I am Hollywood

Chapter 563: Chapter 564: This is What Emily Taught Me



[Chapter 564: This is What Emily Taught Me]

Eric thought attending Emily's so-called fashion show would be an easy affair. However, the next day, when he discovered that Emily had come to the East Hampton estate again, taking things very seriously, he realized her plans were far more intricate than merely getting him to participate in a runway show.

The entire event was a marketing scheme planned by Emily, using Eric's presence at Brighton Apparel's new collection launch as a buzz. Emily sent invitations to several Hollywood celebrities. Because of Eric, the Hollywood mogul, many stars who normally had to consider their schedules for top brand fashion shows like Chanel and Givenchy agreed to attend.

Thanks to stellar media relations, within just a few days, the once-unknown Brighton Apparel brand caught fire in entertainment and fashion news, with many Hollywood stars set to attend. As New York Fashion Week kicked off, Brighton Apparel had already stolen half the spotlight.

Meanwhile, Emily and the Pacula sisters were personally preparing Eric's outfit for the fashion show that evening. The mansion's hall was lined with three rows of clothing racks filled with menswear, alongside a heap of various men's shoes.

Eric, liek most men, generally disliked trying on clothes repeatedly, especially like women did. Watching Emily Brighton sift through a pile of jewelry to select an avant-garde silver pendant to bring to him, Eric finally snapped after over an hour of being fussed over. "Stop, Emily! If you dare hang that chain around my neck, I'm not going anywhere tonight."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

As Joanna and Ewa chuckled in unison, Emily rolled her eyes. "What a boring man. And that isn't for your neck; it's a fringe-inspired military accessory."

Emily gestured with the pendant before him.

Eric zipped up his black jacket and realized it felt a bit snug. After searching for over an hour, he was exhausted and didn't want to fight it anymore. He stretched his tense body and said, "This'll do. I'm not a woman; dressing up too much will raise questions about my orientation."

"Only an idiot would question your orientation," Emily replied, begrudgingly putting the pendant back into the jewelry box. Seeing Eric's jacket zipped up, she walked over, dissatisfied, and reached to unzip it again. "Don't you think this jacket is a bit tight? It's not necessary to zip it; just leave it open."

Eric blocked Emily's hand and zipped up himself. "What guy walks around with their jacket unzipped like this?"

"This is a sample. You only need to wear it tonight," Emily countered, picking up a brooch and showcasing it to him as he appeared apprehensive. "This is the company logo. We need it on your jacket."

When Eric saw that the brooch had 'Brighton' crafted in fancy script, he half-heartedly let Emily pin it to his chest. After checking the mirror, he frowned slightly. "Isn't the gold a bit too flashy? It feels off."

"It may be, but no one will care, and I had the models try it -- it's best for photos, it stands -out," Emily explained.

Upon hearing this, Eric chuckled. "I see now; you're planning to make me the spokesperson for your company. Should we discuss my endorsement fees first?"

Emily took a few steps back, assessing his outfit, while she and Ewa adjusted his collar. Listening to Eric's joke, she playfully replied, "Sure, whatever you want for endorsement fees. I'll just deduct it from your company shares at the end of the year."

Eric shrugged, about to respond when he heard the sound of a child crying from the nursery. He instinctively started toward it, but Emily quickly grabbed his arm. "You can't hold the baby right now! If that little one wets your clothes, we'll have wasted the whole afternoon." "I can manage," Joanna assured Eric with a reassuring look as she headed toward the nursery. Eric looked over to see Joanna holding the little one and then turned to Emily, dressed sharply in a black business suit. "Chris will be back soon; when are you two planning to get married?" Emily hesitated. The usually savvy businesswoman showed a hint of worry. She was smart enough to connect the dots from the recent events and suddenly turned to Eric, "Eric, you weren't behind this, were you?"

Eric played dumb. "What do you mean?"

Noticing Eric's moment of guilt, Emily felt sure of her suspicion and complained, "You're so cruel! You don't want to marry but happily live your life while suggesting that Jeffrey and my parents pressure Chris and me to wed. They've driven me crazy lately."

Eric didn't deny it any longer, grinning mischievously as he said, "I'm just looking out for you. Look, I've got kids now. Once you guys have yours, whether boy or girl we can make a marriage arrangement."

Emily rolled her eyes at Eric but didn't press the topic that troubled her further.

...

The fashion show was scheduled for seven o'clock that evening. Even though it was still before three in the afternoon, East Hampton was over a hundred miles from Manhattan, so Eric and the others had to leave early to get there.

While in the car, Emily expertly detailed the day's lineup to Eric. "The show starts at seven, lasts about forty minutes. Then Vogue will come to take some photos of you for next month's cover -- this was agreed upon. In exchange, they'll do a feature on our fashion brand. After that, we have a celebration party at Hyatt. Eric, I hope you can stay at least an hour at the party; those stars came here for you."

Eric nodded, doing some quick calculations. They'd finish up around ten, and driving back to East Hampton would take at least two hours. There was no chance of returning that night. Fortunately, he had already planned to visit Luc Besson's set the next day.

Suddenly, Eric remembered something. "Emily, didn't you say the fashion show only lasts about ten minutes at most? How is it forty minutes?"

Emily explained, "The show itself is indeed ten minutes, but typically, all shows delay about half an hour for guests, buyers, and media to mingle."

...

Arriving at the hub of New York Fashion Week near Bryant Park in Manhattan, it was already five in the afternoon. Emily quickly gave some last-minute instructions, leaving Ewa and a female assistant with Eric while she rushed off to finalize preparations.

If Central Park were the size of a palm, Bryant Park in midtown Manhattan would barely be the size of a fingernail. As the venue for New York Fashion Week, a few white tents had been set up on the lawn, and the park was buzzing with people, camera flashes ringing out all

around.

Eric's outfit looked good but paled in comparison to the colorful and extravagant crowd around him. To avoid attention, Eric threw on a pair of large sunglasses and chose a hat for a little cover, effectively blending in as just another face in the crowd.

Ewa Pacula, attending her first Fashion Week, was ecstatic. Although she was one of the models for the show that night, she had been training for days and, given her unique position, she wasn't waiting backstage with the other models. Instead, she dragged Eric all over the

venue.

After snapping a photo in front of an exquisitely branded luxury label, Eric turned to leave when he noticed a familiar-looking girl take his spot, striking various poses for the photographer trailing her.

Curious, Eric asked Ewa and the somewhat forgettable assistant beside him, "Do these things really hold that much appeal for you guys?"

"Of course! I have my eye on a Chanel bag, but I can't afford it just yet. My sister only gives me $2,000 a month for spending money, so I'll just have to wait until I earn my own," Ewa said, linking her arm through Eric's with a hint of longing.

Eric only smiled. A few days together revealed Ewa's straightforward nature -- she wore her feelings on her sleeve, which Eric appreciated. He knew Joanna was taking good care of her too. Not only did she purchase her a small apartment in Manhattan, but she also covered the costs of her modeling training. The $2,000 Ewa described truly was just pocket money -- probably more than what the average struggling Manhattanite spent monthly.

The assistant trailing them spoke up, pointing at the girl who had just occupied Eric's photo spot. "Mr. Williams, are you referring to them?"

"Yeah," Eric nodded.

"Heh, Mr. Williams, most of them are just here to leech off the show," the assistant replied

disdainfully.

Noticing Eric's confusion, the assistant elaborated, "Only a small fraction of the stars received formal invitations to Fashion Week. Many of these are up-and-coming stars or minor models craving publicity who didn't get brand invites. They just come to snap photos at the events or hope to sneak into shows for a few quick snaps, effectively leveraging the exposure for magazine features back home, like 'XXX Stuns at New York Fashion Week', to boost their visibility. It's a great way for stars without film roles to maintain or even enhance

their notoriety."

After listening to this, Eric jokingly said to Ewa, "You might fit into that leech category, huh?"

Ewa grinned proudly. "Yep, but they're after calls from Chanel, Givenchy, and Valentino, which don't matter. All I need is to stick by Eric Williams, and I'll land in the gossip magazines' headlines tomorrow."

Eric nodded seriously, "Now that's some real cunning."

Ewa immediately sold out her "teammates." "Hehe, this is what Emily taught me."

As the three of them continued to wander around until six, the assistant received a phone call

and promptly reminded them it was almost time to prepare, leading them toward one of the

tents on Bryant Park's lawn.

...

Emily was conversing with a bearded middle-aged man when she saw Eric and Ewa arrive. She brought the man over, introducing him, "Eric, this is Mr. Jim Cotris, the buying director at Marks & Spencer in the UK."

"Mr. Williams, it's a pleasure! I'm a fan of your movies," the middle-aged man said warmly,

shaking Eric's hand.

After exchanging pleasantries, Eric noticed guests starting to arrive on the red carpet entrance and heard Emily give the assistant a few instructions. She then motioned to Eric to remove his hat and sunglasses. "Eric, although you're quite the big name, I have many guests to mingle with, so I hope you don't mind going in a bit early."

Eric smiled and said, "No problem."

With that, he followed the staff toward the red carpet. The buzz around had been palpable

since word spread that Eric would appear that night, and there were noticeably more people flocking around than at other tents' entrances.

When Eric stepped onto the red carpet with a tall blonde lady by his side, the crowd erupted in excitement, and he could hear several female voices squealing.

As the flashes erupted, Eric maintained a friendly smile, waving to the crowd, and small

cheers followed. If it weren't for the security and barriers, they might have rushed him.

Although reporters outside posed various questions, Eric remained silent. After posing for a series of photos, he walked into the venue with Ewa at his side.

"Alright, you've completed your mission," Ewa said, clearly enjoying the attention she had garnered and playfully nudging Eric. "I need to go prepare for the show."

With that, she hurried toward backstage.

...

As Eric surveyed the not-so-well-lit venue, the white catwalk looked empty, but some guests

had already filled the tiered seating on either side of the runway.

Once the staff led Eric into the venue, they turned to leave. Eric recalled what Emily had told

him about his designated spot and made his way over, scanning the room.

The moment he walked in, Eric spotted a red figure occupying his space. Though the lighting wasn't bright, he still recognized the Asian girl at first glance.

She had a sleek, ear-length bob and wore a striking red shirt with an open collar, complemented by fitted pants that highlighted her long legs, finished off with some striking

black leather boots.

While Eric didn't immediately recognize her, he was reminded of someone else.

*****

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