Chapter 110: Chapter 110: She is Mine

Chapter 110: Chapter 110: She is Mine[Chapter 110: She is Mine]

In the audition room of Firefly Films, after a morning of auditions, there were indeed a few actresses who left a good impression, but none sparked an immediate interest in Eric. The selected actresses could only remain as backups; if no more suitable candidates emerged, he would conduct a third round of auditions for them.

Originally, the film did not belong to Hollywood, so there were no references regarding the actors. Eric could only draw upon his own imagination to make selections. Aside from the roles of Cruise, Hanks, and Joe Pesci, the character that mattered most to him was that of the girl next door. Therefore, he decided to start auditioning for this role after most of the main and supporting roles were confirmed, allowing him to make a deliberate choice.

This role attracted the most applicants during the open auditions. Even though the screen time was minimal, it was a lead role. As a result, several A-list actresses expressed interest, and some even agreed to perform for no pay, just to boost their visibility in this highly anticipated film.

Unfortunately, after reviewing the materials on a few of them, Eric turned them down, as none of them matched his vision. The current lineup of actors was already quite strong, and he didn't feel the need to compromise on the character's image for the sake of bringing in big

names.

He believed that the girl next door had to make a striking impression, so that in her brief appearance, she would leave a lasting mark on the audience. The actress from his past life had failed to achieve this; viewers remembered her for the warm bus encounter, but not her.

...

The afternoon auditions carried on without much excitement, though a few more names joined the backup list. After a busy day, Eric returned to his mansion in Beverly Hills. The spacious villa felt empty, and the television in the living room played the news program monotonously. After spending a bit of time in the kitchen preparing a simple dinner, he took it to the living room to enjoy slowly.

Eric did not like solitude; he had always been a social person in his past life. However, ever since arriving in this world, he oddly found solace in being alone. This state helped him to calm his heart, allowing him to reflect on many things and affirm that everything happening around him was not a dream but very real. That was why he had turned down Drew's suggestion of inviting a few servants last time. Perhaps there was also a primal territory instinct deep within his character.

While he was cleaning up after dinner, the phone rang in the living room. He picked it up, but on the other end, there was no immediate response from the caller; instead, he heard the giggles of several girls. He faintly caught Drew's voice among them and smiled, patiently waiting for a moment.

...

In the girls' dormitory, Drew was brimming with energy. Typical of a night owl, she wore her pajamas since she didn't have plans to go out that night. Upon learning she was calling Eric, her dormmates gathered curiously around her, intrigued by Drew's relationship with Eric.

After playfully shooing away her gossiping friends and locking the dorm room door, Drew returned to the phone: "Eric, it's me. I wanted to ask how Gwyneth Paltrow's audition went today."

Eric answered honestly, "It wasn't good, Drew. Did Gwyneth put you up to this?"

"Yeah," the girl on the other end remained unfazed by his assessment. "No wonder she rushed to call me right after her audition, wanting me to ask for another shot."

"I think another try would yield the same result, and her image doesn't fit the character's description at all. Otherwise, I could have given her another chance, but that role doesn't demand much acting skill. Drew, do you have a good relationship with Gwyneth? If so, I can keep an eye out for roles in my future films, though I won't promise anything for this one." "No, no, no, of course not," Drew quickly refused. "My relationship with her is pretty casual." Eric responded with curiosity, "Aren't you both Spielberg's goddaughters?"

"That's our only shared point," Drew's tone turned somewhat flat. "Gwyneth's dad is a movie producer, and her mom is a big star. She's lived a carefree life, seeing me only a few times when I used to visit the Godfather's house. Gwyneth acted like a princess, surrounded by little kids. I, on the other hand, was taken by my mom to film ads to help support the family when I was just a few months old. To be honest, Gwyneth looks down on me. If it weren't for needing my help this time, she'd never reach out."

Drew's ordinary remarks struck a chord, sounding somewhat bittersweet to Eric. Leaning against the sofa while holding the receiver, he sighed and advised, "Girl, things aren't the same as they used to be; you don't need to accommodate anyone anymore. You are a true princess now. Next time you encounter someone unpleasant, just roll your eyes at them. Don't worry; I'll have your back."

Drew giggled and hopped around on her bed, clutching the phone until the line almost got yanked out: "Eric, that's the sweetest thing I've heard. I love you."

||||

"Okay, okay, I know you don't love me; you don't need to throw that in my face." Drew chimed in again, "Has that girl role been chosen yet?"

"Not yet. There's still a day and a half until we go through all the auditionees again, and if we

still don't have a choice, we'll conduct a third round of auditions."

"Oh, well, if there's a third round, let's give Gwyneth another chance then."

Eric frowned, "Didn't I just say..."

Drew interrupted him with a cheeky grin, "I just want Gwyneth to owe me a favor. Although with her self-absorbed nature, I doubt she'll ever repay it, but I can still relish in feeling like a

creditor."

Eric chuckled, "Fine. If there's a third round, I'll let her know."

...

"Ms. Lopez, thank you for your audition; we'll get back to you as soon as we have results." After another round of standard responses, once the actress left, Eric put a red mark next to

her name again.

Nicole leaned over to look at the red mark Eric had drawn and lamented, "Eric, I thought she was pretty good, especially... especially..."

Eric shot Nicole a sideways glance, "You don't have a thing for rear ends, do you? Is that why you lit up upon seeing a woman like that?"

Laughter erupted in the audition room, and Nicole shot a playful glare around at her snickering colleagues, retorting, "I'm a photographer -- a professional at appreciating and capturing beauty!"

Roy, the assistant director who had been teased by Nicole just yesterday, seized the opportunity to make a quip: "Admiring butts is more like it! You wouldn't believe what happened that night at Brady's Bar. Nicole..."

"Roy, shut up; I'll kill you." Nicole rushed over to cover Royce's mouth, and they wrestled together until Nicole almost had him gasping for breath, at which point they were pulled apart by the others.

Eric smiled and clapped his hands, "Alright, let's hurry and bring in the next auditionee. The sooner we finish these auditions, the sooner we can prepare for the rest of our work."

After saying that, Eric flipped open the next actress's information. Before he could even look at her name, a girl walked in, accompanied by staff. Eric could clearly sense that all the men around him collectively inhaled sharply and lifted their gazes.

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That was Eric's first thought.

She is mine!

That was his second thought.

*****

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