Chapter 325: I Don’t Like This Movie #

After deciding on the female lead, Eric had a small meeting with the creators of “Basic Instinct” to finalize some details. It was already past 7 PM when Eric was about to leave and he suddenly remembered there was a woman in his office.

Eric pushed open the office door and walked in. The young woman who was originally sitting on the sofa, absentmindedly flipping through a magazine, was startled but breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was Eric.

All the lights in the office were on, including the wall lamps, ceiling lights, and even the desk lamp on Eric’s desk. “Why are there so many lights on?” Eric asked casually as he walked towards his desk.

“It’s… it’s nothing,” Joanna Pacuła hurriedly walked over and turned off the desk lamp. Then she walked over to turn off the wall lamps, making the office much darker.

Watching Joanna Pacuła turn off the lights, Eric quickly realized that the reason she had turned on so many lights was a sign of insecurity or fear of loneliness. While he felt a little pity for her, he also softened his tone: “Sorry, Miss Pacuła, for keeping you waiting so late. But there are indeed many things to do.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t have anything else to do anyway,” Joanna Pacuła shook her head.

“How about I don’t come to your place tonight? It’s already too late,” Eric said, feeling a little guilty for taking advantage of her vulnerable state.

“No… it’s not too late. It’s only past seven,” Joanna Pacuła said eagerly, although she couldn’t help but realize something was off. However, her instincts told her not to give up this opportunity.

She was tired of living in this state of uncertainty, and this young man in front of her seemed to be able to help her end it all. She didn’t ask for much; she just wanted stability. No longer like before, when she sometimes didn’t receive any roles for up to three years and had to rely on odd jobs to make a living.

“Alright then, let’s go,” Eric didn’t postpone it any further.

When they arrived at the parking lot, Eric didn’t drive his own car but instead sat in the passenger seat of Joanna Pacuła’s car. Looking at Eric fastening his seat belt, Joanna Pacuła took a deep breath and started the car.

“I didn’t expect you to live in North Hollywood. My family used to live nearby. It should be to the north,” Eric said after entering Joanna Pacuła’s small apartment.

As it turned out, the apartment they used to live in in North Hollywood had already been sold, but their Beverly Hills mansion had not. It was used as another residence. Although it generated a property tax every year, North American property tax can offset part of personal income tax, so it was not too much.

Joanna Pacuła said, “Actually, I just moved here not long ago. I used to live in the city center, but I made some money from a movie I acted in last year, so I moved here.”

Eric shrugged and didn’t say anything else. It was obvious that the woman had not had a good life before. The city center of Los Angeles was not as prosperous as the city centers in the country where Eric was from. Instead, it was a very chaotic community. Beverly Hills was the safest area in Los Angeles, while the worst area was probably the downtown bustling area.

“Mr. Williams, why don’t you rest for a while? I’ll make dinner soon,” Joanna Pacuła pointed to the small sofa in the living room and said.

“Uh, just call me Eric,” he said casually, taking off his coat and hanging it on the coat rack at the entrance.

“Okay, Eric. My friends call me Joanna,” Joanna Pacuła said and walked towards the kitchen.

Eric looked around the small apartment. It was a one-bedroom, one-living room layout. The decoration and furniture were quite simple. There was a sofa in the center of the living room, a small TV cabinet in front of the sofa, and a small dining table against the wall behind it. There were several photos hanging on the wall, and Eric approached to take a closer look. Some of them were stage play photos, probably of Shakespearean plays.

Joanna Pacuła in the photos looked very young. Considering that she had worked at the Polish National Theatre before, these photos should be from that time, more than ten years ago. However, compared to the photos, Joanna Pacuła now didn’t seem to have changed much. For a Westerner who was prone to aging, she was indeed blessed with good looks.

After a brief tour, Eric walked to the TV and saw a VCR under the TV cabinet, with several video tapes next to it. He casually flipped through them and saw a movie called “The Kiss.” The introduction said it was a horror movie, and the half of the woman’s face on the poster was processed into a skeleton, with thick red lips painted on it. It was hard to tell that the woman in the kitchen was the same person.

Eric put the tape into the VCR, turned on the TV, and sat back on the sofa.

The scene began with a divorced family separating. The mother took her daughter on a departing train, but the evil spirit in her body broke out on the train, and after spreading to her daughter, the daughter died, and disappeared without a trace.

More than ten years later, the younger sister who grew up with her father had already started her own family, and her daughter had also grown up. However, due to taking off the protective cross and giving it to her daughter, the younger sister died in a sudden car accident. The older sister who had never shown up before appeared at her sister’s grave and met her sister’s husband and daughter…

After watching for only half an hour, Eric almost foresaw the outcome. There was a slight noise behind him, and Joanna Pacuła appeared in the living room, quietly standing behind Eric and staring at the TV screen.

“I don’t like this movie,” Eric said, walking over to turn off the VCR and switching to a different TV channel.

The woman didn’t answer, but the sadness in her eyes was hard to hide. If she had a choice, she definitely wouldn’t have picked this kind of movie.

“Eric, let’s eat,” the woman finally spoke after a moment of silence.

“Sure, I’ll help you,” Eric stood up and followed Joanna Pacuła into the kitchen, helping her bring the simple dinner to the table.

“I don’t have many ingredients here, so I could only make these,” Joanna Pacuła explained.

Eric served himself a small bowl of corn chowder and tasted it, nodding in admiration. “It’s very good, I really like it.”

Joanna Pacuła looked at the simple dishes on the table and regretted not taking Eric out to eat. It wouldn’t have cost much money, and although the man was constantly complimenting her cooking, she still felt very insecure and had a forced smile on her face.