I am Hollywood

[Chapter 863: No Big Deal]

Caesars Palace was actually a luxurious entertainment complex that housed hotels, casinos, theaters, nightclubs, and various other entertainment and accommodation facilities, covering an area of 30 hectares. It consisted of four hotel towers and numerous associated entertainment buildings. Including the newly opened Palace Tower, the hotel boasted over 2000 guest rooms.

With a focus on attracting tourists to the bustling Las Vegas, the suite prices at Caesars Palace naturally varied across multiple tiers, ranging from a few hundred dollars a night for standard rooms to extravagant suites costing tens of thousands.

Eric didn't need to specify anything; his assistant had naturally booked him the best suite. In fact, it wasn't just a suite anymore but should be classified as a villa-style apartment.

The entire apartment was located at the central top floor of the Palace Tower and was the largest among the only five premium apartments in the building. The apartment featured a private elevator and 24-hour butler service. Its lavish decor, resembling a Roman palace, along with many exquisite and expensive pieces of art, made it look even more luxurious.

Richie Black personally introduced the various facilities in the apartment to Eric and kindly inquired about the needs of Eric and the two girls before leaving him with a business card and respectfully taking his leave.

It was getting late, and Eric had no intention of heading to the restaurant. He instructed the apartment's personal butler to have dinner delivered, then sent the butler away.

...

Once all the outsiders left, the girl pretending to be a lady but unable to disguise her casual look in a cropped T-shirt and frayed denim shorts, Miranda, finally relaxed. She cheered as she dove onto the classically styled sofa. Feeling the vintage lamp on the low table sway slightly, she quickly jumped up, carefully steadied it with her hand, and then made a funny face at Eric.

Eric came over and sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, flipping through the hotel's entertainment activity brochure. Seeing Miranda snuggling up to him like a kitten, he patted her little waist and looked over at Christina. "You two should go take a shower. They'll be bringing the clothes in a bit. After dinner, we'll go see the magic show."

Miranda wrapped her arms around Eric's arm and shook it gently, whining, "But what about jewelry? I at least need a necklace!"

Eric, feeling lazy, replied, "Sweetheart, a girl looks so much prettier when she's fresh and clean. What do you need jewelry for?"

Miranda wanted to protest, but seeing Christina happily heading towards the bathroom, she jumped up, declaring, "I want that biggest one! I'm not sharing with you!"

Christina ignored her, striding into the largest bathroom in the apartment and closing the door behind her, countering with, "I don't want to share with you either."

Miranda huffed and shot a glare at the closed bathroom door for a moment. Then she dashed back to Eric sitting on the sofa. "Eric, look at her! She's so annoying!"

Eric didn't pay attention to the girls' bickering; without looking up from the brochure, he said, "The rule is you can't hit each other in the face. The rest doesn't concern me."

"Humph! You're a bad guy too," Miranda lightly slapped his shoulder. She then sidled up, teasing Eric about going to the shower together, but was naturally refused and ended up sulking off to another bathroom.

...

The shopping area adjacent to Caesars Palace included nearly all high-end luxury brands imaginable. Just as dinner was delivered, the apartment's personal butler arrived with a couple of waiters, pushing in a whole rack of clothes and shoes for the two girls to choose from, along with a few boxes of appropriate jewelry for young ladies.

Seeing Miranda carefully picking up a ruby necklace and measuring it against her neck with eager eyes looking at him, Eric realized she remembered what he just said. He was simply too lazy to argue; since they brought everything over so courteously, he didn't mind letting his little flower doll herself up a bit more beautifully. So he nodded and smiled, "Go ahead, pick quickly."

Miranda let out a small cheer and excitedly fastened the necklace around her neck.

...

Ultimately, they missed the beginning of the magic show. After dinner, Eric and the girls, now in their pretty dresses, arrived at the Magic Empire Theater in Caesars Palace just a little past eight. Fortunately, magic shows usually saved the best for last, so they didn't miss too much.

The Magic Empire Theater, situated next to the plaza tower within Caesars Palace, resembled a Roman amphitheater. Eric remembered that this place was where superstars like Celine Dion and Elton John performed regularly in Las Vegas, though that was supposed to be after 2000. Caesars Palace had actually renovated the original structures like the Magic Empire Theater to host Celine Dion's residency. While various stars performed in town year-round, a long-term residency format hadn't yet emerged.

As a contemporary master of magic who had risen to fame since the 1970s, David Copperfield had already performed miracles such as making a Boeing airplane vanish, concealing the Statue of Liberty, walking through the Great Wall, and escaping from prison. Eric had seen recordings of Copperfield's performances before, but this was his first time experiencing it live.

Christina had completely forgotten the juice in her hand as she watched Copperfield's head-vanishing trick, her mouth slightly agape. Finally, she exclaimed, "Eric, how does he do that?"

Eric gently held the girl's waist, chuckling, "Why are you so curious? Once you figure it out, it wouldn't be interesting at all."

Miranda cast a disdainful glance at Christina, scoffing, "If you can see how he does it, Copperfield wouldn't be performing on stage, would he?"

Christina sidelong glanced at Miranda and said with a smile, "I'm looking forward to Copperfield's trick of making someone disappear next. Eric, can we have Miranda go up as a guest?"

Eric just smiled and remained silent.

Miranda let out a small huff and responded, "You should go up; you're so tiny that if you disappeared, it would be hard to find you!"

"Having size without brains, don't you know a black dress pairs better with pearls? You only go for the expensive ones."

Miranda raised her chin, rebutting, "Who said a black dress has to match pearls? I saw black gowns paired with rubies in VOGUE last month."

Before Eric could let the two girls dive deeper into their 'expert' discussion, he quickly interrupted: "Stop fighting tonight. If you keep at it, I'll just throw you both out on the street."

Both girls immediately ceased their banter. Miranda snuggled close, "Eric, I don't have to return the necklace tomorrow, right?"

Eric pinched her cheek lightly, grinning, "That'll depend on my mood."

Miranda quickly understood that she didn't need to return the jewelry and playfully kissed Eric on the cheek. Although she still carried that black card, after that incident, Eric had limited her monthly spending to $5,000. For a girl her age, that was quite a hefty allowance. The daughter of a middle management family in the Firefly Group, who was the same age as her, only received $200 to $300 in pocket money each month. However, for Miranda, who had already tasted the allure of money, $5,000 a month barely sufficed, let alone buying those expensive clothes and jewelry.

...

After the magic show wrapped up and Eric was about to take the two girls away, a hotel server handed him an invitation card written in David Copperfield's own hand. It turned out to be for an after-party he was hosting.

Most entertainment activities in Vegas, including the casinos, were age-restricted; at least on the surface, Miranda and Christina were not allowed to participate. Although those rules were pretty much meaningless for a guest of Eric's caliber, he didn't want to disrupt the status quo too casually. However, since the party seemed like a decent option and both girls were interested, they headed over.

The party was held in the banquet hall of the plaza tower, filled with many familiar faces from the celebrity scene.

Eric exchanged a few pleasantries with David Copperfield, who had personally come to greet him, before Miranda and Christina eagerly pulled him into the dance floor.

After enjoying a lively dance for a while, as Eric had just left the dance floor with the girls, he heard a robust male voice say, "Hey, Eric! I just heard someone say you were in Las Vegas. I didn't expect it to be true, haha!"

Turning around, Eric saw Larry Ellison, who always looked a bit scruffy, approaching him with a tall blonde beside him. While Larry owned several properties in Malibu, they could only be considered barely acquainted since their last meeting was at the Fireflyer launch in early April, where they barely spoke.

However, since Larry approached him so familiar-like, Eric smiled and extended his hand for a shake. "Larry, what a coincidence!"

"Of course! But Eric, you seriously need to come to Las Vegas more often; this place is paradise," Larry said, casually introducing his companion, "This is Anouck."

The lady concealed her eagerness when glancing at Eric and couldn't help but reach out: "Hello, Mr. Williams, I'm Anouck Lepère."

"Hi," Eric replied gently, shaking her hand. Noting that Lepère sounded like a French surname, he didn't inquire further nor did he intend to introduce Miranda and Christina. He turned back to Larry, "So what's been going on with you?"

On hearing that question, Larry's expression brightened considerably as he exclaimed, "Eric, are you interested in Apple?"

"Uh," Eric paused, considering his reply. "Well, I'm not a big fan of eating them. Peeling is such a hassle."

The three girls beside them, though not entirely comprehending what was being discussed, clearly sensed the ridiculousness of Eric's serious tone and burst into laughter.

"Hey, you rascal," Larry waved dismissively, then instructed his companion, "Babe, can you get us a couple of drinks?"

Anouck knew Larry was trying to sideline her. Though reluctant, she nodded and walked away with understanding.

Eric then smiled at Miranda and Christina. "Okay, you girls go have fun. I need a little private chat with Larry."

The two girls giggled and walked off, leaving Eric and Larry at the banquet hall bar. After ordering two drinks, Eric joked, "So Larry, do you think I should be interested in apples now?"

Of course, they were talking about Apple Computer.

However, since Microsoft had released Windows 95, Apple's situation had declined significantly. In 1995, Apple was still enjoying a $300 million annual profit with a market cap exceeding $4 billion. But now, just in the first quarter of 1997, Apple had already reported a staggering $200 million loss, causing its market cap to plummet to the edge of $2 billion.

Larry replied, "Eric, I know Apple's situation is indeed quite poor right now, but it's still a well-established tech company with significant investment value."

Eric shrugged, unimpressed. "Larry, why don't you share your plans instead?"

"Alright, here's the deal," Larry said, "I'm currently raising funds to completely acquire Apple and hand it over to Steve to manage. Steve Jobs, I'm sure you remember him; he was one of the original founders of Apple. If Steve hadn't been ousted, this company wouldn't be in this situation now."

Eric knew that Larry had always been very close friends with Jobs. Interestingly, two people with almost no common traits could become friends; it was a fascinating notion.

"Of course, I remember," Eric nodded, showing little emotional response as he continued, "So how much have you raised so far?"

"Um, well," Larry cleared his throat. "Not much yet. But you know, Eric, if you were willing to invest a bit, I think more investors would be inclined to follow suit. Everyone is really impressed by your investment foresight in the tech industry these days."

In light of the explosion of tech stocks over recent years, Larry Ellison, holding a substantial amount of Oracle shares, saw his fortune rise to the level of $10 billion. However, most of his wealth was in stocks, and to maintain control over Oracle, he couldn't casually sell them off. Since Oracle's funds were also not freely used by him, he couldn't wield cash like Eric.

Given Apple's current state, all investors would naturally hesitate to step in, and even Larry would find it challenging to raise funds for merely gaining a stake in Apple, let alone fully acquire the company.

Eric's attitude toward Apple was indifferent.

Having lost the Pixar charm, Jobs was still barely managing his computer company now. Moreover, due to decreasing performance in recent years, Jobs had even abandoned hardware, relying solely on licensing software to keep the company afloat. Therefore, although Apple seemed on the brink of bankruptcy, it hadn't reached out to Jobs again.

*****

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