<h4>Chapter 749: Chapter 750: I Will Make You Cry</h4>


    [Chapter 750: I Will Make You Cry]


    As night fell, despite the temperatures in New York City sinking below 50° Fahrenheit (10°Celsius) byte October, the beautiful women dressed in revealing outfits showed no signs of slowing down as they attended all sorts of parties.


    In Midtown Manhattan, Rockefeller Center hosted a celebration party for Lifetime Television at one of its top restaurants.


    Eric arrived at the party at seven o''clock. The hall was already buzzing with activity. Aside from the television executives hosting the event, most of the guestsprised the creative teams and special guests of <i>America''s Next Top Model</i> and <i>Project Runway</i>, along with some contestants still lingering in New York.


    Annie Sweeney had arrived early to oversee some arrangements. As Eric walked into the hall, she approached him with Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista.


    After some friendly chatter, seeing that most of the guests had arrived, Annie picked up a ss of champagne from a waiter, stepped onto the stage where the band was, and gently tapped her ss with the microphone to get everyone''s attention.


    "Okay, wee, everyone, to tonight''s party! Over the past month, we have witnessed a series of astounding ratings for <i>America''s Next Top Model</i> and <i>Project Runway</i>. Justst night, thetest episode of <i>America''s Next Top Model</i> surpassed five million viewers!"


    As president of the A&E Network, Annie continued, "I want to thank everyone who contributed to these two outstanding reality shows. I hope you all continue to strive for more viewing miracles. Now, let''s raise our sses and toast -- Cheers!"


    Amid apuse and cheers, everyone in the room lifted their sses.


    After taking a sip of her champagne, Annie said, "I hope you all have a fantastic time tonight. Thank you."


    Another round of enthusiastic apuse filled the room as Annie stepped down from the stage, and the music began to y again.


    ...


    Having just finished her speech, Cindy, who had been linked arm in arm with Eric, ignored the envious nces around her and pulled him into the dance floor. At that moment, she pressed her body closely against Eric''s, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning in to whisper sweetly in his ear, "Eric, are you going to be in Manhattan for Halloween?"


    Eric enjoyed the closeness, smiling as he said, "No, I''m taking the kids out to trick-or-treat. You know the residents in the Hamptons are all wealthy, so I expect we''ll get quite a haul of candy."


    Cindy rolled her eyes yfully, her soft body brushing against Eric''s in a teasing manner. "Speaking of wealthy, is there anyone richer than you?"


    Eric tightened his grip slightly, stopping her yful antics. "Don''t make a scene -- you want me to embarrass myself in front of all these people?"


    Cindyughed softly, leaning in again, boldly suggesting, "How about we sneak off to the restroom?"


    Eric feigned hesitation, "Are we talking male or female?"


    "Of course, it''s up to you," she replied with a grin.


    After a moment of pretended contemtion, Eric said, "Let''s not go. I have to keep up appearances."


    With that, he gently pushed Cindy away from trying to cause more mischief and gave her a light pat on the waist. "Alright, go have fun. I''ve got some important things to take care of."


    Cindy pouted with a pitiful expression, "Must you rush off? The party just started, and this song hasn''t even finished yet."


    Just as Eric was about to respond, he caught sight of Linda Evangelista walking by and waved her over. She approached with a puzzled look.


    "Hey, Linda, I have a few things to do. Could you dance with Cindy for a bit?" Eric suggested, pushing Cindy towards her.


    "Sure thing," Linda said. Before Cindy could protest, Linda affectionately wrapped her arms around her and dragged her to the dance floor, teasing, "Cindy, let''s go!"


    Even though Cindy was physically stronger from her regr workouts, she wouldn''t darepare that under the party atmosphere. She shot a resigned nce back at Eric and let Linda pull her away.


    ...


    As Eric waved at them and moved on, Cindy''s sulking expression vanished, and she shot an eye roll at Linda, who was energetically pulling her along. "Okay, he has left, let go of me now."


    Linda just giggled, tightening her hold around Cindy''s waist again. The two women contrasted beautifully, with Linda in her more conservative ck knee-length gown, which gave off a strong, sophisticated vibe. Paired with Cindy''s alluring white deep-V gown, they created a strikingly powerful duo, even making some of the couples around them feel a bit inferior as they danced.


    As Cindy tried to free herself, Linda held her firmly, saying, "What''s the rush? You looking for a guy? Don''t forget Eric is still here!"


    "I just don''t want to be stuck with you," Cindy shot back.


    Linda looked at her intently for a moment and yfully dragged out her words, "Oh... I see, feeling a bit insecure, are we?" Beaming with pride, Linda proudly highlighted her height advantage with her heels.


    Raising her hand, she continued, "Don''t worry -- I won''t judge you."


    Cindy clenched her teeth and jabbed Linda yfully in the side. "Bitch, enough already!"


    Linda tightened her grip, somewhat nervous now, and warned, "ss, remember ss. Don''t forget where we are or I will scream!"


    Cindy narrowed her eyes, threateningly replying, "You''re wrong. Keep this up, and I will make you cry!"


    ...


    Eric left Cindy behind and soon found himself at a corner of the hall, where he spotted three women chatting: Annie Sweeney, Elizabeth Hurley, and another woman about the same age as Annie, around thirty-five. She wore a light blue one-shoulder evening gown, had stunning blonde hair, and sported a distinctive pair of pearl earrings. Eric recognized her from some materials he had seen -- this was Candace Bushnell, the author of <i>Sex and the City</i>.


    As soon as they noticed Eric approaching, the three women rose. Annie introduced, "Eric, this is Candace Bushnell. Candace, this is Eric."


    "Hello, Mr. Williams," the woman said confidently, extending her hand.


    "Just call me Eric," he replied as he shook hands with her and greeted Elizabeth before they all sat back down.


    *****


    /Sayonara816.