I am Hollywood

Chapter 993: Chapter 995: Sudden Provocation

Chapter 991: Chapter 993: This Is What I Did

Chapter 989: Chapter 991: A Strong Start

Chapter 987: Chapter 989: June Schedule

Chapter 985: Chapter 987 I'm Not a Horse

Chapter 983: Chapter 985: Subtle Moves

Chapter 981: Chapter 983: Reunion

Chapter 979: Chapter 981: Silly Girl

Chapter 977: Chapter 979: Two Hundred Percent Likelihood

Chapter 975: Chapter 977: Opening Day Box Office

Chapter 973: Chapter 975: The Consequences Are Serious

Chapter 971: Chapter 973: Take a Gamble

Chapter 969: Chapter 971: Have You Thought About What You Want to Do Later?

Chapter 967: Chapter 969: Easter Movie Package

Chapter 965: Chapter 967: Surprise

Chapter 963: Chapter 965: Maybe I'll End Up Refusing to Leave

Chapter 961: Chapter 963: Developing the Easter Release Window

Chapter 959: Chapter 961: The Question of Who is Richer

Chapter 957: Chapter 959: The Grand Celebration

Chapter 955: Chapter 957: The Reaction

Chapter 953: Chapter 955: Explosive Growth

Chapter 951: Chapter 953: The Reason

Chapter 949: Chapter 951: You're the Boss

Chapter 947: Chapter 949: Female Lead Selection

Chapter 945: Chapter 947: Trouble

Chapter 943: Chapter 945: Eyes Made for Horror Films

Chapter 941: Chapter 943: Ambition

Chapter 939: Chapter 941: Unexpected Opening Day Box Office

Chapter 937: Chapter 939: A Frantic Start

Chapter 935: Chapter 937: Hungry



[Chapter 937: Hungry]

Eric arrived in New York in the afternoon. As soon as he stepped off the plane, he was greeted by Jeff Bezos himself, who whisked him away to the Morgan Stanley headquarters for a meeting about Amazon's IPO preparation.

Jeff was eager to gain additional backing from the Firefly Group before the IPO, ensuring that the process went off without a hitch. In Eric's mind, Amazon held a position within the Firefly Group second only to Yahoo. Although this IPO would temporarily reduce Firefly's stake in Amazon to 27%, Eric wasn't shy about offering extra support to Amazon, as he planned to acquire more shares later down the line.

...

The meeting continued until nightfall. After saying goodbye to Jeff and the others in the parking lot, Eric and Chris climbed into a black Mercedes. As they drove away, Chris leaned back in his seat and asked, "It's already a quarter past seven. Are you planning to eat first or head straight to Lexington Avenue?"

The fourth Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was still set to be hosted at the Lexington Avenue Armory, with the show beginning at eight o'clock. However, guests were already starting to trickle in.

"Let's have dinner first. We can't go there on an empty stomach," Eric said, instructing the driver to find a restaurant. That's when he realized Chris implied something else with his previous remark: "You mean you're not planning to go to Lexington Avenue?"

Chris shrugged helplessly, saying, "Emily said she's working late tonight and asked me to come home early to watch the kid."

"Ha, alright then," Eric chuckled, deciding not to tease Chris any further. He shifted the conversation, asking, "How are things on the Korean front?"

"The won's closing exchange rate fell to 1255:1 today, down 34% from its initial rate. The International Monetary Fund approved a $20 billion aid package for Korea two days ago. But just as this aid was granted, reports surfaced that Korea's foreign reserves to counter international funds have dipped below $10 billion. There's no way Korea can throw all of that $20 billion aid against these speculative funds; the chances of Korea holding its ground are quite slim," Chris said, becoming animated as he delved into the topic, sharing the numbers from his memory.

"Of course, that's not a guarantee. Korea should be the last stop of this Southeast Asian financial crisis; if it continues to spread, it could affect Europe and America. The EU and the federal government are already on high alert and won't let speculative funds run rampant any longer. If both the EU and the federal government increase their support for Korea, the won could stabilize. Some funds are starting to settle now. Eric, do you think we should pull back?"

At present, the won's decline was just 34%. If they settled now, Firefly's $1.1 billion short position would only yield about $70 million in profit. If they waited until the won fell by over 70%, Firefly's profit could exceed $400 million.

Trading currencies was akin to gambling. The $700 million principal originally raised with several partners had long been recouped along with interest. Although it was unclear if this won crisis would present unexpected developments, Eric was inclined to take the risk.

"Absolutely not! All the international speculative funds have targeted the won. It would be a miracle if Korea could hold on. Even if the won fails, those funds will likely just turn their sights on Russia; the potential blowback on Europe and America is minimal."

...

Chris had been barred by Emily from entering the runway show, so Eric didn't rush. The two took their time enjoying dinner, and by the time Eric arrived at the Lexington Avenue Armory, it was already past eight.

The show had commenced, and outside the Armory, throngs of media reporters who weren't granted access still waited. As Eric exited the car, thumping music greeted him, and he carefully steered clear of the crowd of journalists, making his way backstage.

Although the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show had lost some of its revenue-generating magic from its early days -- where just sales from videotapes eclipsed hundreds of millions -- the group's skyrocketing sales numbers meant that LTD still poured substantial resources into the show.

By late November, New York's nighttime temperatures had already dipped below freezing, yet the Armory was warm and comfortable.

Backstage remained a hive of activity. After greeting a few passing Victoria's Secret Angels and staff members, Eric took off his heavy coat, intending to find a seat up front to see the latest show. But Emily intercepted him.

"Eric, I was just looking for you," she said, quickly pulling a folder from the hands of her assistant, Ewa Pacula, and handing it to Eric. "Here, take a look. We need to record some executive remarks shortly, and I want you to say a few words."

Without waiting for Eric to respond, Emily turned and rushed away after whatever she heard in her earpiece.

Eric waved the folder in exasperation and asked Ewa, now working as Emily's assistant, "What's this about?"

"Just read it," she said dismissively, hurrying off to catch up with Emily.

...

As Eric opened the folder, he discovered it contained material for an upcoming Forbes magazine feature about the income rankings of supermodels. Forbes had never published something like this in the past, so it probably stemmed from Emily's initiative. It was another clever way to promote the Victoria's Secret brand.

As expected, Cindy Crawford commanded the top spot with an annual income of $20 million.

The past few years, America's Next Top Model had maintained peak viewership. In addition to the two seasons of the show each year, Cindy also produced international versions of it in countries like the UK, France, and Australia, significantly contributing to her income. Plus, she earned substantial endorsement fees from various fashion brands. Even without accounting for her tech stock investments, that $20 million a year figure felt absolutely accurate.

Linda Evangelista came in second place with an annual income of $15 million, primarily from her share of Project Runway and brand endorsements.

However, Claudia Schiffer ranked third with $12 million, catching Eric off guard. In recent years, Claudia had successfully transitioned into acting and could no longer be categorized strictly as a model. Including her on this list probably indicated that Emily didn't want the rankings to consist entirely of Victoria's Secret Angels. Eric felt this was unnecessary, given that the Victoria's Secret team was already the highest-earning group in the modeling world. Before Eric launched the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, the top models barely earned six figures annually. Yet the rise of Victoria's Secret Angels significantly increased their value. Critics might sneer at the show as being too flashy, but high-end brands still desired representatives with massive popularity. The Angel team undeniably garnered the highest recognition in the modeling sphere.

After Claudia Schiffer, the next seven supermodels on the top ten list all hailed from the Victoria's Secret squad, with six of them reaching annual incomes of $10 million. Even the last spot on the list earned $6 million -- a level of income that would have seemed impossible before the show was established.

...

Eric felt puzzled about why Emily would hand him this material, what she expected him to say about it. Just as he was flipping through the rankings, he heard a pair of footsteps approaching. Looking up, he saw the cherubic-faced Qusie Gauff jogging over. "Eric, good

evening!"

Eric nodded, taking in Qusie's pink angel costume, clearly part of the Victoria's Secret PINK theme. He asked, "How do you feel?"

Qusie's initially radiant expression morphed into a slight grimace as she sat next to him,

saying, "Hungry."

"Ha, then why don't you have a snack?" Eric asked, gesturing toward some treats on the makeup station, a customary sight at the Victoria's Secret show.

Without hesitation, Qusie grabbed a box of chocolate-covered candies. Still, she held back, simply popping one in her mouth while delighting in its taste, her eyes closing with satisfaction.

Eric couldn't help but laugh, saying, "Don't make it look like you're being tortured." After enjoying a chocolate, Qusie returned the box and said, "I haven't had a decent meal in two months and have to keep working out. I'm almost forgetting what chocolate even tastes

like."

Eric handed her the folder, saying, "Here, take a look; it might give you some motivation." Qusie accepted the folder, scanning the rankings. She blinked in envy, saying, "Wow, that's a lot. I'll probably never earn that much in my life."

"Of course you will! Just work hard for a few more years, and you'll catch up to them. But to earn more money, you can't avoid putting in some hard work."

"I know. I'm just afraid I won't be able to keep it up," Qusie admitted as she returned the folder to Eric, yet her spirit visibly brightened. "I heard you were here, so I just wanted to say hi before my turn to go on stage. Eric, are you going to watch from up front?"

Eric shook his head. "I prefer watching from backstage. It would be great if I could even get

into the changing rooms."

"Ha! Just go on in; no one will dare stop you," Qusie said, leaning forward and giving Eric a polite kiss on the cheek before standing up. "I'm heading over now. Eric, you'll definitely

come to the after-party, right?"

"Of course! We'll dance together then."

"Deal."

...

Just as Qusie dashed off to get ready, Eric was still focused on his folder. At that moment, the

theme segment ended, and Cindy, Linda, and a few others approached to greet him.

"Hey, Daddy! What are you hiding over here?" Linda came over, her first words almost

causing Eric to fall off his chair. Though she jokingly used the term "Daddy," her tone brimming with teasing energy.

Caught off guard, Eric frowned, leading to peals of laughter from Cindy and the other girls surrounding him. In an instant, the atmosphere buzzed with excitement, drawing the attention of the invited journalists who raised their cameras.

Eric raised the folder, almost playfully tapping the folder above Linda's head, causing her to instinctively guard her meticulously styled hair. He didn't go through with it and instead just waved the folder, saying, "I'm just checking if any of you earn more than I do in a day. Sadly,Nôv(el)B\\jnn

none of you do. So disappointing!"

"Really?" Linda asked, curiosity piqued as she grabbed the folder from Eric's hands, with

Cindy and the others leaning in to see.

"Wow, Cindy made $20 million?"

"I thought so! Emily asked me about these figures recently, so it must be for the ranking."

"Paulina, you ought to be higher up; I remember you just signed another endorsement deal

with Maybelline last month. It shouldn't just be $6 million."

"Right? How can Linda, who's so lazy, earn $15 million?"

"You're lazy!"

A crowd of beauties surrounded Linda, filled with excitement or disappointment as they

weighed in on the rankings. Remembering Eric's earlier comment, Linda asked, "Eric, how much did you say you earn in a day?"

With the face resembling Audrey Hepburn, Paulina Porizkova chimed in, "Linda, you shouldn't ask him that; it'll definitely be disheartening."

Sitting beside Eric was Helena Christensen, who added, "Yeah, I saw in a magazine that his

net worth has exceeded $100 billion! My goodness! If I had that much, I wouldn't even know

how to spend it."

"Don't worry; if you ever do have that much money, the rest of us can help you spend it," Stephanie Seymour chimed in with a cheerful smile. "Eric, we can help you too!"

Eric shook his head quickly, feigning the demeanor of a miser. "I absolutely won't be responsible for any daughter who's gotten married. Not a dime!"

Since Stephanie had just married her wealthy boyfriend after a long relationship, Eric's

statement sent everyone into another fit of laughter.

As they continued joking, Emily rushed over, giving Eric a sharp glare before addressing Linda

and the others, saying, "Ladies, don't forget what we're here for; go on and change your

outfits or touch up your makeup."

The girls clearly felt a bit intimidated by Emily and promptly scattered at her orders.

Once the crowd of beautiful girls dispersed, Emily didn't let Eric off easy. "Everyone is busy as

a bee, and here you are making trouble. If anything goes wrong, it'll be a big mess!"

Eric shrugged in resignation, "Can I say I'm innocent?" "Nope," Emily said, shaking her head. "Have you seen that folder?"

Eric nodded. "Pretty much. What exactly do you want me to say?"

*****

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