Chapter 41: No More Collisions

[Chapter 41: No More Collisions]

After six in the evening, the crew members of Home Alone gradually arrived at Eric's house. By the time the sun had fully set, Eric returned to the living room after a brief discussion in the kitchen with the chef, Vanessa. He looked around in surprise to find not only the cast from Home Alone but also about ten beautiful girls in colorful gowns.

"Jeffrey, what's with all these girls?" Eric asked curiously when he found Jeffrey Hansen.

Jeffrey chuckled and replied, "It's Nicole and the others. After finishing Home Alone, they landed another gig for a campus comedy, and those girls are from that project. I don't know how, but somehow they caught wind that the director of Home Alone was throwing a party, so they came along with Nicole. I suppose I don't need to explain why."

Eric laughed; it was clear those girls were there for him. But he didn't mind; the Home Alone crew had only two or three women, and the rest were all men. A party full of old boys would definitely be a drag.

...

He walked to the center of the living room and clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Everyone, may I have your attention for a moment?"

The chatter in the room quickly faded as all eyes turned to Eric.

"First of all, I hope everyone has a wonderful evening. Tonight's party is a celebration of Home Alone's success, and this success does not belong to me alone. Without your help, I could never have completed the filming of Home Alone in such a short time. So, once again, thank you all."

As Eric spoke, he gave a slight bow, and the guests responded by applauding.

Eric gestured for silence and continued, "Of course, mere words of gratitude aren't enough. Home Alone has achieved such stunning box office success thanks to each one of your efforts. So, I've prepared a bonus for everyone, and I hope we'll have a chance to collaborate again."

After saying this, Eric took out a stack of envelopes filled with checks and, alongside Jeffrey Hansen, distributed them to the guests. He had already written the names on the envelopes, so there was no chance of any mix-up.

The amounts on the checks ranged from $200,000 to $500,000, depending on each person's position. Although that seemed insignificant relative to Home Alone's box office, it represented several years' worth of pay for these crew members. After all, they had only been scraping by in the low-budget independent film scene, where annual earnings only reached a few thousand dollars.

Naturally, Eric didn't forget the other actors who participated in Home Alone. Their bonuses would undoubtedly be more significant, so Eric planned to pay out after receiving his share from Columbia.

Some might wonder why, now that the film was complete and all accounts settled, he would distribute such large sums after the movie had made a fortune. But every circle has its own rules, and those who broke the rules would find it hard to get by. Rewarding participants after a movie's success was just one of the industry's conventions.

In his past life, James Cameron had openly declared he would forfeit any entitled proceeds due to budget overruns on Titanic, yet when the film broke box office records, Fox still awarded him a huge cut, even after their relationship had sunk to such lows that they pushed each other to the brink.

...

After handing out the checks, Eric declared the party officially opened and then led Jeffrey Hansen upstairs.

"Jeffrey, this is for you. Enough to buy back Firefly," Eric said as they reached the balcony of his bedroom on the second floor, handing Jeffrey an envelope containing a check worth three million dollars. Eric felt no regret; without Jeffrey Hansen's experience as a producer, Home Alone wouldn't have come together so smoothly.

Jeffrey took the envelope, stroked it for a moment, and then immediately handed it back to Eric without hesitation.

"Hmm?" Eric looked puzzled at Jeffrey's action.

"Eric, I thought about it. Even if I bought back Firefly, without Selina, I still couldn't grow it. So... I have a request."

Eric chuckled, "Jeffrey, do we really need to use the term 'request' between us? Just speak your mind."

"Eric, you said you would start a film company. Can I work at your film company? You know, I'm not great at directing, but I do have some experience as a producer."

Eric raised his eyebrows in surprise; he had also considered this idea before, even thinking about fully taking over the crew that his wife had left behind. However, he sensed Jeffrey's strong attachment to the Firefly film company they founded together, coupled with his newfound confidence in launching a new crew after the success of Home Alone. So he hadn't pursued the idea of stealing him away.

Now that Jeffrey had brought it up, Eric couldn't turn him down.

"Jeffrey, honestly, I once thought about having you at my film company; I just felt you'd be reluctant to leave Firefly, so I hesitated to bring it up."

Hearing Eric's words, Jeffrey didn't relax; rather, he looked somewhat anxious. "Eric, actually, that's not my main request. I hope... I hope your new film company can also be called Firefly. After all, the original Firefly no longer exists. I know this might be a bit much to ask, but... I can work for you as a producer without taking a single dollar in profit, just a salary would be fine. I hope you'll consider it..."

Eric finally understood that Jeffrey's feelings about the Firefly film company he established with his wife hadn't faded; instead, he wanted to continue that legacy through Eric.

Feeling touched by this, Eric quickly made up his mind. He wasn't too concerned about the name of the film company. Initially, he had thought of just calling it Williams Film Company, similar to Disney, Warner, and Fox.

Now, having a name that was both pleasant and filled with emotional significance seemed right.

"Jeffrey, it's settled then. The new company will be called Firefly Film Company. I actually quite like the sound of it."

Jeffrey slightly raised his hand, seemingly still trying to think of how to convince Eric, yet paused when he heard the words. "Eric, did you just say... No, I couldn't have heard that right?"

"Of course, I agreed."

"Wow... Thank you so much, Eric. I will definitely work hard for you, I..." Jeffrey didn't know how to express his gratitude, so he opened his arms and tightly hugged Eric.

When Jeffrey finally let go, Eric handed the check-filled envelope back to him. "Alright, Jeffrey, it's just a name. If you'd brought it up sooner, I would've agreed right away. Now, take this; you've earned it."

Jeffrey started to decline again, but Eric stuffed the envelope into his suit pocket. "Jeffrey, even though there's quite an age gap between us, we're still good friends, right? So, regarding the film company name, it was just a request between friends. But this? This is your rightful reward for your hard work. Forget about all that nonsense of not taking shares; I expect you to wholeheartedly help me create the next miracle."

Ultimately, Jeffrey accepted the check, persuaded by Eric. The two discussed the establishment of the film company and the preparation for Eric's next movie, then returned downstairs to the party. Upon announcing the formation of the new Firefly Film Company, the originally distracted crew members erupted in excitement.

After sneaking a glance at the amounts Eric had provided, the team that Jeffrey's late wife had built began to stir uneasily. They knew of Jeffrey's wish to buy back Firefly, and many were torn between sticking with him in the independent film circle or aligning with Eric.

With Eric and Jeffrey's mutually beneficial decision, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and the party atmosphere grew even more festive.

...

After sharing a few laughs with photographer Nicole Frank, Eric was holding a wine glass and turning around when a girl in a red high-slit gown seemed to trip over something, about to crash right into him.

"Stop--" Eric quickly called out with a wry smile, lifting his left hand in front of him to halt the girl's advance.

The girl, with beautifully styled golden hair and a pointed face, instinctively stopped mere inches from Eric. Holding her wine glass, she awkwardly waved her hand, spilling a little wine and revealing an embarrassed expression as if she'd been caught.

"Miss, if you want to flirt, just say hello to me directly. No more collisions; I've already changed outfits twice, and if it keeps happening, I might just have to show up shirtless, which I'm sure you wouldn't care to see."

The formerly awkward girl laughed at Eric's somewhat teasing words. "Mr. Williams, you sure know how to joke!"

"Of course! I specially practiced to catch the attention of beautiful girls," Eric joked. "So, this lovely lady..."

"You can call me Lucine, Mr. Williams."

"Lucine, what a lovely name. Why don't we chat over there?" Eric said, pointing to a nearby open space. He wisely chose a temporary companion to evade the seething attention from eager girls in the party.

He internally sighed, wishing Aniston were there; with her, he wouldn't be mired in such troubles. He couldn't help but wonder what that stubborn girl was up to at that moment in New York. According to the time difference between the East and West coasts, it was probably already past midnight there.

*****

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