Chapter 42 - Heaven or Earth

After 11 pm, people gradually started leaving the party. Eric sent off Hansen, the last guest, before going back to the kitchen to find Julia Roberts curiously looking through the stack of photos that the group of girls from the party had left behind.

All in all, these girls were truly prepared, detailed information was written on the back of the pictures, some were even really personal.

Eric had struggled a lot in this industry during his past life and was able to understand the desire these girls had to succeed. So when they had apprehensively given him their pictures, Eric hadn't refused and instead very politely said that he would contact them if need be.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to look at these." Julia saw Eric appear and hastily put the photos back in place.

Eric waved his hand, motioning that he didn't mind. He went to sit down on the couch, picked up a picture from the pile and observed it.

"Did you know, Julia? Each year those who come to Los Angeles to pursue their dreams of stardom number in the thousands. Amongst them, those who get a job in a crew or temporary roles don't even add up to 1%, while those able to become a world-renowned movie or television star, are one in a million."

Eric stopped and gave Julia a profound look before continuing: "Most people abandon their dreams once they get a clear understanding of reality and return home to try something else. Those unwilling to give up on the glitter of Hollywood life will scatter throughout L.A, often just roaming around, struggling at the bottom, while some others just lose heart completely, and sink into despair."

Julia wasn't stupid, she listened and gradually understood that Eric was indirectly pinpointing the importance of opportunities.

The young man seemed determined to win her over, and she was very curious as to why.

She didn't believe in like or dislike for no reason, she didn't feel that Eric was after her body either. Of all those beautiful girls that had attended the party earlier and were so much prettier than her, none of them had stayed.

Eventually, Julia couldn't help but ask: "Eric, why me?"

Eric put down the photograph, stood up, and grabbed the girl's waist with one hand as he used his other to trace the contours of her face with his thumb before stopping on her sexy lips.

At Eric's sudden gesture, Julia wanted to subconsciously protect her chest, but her mind went blank and she forgot to resist.

She looked up and was met with Eric's pair of assessing eyes as he rubbed her lower lip, making her tremble.

"Because I want to!"

His confident and overbearing voice sounded in her ears.

"Please… don't do this." Julia whispered in an attempt to resist, but as she was thrown into confusion by Eric's finger, it wasn't very effective.

A playful expression flashed past Eric's eyes as he held her face with both hands and forcibly took her lips.

"Um…" Julia's smothered protests were quickly silenced by Eric's hot kiss. Her body became flushed and her knees went soft making her lean against him to stay upright.

"Ahem…"

Suddenly hearing another person's voice, the two people were shocked and quickly separated.

Eric noticed the pudgy figure and said with dissatisfaction: "Vanessa? How come you're still here?"

Standing at the kitchen's doorway and holding a box of utensils, the chef said in a teasing tone: "Sorry, Eric, I didn't mean to bother you. I just wanted to ask if Julia needed a ride home as it's getting quite late."

"I do…" Julia had barely said anything that Eric interrupted: "It's fine, you go first, I will send her back."

Vanessa looked at Julia and pretended not to see Eric's dissatisfied expression as she meaningfully winked at the girl, twisted her large butt around, and left.

"There shouldn't be anymore interruption now, let's pick up where we left off." Eric looked at Julia and smiled.

With Vanessa's abrupt appearance, Julia completely regained her wits. She was stunned by her behavior, she had only just met the guy, and was already french kissing him? Worst of all, from beginning to end the other party had held a firm grasp on the entire situation.

Julia was 21 years old and still quite the innocent girl, so she couldn't help but be attracted to Eric's ways and momentarily forgot to resist, but she didn't want to be toyed with.

She took a few seconds to stop the heaving of her chest before mustering the coldest voice she could, and say: "Mr. Williams, don't you think you should apologize for your inappropriate behavior? You…"

"If you want me to apologize, Miss Roberts, I will. Now then, shall we continue?"

Listening to his insincere words, Julia was slightly irritated, she slapped back his outstretched paw and said: "Don't even think about it. It's a little late now, I want to go back, would you please… please send me home."

"Alright then, but before I do so, I have a proposal." Eric put away his smile and sternly said: "I thought about it, and I'm going to open an agency as soon as possible. I will then prepare generous terms for your contract and personally take charge of your future. I will make it so that there won't be any actress in Hollywood who doesn't look up to you, what do you think ?"

Wasn't this the same bullshit that all the scouts who were trying to lure in young fledglings used? Julia listened to Eric's self-righteous words, before crossing her hands in front of her chest and snorted: "And if I refuse?"

Eric didn't mind Julia's cold tone, he picked up a picture of a girl from the earlier pile, slowly turned it around in his hands and said in a low voice, as if muttering: "If you refuse then that's just regrettable. I will randomly select a girl from this stack of photographs, give her the stage name 'Julia Roberts'. Then, I'll arrange for her to star in a bunch of blockbusters, and turn her into a star with my own hands. She'll eventually receive paychecks of 20 million $, get to stand at Oscar's podium, and become a Hollywood legend on the same level as Audrey Hepburn and Vivian Leigh. As for you, the real Julia Roberts, perhaps you'll get a few good roles after Mystic Pizza, your last spark before nothingness. If you're lucky, before death catches up to you, you'll marry a third-rate Hollywood director, and might be able to occasionally receive unknown roles in small budget productions…"

Julia hadn't been reborn like Eric, she couldn't know about her past life's brilliant achievements. Plus she had nearly wasted a year and had lost her initial confidence. She involuntarily started to picture Eric's narration of her fate.

Although her beliefs had been shaken, Julia still stubbornly quipped: "Hearing you it's like you could easily make anyone into a superstar at the same level as Audrey Hepburn. Do you think you're Steven Spielberg or George Lucas?"

"Of course not, I'm not anyone else, I am me, Eric Williams." Eric said, pulled out another random picture from the pile, and looked at data on its back as he said: "Look, I feel that this 'Julia Roberts' is pretty good, don't you ?"

Julia involuntarily took the picture in her hands, the girl had similar features to her own, but was more beautiful, taller, had blond hair, blue eyes, and sultry lips.

Julia somewhat reluctantly looked at the information on the back; the girl was 19 years old, had graduated from the Lee Strasbourg Theater & Film Institute in Los Angeles, and had appeared in three movies as a supporting character. No matter how Julia looked at it, the girl seemed better in every way. A feeling of inferiority suddenly hit her like a wave.

Eric didn't give her any room to think and asked: "Now Julia, the heavens or the earth, which will you choose?"

Looking at Eric's smug expression, Julia wanted nothing more than to slap the picture on his face and walk out.

She soon got rid of the idea though. Even if she took Eric's fancy words to be full of air, when she thought of how the boy who played in Home Alone had turned into a global superstar, she hesitated.

Of all the people who tried to break into the Hollywood circle, who wasn't after either fame or money? Who did not wish to be envied by thousands and hailed by millions?

"Making me a star… can you guarantee it?" Julia tightly held the photograph in her hands. She was silent for a moment before looking up at Eric, and when she met his eyes, she hastily looked away.

A faint victorious smile hung at the corner of his lips as Eric took the girl in his embrace and said: "I can."

Taking the opportunity, he stole another kiss of her sexy lips again.

Having made her decision, Julia gave up all resistance, letting the man willfully stroke her tongue with his.

A minute later, Eric was no longer satisfied with simple kissing. He pulled out the hem of the top that was tucked in her jeans and pulled it off her. Then, he pulled his face away from her and slightly pressed down on her shoulder.

Julia understood what the man wanted and her face flushed. She looked at him with pleading eyes but the hateful guy just smiled and kept pressing his hand on her shoulder, until she finally obediently knelt down.

In the darkness of the night, an innocent little lamb thoroughly experienced the pleasures of the flesh for the first time.