Chapter 330: Not Planning to Reason

[Chapter 330: Not Planning to Reason]

"My fee, Eric, is twenty bucks," Ivanka declared assertively, her little money-obsessed demeanor making everyone around chuckle.

Eric laughed too, reaching into his pocket and curiously asking, "Ivanka, what do you need money for?"

"I don't like Daddy anymore. I've decided that I won't use his money anymore. I want to be independent," Ivanka replied in her bright little voice.

Standing nearby, Donald Trump awkwardly rubbed his forehead, though a smile lingered on his face.

Eric glanced at Donald Trump, concealed the wallet he had just pulled out, and pressed on, "But you know your tuition and your meals and lodging are all paid for by your dad, right?"

"I checked. That's just something my dad is supposed to do as a father. But other than that, I don't want to spend his money anymore. You see, I bought this bunny plushie from cleaning my room," Ivanka maintained her serious tone, looking adorably earnest as her sparkling eyes fixated on Eric's wallet, as if afraid he wouldn't hold up his end of the bargain.

Eric looked down into his wallet, pulled out a one hundred dollar bill, and handed it to her. "Here, take it. The extra is a reward for your outstanding performance just now."

"Don't treat me like a little kid. Daddy did that too, and I won't take more than what's due -- twenty bucks is twenty bucks."

The crowd watching finally burst into laughter.

"Alright, alright," Eric chuckled, shaking his head as he rifled through his wallet, only to find a pile of one hundred dollar bills. "Ivanka, I don't have any change. What do you think I should do?"

While there had to be plenty of twenty-dollar bills in the surrounding area, Eric still displayed his wallet in front of Ivanka, wanting to play with the little girl a bit more.

Ivanka leaned over, inspecting Eric's wallet seriously, and was momentarily caught off guard. As Donald Trump's daughter, she had lived a life of comfort, usually having whatever she wanted bought for her, and thus had little experience dealing with money matters.

After her parents' sudden divorce, Ivanka had started to think about making money herself. Now facing such a 'complicated' issue, she instinctively looked to her father for help.

"I charge a consulting fee if you want my help, you know -- twenty bucks," Donald Trump said with a straight face in an official tone.

Ivanka glared at her father angrily and then looked back at Eric.

"Twenty bucks," Ivanka repeated, staring unblinkingly at Eric, clearly indicating that she wasn't planning to reason with him.

Eric saw the assistant director gesture towards him, signaling that the next shot was ready, so he couldn't continue teasing Ivanka. He shoved the one hundred dollar bill into her hand. "Here, take the hundred dollars. The remaining eighty is an advance on your future cameo roles -- just do four more cameos in my movies."

Displeased at the thought of having to return the money, Ivanka considered Eric's offer and tilted her little head. She realized it wasn't a bad idea, especially since Eric hadn't charged her 'consultation fees' like her annoying father had. She readily nodded, "No problem, but I can only do four cameos!"

"Of course," Eric nodded, looking at Ivanka's little expression, and unexpectedly thought of an old man who always appeared mysteriously in superhero movies. If a little girl with a plush toy kept showing up in his film, it would surely be interesting, wouldn't it?

...

Once filming resumed, Donald Trump discreetly took his daughter and left. Over the next few days, the exterior shots were almost finished, and Eric moved on to the most important indoor scenes.

The filming for Sam and Molly's apartment took place in a building in SoHo, Manhattan. Initially an old industrial area, SoHo had seen numerous factory apartments sit vacant due to the decline of manufacturing in New York. With cheap rents, many artists chasing dreams flocked there, renting out unused factories as studios. Over decades, SoHo had gradually become synonymous with contemporary art, its concept spreading worldwide.

In Ghost, Molly is an artist, making their living arrangement perfectly fitting for the film's characters.

One evening, after catching news about a plane crash on TV, Sam's pessimistic remarks caused Molly sleeplessness. Thus, the girl got up alone to work on ceramics, and a drowsy Sam noticed his love missing and followed her to Molly's studio.

This led to one of the most iconic scenes in Ghost.

"I want this scene to have a somewhat theatrical effect, especially with the lighting. It's divided into two parts. The first part is the throwing scene. Here, see, there's a light, but I don't need it to shine on camera. I just need a top light effect. As for the second part, I need high-contrast lighting," Eric explained as he walked around the room with the lighting technician, who nodded in understanding.

After giving instructions, Eric approached Nicolas Cage and Bridget Fonda, who had been chatting easily. Their evident chemistry was just what Eric needed. For a touching love story, if the leads didn't share sparks, unless both actors were exceptionally talented, it could end up disastrous for the film.

Despite Bridget Fonda's beauty, Eric refrained from intervening as before -- he needed the female lead to maintain that electric connection with the male lead.

In matters of film and women, Eric could separate importance clearly. In his mind, film always took precedence; it was his foundation in Hollywood. As long as he achieved enough in film, pursuing women would naturally follow.

Seeing Eric approach, the two who had been chatting instinctively prepared to stand.

"It's fine, sit down," Eric waved them off, pulling up a chair across from them. "What were you just talking about?"

They exchanged glances, and Bridget finally spoke up, "Nicolas mentioned that a famous British theater company is performing Hamlet on Broadway tomorrow night and asked if I wanted to go see it."

*****

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