Chapter 586 Was This Self-Entanglement?

[Chapter 586 Was This Self-Entanglement?]

Elisabeth had helped Emma finish her bath and prepared some porridge for the little one, who was still clamoring for food. Noticing that Eric and Julia still had not come downstairs, Elisabeth felt a mix of concern and impatience.

Emma leaned against the coffee table, eating with a spoon, and saw Elisabeth glancing toward the staircase. The little girl quickly thought of Eric and, in her sweet voice, asked, "Mommy, where's Daddy?"

Hearing Emma calling her 'Mommy' made Elisabeth's heart flutter. She anxiously looked back at the stairs, relieved to find no one coming down. She got up from the sofa and knelt on the carpet beside Emma, gently rubbing the little girl's head. "Emma, shall we play a game?"

The starving child's eyes lit up at the idea of a game, and she quickly set her spoon down. "Okay!"

"Here's how it works. From now on, when we talk, you call me Liz, and I'll call you Emma. Let's see who can stick to it the longest, okay?"

Emma tilted her head and hesitated before shaking it. "That's not fun."

In a slightly urgent tone, Elisabeth replied, "Emma, if you don't want to play this game, then I won't take you to Disneyland anymore, and I won't take you to Coldwater Canyon Park, either."

Emma blinked rapidly and blurted out, "Auntie, take me!"

Elisabeth casually glanced at the empty bowl in front of Emma and tried again, "Well, if Auntie doesn't give you food anymore, I won't make you any porridge."

That threat was a bit hefty. Emma immediately showed a worried expression and quickly said, "Okay, I'll play the game."

Elisabeth sighed with relief, saying, "Alright, let's try it out. What do you call me now?"

"Liz," Emma called out and lifted her little bowl. "More!"

The child had just eaten some chocolate cake and drank a bowl of porridge. Elisabeth knew she couldn't let her eat any more. She gently said, "That's enough for today, okay? We can have more in the morning."

"Talking doesn't count," Emma pouted at Elisabeth's refusal. Children had a strange instinct, and with tearful eyes, she accused, "Mommy!"

Elisabeth nearly bumped her head against the glass coffee table, silently lamenting as she touched her forehead and was compelled to take the bowl from the little one. "Alright, you can only have half a bowl more, but that's it."

"Okay," Emma eagerly nodded. Noticing Elisabeth's expression, the little girl felt compelled to do something, her pretty blue eyes twinkling as she called out once again, "Liz!"

Having just stood up, Elisabeth saw Emma's swift transition between the two names and couldn't help but think to herself: Was this self-entanglement?

...

After waking Julia, Eric quickly grasped the situation. The so-called "child abuse incident" had clearly not occurred. Earlier that evening, Julia had dinner and a few drinks with friends, becoming slightly tipsy. After returning home, her sudden motherly instinct kicked in, and she decided to care for the little one herself, sending the nanny off to rest. After playing with Emma for a bit, she figured the child was a little sleepy and managed to put her to bed before heading off to rest herself.

During this process, both Julia and the nanny overlooked one crucial detail: the little one had not had dinner. Julia hadn't asked, and the nanny hadn't mentioned it; both assumed the other would fix a meal. Consequently, Emma, who didn't complain about hunger until she fell asleep, woke up in the middle of the night to seek food.

Since Emma had been adopted by Julia, Eric had seen the little girl often. During the LA riots two years prior, Emma had stayed at the mansion with Julia for a time. Watching her grow from a tiny tot into a girl he felt very fond of, Eric hadn't corrected Emma when she called him "Daddy." Though he didn't care for the godfather customs, Emma was dear to him, treated almost like a goddaughter.

Understanding that Julia hadn't meant to be careless didn't ease Eric's anger toward her negligence. Moreover, having seen the film Julia made last year only fueled his flames. He had intended for her to star in a romantic comedy to help revive her career after taking care of Emma had led to a decline in her popularity. Instead, she took on another project without consulting him. Fine, she could take that on, after all, he never meant to force his woman just to make movies for Firefly Productions.

However, Eric was barely aware of the chaos of Julia's movie until he accidentally discovered what it was about -- a pair of reporters traveling to Las Vegas to investigate a casino mogul for evidence of crimes, which led to nowhere. Julia, portraying the female reporter, barely left her hotel room throughout the film. The plot was nonsensical, making it seem like she hurriedly scribbled half-baked homework for her teacher in just ten minutes. The film garnered scathing reviews, wiping out the last remnants of popularity Julia had built through Pretty Woman and Steel Magnolias.

What a disgrace! What a self-destructive path!

A lazy woman with no drive -- this wouldn't do!

The more Eric thought, the angrier he grew, so he laid into Julia until he noticed her mixed signals. Though she cried for mercy, she seemed to enjoy the punishment, finally prompting him to stop.

...

After feeding the little one to her heart's content and plopping her on the sofa to watch cartoons, Elisabeth stole a glance at the stairs yet again. At this point, it was unclear how many times she had done so. Sadness washed over her; they had been up there too long, clearly lost in their folly, leaving her to take care of the child alone. It was infuriating.

She promised herself she would not voluntarily walk into this trap again.

Just as she thought that, Elisabeth finally heard footsteps coming from the stairs. Quickly composing her face into a neutral expression, she prepared to confront them.

Eric and Julia descended the stairs, one after the other. Elisabeth turned her back to Eric, throwing a pointed glare at Julia, whose face remained flushed.

Oh, those two!

Eric sat down on the sofa, while Julia made her way toward the coffee machine in the corner.

Seeing Julia so eager to brew coffee only added to Elisabeth's frustration. She shot a look at Eric, silently conveying her disapproval, but her gaze halted at the absence of the Hermes belt she had gifted Eric for Christmas.

"Oh, I left it upstairs," Eric waved it off lightly.

"Hmph," Elisabeth scoffed, letting out a dismissive sound.

Julia soon prepared the coffee, poured Eric a cup with ice, and handed it to him. Eric lifted the cup, blowing lightly before taking a sip and gestured toward the sofa beside him. "Come sit. I need to discuss something with you."

Julia nodded before approaching the armchair, but she had barely touched it before standing up with a cry.

Noting Julia's pitiful demeanor as she covered her rear, Elisabeth turned to Eric and remarked, "You're a brute."

However, her tone lacked any bitterness; instead, it hinted at a grievance that Eric hadn't distributed "the violence" evenly.

Hearing Elisabeth, Eric shot her an amused look, causing her to shyly evade his gaze. She realized her tone didn't convey enough severity; it leaned more toward... No way, I'm not a masochist, absolutely not!

To prove that she was not hesitant, Elisabeth collected herself and prepared to retort, but discovered Eric had already turned to Julia sitting crookedly on the sofa.

"How much money do you have on you now?" Eric asked Julia.

She shook her head, hesitated, and finally replied, "Maybe, perhaps around 30 million?"

Eric felt exasperated. This woman didn't even know how much money she had: "Tomorrow, contact your accountant to get a tally. Keep a hundred thousand for expenses, and give me the rest."

"Julia, don't give him money. This is robbery," Elisabeth immediately protested.

Julia, seemingly ignoring Elisabeth's complaints, obediently nodded. "Okay, I understand."

Eric paid no mind to Elisabeth's objections, pressing on. "Once Firefly completes the purchase of the ABC network, I'll convert your cash into Firefly stocks. However, I'll hold onto these stocks and any later dividends for you. After you win an Oscar, then we can discuss what to do with the shares."

Just as Elisabeth was about to say something, she was left surprised and stopped. Her eyes regarded Julia with a tinge of envy.

After Firefly Productions shared its annual financial report, numerous investment institutions clamored to invest, offering several times the value. Yet Eric had resolutely turned them all down, including during the network acquisition. Now, he was proactively converting Julia's cash into Firefly stock. Even though this amount was trivial in the grand scheme of the future merged company, it clearly indicated Eric had fully embraced Julia as his own.

Despite her complicated feelings toward Eric, Julia had no issues with her intelligence. She recognized the implications behind his actions. Under other circumstances, she might have fretted over Eric's sureness, but having just been chastised by him, a sense of submission and reliance dwelled within her. At this moment, Julia would've jumped off a nearby cliff on Eric's command without thinking twice.

Seeing how Julia didn't negotiate back but readily agreed, Eric felt a hint of guilt. But since he couldn't change the facts, steering them towards a better outcome seemed the best course.

He took a few sips of coffee and glanced at Elisabeth and Julia, as well as the little girl who was focused on the cartoons. "Liz is bound to be busy with her new role as VP at Fox, and you can't just be idle. I'm personally arranging your next film, so no laziness allowed. It won't make sense for Emma to stay here; this Hollywood environment isn't suitable for her growth. I plan to send her to New York to be with the two children, and let Joan take care of her. You don't mind, do you?"

Although no incidents had occurred that night, the two women recognized Eric's suggestion was prudent. After all, they couldn't wait for regrettable events to unfold.

Watching Julia nod, Elisabeth questioned with some trepidation, "What about Julia's brother? And do you think Joan will accept Emma?"

"Given that custody lies with Julia, they have no leverage to interfere," Eric clarified. "Also, Joan loves children. When Vicki was out filming, Joan often took care of Kevin. Adding Emma into the mix wouldn't be a challenge. Since you both agree, I'll call Joan tomorrow to discuss this. Emma's already three years old; it's time for her to start kindergarten."

As they wrapped up these discussions, it was nearing midnight. Julia took the barely awake Emma to the nursery while Eric finished his coffee, casting a subtle smirk at a seemingly absent-minded Elisabeth as he stood. "Come on, I have something good to show you."

"What good thing?" Elisabeth instinctively rose to follow.

"The belt you gave me for Christmas. I realized it's quite versatile. Let's go explore it again; you can assist me."

Elisabeth was stunned for half a second, then felt Eric grip her hand as they headed upstairs. Her body trembled slightly for reasons she couldn't fathom, her steps weakened as she followed Eric, her voice protesting, "I... I don't want to. Let go of me!"

...

The temperature in Los Angeles during February mornings remained a bit chilly, but Eric savored the feeling of sitting in the courtyard of this Beverly Hills mansion. Both the downtown area and the northern valley were shrouded in light mist, yet Eric could feel the gentle warmth of the rising sun.

Elisabeth and Julia had arranged several scenic seating areas in the courtyard, and Eric sat at a round table with an IBM laptop resting on it, next to today's issue of the Los Angeles Times.

Although it was just 8 AM in Los Angeles, it was already 11 AM in New York. Eric had just spoken with Katzenberg about the morning's negotiations with ABC. While the world's media closely followed the developments, and Eric read significant coverage in the newspaper, direct contact with the participants yielded the most accurate firsthand accounts.

Besides, there had been some complications in the morning's negotiations in New York.

*****

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