I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1197: Which One?]

While Eric took the kids on vacation, the release of Gravity entered its third week. Compared to the second week, the box office for Gravity finally showed a relatively significant drop of 33% in its third week, bringing in an additional $92.87 million by December 9, quickly pushing its North American total to $377.56 million.

Though Firefly Group did not release detailed breakdowns, the media soon discovered that, of that $92.87 million in the third week, $23.96 million came from IMAX theaters. This indicated that the 100 IMAX theaters in North America had shown nearly full capacity for three consecutive weeks.

To put it into context, the box office from just those 100 IMAX theaters exceeded that of many films that played in over 2,000 screens. This impressive cash-generating ability made all the North American theater chains envious, leading them to consider entering the large-format cinema market.

The largest theater chain in North America, Regal Entertainment Group, even directly sent a high-priced acquisition offer to Firefly Group for their IMAX theaters, which was naturally declined without hesitation. Firefly Group had always struggled with a lack of its own theater resources, and now that they finally possessed a premium chain, the company wasn't about to let it go easily.

However, to prevent competition from emerging giant formats, Firefly Group didn't reject requests from other theater chains to purchase IMAX projection systems. Currently, the number of IMAX screens globally was still far from market saturation, so Firefly Group was not worried about other chains having IMAX screens creating competition.

Moreover, the increase in the number of IMAX screens not only expanded projection system revenue, but IMAX also profited from post-production conversions, camera rentals, and maintenance of system supplies.

...

After playing with the three little ones for over a week, Eric received a call from Joanna on December 11 from Martha's Vineyard, and hurriedly set off from the Bahama capital, Nassau, back to New York.

By evening, Eric arrived at the mansion on Martha's Vineyard, where Cindy had successfully given birth to a baby boy and was surrounded by women, looking a bit weak in bed. Seeing Eric, a slightly tired Cindy gently raised her arm to show the little one nestled in her bend.

Eric sat by the bed, took Cindy's hand, and looked closely at the little one before softly asking, "Is everything okay?"

Cindy nodded, "Uh-huh."

Kevin and Hawaii walked to their mothers, while Emma, not shy at all, curious about the baby leaned over the bed and sweetly asked, "Aunt Cindy, can I see the baby?"

With a smile, Cindy replied softly, "Of course."

Eric helped Emma climb onto the bed, and she moved closer to Cindy, gazing curiously at the baby boy. After a moment, she could not resist reaching out her hand. However, understanding, she just widened her big eyes and said, "Aunt Cindy, he's so cute."

"Oh, thank you."

"Does he have a name?" Emma immediately asked. "I've thought of lots of names for the baby over the past few days. But Dad says it's best if the baby's name comes from Mom."

Cindy glanced at Eric and said, "Not yet."

After talking for a while, Joanna sensed that both Eric and Cindy wanted some alone time. She came over, called Emma to get down from the bed, and leaned closer to Eric, whispering, "Eric, everything here is fine now. Vicky and I are heading back to Long Island."

Eric nodded. As soon as he entered, he realized the room was left with only Joanna and Virginia, as the others had long vanished. Linda was also absent; Eric found out through a call a few days prior that she recently got a new endorsement and needed to fly to Paris.

Although the women didn't mention it, they were still somewhat affected by Cindy having a baby.

...

After seeing the women and children off at the door and instructing the twins to personally fly them back to East Hampton, Eric returned to Cindy's side. Cindy's assistant, Catherine Neumann, had already taken the nurses and babysitters out of the room.

With everyone else gone, Cindy handed the baby to Eric, who quickly and carefully cradled him, looking at the little one still with closed eyes and asking, "Have you thought of a name?"

Cindy opened her mouth as if to say something but then hesitated, asking him back, "What about you?"

Eric chuckled, "You know I'm not very good at naming things. Elia might end up resenting me when she grows up."

"Elia's name sounds nice," Cindy remarked, pausing before adding quietly, "Do you think it could be the same as yours? Eric, Little Eric Williams."

"I just feel like a kid named after their father might not amount to much when they grow up," Eric laughed, honestly looking at her. 

Cindy, deep down, didn't have high hopes either. Hearing this, she softly replied, "Then forget it. I wouldn't want that either."

The atmosphere fell quiet for a moment.

Eric understood that without marriage, the women were concerned about the identities of the little ones.

Kevin and Hawaii had only been exposed earlier in the year due to some antics by Paramount. Despite outwardly disapproving of Paramount's actions, Eric knew that Virginia and Joanna were inwardly pleased about it.

Thinking this through, Eric quickly made a decision, looking at Cindy, who showed visible disappointment, and said, "How about we contact a magazine soon and take a cover photo together?"

Cindy's previously disappointed expression brightened. She didn't want her child to be like Kevin and Hawaii, only recognized by the public years later. If she could gain Eric's public acknowledgment, then names wouldn't matter at all.

However, after a moment's hesitation, she asked, "But would that be too much hassle?"

"The first batch of bodyguards that Robert trained will be ready for use next year. I'll get you a few more, and they'll definitely be female," Eric reassured her. Noticing Cindy rolling her eyes lightly, he continued with a smile, "As long as you and the baby are safe, everything else is secondary. By the way, have you informed your family about this?"

"My parents will be over tomorrow, along with Chris and Dani," Cindy said, casting a sideways glance at Eric. "Mom's excited to see her grandbaby, but if Dad tries to hit you, I won't stop him."

Eric laughed, "I promise not to hit back."

Cindy reached over and took the little one back, stating, "Let's name him Peter then, but I'd like to add my surname -- Peter Crawford Williams."

"Sounds good," Eric nodded before adding, "I thought you might pick a more unique name."

Cindy asked curiously, "Why would you say that?"

"Just a feeling," Eric shrugged nonchalantly.

Cindy didn't think too much of it and refocused on her son, saying, "Our little guy will certainly be amazing when he grows up, so a simple name will be fine."

Eric simply nodded in agreement.

Cindy brushed her fingers through Peter's soft golden hair and looked up, saying, "Eric, we don't even need to contact a magazine. We can announce it right now through my Facebook."

Unlike Google, which maintained low-key expansion, Yahoo had begun aggressively promoting its revamped social media tool, Facebook, starting in September. This effort captured two future leading internet brands ahead of time.

Over a few months, fueled by Yahoo's relentless promotion, Facebook had amassed over 80 million registered users globally, which was an impressive figure in the current internet environment.

While the Nasdaq index continued to decline, Yahoo's stock price remained steady around $100 billion, buoyed by Facebook's rapid user growth.

Cindy, a star user since the blog era, had even been invited to ring the bell at Yahoo's IPO ceremony the previous year. Although there were changes, Cindy was still one of the most followed supermodels on Facebook, boasting a fan base that rivaled many more mainstream pop stars.

Feeling Cindy's hopeful gaze, Eric nodded, "If you think that's not too informal, then it's absolutely fine."

After discussing a bit more, seeing Cindy was determined, Eric went to get a laptop and digital camera, calling Catherine Neumann for help, and soon they captured several group photos.

Before sending out the news, Eric made a few calls to some Yahoo executives, carefully briefing them. While he wasn't too concerned about public discourse, he wouldn't allow any negative online bullying or disappointing incidents for the newborn.

After hanging up, Cindy, with Catherine's assistance, selected a worthy photo to show Eric, saying, "Eric, how about this one?"

All the recently taken photos featured the three of them together, with Eric and Cindy cradling the baby in the center. Eric glanced, deeming it nice, and nodded in approval.

Cindy then had Catherine pass the laptop to Eric, stating, "My account is already logged in. You can post it."

Eric accepted the laptop, opened Cindy's Facebook page, skillfully loaded the photo, typed a line of text, and turned the screen to her, asking, "How does this look?"

Cindy glanced over, laughing, "If you write it like that, Emma might feel sad. It should be the fourth, not the third."

After pondering, Eric agreed. Although not his biological child, he had always treated Emma like a daughter. He made the adjustment, confirmed it was correct, and casually hit send.

...

Although it was still a while until the West Coast's office hours ended, dusk had already descended on the East Coast.

Many people, either finishing their last tasks of the day or preparing dinner, quickly heard the explosive news that spread like wildfire in just an hour.

"The fourth child of the Williams family has been born."

To mention, the news of Cindy's pregnancy wasn't much of a secret in their circle; it was almost a semi-public matter.

However, out of respect for Eric's power, the media mostly refrained from reporting, with only a few bold outlets hinting at it.

Now that Eric and Cindy suddenly took the initiative to announce the news, along with unreservedly sharing photos, the discussions quickly heated up.

After all, if it were just children of other celebrities, there might be some buzz, but ultimately they were just celebrities' children. Fans cared, offered congratulations, and magazines seized this chance for covers to boost sales -- things would eventually fade away.

But Eric Williams' child meant so much more.

Despite the Nasdaq crash dramatically reducing Eric's wealth from previous heights above $600 billion, due to the sustained aggressive expansion of the whole Firefly system and the remarkable operational performances of its subsidiaries, Eric's personal wealth still reached a staggering figure that everyone coveted.

Exactly how much? Prior to the birth announcement, the topic hadn't peaked in interest.

However, once news of the baby's arrival circulated, related statistics surfaced on various websites almost immediately.

Despite being briefly surpassed by a few other companies in the Firefly system mid-year, Firefly Group had consistently remained Eric's core asset. Without the continuous cash flow from Firefly Group, the entirety of the Firefly system wouldn't have reached its current scale.

Through stock buybacks in the latter half of the year, Eric ultimately regained 5.6% of Firefly Group shares, boosting his stake to 79.3%.

Additionally, following recent successful promotions of 3D and IMAX films led by Firefly Group, as well as the acquisition of Hasbro, industry valuations of Firefly Group surged to a new high, currently reaching $160 billion.

This alone added over $120 billion to Eric's personal fortune.

Although the Nasdaq crash diminished the value of many technology stocks he owned, Yahoo, in which he held over 78% of shares, had maintained a market value around $100 billion for the past six months, bringing Eric nearly another $80 billion in wealth.

Firefly Investments' 51% control of Nokia, now valued at $117 billion, and Cisco, which he held 26% of, though having dropped from its peak of $600 billion, still stood at $159.3 billion.

Therefore, the assets of just Firefly Group, Yahoo, Nokia, and Cisco brought Eric's wealth total to $300 billion.

Beyond that, thanks to the continued popularity of the Fireflyer player, the overall valuation of Firefly Electronics surpassed $50 billion. Plus, Eric's substantial holdings in Qualcomm, LTD, Sprint, Amazon, Apple, and other assets further increased his wealth by around $70 billion.

Combining everything, Eric's net worth still surpassed $370 billion.

While this marked a nearly 50% decline from the over $600 billion peak earlier in the year, and despite seeing his fortune listed at $315.5 billion on the Forbes Billionaires list at the start of the year, Eric's personal wealth had still increased by over $50 billion during the year.

This amount alone equaled the entire fortunes of several tycoons in the Forbes top ten.

Thus, with the birth of this little one, told through a series of headlines, he became an heir to tens of billions of wealth, a status that couldn't even simply be described as being born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.