Chapter 185: Seed

[Chapter 185: Seed]

"Hey, Eric," Elisabeth pulled the awkward Julia over to Eric's side. Virginia glanced at the sudden arrivals and decided it was best to excuse herself. Elisabeth unapologetically shoved Julia onto the sofa and sat down beside her.

"Liz, why haven't you left?" Eric asked, puzzled.

Elisabeth shot him an annoyed glare. "Why should I leave? Are you not welcoming me?"

"Of course not," Eric quickly denied, "But I figured you'd find this little gathering beneath you, given that you're the daughter of Rupert Murdoch."

Daughter of Rupert Murdoch?

Julia, overhearing Eric, looked at Elisabeth with renewed curiosity. Eric noticed Julia's bewildered expression and took it upon himself to introduce. "Julia, didn't Liz tell you? She's the daughter of Rupert Murdoch, owner of 20th Century Fox and News Corp."

"Hey, Eric, are you trying to stir trouble between Julia and me? Julia's right; you really are a jerk," Elisabeth said angrily as she playfully punched Eric on the shoulder. Julia felt a mix of embarrassment and surprise at learning Elisabeth's prestigious background and wanted to hide her face.

'Oh gosh, how could she say that?'

Eric paused, then burst into laughter. "Julia finally speaks her mind."

"No, Eric, I didn't mean..." Julia stuttered, her face turning crimson as she waved her hands, trying to clarify. But nothing coherent came out.

As the words slipped out, Elisabeth too felt she had misspoken and shot Julia an apologetic look. She discreetly tried to change the subject. "So, Eric, was that woman your girlfriend?"

"Yeah," Eric nodded.

"Uh... you really are bold about it," Elisabeth responded, momentarily taken aback. "What about Julia?"

At that moment, Julia wanted to stop the girl from being so blunt. However, since the question had been thrown out there, she knew it was too late to intervene. Instead, she anxiously looked at Eric, uncertain how he would respond.

"What does that have to do with Julia?" Eric asked, surprised.

"I... I don't want to hear your nonsense anymore." Upon hearing Eric's response, Julia felt a mix of relief and a stronger sense of disappointment. She blurted out a quick farewell and bolted from the scene like a rabbit chased by hounds.

Watching Julia scurry away, Elisabeth rolled her eyes at Eric. "You really are clueless, Mr. Williams."

Eric shrugged, not bothered by the change in how she addressed him. "Liz, there are things you don't understand, so it's better to withhold judgment."

"Oh, I'm getting more and more curious about you, Eric. How about treating me to dinner sometime? I'd like to chat more with you."

"Not interested." Eric finished the dregs of his drink, stood up, and planned to mingle with others.

"Hey, wait. You can't just do that," Elisabeth said, pulling at Eric's shirt. "Fine, I'll treat you to dinner."

Since he wasn't aware of her previous conversation with Carlin, and he had no prior information about her, Eric had labeled Elisabeth as a self-centered socialite based on their brief interaction. Even though she had an impressive background, Eric, given his current standing, saw no reason to cater to an indulgent princess.

He tugged a few times to finally wrest his shirt from her grip. Examining the wrinkled hem that had been grasped, Eric sighed and noticed her disgruntled expression. He suddenly grinned mischievously, leaning toward her. "Liz, there's one thing I need to remind you..."

Elisabeth met his aggressive gaze and instinctively leaned back, crossing her arms defensively, stuttering, "Wh... what?"

As she recoiled, Eric moved closer, inhaling the faint scent of her perfume, wiggling a finger in front of her. "I need to caution you, never, ever show too much interest in a man. Otherwise, you'll easily find yourself falling for him."

"Ah..." Elisabeth let out a sound, and as Eric dropped that line, he turned and walked away. Coming back to her senses from her fluster, she stomped her foot in frustration. "Ugh, who would ever fall for you, jerk! Pervert, egotist..." A stream of insults poured out of her mouth. After releasing her anger, she glanced around to see if anyone had noticed, heaving a sigh of relief, and straightened her clothes, lifting her chin back into a proud demeanor. With a glass of red wine, she strode back into the crowd.

There were originally no roads in the world, but when many people walked, paths formed. This can extend to many things; for example, some events might not have occurred, but a certain inconsiderate guy inadvertently planted a seed of suggestion, and over time, it grew into reality.

...

"Mr. Williams, may I propose a toast?" As Eric wove through the crowd, chatting with others, a little girl, guided by her mother, approached him with a cup of juice, wide-eyed and expectant.

"Of course, Sara," Eric smiled, bending down to gently clink his glass with hers before downing the remaining wine.

The little girl followed suit and took a big sip of her juice, watching him finish his drink. "Mr. Williams, thank you for giving me the role of Jenny Stewart."

"It's nothing. You performed wonderfully," Eric replied. He noticed the little girl, Sarah Michelle Gellar, who was only 12 but was noticeably smaller than her peer, Drew. Perhaps due to family circumstances, he recalled it wasn't the best living situation for Sarah and her mother, which explained her shorter stature at around five feet. She had a round, cute baby face.

"Then, Mr. Williams, can I work in the film you're directing?" The little girl suddenly asked, her tone filled with youthful innocence and expectation in her big eyes.

Eric assessed Sarah's mother and the girl again, momentarily unsure if this was something taught to her or just an innocent question. For the character of Jessica in Sleepless in Seattle, Jonah's friend, Sarah could have been perfect. However, since the girl already had a part in The Others, they couldn't give her another role, as it would create confusion for viewers seeing the same girl in two distinctly different films at the same time.

"I hope there will be an opportunity," was Eric's diplomatic reply, as he found it hard to turn down the hopeful little girl.

*****

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