<h4>Chapter 696: Chapter 697: Quite Miserable</h4>


    [Chapter 697: Quite Miserable]


    The PR party took ce in a mansion area northwest of the Hollywood Bowl in Beverly Hills. As Eric just arrived at a grand house, he spotted a familiar white BMW ahead. Kathryn Bigelow had just handed her car keys to the valet and was about to walk into the mansion when she noticed a ck Rolls-Royce approach. She instinctively nced over, and Eric rolled down the car window and waved. Kathryn smiled and nodded, stopping to wait for Eric to get out.


    "Carter, you can go home now, you don''t need to stick around for me," Eric told the driver before exiting the car, holding a box.


    Kathryn stepped forward and lightly embraced Eric. As she watched Eric''s car drive away, a hint of confusion crossed her face, but she didn''t say anything. Instead, she curiously looked at the square package Eric held in his hand. "You''re bringing a gift? That''s a bit of a problem. I thought we didn''t need to," she remarked.


    "Of course, it''s not necessary," Eric shook his head. He looked up and down at Kathryn, recalling that theirst meeting was atst year''s discussion about the <i>Band of Brothers</i> project. Unfortunately, the project''s budget was too high, and the subject matter was not quite suitable for ABC as a public broadcaster, so the majority of executives had opposed it. Since then, Eric hadn''t pursued it further and had to set it aside for the time being. In the past few months, he had only exchanged a few phone calls with Kathryn due to how busy he was.


    Months had passed, but Kathryn hadn''t changed at all. She wore a simple ck fitted maxi dress and ck heels, with a simple red thread bracelet around her wrist. Just standing there, she still exuded a calm and restrained presence.


    Noticing Eric''s changing gaze, Kathryn had almost developed a reflex to adopt a defensive posture, even after not seeing him for such a long time. However, she quickly realized that the look Eric had nowcked any of the aggressive undertones that she remembered, and her mood slightly rxed, though she felt an inexplicable twinge of disappointment.


    What kind of woman wouldn''t be attracted to a man as aplished as he? Surely, he must have someone...


    The thought popped into her mind, but before she could finish it, Kathryn abruptly pushed it aside, her expression briefly showing a hint of panic. She avoided Eric''s gaze and said, "Let''s go inside."


    Eric raised the box in his hand. "Don''t you want to know what''s inside?"


    "What is it?"


    "I''ll tell you after the party, but I can let slip that it''s a gift for you."


    "A gift?" Kathryn paused, looking up at Eric. "For me... a gift?"


    Eric merely smiled softly, lifting his arm slightly. "Alright, I''ll keep you in suspense just a little longer. Let''s head inside."


    Kathryn nced at Eric''s raised arm, hesitating about whether to respond.


    "You wouldn''t deny me this little bit of recognition, would you? I''m a man; it''s quite a blow to my ego."


    In the end, Kathryn reached out and linked her arm with Eric''s, though she seemed to mumble somewhat reluctantly, "Little man."


    After she said that, Kathryn couldn''t help but let out a lightugh, feeling as if they were back in those years when they spent time together at the SoHo Grand Hotel in Manhattan. Then she recalled the white scarf Eric had given her.


    Turns out he had already given her a gift long before.


    That scarf was still quietly resting in her closet, and whenever she visited colder ces, she would bring it along, although she rarely acknowledged it as a gift from someone special, as if it had be an inconspicuous part of her life.


    Feeling the slight pressure of the woman resting against him ease up, Eric joked, "You know, Kathryn, in some stories, women who often refer to a certain man nearby as a ''little man'' usually end up quite miserable."


    Kathryn''s personality meant she wouldn''t be particrly interested in some types of media or literature. Hearing Eric, she asked earnestly, "Miserable? Why''s that?"


    Eric noticed the somewhat naive light in her eyes, coughed lightly, and didn''t answer directly. Instead, he nodded to himself, affirming, "Oh yes, very miserable."


    Kathryn didn''t think much of the serious expression on Eric''s face. She simply pouted and said, "I have no idea what you''re talking about, macho man."


    ...


    The people inside the mansion received the notification and came out to greet them. Eric and Kathryn stopped chatting and attended to the guests. Mainly, it was Eric leading the way while Kathryn handled the socializing. She had little experience in such gatherings, and when surrounded by too many people, her difort became apparent.


    This party had been arranged by Eric through Francis Ford Copp''s connections. Over the years, Eric had maintained a good rtionship with the Copp family.


    Being a PR event, it was certainly not overly ostentatious. The mansion, located on the hillside, had just over twenty guests scattered inside and outside. Many of them were middle-aged individuals around Copp''s age, as it was widely known that the Oscarmittee had aged significantly. Yet, the guest list was not limited to directors; it included actors, producers, and various Hollywood professionals. There was no music ying, and the waitstaff was minimal. Thewn featured several long tables stocked with a self-serve spread of food and drinks. Guests gathered in small groups, whispering to one another. Since they had agreed toe, it effectively implied some unspokenmitments, so few directly discussed the Oscars.


    ...


    Eric navigated the crowd with Kathryn, and after stopping by the long tables to grab some food and take a breather, they were talking quietly when Copp approached with a middle-aged man sporting a bushy beard.


    "Eric, Kathryn, let me introduce you to Terrence Malick. Terrence, this is Eric and Kathryn."


    "Hello, Mr. Malick, just call me Eric," Eric replied, slightly raising an eyebrow while shaking hands with him.


    After the introductions, Copp pointed to a round table next to the mansion''s pool. "Eric, shall we chat over there?"


    "Sure," Eric nodded with a smile, ncing at Terrence Malick again. He could feel a sense of curiosity brewing inside him. Terrence Malick had once been one of the renowned directors of the 1970s, with films like <i>Days of Heaven</i> winning him the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival. However, after <i>Days of Heaven</i>, for reasons unknown, Malick had suddenly stepped away from directing, and nearly twenty years had passed since then.


    In the original timeline, Malick would return to filmmaking in 1998 and directed a war film that was released the same year as <i>Saving Private Ryan</i>, called <i>The Thin Red Line</i>.


    *****


    /Sayonara816.