Chapter 113: The Paparazzi Stunt
[Chapter 113: The Paparazzi Stunt]
Eric continued, "Then there was Sarah. I bought the tape just to catch a few more glimpses of that angelic girl, but unfortunately, I've lost it now. Oh, and I also really liked your recent film."
Seeing Eric's ambiguous smile as he mentioned the latest movie made Jennifer Connelly a bit bashful. That had been her first experience with edgier content, leading to a fair bit of criticism from conservative folks.
The cause was the box office flop that had left her without opportunities for quite some time. Jennifer even tried her luck in Japan, where she shot a few commercials and released two records, but none of it really helped her career. After returning to the States, she eventually relented to her agent's persuasion to star in that teen sex comedy in order to stay afloat in Hollywood.
With Eric's smooth talk easing her reservations, she gradually opened up, and they began chatting, their demeanor becoming increasingly intimate.
...
After dinner, the two strolled arm in arm back to the parking lot. Sitting in the Lamborghini again, she felt butterflies. Would he really take her home? What would she do then? Should she refuse him?
Perhaps, but...
She absently scratched her handbag, stealing quick glances at Eric as he started the car. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and she quickly looked away.
Eric chuckled and said, "How about we catch a movie first?"
Feeling like a death-row inmate who just received a stay of execution, Jennifer exaggeratedly nodded, suddenly realizing her reaction was a bit much and awkwardly laughed it off.
"You should smile more; I love seeing you smile," Eric remarked, igniting a sweet moment.
He drove them around Beverly Hills, eventually finding an upscale theater. After checking the schedule, he discovered that a film that had just premiered on Friday was screening, probably a promotional preview by the studio. He asked the ticket clerk, and as luck would have it, they still had tickets available, so he bought two.
"What is it?" Jennifer inquired, leaning over to peek at the ticket in Eric's hand. "I know! I know! It's the one starring Richard Gere; I saw it in the paper..."
She suddenly clamped her mouth shut mid-sentence.
Eric, smiling as he took her hand, prompted, "What else were you going to say?"
"Um, uh..."
"Come on, what were you going to say?"
"Your conflict with CAA and that Richard Gere has taken this movie instead of Pretty Woman..."
"Ha, what gossip magazine are you reading?" Eric scoffed lightly. "Looks like United Artists is pulling out all the stops for this film."
"But I think that paper had some valid points," she replied quietly.
"Oh, tell me about their analysis later; I'm pretty curious," he encouraged as they wandered together, grabbing sodas and popcorn before heading to the ticket counter. They completely missed the short, skinny white guy not far behind them, furiously clicking away with his camera. As they approached the theater, it seemed like he couldn't contain his excitement, his finger on the shutter becoming quite adept.
...
After Eric and Jennifer slipped through the ticket gate, the skinny guy, Vic, reluctantly lowered his camera. He had been working extra hours at a fashion magazine in Los Angeles, focusing on the fashion section, which meant he came across plenty of celebrities. So, when he stumbled upon valuable gossip, he didn't mind turning into a paparazzo for a quick buck.
His encounter with Eric and Jennifer Connelly was pure chance. He had spotted Eric's flashy purple Lamborghini while driving home. Being a fashion magazine editor and having seen the film, he recognized the car immediately. Knowing it wouldn't be on the market for months, he figured if he could snap a few shots and write an article, he'd make easy cash.
Due to the film's popularity, the Lamborghini had become one of the hottest sports cars globally, eclipsing even Ferrari in buzz.
Carefully tailing the eye-catching car, it finally stopped outside a movie theater. Vic planned to take pictures after the subjects exited but was a little disappointed to see that it was Eric Williams who stepped out first.
That didn't thrill Vic too much; everyone knew about Eric's impressive ad collaboration with Lamborghini from his last film, so he wouldn't find anything remarkable about Eric getting access to the car before its release.
If it had just been Eric getting out, Vic had even resolved to not mention Eric in his write-up and instead create an air of mystery about the car's owner; such an approach would tend to draw more readers. But once the spotlight turned to the relationship between the Lamborghini and Eric, readers would likely shrug it off as expected, losing their interest.
Then, from the passenger seat, a girl emerged, jolting Vic to attention. It wasn't the likely Drew Barrymore or the "Hollywood Cinderella" Julia Roberts, nor was it Eric's official girlfriend Jennifer Aniston. Instead, it was another stunning woman, Jennifer Connelly, someone Vic happened to recognize even though she wasn't a huge name in Hollywood.
Eric Williams's personal life had always intrigued paparazzi, but after he rose to fame, he stayed far from nightclubs and bars, avoiding any scandals that could be exploited. Even the rumored drama with Jennifer Aniston had blown over quickly. They soon reconciled, and the only time he had been spotted with another female in the spotlight was indeed with Aniston.
Because of that restraint, even as curiosity around his personal life grew, paparazzi found themselves in a tricky situation -- hungry for news but without a viable lead. Eventually, people stopped chasing Eric; there were just too many other celebs who generated better headlines.
So, that day's juicy scoop fell right into Vic's hands. By now, he had replaced the film in his camera, waiting patiently outside the theater, mulling over whether the angle of this story should focus on Eric and his new girlfriend Jennifer Connelly or the film itself, or perhaps split the gossip into two different stories?
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