Chapter 441: Four Years

[Chapter 441: Four Years]

Tina Fey opened her eyes, a little dazed, only to find she wasn't in her hotel room in Burbank or her apartment in Philadelphia. Instead, she woke up in a spacious round bedroom. The decor was simple yet exuded an air of refinement.

The bright sunlight streaming through the curtain gaps indicated it was already late, and she was alone in the bedroom. Tina turned onto her side, resting one arm beneath her head, and stared blankly at the lonely pillow beside her, feeling a sense of melancholy.

In the story of Cinderella, when the clock struck midnight, Cinderella had to leave the prince and return to being a little maid in the kitchen. Though she ended up happy, the journey was fraught with hardship. Here she was, waking up in the 'prince's' bedroom, without the harsh reality hitting her once the 'midnight' was over -- she wasn't sure if it was luck or misfortune.

She couldn't help but smile at memories from the night before. Eric had arranged for her to wear a gorgeous evening gown, helped her navigate awkward moments with the two ladies, taught her to dance in the ballroom, and introduced her to the Hollywood bigwigs she had only seen on TV or in newspapers...

In those moments, she genuinely felt like a princess. After the party had ended, Eric invited her out, and she boldly accepted, leading to her current situation.

Recalling the vow she had made to never date bad boys, Tina sighed. As a journalist, she was more aware than most of Eric's playboy reputation. Still, in the face of his wealth, power, and personal charm, her small vow seemed powerless.

The bedroom door creaked open, and Tina felt a sudden flutter of nerves at the prospect of facing Eric. She quickly closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.

She heard the click of high heels approaching, and noticing she hadn't woken up, the woman's footsteps became quieter.

Tina sensed the woman had reached her side, the faint scent of perfume piquing her curiosity. Why was another woman here so early? With that in mind, she turned slightly and feigned surprise, blinking her eyes open only to find Claudia Schiffer, the tall lady she had chatted with the night before, standing in front of her.

Claudia noticed Tina waking up and immediately apologized, "Oh, I'm sorry! Did I wake you?"

Tina sat up and shook her head, "It's fine, but how come you're... here?"

Claudia explained, "I came back with Drew last night. As a journalist, you must know Drew's connection with Mr. Williams."

Tina nodded, her gaze shifting to the table nearby, where several tote bags had been placed, likely by Claudia.

Claudia continued, "These are your clothes, plus a new set of intimate wear that Mr. Williams instructed to get for you. Please try them on; I'm not sure if they'll fit."

Tina nodded, then looked at Claudia, who blinked in confusion and quickly waved her hand with a smile, "Alright, I'll head out now."

Once the bedroom door closed, Tina reached for the bags to inspect their contents. Inside were her trench coat and jeans, along with a bag containing a set of delicate intimate wear. The Armani gown she wore last night had vanished -- naturally, after the party, Cinderella didn't need a gown anymore.

Feeling a bit wistful, Tina tossed the covers aside and stepped onto the cool floor. Just as she began to get dressed, the bedroom door swung open again.

"Sorry, I forgot to tell you..." Claudia peeked in, only to gasp in surprise as she saw Tina. 

Tina quickly turned back covering her chest, frantically buttoning her bra. Only then did Tina relax and turn around to see Claudia's astonished expression, asking, "What's wrong?"

Because her back was facing her, Claudia saw a bright red spot on Tina Fey's round buttocks. Claudia pointed to her butt and asked, "There, did he hit you?"

Tina glanced over her shoulder and felt her face heat up. She hurriedly grabbed a piece of clothing to cover herself, hurriedly climbed onto the bed, and covered her body with the quilt and said, "Schiffer, can you... just step out for a moment?"

Seeing Tina in her startled posture made Claudia unable to resist, and instead of stepping out, she giggled, sat down beside the big bed, raised her eyebrows and asked curiously: "Hey, how did it happen? Does he like spanking women, or, um, is there another reason? Can you tell me?"

Tina shyly bit her lip, summoning the courage to glare at Claudia, "Don't you think this is a bit embarrassing to discuss? If you want to know, just... try it yourself."

Claudia, realizing she wasn't getting anywhere, stood up, "By the way, I forgot to mention -- the toiletries I prepared for you are in the bathroom across the hall."

"I understand," Tina responded, her eyes still glued on Claudia, akin to a pufferfish confronting its predator.

Claudia chuckled, shrugged, and waved, "Alright, get up. I'll head down now."

After a moment, once she was sure Claudia wouldn't return, Tina locked the door and let out a sigh of relief.

Feeling awkward from earlier, Tina took her time before she finally walked downstairs. From a distance, she heard light laughter, prompting her to hesitate, suspecting they were discussing earlier events. Remembering the source of this particular predicament, she muttered a curse under her breath and steeled herself to approach.

...

Drew and Claudia sat by a low table next to the glass wall, with various documents scattered across it. Upon seeing Tina, Drew instinctively glanced at her, greeting with a grin, "Hi, Tina, good morning."

Tina forced a casual demeanor and settled onto the carpet beside them, smiling and saying, "Morning. What are you two up to?"

"Just busy work," Drew replied.

Claudia set down the script she was holding and added, "Let me go fetch you breakfast."

Tina was about to get up to accompany her when Claudia gently pressed her shoulder, so she sat back down.

After Claudia left, Drew resumed writing notes on a document, occasionally pondering using her pen cap as a chin rest. Tina peered at the papers on the table; from the covers, they appeared to be breakdowns, budgets, and the like.

With Elisabeth back in Australia and Julia being a mere figurehead, much of the workload had fallen on Drew.

Watching her youthful, somewhat immature face, Tina felt a surge of complex emotions. This girl was not even eighteen yet, yet she was making decisions involving films worth tens of millions of dollars. And here she was, still a small-time journalist.

"Hey, Tina, how do you spell 'hypnotize'?" Drew suddenly asked, looking up.

Tina responded hesitantly, "H-y-p-n-o-t-i-z-e."

Drew quickly jotted that down, looking back up to ask, "What about 'mischief'?"

"M-i-s-c-h-i-e-f," Tina replied confidently this time.

"Look at you, you're sharp! Claudia didn't even know this -- she's dumber than I am," Drew commented after writing that down.

"Hey, Drew, I'm German," Claudia said, just as she returned with a small tray holding breakfast, sliding it in front of Tina, "I made this, hope it suits your taste."

Tina thanked her and took a bite of a sandwich, nodding in approval.

Claudia smiled in satisfaction, then turned to Drew, saying, "Drew, I think you should hire an assistant."

"I'm already looking, but haven't found the right fit," Drew replied, glancing at Claudia. The two women turned their gaze toward Tina at the same time.

Tina swallowed her food and asked, "What's up?"

"Hey, Tina, you're a journalist?" Drew asked.

"Yeah, from The Philadelphia Evening News, but it's not a famous paper," Tina admitted.

Drew replied, "How about you be my assistant then?"

"Me? Really? But I only've had two years of community college," Tina responded, a hint of self-doubt in her voice.

Drew waved her hand dismissively, "This is Hollywood; what matters least here is a degree. Even guys like Jon Peters, who can barely read, can become presidents of major studios -- what's stopping you?"

Setting her sandwich down, Tina looked at Drew, "Why me?"

Drew chuckled, "Because you already climbed up Eric's ladder."

"Stop joking," Tina's cheeks flushed.

"Not joking; it means you're special," Drew said, pointing at Claudia. "Look at Claudia; she's prettier than you, taller, has a better figure, she did all the charm work and yet was still turned down by Eric."

Claudia playfully swatted at Drew's hand and retorted, "That's not how it was! You're just causing trouble. Want me to describe how pitiful someone looked that night?"

Drew quickly laughed it off, shifting back to Tina and asking, "How about it? Are you interested?"

"Um... let me think about it," Tina replied, still hesitant.

Drew added fuel to the fire, "Tina, this is a golden opportunity! If you agree, you'll stay in Hollywood and frequently see Eric. If you return to Philadelphia and continue as a small-time reporter, you might never get to see him again."

Tina imagined the scenario Drew painted and felt an intense wave of disappointment. She couldn't help but ask, "By the way, where's Eric?"

Drew could see Tina was intrigued, and she decided not to push further. "He left for the office early. He's got a lot to handle today. By the way, I'm sure you can catch him on TV," she said, looking underneath the low table, retrieving a remote and clicking on the nearby television.

The three women turned to the TV, and as the screen brightened, the image aired of executives from Firefly Films moving through a throng of reporters at Disney headquarters.

"...This morning at nine, Eric Williams, chairman of Firefly Films, officially signed a deal with a Disney shareholder representative. Firefly Films will acquire Disney Studios for $6.6 billion in cash, also absorbing $2 billion of Disney's debt -- making it the largest deal in Hollywood history, involving a whopping $8.6 billion. Additionally, at the tender age of twenty, Eric Williams became one of the youngest tycoons in Hollywood history. Sources suggest that upon completion of this acquisition, Firefly Films' market value will soar to $9 billion, making it the second largest film company in Hollywood, following Time Warner. While Firefly Films has not disclosed its equity structure, Eric Williams's net worth is conservatively estimated to surpass $5 billion. Next, let's take a look at the miraculous rise of this young mogul..."

"Psh, only $5 billion? Sounds a bit conservative," Drew scoffed, changing the channel.

The image shifted to a studio where Eric's figure remained visible. The host and guest were animatedly discussing the various impacts of Firefly's acquisition of Disney.

The analysis from two experts inside seemed overly technical, and Tina couldn't grasp it. She quickly switched to another channel.

"I remembered black skiesThe lightning all around me..."

The familiar intro to Eric's once-released single, New-Divide, began playing. The three women found themselves captivated by the screen, which showcased various images of Eric, including snippets from his only starring role in the film 17 Again, precious behind-the-scenes moments from Home Alone, and classic frames from films he directed -- essentially chronicling Eric's career over the years.

Unbeknownst to them, the song ended quite rapidly, transitioning to another studio, where a blonde host was gushing over Eric's legendary journey.

Still reminiscing about that last song, Drew couldn't help but muse, "Can you believe it's been four years?"

"Only four years?" Claudia replied, her eyes sparkling with a hint of admiration.

Tina, too, found herself reflecting on her own life four years prior. She was just eighteen then, freshly graduated from high school. With her low SAT scores, she had no choice but to enroll in a two-year community college, spending days in gloom, cursing herself for not trying harder and lamenting her bad timing. Around the same time, Eric had just turned eighteen, hadn't attended any university but had burst onto the scene like a shooting star, becoming increasingly brilliant.

Thinking back on that, Tina felt her emotions becoming even more tangled.

*****

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