I am Hollywood

Chapter 39: A Waitress Named Julia



[Chapter 39: I've Wanted to Tame You for A Long Time]

It took over an hour for Eric to leave John Aniston's house. Reluctantly, he drove around Los Angeles International Airport, hoping to catch a glimpse of Aniston, but it seemed like she had already boarded her flight to New York.

Through his conversation with John Aniston, Eric learned about the pressure Jennifer had been feeling lately and realized he had underestimated her determination. Jennifer's personality mirrored what he remembered; in his past life, once Aniston discovered Brad's infidelity and saw no hope of reconciliation, she had moved on quickly and decisively with the divorce. Unlike some other women who tried to bleed their ex-husbands dry during a split, Jennifer didn't even bother demanding any alimony from Brad.

"Maybe I should just let her be for a while," he thought as he drove home, only to feel a headache coming on from the morning's debacle with Drew -- an explanation that would be tough to articulate now.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Despite this, Eric had no intention of giving up on Jennifer. She was the first woman he had feelings for since his rebirth. He would do whatever it took to win back that stubborn girl.

Upon arriving home, he found Drew sitting nervously on the living room couch, already dressed up and looking anxious. Eric scratched his head -- what was he supposed to do about this girl who had attached herself to him without any persuasion?

He knew he couldn't show her any kindness; otherwise, she would tear the roof off. So, with a stoic expression, he took a seat on another couch and picked up a newspaper, trying to read while pretending he was alone.

Drew remained silent, her expression tense, as if she didn't exist. This sort of quiet treatment was new to her and made her even more uneasy. Although she had wanted to win Eric back from Jennifer, she never imagined it would lead to such misunderstandings. Being a smart girl, she knew this tactic wouldn't help her claim him; it might even drive him away instead.

Even though the morning's incident had been unintentional, Drew recognized that the blame rested mainly on her shoulders. Eric's current demeanor clearly indicated he was upset with her.

Trying to break the awkward silence, Drew stood up and hurried to the kitchen to heat up the breakfast Jennifer had brought that morning. She returned with the plate, looking hopeful as she placed it in front of Eric.

Eric ignored her and continued reading his newspaper.

"Eric, Mr. Carlin Hunt from Fox called; he wants you to discuss contract matters," Drew said tentatively.

"Uh-huh..." Eric grunted in acknowledgment.

"Eric..." Drew took a few cautious steps closer to him.

With a loud rustle, Eric deliberately flipped the page of his newspaper, causing Drew to jump back, like a startled kitten, retreating hastily.

Noticing that Eric didn't react further, Drew inched closer again. When she was about a meter away, she knelt on the floor and crawled to his feet, delicately tugging at his pant legs. Her cheek brushed against his knee, and her voice trembled as she said, "Eric, I'm sorry. I... I didn't mean to. I can... I can explain to Jennifer."

Seeing the panic in Drew's tone, Eric sighed. He had intended to teach her a lesson, but at that moment, his heart softened. Just as he was about to speak, Drew lay down across the coffee table, raising her rounded backside. "Eric, why don't you just hit me? Just don't hate me, okay?"

Eric set down the newspaper and looked at Drew lying on the table. Her water-green dress hugged her well-developed figure, accentuating her slim waist which naturally curved down to her perfectly rounded backside. Her white little feet were bare, exuding an alluring charm from every angle.

Eric's breath quickened, and sensing the shift behind her, Drew, who was expecting Eric's punishment, turned her head. She caught Eric gazing at her with lustful eyes, and instinctively, she shifted her body, presenting a more enticing pose.

With a sharp crack, Eric finally couldn't hold back any longer and brought his hand down with force.

"You little minx, I've wanted to teach you a lesson for ages."

After disciplining the spirited girl, Eric couldn't help but soothe her as she rubbed her sore backside with a tear-streaked face. He escorted her out of his place before heading to the Fox headquarters in Century City with his lawyer, Edward Lewis.

...

Although he had initially agreed on terms with Barry Diller, they spent several more hours negotiating various details. It was only after three in the afternoon that they finalized the contract. As Eric left Fox headquarters, he not only took the contract but also a check for twenty-five million dollars.

"Jeffrey, can you reach out to Nicole and the others tonight? I'd like to throw a party at my place to celebrate. And I want everyone who worked on Home Alone to be invited... Great, let's do that," he said before hanging up the phone. He decided to stock up on supplies at the supermarket, then drove over to Jeff's Italian restaurant, hoping to enlist a chef for the party. As soon as he entered the busy restaurant, the ever-cheerful Jeff Jones spotted him and rushed over, joyfully wrapping Eric in a hug. "Hey, Eric! Long time no see! You've been making quite the splash recently. I saw both of your movies -- they were great!"

They exchanged laughs and took a seat at an open table. "Julia! Two coffees, please!" Jeff called out to a waitress as they settled in.

"Sure thing, Mr. Jones," a female voice replied from behind the counter.

"Julia?" Eric raised an eyebrow, curious since he had worked there for a few months and knew no one named Julia was on staff. It seemed Jeff had hired someone new after he left.

Turning to sneak a glance, Eric saw a tall woman with curly brown hair busy by the coffee machine, her back facing them.

Jeff followed Eric's gaze and smiled. "Julia is new since you left. She's an actress too -- she had a movie released in October."

"Acting must pay pretty well; why is she waitressing?" Eric asked, quite intrigued.

Jeff shrugged. "It's a tough life. Thousands of guys and gals come to L.A. chasing the Hollywood dream, and only a lucky few actually make it. That movie she's in was filmed last year, but it's only getting released now because it's an independent project. She's been living off this job for almost a year now."

Eric shrugged it off, knowing that independent films came at a dime a dozen in Hollywood. Many never even made it to video releases but got tucked away in storage instead.

Hearing about the struggles behind the scenes made Eric want to find those wealthy producers spending hundreds of millions on failed movies and cozy up to them, jokingly asking, "Would you like to be friends?"

"Jeff, and to this gentleman, here's your coffee," the waitress named Julia approached, carrying the cups.

"Thanks," Eric said as he reached out for a cup, accidentally glancing at her. The sudden look made Eric's hand tremble, causing hot coffee to spill all over him.

He gasped and bit back the pain, quickly setting the cup down and pulling out napkins to dab

at his burned skin.

"I'm so sorry... so sorry," Julia blurted out upon seeing his reddened skin and rushed to

apologize.

"Eric, wash that off with cold water in the back!" Jeff snapped, shooting Julia an annoyed

glance.

Eric nodded and headed to the kitchen, where other staff rushed over to see him, eager to help him. The girl stood awkwardly on the sidelines with a wet towel, worried about whether Jeff would reprimand her for the accident.

"I'm fine, really. Just get back to your work, or Jeff will be on my case," Eric said, keeping the

atmosphere casual.

Jeff pretended to be upset. "Eric, am I really that petty?"

Laughter broke out among the crowd, and everyone returned to their tasks.

As Eric followed Jeff back into the dining area and settled down, he noticed the girl had tagged

along, wearing a worried expression.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Williams. I didn't mean to -- really," she stammered, aware of him

through the others' calls.

"It's okay; it was my mistake too. What's your name?" he said, putting on a facade of being a

stranger even though he recognized her from her distinctive features.

"I'm Julia Roberts," she said brightly, surprising Eric.

*****

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