I am Hollywood

Chapter 888: Chapter 890: No Room for Error

Chapter 886: Chapter 888: How Many Bond Girls Are There Really?

Chapter 884: Chapter 886: I Can Fight Back Too



[Chapter 886: I Can Fight Back Too]

[T/N: There is no chapter 885. I think the novel had wrong numbering and later continued like that.]

Before long, Peter Rich and the manager of HarperCollins' UK branch dropped off four large boxes of manuscripts.

Eric had a brief chat with the two of them before sending them on their way. The girl circled around the four boxes and pulled out a simply bound manuscript from one of the cartons. "Eric, this must be at least a hundred copies. Are you really planning to read them all?"

Eric shook the folder that the HarperCollins manager had left behind. "How could I possibly have that much time? This is just their compilation of story summaries. I'll check to see if anything interests me, and then I'll read the full manuscripts."

"Oh, I'll take a look too! Maybe there's something I'm interested in," the girl said, getting up and moving closer, completely forgetting to put the manuscript back.

Eric instructed the twins to carry the boxes upstairs to his study. As the girl came over to snatch the folder from his hands, he let it go but caught the manuscript she handed him. Casting a casual glance at its cover, he suddenly wore a look of surprise mixed with a hint of amusement.

The cover of the manuscript clearly displayed two words: Harry Potter. Although it differed slightly from the title of the first book in the series, the signature of J.K. Rowling at the bottom was unmistakable.

In that instant, Eric felt a surge of excitement and nearly pulled the girl's small hand to kiss it, thinking of dragging her into a game to open some chests.

He watched as the girl settled onto the couch with the folder, eagerly flipping through the contents. Eric also went to his seat, opening the manuscript in his hands to read intently. By noon, he had read through the manuscript but was still feeling the exhaustion of flying for ten hours. The girl was already asleep, her head resting on his lap.

Eric hadn't read the original Harry Potter series in his past life, but he had seen the movies.

From his perspective, the manuscript resembled a compilation of what had been the first two volumes, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Since movies could never fully capture a novel's storyline, Eric couldn't discern any differences in the narrative compared to his previous experience. Nevertheless, what he cared about most was obtaining the film adaptation rights. As long as the novel wasn't shelved, pushing it back onto its rightful track would be simple for him.

The twins brought lunch, and Eric handed one of the manuscripts to one of them for safekeeping. He gently patted the sleeping girl. Once she was asleep, she was very reluctant to wake up, groaning and wrapping her little arms around him. After a bit of fussing, he managed to carry her to the dining room, where she drowsily had a little something to eat before dragging Eric off to rest again.

Eric spent the entire morning reading the Harry Potter manuscript. After lunch, feeling somewhat weary, he decided he could delay the copyright matters for a few days since he would be staying in England. He told the twins a few things and took the girl to the bedroom.

...

At four o'clock, Eric and the girl woke up and started preparing for the evening's premiere. Barbara Broccoli came over in person to discuss some details about the event. Although their residence was quite close to the Royal Albert Hall, the crew had arranged for a stretch limousine.

The premiere red carpet ceremony was set to begin at six. According to the plans, Eric and the girl left their place on Garden Street at six-thirty. It took them less than five minutes to reach the crowded premiere site.

Since it was mid-summer, the sky was still not completely dark. The lengthy red carpet leading to the entrance of the music hall was packed with fans and reporters on either side. The limousine carrying Eric and Drew stopped at the end of the red carpet. As soon as they stepped out, the crowd erupted into wild screams.

Walking hand in hand with the girl, Eric could hear girls from the crowd yelling for the girl to move aside. He leaned closer to her and asked, "Are you feeling pressured?"

Drew shook her head with a smile and said, "Not at all! I am just loving the sound of their envy and jealousy."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Seeing the two of them whispering on the red carpet fueled the cheers and screams even more. The security personnel on guard had to be vigilant to prevent anyone from rushing onto the red carpet.

After walking for about ten meters, they had passed by most casual fans and now found more reporters on either side. A few die-hard fans held up various posters, calling out Eric's name as he and the girl approached, hoping to get autographs. Perhaps because the crowd was a bit thinner here, they weren't as frenzied as before.

The two posed for some photos together, letting the reporters capture the moment. Afterward, Drew gently nudged Eric and said, "Eric, I need to take more pictures. Why don't you go sign some autographs for them?"

Eric nodded, smiling as he noticed a few fans on the left frantically waving their posters. He walked over, took a pen from one of them, and signed quickly, even posing for a few pictures before moving along the edge of the red carpet, signing as he went. After moving about five or six meters, he had just finished signing for two girls who were blushing from excitement when out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a rather peculiar woman amongst the crowd.

While other fans were all excitedly waving their posters, this woman stood off to the side empty-handed, wearing a black long-sleeved shirt and white casual pants. With blonde hair and light makeup, her age was hard to gauge -- maybe in her thirties, or perhaps her forties. She had two bodyguards with her, who were trying to keep the surrounding fans away, making her presence all the more striking.

Noticing Eric looking over, the woman's gaze, which had been fixed on him in a sort of daze, suddenly showed signs of panic. Her eyes flickered as if she wanted to look away, yet there was a lingering reluctance.

After quickly signing a poster handed to him by another fan, Eric moved forward and was now standing right in front of the woman. He felt a strange familiarity but couldn't quite recall where he had seen her before. Their eyes met, and she instinctively raised her hand, resting it on the railing, only to quickly lower it again. There was a glint in her eyes as she forced a smile in Eric's direction.

For some unknown reason, when their eyes locked, a peculiar emotion stirred within Eric. He raised the pen in his hand with a smile and said, "Ma'am, would you like an autograph?"

The woman hesitated for a moment before nodding. Her hand went into her pocket, rummaging around until she produced a ten-pound note. Her voice was low, and Eric could only make out a rough idea from her lips as she said, "Then, sign here, please."

Eric chuckled lightly. Seeing how the woman cradled the bill in her palm, he reached out to grasp her hand gently and quickly signed her bill with a string of letters.

After signing, he continued on his path.

...

The woman stared at the ten-pound note in her hand for a moment before telling one of her bodyguards, "Mark, let's go."

"Of course, miss."

Mark nodded promptly and, along with another bodyguard, helped her push through the crowd. They shielded her as they made their way to the parking lot. Mark opened the car door for her before hopping into the driver's seat and starting the engine. Through the rearview mirror, he studied the woman he hadn't seen in over twenty years. Twenty-five years, or was it twenty-six? Back then, he had been a naive young man, like many others, unable to resist developing a crush on her, though he was just like the rest, only daring to steal a few glances. Now, all these years later, his daughter was on the verge of marrying, and his hair was tinged with gray, while the lady appeared just as timeless, as if time had frozen for her.

With a tinge of nostalgia, Mark kept the car at a steady pace, steering onto the highway. After hesitating for a moment, he gathered his thoughts and said, "Miss, I heard Williams is quite fond of Miss Caroline. I met him once, a fine young man. But my lady said they might not be together. Williams seems... not very devoted."

The woman didn't respond, keeping her eyes fixed outside the window until she suddenly asked, "My brother should know I've returned, right?"

Mark's expression turned awkward at that, but he nodded. "I... I'm sorry, miss. I think I

should notify the master."

"Then take me back."

Mark thought he misheard. "Huh?"

"I said, I want to go back and take a look."

"Oh, of course." Finally realizing he hadn't misheard, Mark nodded. "We'll head back now.

The master and mistress will be pleased to see you."

"Hmm, let's hope he doesn't try to kick me out."

Mark quickly shook his head. "No, he definitely wouldn't! The master has always cared for

you, even years later."

"You wouldn't understand," the woman replied, shaking her head. Then, she suddenly smiled

and said, "But if he tries to hit me, I will fight back."

Mark was momentarily taken aback, recovering only to shake his head. "No, that won't

happen. Not at all..."

...

Once past the red carpet area, the girl noticed Eric's unusual expression and asked, "Eric, what

are you thinking about?"

Eric shook his head. "I don't know. I just feel like I met someone familiar back there."

Drew chimed in, "Was it that woman in the black shirt?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"Hehe, it's rare to see a woman in a black shirt. Pretty striking, and I even noticed you

touching her hand. Want me to inquire about her?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

Eric shook his head and took the girl with him into the music hall. They signed the wall for

autographs and posed for some pictures with reporters inside. As Michael Wilson personally escorted Prince Charles toward them, Eric brushed aside his earlier encounter and focused on welcoming the guests who had come for the event.

The main cast of Casino Royale, apart from the Charlie's Angels trio and one other male co-star who stayed behind in the U.S. for promotions, were all present in London. In addition to a host of British stars, even Sean Connery, the first actor to portray 007, made it to the premiere. The

venue was illuminated with the glow of so many celebrities.

...

At seven o'clock, the five hundred invited guests settled into their seats in the hall. The lights dimmed, and the film officially began.

The opening started with an assassination scene, following the events of the previous film, GoldenEye. 006 had defected, and Bond was sent to hunt down the MI6 traitor. Briefly contemplating his long-time colleague's betrayal, Bond felt disheartened. Plus, with the Soviet Union's collapse, MI6's role in the British government was diminished, prompting Bond to apply for retirement.

M refused to let her top agent go and instead sent Bond on a holiday to the Bahamas.

...

In the hall, after the opening, when the iconic o07 title sequence appeared, Frank Lipton from The Times couldn't help but nod slightly.

Such a simple beginning allowed him to keenly sense that Eric had abandoned the independent style previously associated with the 007 series. Instead, he had started to connect the series stories together, which from MGM's rising popularity in the spy film universe, was undoubtedly a wise change. The continuity from past installments meant that the audience didn't have to accept a brand-new story each time, thus maintaining part of the box office allure of the earlier films.

However, Frank Lipton also knew that changes in mere plot details wouldn't be sufficient. Considering that MGM had claimed this was the first film in the spy universe that achieved complete narrative crossover, he couldn't help but worry that intertwining elements from multiple spy franchises might inevitably lead to scattered plotlines in the movie. Although the 007 series had faced such shortcomings in previous installments, if this occurred under

Williams' direction, it would surely be a disappointment.

...

The introduction ended swiftly, showing a private jet landing at the Bahama Islands airport. A

sharply dressed Bond stepped off the plane, driving along the Bahama coastal road, settling into a hotel. His habitual charm kicked in, as he not only smoothly won over Teri Hatcher's character, but he also won an Aston Martin sports car from her husband at the blackjack table. The plot then branched off as Caterina's husband, Alex, turned out to be a middleman in a gray market transaction. While Bond was entangled with Caterina, Alex met the main antagonist, Chiffre, on a yacht. Chiffre, an asset manager in the Spectre, had just been entrusted with managing a hundred million dollars from an African warlord. While inquiring about the newly developed wide-body aircraft from Skyfleet, Chiffre hatched a plan to sabotage their test flight and short the company's stock with the money he just acquired.

Being paranoid by nature, after Alex introduced a bomb expert to sabotage the aircraft's

testing, Chiffre, trusting no one, ordered his men to keep an eye on Alex. By coincidence, they spotted Bond's presence. Thanks to the Spectre's vast intelligence network, Bond's true identity quickly came to light in front of Chiffre. Fearing he had fallen into an MI6 trap, Chiffre gave the order for a cleanup, leading to Alex and Caterina being swiftly assassinated. The sudden tragic death of his temporary companion enraged Bond and set him on a path to

investigate the unfolding events.

*****

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