I am Hollywood

Chapter 80: Opening Week



[Chapter 80: Two Gifts]

The birthday dinner moved along slowly, with Eric allowing Aniston to lazily lean against him, occasionally whispering sweet nothings. Their rendition of the birthday song wasn't exactly lively, but it felt warm and intimate. After they finished singing, they cut the cake, and each barely had a slice, while the bottle of red wine disappeared quickly.

"Not going to eat anymore?" Eric asked, noticing the girl's flushed cheeks with concern.

"Uh-huh," she nodded, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm so tired. Carry me to the shower; I don't want to move."

"Not a problem, my little princess," Eric smiled before getting up and retrieving two beautifully wrapped gift boxes from his luggage. "Here's one for your birthday and another for Valentine's Day."

Seeing the two boxes made Aniston's expression drop, and she took them only to toss them on the table as she snuggled deeper into Eric's embrace.

"Aren't you going to open them first?" he asked.

"I don't feel like it. I'm not happy," she replied.

Gently stroking her blonde hair, Eric felt guilty. "I'm sorry, Jenny. I had a prior commitment, so I've got to leave early tomorrow."

"Eh..."

"Jenny, let's go back to Los Angeles. I want you to be by my side."

"I'm tired; shower..."

"Alright, alright," Eric said, lifting her up and carrying her into the bathroom. He filled the tub with warm water and carefully began to unfasten her clothes. She obediently raised her arms, allowing Eric to undress her.

It had been a while, and Aniston appeared a bit shy, her eyes downcast, long lashes fluttering. She gently tugged at Eric's jacket. "Together?"

Eric nodded, taking off his clothes.

"It's so itchy," Aniston remarked, pushing Eric's hands away with an expectant look. "Girls who scold it in person often end up paying for it," Eric joked as he stepped into the bathtub. "Jenny, you should eat more; I like you with a little meat on your bones."

"Hmph, I'm not going to please you," she retorted, feeling the strong presence behind her. When she tried to inch away, Eric held her tightly, keeping her in place.

"Eric, let's keep it quick? The tub is going to fill up."

"Shh... but I think this adds some fun, don't you?" he said, teasing her sensitive earlobe, which made her whole body weaken.

Eric grew silent, his hands sliding down softly.

The night passed in chaos.

...

The next morning, Eric woke up late, a smile on his face. He planted a soft kiss on Aniston's lips before quietly dressing. He prepared a simple breakfast, but Aniston still hadn't stirred, so he glanced at his watch and decided to set aside her portion while he ate.

"Jenny, I'm leaving," he said after finishing breakfast, entering the bedroom and leaning over her pillow, gently brushing the messy hair away from her face.

"Ugh... don't disturb me; I want to sleep," she mumbled, groggily protesting, pulling the blanket over her head.

"Okay, I'll call you when I get to Los Angeles," he said again, but receiving no response from the sleepyhead, he thought for a moment, found some paper and a pen, wrote her a note, and placed it where she could see it before reluctantly taking his luggage and leaving her apartment.

As he climbed into a taxi, Eric glanced up at Aniston's window, which appeared dark due to the backlighting. Behind it, Aniston was wrapped in her blanket, tightly clutching the note as she watched the taxi pull away, letting out a sigh before moving back to bed, tossing and turning in frustration. She grabbed a nearby pillow and beat it a few times.

"Go on, jerk, jerk! You can't even linger for a little longer even while pretending to be asleep. How utterly awful!"

...

Shortly after landing, Eric barely paused to connect with his private lawyer before leaving Los Angeles again with Jobs, heading to Richmond in the San Francisco Bay area of California. As funds grew tight, Jobs moved Pixar's headquarters into a small corner of Richmond.

...

Meanwhile, Pretty Woman was almost visibly raking in box office revenue across North America. After a booming three-day weekend, the excitement didn't die down during the workweek. In fact, on Valentine's Day, many theaters screening Pretty Woman were completely sold out.

Amidst the envy and jealousy of other film companies, a week later, the box office figures for Pretty Woman were officially released. It garnered 16.05 million over the weekend and totaled 29.07 million for its opening week. Although it fell short of the coveted 30 million mark, it still surpassed Eric's previous film Home Alone's opening week revenue.

In its second week, amidst many holding their breath in anticipation, Pretty Woman's earnings dropped to 17 million, a 43% decrease. This number relieved many, as it wasn't another Home Alone, which would have seemed quite insane.

Fortunately, during the following weeks, the box office for Pretty Woman didn't experience another sharp decline like in its second week. A month later, it accumulated over 75 million in North America, and surpassing the 100 million mark was no longer in doubt. According to some statistical agencies, unless a surprise hit popped up, the film's earnings could very likely break the 200 million barrier.

Thanks to Fox's efforts, Pretty Woman started rolling out in overseas markets. Although many regions missed Valentine's Day, the film's strong reputation in North America led to overseas earnings exceeding its domestic success, crossing the 100 million mark within four weeks.

...n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

In less than a year, with two films that shattered box office records, Eric found himself back in the media spotlight. The Los Angeles Times directly reported on him with a headline reading "The Magical Kid Breaking into Hollywood," detailing his achievements in just under a year.

Numerous well-known media outlets and magazines, unable to reach Eric directly, turned to Jeffrey and Kepler, hoping to secure an exclusive interview with him, but each request was promptly rebuffed.

Though Eric hadn't yet reached the heights of Barry Diller or Michael Eisner, he believed that day would come soon enough. Who ever saw these power-wielding moguls flit about in the media all day? Eric's ultimate goal was to remain a shadowy puppeteer, pulling all the strings behind the scenes.

With no hope of interviewing Eric, the media had no choice but to redirect their focus to

others.

*****

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