I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1198: Those Flowers (Finale)]

By mid-December, the arrival of the new millennium was drawing near.

Despite the fears surrounding the Y2K bug, which even caused fluctuations in the Nasdaq tech market, much of the media and public attention was captured by Eric Williams, the young billionaire, especially with the announcement of the birth of the fourth child in the Williams family and the continuing box office success of Gravity.

From December 10 to December 16, during its fourth week in theaters, Gravity raked in $190 million globally, pushing its total box office to a staggering $850 million.

The impressive box office numbers led many media outlets to predict that Gravity would likely hit the $1 billion mark before December 20, marking the successive fourth film led by Eric Williams to achieve this feat. Moreover, the film's strong performance indicated it could challenge the box office record set by Titanic previously.

...

While the entire film industry was geared up for opportunities brought by 3D and IMAX, Eric remained at his estate on Martha's Vineyard during this busy time of year.

With the announcement of the baby's birth, the Martha's Vineyard estate was particularly lively. Cindy's parents and two sisters arrived in the following days. Although Eric preferred to keep Cindy and the baby from being overly disturbed, many executives, business partners, and friends visited under the guise of checking in on them.

The birth of a child was a joyous occasion, and Eric couldn't refuse too sternly; he just greeted everyone with a smile.

After a week of joy and commotion at the estate, things quieted down. Cindy's parents stayed for less than a week before heading back home. Apart from the title of marriage, the couple realized that there was truly nothing to pick apart regarding the man their daughter had chosen, though Cindy's sisters lingered under the pretense of keeping her company.

...

In the lead-up to Christmas, life gradually returned to a semblance of calm.

Even though global data reporting was delayed, on December 22, Gravity officially announced that it had surpassed the $1 billion mark in global box office receipts.

A celebratory banquet was, of course, in order.

When the Los Angeles team asked Eric about hosting the event in New York instead, since a majority of the crew resided in LA, Eric decided against causing a commute just for his convenience. He instructed them to arrange the celebration aboard the Firefly Group's yacht as usual and planned to return that day.

...

Christmas fell on a Saturday that year, and starting from December 20, the entire North America had already entered the holiday season.

After returning to Long Island, on Christmas Eve, Joanna and Virginia brought the children back to Martha's Vineyard, with Drew flying in from who knows where, adding even more feminine charm to the estate.

After a lively Christmas Eve, the first snow of the winter fell on December 26. The snow poured down all day, blanketing Martha's Vineyard in white and enhancing the New Year's spirit.

The snowfall finally lightened up by the 27th.

After breakfast, Virginia gathered a few women to shop in the island's small town for New Year's supplies. Eric relaxed on a bench beneath the villa's porch, quietly watching Drew, Emma, and Kevin play in the snow. Hawaii sat beside him, engrossed in a thick book, her tender young face focused.

Joanna approached, balancing a tray, and set it on a nearby table. She poured Eric a cup of hot cocoa, then sat down next to him, gently stroking their daughter's head while observing Eric's expression.

"You've always liked snowy days," she remarked softly.

"I just enjoy the feeling," Eric said, taking a sip from his cup and glancing up at the endless gray sky. He smiled and added, "I'm actually afraid of the cold."

Hawaii, feeling the warmth of her mother's touch, slightly tilted her head and, with rare candor, recited, "Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow."

The sudden recitation of the poem caught both Joanna and Eric off guard.

Joanna, and Eric were surprised, as he had been thinking of Robert Frost's poem at that very moment. Although the poem's essence didn't perfectly match the scene, the solitude of a lone house in the vastness of nature brought Eric unexpected comfort.

After a moment of silence, Joanna snapped back to reality, not at all perplexed by her daughter's words. Hawaii's talent had already amazed many, and with a gentle tone, Joanna asked, "So, sweetheart, is that a poem?"

The little girl didn't answer her mother but turned to her father with inquiring eyes, "Maybe Daddy knows?"

Joanna looked over in confusion.

Eric met his daughter's bright gaze, and after many years of personal growth, he felt unfazed by what would have once shocked him. With a smile, he calmly explained, "That's an old peom Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost. Such profound stuff is better left to you to explain to Mommy."

Hawaii blinked her pretty blue eyes a few times. After glancing at her mother, who smiled but appeared puzzled, she set the thick book down and jumped off the bench, pattering towards the villa in her little boots.

Joanna, baffled by the father-daughter interaction but not pursuing it further, picked up the book left behind, stroking it as she said, "I'm starting to worry more and more about what Hawaii will be like in the future. This book, well, I can't understand any of it, can you?"

Eric glanced at the book in Joanna's hands and felt a sudden clarity. He took the book, flipped through it, and said, "I don't understand either. I only know it discusses Bayesian theory. In fact, I especially researched it just to have some conversations with our clever daughter."

Joanna laughed and waited for Eric to continue.

Eric flipped through the pages, "In simpler terms, Bayesian theory is about deriving unknown conclusions from known conditions."

Curiously, Joanna asked, "What's the use of that?"

"Actually, we're always using this theory in our lives, but people just don't know it," Eric calmly explained. "A simple example: if someone has a fever, coughs, has a sore throat, and has a runny nose, you can generally conclude that they have a cold based on these symptoms."

Joanna nodded thoughtfully, her face lighting up with realization. She pointed to the thick book in Eric's hands and said, "But does it really require such a thick book to explain that?"

"Of course, what I just mentioned was just the surface understanding of Bayesian theory. As for its more complex applications, that's another story. Internet search engines and artificial intelligence all rely on that kind of knowledge."

As he spoke, Eric couldn't help but remember the poem Hawaii had just recited. Perhaps it could also relate to him.

Eric would never admit the fact that his exceptionally smart daughter might have glimpsed part of the truth. He thought as long as he didn't admit it, no one would be able to present any evidence.

Or.

At worst, he could always confess to his daughter that he was an alien one day. After all, if dad was an alien, then so could his darling girl be. To avoid the whole family being dragged off to a research institute, surely their adorable Hawaii would help keep that secret.

Of course, Joanna couldn't know Eric's thoughts. She transitioned the conversation, asking, "You're heading back to Los Angeles tomorrow; when will you return?"

The celebration for Gravity was scheduled for the next evening. For an ordinary person, traveling from the East Coast to the West Coast might be a hassle, but for Eric, it was just a matter of a few hours in the air.

"If nothing else comes up, the day after tomorrow. I definitely want to spend New Year's with everyone."

Just then, the kids playing in the yard probably got tired. Emma was the first to run over to Eric, holding a small snowball, followed closely by Kevin and Drew, who carefully protected the children, preventing them from falling.

Seeing the kids approaching, Joanna stood up, saying, "Go play with the kids. I'll check up front; Vicky should be back soon."

...

Eric nodded and watched Joanna leave. Emma ran up and proudly presented her little snowball, saying, "Daddy, Daddy, look at my snowman!"

"Very cute."

Eric smiled and took it from her, praising her, and when Kevin offered his little snowman too, he whispered compliments and began discussing names for their snowman with the two kids at his knees.

Drew came over, giggling, and sat beside Eric, listening to him and the little ones chat for quite a while without acknowledging her presence. Feeling a bit neglected, she hugged Eric's arm and pointed to the big snowman in the yard, mimicking Emma's excitement, "Daddy, Daddy, look at my big snowman!"

Eric, amused by her antics, playfully tapped her forehead. After all these years, he had grown accustomed to it; Drew made some little pouting sounds like a young girl and then leaned close to Eric again.

However, Emma, having heard Hawaii, looked puzzled and asked, "Auntie Drew, why do you call him Daddy?"

Drew giggled and pinched Emma's cheek, wearing an expression that said 'it's obvious', "If I'm not calling him Daddy, why would I call him Mommy?"

Emma tilted her head slightly.

Although it felt off, it strangely made sense.

Eric shot Drew a glare. To prevent her from skewing Emma's worldview further, he decided to send the two kids off and signaled for the twins to follow, then turned to Drew and said, "I haven't asked you yet, where have you been goofing off recently?"

"I was in New York," Drew tightened her grip on Eric's arm now that no one else was around and rested her head against his shoulder. "I went to see the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show; this year's was really impressive! The Dream Bra was stunning. But the songs, in German, French, and all, I couldn't understand them."

To fit the mood of the new millennium, the sixth Victoria's Secret show was again held on December 17, with the television broadcast scheduled for December 28, the next evening.

Compared to the earlier slow expansion of Victoria's Secret, under Emily's leadership, the brand was set to make significant strides in the global market.

To support the subsequent promotional plans, and with the millennium in mind, this year's show featured six themes, each accompanied by different languages, embodying a message of "we're all living together on this Earth village".

Although Eric had stepped back from organizing the fashion show, he had handpicked a song to be included back at the plan's inception.

It was a song he had once loved dearly, but so many years had passed. Initially, he thought he might have lost track of that song, but earlier this year, it had resurfaced in its related album.

Still, due to little Peter's birth, Eric had missed attending Victoria's Secret Fashion Show live in New York this year and wondered how it turned out.

Resting on Eric's shoulder, Drew sensed he had slipped back into a strange mood.

When Eric was in this kind of mood, he brought a feeling of distance for those around him. Drew didn't like the feeling, even feeling a bit unsettled. She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder and gently interrupted, "Eric, the other day when I was in Manhattan, I passed through Hell's Kitchen."

Being pulled from his sudden thoughts, Eric chuckled and responded in line with her tone, "Oh really?"

"I remembered a song you sang many years ago and then realized Hell's Kitchen is a district in Manhattan; I never paid attention before."

Eric's memories from long ago felt a bit fuzzy as he asked, "What song? I don't recall."

"How can you not remember? I can recall it perfectly! That night at your house in Beverly Hills, we talked so much."

Drew seemed slightly miffed. As she said this, she hummed softly, though the melody felt a bit scattered.

Eric listened, beginning to recall, then nodded, "I think I remember now."

Drew leaned forward slightly, looking at Eric and asked, "Can you sing it again for me?"

Eric felt as if the falling snow had picked up once more. He raised his hand to catch a snowflake landing on the porch, feeling its faint coolness, and shook his head with a smile, "It feels a bit strange. We're not old yet; why should we reminisce about the past?"

"I want to hear it," she insisted, an air of grievance creeping into her voice as she sighed self-pityingly, "Now that you have another child, you definitely won't pay as much attention to little Drew."

"Alright, alright, let me think."

With a laugh, Eric started rummaging through memories for some melodies.

He had thought after all these years he might have forgotten the whole song, but upon careful recollection, it came flooding back to him, and he began to softly hum.

♫

I saw your weeping eyes reflected in the window of a Boeing 727

You looked down at the city

Saw it slowly growing tiny

As the sunset turned hell's kitchen into heaven

You turned your face to me and I tucked your hair behind your ears

Said nothing can go wrong

So long as we are together

So long as we are

So long 

So long 

...

♫

Deep in his distant memories, the first time he heard that song was from a television show called Californication during its sixth season finale.

Tim Minchin, So long.

However, if one didn't watch the entire show, it was hard to truly appreciate the sense of yearning it evoked. Much like many stories, if someone only saw the beginning and the end, it often had no significance.

Beneath the porch, the humming came to a close. After what felt like ages, Drew softly said, "Eric."

"Hmm?"

"We'll always be together."

"Yeah!"

...

The next day, the weather in New York finally cleared up. Eric didn't fly to Los Angeles until 4:30 PM. Due to time differences, he arrived at Firefly Group around 6 PM West Coast time.

The celebration for Gravity began at 7 PM, but guests had already started arriving.

After discussing some business with Katzenberg in an office within the studio, as the celebration drew near, the two made their way to the banquet hall on board the yacht.

As a new week began, although The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring premiered, some of Gravity's screen resources were redistributed, the film continued dominating the box office with another $165 million, pushing its total earnings to $1.183 billion.

Meanwhile, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring's first-week box office also reached $98 million. Considering the film's nearly double running time compared to many others, which severely limited screening times, the $98 million opening weekend gross surprised everyone and hinted that Firefly Group had yet another blockbuster franchise in the making.

Of course, the series of twists and turns that had seen the Lord of the Rings franchise transfer from MGM to the Firefly Group inevitably sparked some media discussion. MGM's stock even took a hit recently, but that certainly didn't affect the strength of the Firefly system.

...

"So, you're quite bold, Eric," Jodie Foster said after some mingling in the yacht's banquet hall, catching Eric slightly off guard.

"So," emulating Jodie's tone, Eric smiled and replied, "What devilish deed have I done this time?"

Jodie shot him a sideways glance, her eyes sparkling with playful meaning. "I mean, the fourth child in the Williams family was born."

"Oh, that," Eric nodded nonchalantly. "I find your 'bold' appraisal interesting, as if you and 'Eric Williams' are somehow completely unrelated. That makes me a bit sad, thinking that."

Jodie rolled her eyes, "You certainly don't look sad at all."

With so many people watching, Eric didn't want to tease Jodie further and quickly shifted his tone, raising his champagne glass, "On a serious note, congratulations to you for being the lead in a billion-dollar film. Is that juice you have?"

Jodie raised her glass of orange juice, saying, "Clearly."

"Grab some champagne; tonight is not a night for juice."

Seeing Eric calling over a waiter, Jodie shook her head, but her voice suddenly stuttered, "I-I don't want to drink tonight."

Eric eyed Jodie curiously, a hint of understanding dawning on him. He nodded and said, "Okay, if you're not feeling well, why don't we head to the little restaurant upstairs and rest for a bit?"

But Jodie realized Eric misunderstood her intention; she rolled her eyes at him, her tone teasing, "You seem to be quite perceptive. But I'm a bit hungry; I would love to have something from your private restaurant."

As they spoke, they left the banquet hall and headed to the company's internal restaurant on the upper deck.

By this point in the evening, Eric's hunger had grown.

He ordered dinner for the two of them from Amy Adams, the waitress on duty, and suddenly remembered something; he had them turn on the wall-mounted TV in the restaurant and tune to ABC.

On the screen, the millennial Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was airing, catching a performance in between segments.

Eric pondered whether he might miss the song he had handpicked, when the scene changed, and the runway appeared again.

Under soft lighting, a plain-looking young man with black hair settled onto a small stage at the runway's start with a guitar, gently plucking the strings.

A distant yet familiar prelude began to play.

Accompanied by the angels in their fabulous floral-themed fashion, the young man softly started to sing.

...

♫

That laughter brings to mind my flowers of old,

Quietly blooming in every corner, for me, untold.

I once believed I'd stay forever by her side,

But now, we've drifted apart, lost in the tide.

♫

...

Eric watched the television screen, and memories flooded in. Those still by his side, those who had left, the memories retained, and the gradually forgotten. So many people, so many events that flashed like scenes from a movie across his mind, stirring endless emotions that soon faded into tranquility.

Perhaps all breathtaking moments would eventually transform into beautiful ordinariness.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed.

Eric picked it up to see it was from Caroline. He smiled at Jodie and stepped out onto the restaurant's balcony.

Once connected, the distinctive static of an international call accompanied Caroline's small voice. "Eric, I'm listening to a song now from the Victoria's Secret show. It's beautiful."

"How coincidental, I'm listening too."

Eric spoke softly, peeking back into the restaurant to share the moment of the song's light melodies with Caroline.

...

♫

They've been carried by the wind, scattered far and wide,

Some stories left untold, best forgotten with time.

The emotions once felt are now hard to discern,

And now, where wild grasses grow, no flowers return.

But still, I hold dear the seasons we shared —

Your spring, your autumn, your summer, so rare.

♫

...

After listening for a while, Eric returned the phone to his ear.

Caroline's voice came through again, tinged with a hint of yearning, "I suddenly miss you."

"Yeah," Eric nodded, "I miss you too."

There was a brief pause from the other end. Finally, Caroline spoke again, "Actually, Eric, I-I ran away from home again. I fought with Dad; he says he doesn't want me returning to America to work with you."

Eric felt a pang of concern and asked, "Where are you now, at Rachel's? Give me the phone; I'd like to speak with her."

Caroline's tone held a note of displeasure, "Eric, I'm not a kid anymore."

"Of course, and I'm sorry, Carly," Eric continued, "How about I talk to your dad?"

"Don't," Caroline said hesitantly before adding, "Eric, I just miss you. I know this is selfish, but I really want to see you."

Listening to the girl's quiet longing across the miles, Eric felt an overwhelming tenderness rise within him. Without hesitation, he replied, "Okay, I'll come over. Wait for me for eight hours, alright?"

"Okay," came the warm response on the line, followed by her adding, "Eric, I like you."

"I like you too."

"Then I'll wait for you."

"See you soon."

"Yeah, see... see you soon."

After hanging up, Eric returned to the restaurant. Just as he was about to explain to Jodie, she noticed his expression and waved her hand, saying, "I can eat alone; I can finish two servings tonight."

Gratefully, Eric nodded in appreciation and gently kissed Jodie's lips, hurrying towards the restaurant's exit.

Jodie watched him leave, momentarily lost in thought before refocusing on the TV screen.

The performance on the runway was nearing its end.

...

♫

La la la...

I think of her still,

La la la...

Is she blooming, beneath the sky so still?

La la la...

Go, go,

They've been carried by the wind, scattered far below.

♫

...

*****

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