Chapter 342: The Lost

[Chapter 342: The Lost]

Eric spent an entire afternoon on the set of Basic Instinct, reviewing various aspects of the film's progress. That night, he stayed at the hotel where the Basic Instinct crew was lodging, and they even held a small reception in his honor.

The next morning, Eric left the crew and headed to Cisco's headquarters in San Jose, located south of the San Francisco Bay, for a small executive meeting. He then hurried back to Los Angeles.

...

Less than two days after leaving Los Angeles, he received at least ten calls urging him to return, most of which were related to internal matters at Firefly Films. This only deepened Eric's resentment towards Robert Shea.

As the CEO of Firefly, these were tasks that Robert should have managed. The company's affairs were not too complicated; with a little attention, he could have kept everything in order.

However, what disappointed Eric the most was that Robert devoted more energy to his own project, Sleeping with the Enemy, which he was personally producing. Robert handled all distribution matters for Sleeping with the Enemy himself. Eric figured this was the only project at Firefly he didn't have to worry about. If he hadn't been so pleased with the rough cut of the film, he might have confronted Robert.

It was common for high-ranking executives in Hollywood's major studios to solidify their positions and seek more benefits through successful film projects, so it wasn't hard to understand Robert's focus on Sleeping with the Enemy.

Yet Robert's actions stood in stark contrast to Eric's plans. What he didn't realize was that if he could fully commit to the company's operations, he would surely become one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood in the future. But Robert wanted to prove himself through filmmaking, grasping for a power that was not rightfully his, and Eric found this increasingly intolerable.

...

On the flight back to Los Angeles, Eric furrowed his brow, thinking about how to address the current situation at Firefly. At that moment, he heard Joanna Pacula's soft voice beside him. "Eric, would you like something to drink?"

Eric turned to see a blonde flight attendant smiling at him, a beverage cart in front of her.

"A glass of water would be great," he replied.

The flight attendant nodded and poured him a glass. As Eric reached out to take it, his arm crossed in front of Joanna's chest. She instinctively shrank back, attempting to meld into her seat.

Once the flight attendant left, Eric sighed helplessly. "Joanna, could you relax a bit? I'm not a tiger. I didn't mean anything by it last night. I just had a bit too much to drink."

Joanna's cheeks flushed as she recalled the events of the previous night. After the small reception held for Eric's arrival on the Basic Instinct set, she had left early feeling a bit tired. As she was leaving, Eric handed her his room key without any subtlety. The implication was clear, and she accepted it, obediently returning to Eric's suite. After taking a shower, she quickly fell asleep.

She wasn't sure how long it had been, but she woke up to some noises from the living room. At first, she thought Eric had returned and paid little attention.

After some time in a fog, Joanna glanced around and noticed that Eric hadn't come into the bedroom. Sensing something was off, she cautiously got out of bed, opened the bedroom door a crack, and peered into the living room. To her surprise, she almost gasped.

In the living room, Eric was comfortably slumped in a chair turned towards her, his face flushed, intermittently letting out soft sighs of satisfaction. Kneeling at his feet were two half-naked women, one on each side, leaning against his legs. They were tending to Eric's needs, and the sounds they made made Joanna's face flush crimson.

She quickly recognized the two women. They were the leading actresses from Basic Instinct, Diane Lane playing Catherine and Jennifer Jason Leigh as Beth. Due to her upbringing, Joanna was quite conservative, and seeing such a scene made her mind go blank. She wished to return to bed and pretend to be asleep, yet her intense curiosity pushed her to watch.

After about ten minutes, Joanna witnessed Eric suddenly grasping Diane Lane's head and pressing it firmly between his thighs for what seemed to be an eternity before finally letting her go. Then, Joanna heard Eric say something to the two women. The previously half-naked women responded with a playful tone, but then quickly discarded what little clothing they had left and climbed onto the coffee table opposite Eric, kissing passionately.

After that, there was no more to be seen.

Eric hadn't enjoyed the sight of their bodies for long before hearing a woman collapse onto the floor in the bedroom. Luckily, his drunkenness wasn't too severe, and he quickly remembered instructing Joanna to wait for him in his room.

After sending the two women away, Eric returned to the bedroom, reassuring Joanna until she was finally able to relax.

However, the events of the previous night were clearly something Joanna wouldn't forget for quite some time. Hearing the regret in Eric's tone, she bit her lip and finally asked softly, "Eric, would you ever do that to me?"

"Of course not. They wanted to please me, and I was just having fun with them. You're my woman."

Joanna knew Eric was speaking the truth. Such things were quite common in Hollywood. Over the years, she had received similar hints herself. If she could let go of her stubbornness and adapt to Hollywood's rules, she wouldn't have spent ten years in America without achieving much.

Still, she couldn't help but whisper in complaint, "So I'm just your woman and not your lover?"

"If I said lover, you would think I'm being insincere, right?"

"Don't you know women are quite willing to be deceived?"

"Lying takes a lot of brainpower, and you know I'm busy. I don't have much time to think about these things. I've already lined up your future for you. If you want, you'll become a big star in Hollywood, making millions for each film, maybe even an Oscar. And when you're tired of acting, you'll be free to switch careers. We can have a few kids, watch them grow up, and then they'll become carefree little people, scheming to take our wealth."

At Eric's last line, Joanna couldn't help but laugh, saying, "Sounds great, aside from love and marriage."

"Love and marriage are incredibly unreliable, especially here in America. Do you know those two women I mentioned?"

Joanna nodded.

Eric continued, "Diane Lane, who played Catherine, her parents divorced just 13 days after she was born. Jennifer Jason Leigh, who played Beth, her parents divorced when she was three."

"And what about you?" Joanna instinctively asked.

Eric thought for a moment and replied flatly, "I don't even know who my mother is."

Joanna tightened her grip on Eric's arm, not pressing him further.

*****

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