded, hesitating before saying, "Eric, I think I should leave."
Eric looked puzzled. "Huh?"
"I mean," Melanie gathered her thoughts, "Carly is your cousin. In the past, I was always worried about her being bullied. Now I don't have to worry, I guess -- even if you were to bully her, she'd be willing to endure it. So I think I want to change jobs."
Eric considered this a moment before nodding. "No problem! Where do you want to go? I can help you set it up."
Melanie replied, "My boyfriend moved to San Francisco earlier this year, and I want to go there as well."
"Great, you can head to Firefly Electronics. I'll chat with Victor and see what positions they have for you," Eric replied, chuckling, "I didn't realize you had a boyfriend!"
Melanie shot him a look. "Of course. If it hadn't been for me needing to take care of Carly, we would probably be getting married. I'm several years older than Carly!"
"Yeah, you've had a tough time over the years," Eric said. "Once you get married, I'll prepare a special wedding gift."
Melanie laughed, "What is it?"
Eric thought for a moment and answered, "How about a house? In San Francisco. You can pick one out!"
"I don't want that; otherwise, we'd probably end up splitting up! He might throw a fit," Melanie shook her head in refusal.
After chatting for a while, Melanie left the gym, saying she would go wake Caroline.
...
Olivia Wilson didn't mention when she would leave, so Eric didn't ask. After breakfast, he took Melanie with him to work, leaving Caroline at home with her aunt.
While he buried himself in paperwork that morning, Elisabeth, who had been in New York for a while, unexpectedly showed up looking disheveled, clearly worn out from whatever had transpired there.
Seeing her leaning awkwardly on the sofa in the meeting area, Eric laughed and went to make her some coffee, bringing it to her and asking, "So how did things go over there?"
"What do you think?!" Elisabeth's tone was thick with resentment as she sipped the coffee and shot Eric an annoyed glare. "Nothing I said could convince him. It just is what it is."
Eric smirked, enjoying her misery as he teased, "Oh, when are the two planning to get married? I'll send a gift over!"
Elisabeth put the coffee cup down on the table and playfully clawed at Eric, before collapsing back into him, resting quietly.
Eric wrapped his arm around her waist, gently stroking her, "Alright, don't be mad. Just stay in Los Angeles from now on. You don't have to go back."
"Hmph! I didn't want to go back in the first place," Elisabeth protested with a small huff before playfully pinching Eric. "You men are awful!"
"Hey, this isn't my fault!" Eric exclaimed defensively.
"It's the same," Elisabeth lightly turned to find a more comfortable position against Eric.
With Elisabeth snuggled against him, Eric tried to steer the conversation to a lighter topic. "Have you heard about the Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me? It's on track to earn over $180 million at the North American box office! That's $180 million! You guys are going to rake it in. Do you still want us to trade it back?"
"Ugh," Elisabeth groaned again. "There's nothing to be happy about. If things don't get sorted out over there, I wouldn't even care if Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me made zero dollars in the box office."
"Such things can't be prevented," Eric chuckled. "By the way, what benefits have you gotten lately? Don't forget about your dowry; I'm curious!"
"Are you just trying to get me riled up?" Elisabeth playfully pinched him again before eventually continuing, "Mom had Dad draw up a will early, so from now on, I'll probably take charge of things here. For Australia and the UK, Dad is leaving it to Lachlan and James. Are you happy now?"
Eric chuckled, "I just wonder if those two will kick up a fuss with you about it. Anyone can see that print media might be on the decline."
"It's not that serious; only you keep saying it," Elisabeth brushed it off. "Besides, there's also Sky Media, which is hundreds of TV stations across Europe, Asia, and Australia. Dad actually hopes James and the others will take over. That's pretty clearly biased in their favor."
"Let him be biased. Even if you end up with nothing, it's no big deal," Eric replied. In the past, News Corp had seemed like a colossal entity in Eric's eyes; however, under the Firefly umbrella, it had shrunk to almost irrelevant size. The entire Firefly system now equated to at least ten times the scale of News Corp.
*****
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