It's a common occurrence in Hollywood and worldwide for actresses to be involved with entertainment industry bigwigs.
When the audience finds out, they might make a few jokes about gold-digging, and it might affect the actress for a while, but after a period of cooling off, no one will mention it again.
If the actress is strong enough, even the gold-digger label will disappear, and people will only praise them as a golden couple, a perfect match.
For the bigwigs, the impact is even more minimal, especially for those behind the scenes; the audience rarely sees them, so they naturally forget about it over time.
Of course, the premise is that you don't mess around, like interfering in someone else's marriage or getting involved with an actress with a bad reputation.
Once such things are exposed, it not only affects personal image but also has a certain impact on the company; many viewers will hate the company for the individual, a very obvious example being the British Royal Family.
Why does Charles never get recognized, and why is he constantly criticized? A major reason is Princess Diana.
In the office, Eric looked grimly at the stack of entertainment magazines on his desk; the covers were almost all of him and Gadot.
Some showed them embracing, some kissing, some cuddling on the sofa watching TV; their gestures were very intimate, clearly indicating they were lovers or partners.
These photos were taken from many angles and in many poses, but without exception, they all had one thing in common: they were taken indoors, in Gadot's rental apartment.
The photos had already been exposed, unlike before when they could be easily denied; Eric had to admit it, whether he wanted to or not, otherwise, how would he explain?
Looking at her boss's ashen face, Carol, no longer her usual outspoken self, cautiously began, "Boss, these magazines seem to have appeared overnight, filling all the shelves, giving us no time or opportunity for public relations."
"And looking at the setting, you must have been secretly photographed, which is very unusual. Now, not only are the magazines selling well, but rumors about you and Gadot have also appeared online."
"Do we need to do something to remedy this? At least slow down the spread of online public opinion."
Eric leaned back, considered it for a moment, and then rejected the idea. Spending money to settle things depended on whether there was any hope of settling, and this time there clearly wasn't.
"It's useless. It's too late for anything now, and I know who's behind this."
Saying that, he took out a business card: "Contact Dan Jones. She's a very capable private investigator. Have her thoroughly investigate my surroundings. I don't want any stalkers near me."
"Understood, Boss!"
After Carol left, Eric slowly walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the bustling crowds and traffic below, and fell into deep thought.
Undoubtedly, The Big Six were behind this, and they would use every means to disgust Eric and make him uncomfortable.
This kind of gossip might not have a substantial impact on business, box office, or stock prices, but as long as Eric was uncomfortable, they would be comfortable. At the very least, it could tie up a lot of Eric's attention, so it was still useful.
Moreover, the person who could take these indoor photos was most likely not a paparazzo or a detective. He was always very careful when dating Gadot, making sure no one was tailing or tracking them, unless someone knew special abilities like invisibility, wall-passing, or clairvoyance.
Excluding paparazzi and detectives, only two suspects remained.
Gadot was always very obedient; Eric was always in charge between them, and she had long been accustomed to following his arrangements.
Moreover, she didn't have such schemes or courage. Eric was 100% sure it wasn't her.
So, only one suspect remained—Bar Refaeli.
That woman even deliberately disappeared; everything added up.
"Damn it! I was worried you might have been kidnapped!"
After cursing, Eric had a headache. He could already imagine the reactions of the other women when they saw the photos.
They would definitely be furious, and he expected calls to come in very soon. How to deal with it was a troublesome matter, a big trouble.
Furthermore, he hadn't yet sorted out their relationships; at least another year or so would be about right.
Ring.
Just as he was getting annoyed, his phone indeed rang.
His heart uncooperatively skipped a beat. Eric walked to his desk, and even though he was reluctant, he looked at it, seeing two big words on the screen: it was his dad.
"Well, besides the women, I also have to get through the family hurdle."
Muttering to himself, he could only answer the phone.
"Son, I got the news. You seem to have gotten yourself into trouble." His dad's slightly teasing chuckle came through the phone.
Eric rolled his eyes. The old man was actually laughing at him.
"Alright, Dad, what do you want to say? I'm annoyed right now, and if you're just going to mock me, I'm hanging up!"
"Don't be so quick to hang up. It's just a relationship exposure, what's so annoying about it?"
"You're a young man, and Gal Gadot is a beautiful girl. You two look very well-matched, unless you don't want others to know about your relationship."
"And why wouldn't you want others to know? I suppose it's because you have other girlfriends."
"Boring detective game, bye!"
"Wait! Wait, Eric, alright, I'm not joking with you. You want to solve the problem, don't you? Then you'd best listen to the advice of someone who's been there."
Eric immediately stopped his finger from pressing the button: "Dear Dad, please help your son."
"Haha. Then you first tell me, exactly how many women are you dating simultaneously?"
Eric mentally tallied them: Gadot, Nicole, Theron, Ashley, and Mary definitely counted as five.
Liu Xiaoli, Elena, and Zhou Wenqiong were just casual partners. Liu Yifei and Elizabeth were too young to have made a move yet, so they couldn't be counted as reserve talents.
"About five."
"Five!" A sharp cry suddenly rang out from the phone, clearly his mom's.
"Oh no, I fell for it!" Eric cursed inwardly and immediately hung up the phone.
What kind of situation was this? He was already annoyed, and his dad not only didn't help him but also helped his mom trick him. He was truly speechless.
Given his mom's temper, she had lectured him for a long time last year when he had a scandal with Nicole. Now that she knew he had five girlfriends, she would surely faint from anger.
"No, no, calm down, calm down. There must be a way. I'm a billionaire. At worst, I'll throw money at them. Who doesn't love money?"
Then Eric pinched himself.
What kind of ridiculous idea was that? Throwing money at ordinary women might work, but the problem was that they didn't seem to lack money.
Even the poorest Gadot, with her current fame, it would be easy for her to make money.
The wealthiest, Ashley and Mary, with Dual Star Entertainment's current valuation, both have net worths exceeding 500 million dollars and will continue to grow.
One dollar and ten dollars differ by ten times, but one hundred million and one billion have little difference, because both are inexhaustible.
Moreover, throwing money around would be too insulting; it would be an insult to their feelings.
Eric had feelings for all five of them, and they all felt the same way about Eric. Money was not omnipotent at such times.
Ring.
The call came through, and it was indeed his mom's.
"Mom, I'm busy dealing with company matters right now. Can I explain everything when I get home?" Eric quickly preempted his mom.
"Uh, alright, then I'll wait for you!"
No sooner had he hung up than, less than two minutes later, a knock sounded at the door.
"Who is it?" Eric roared, somewhat annoyed.
Click!
Judy pushed the door open and walked in. Her face was terrible, her eyes bloodshot, her clothes disheveled, and she had an unpleasant odor about her, looking as if she hadn't rested in days.
"Judy, what's wrong? You don't look so good." Eric looked at her with some concern.
Glancing at the magazines on the table, Judy's voice was hoarse: "Just flew back from Israel. I already know what happened."
"Don't worry, Eric, I'm not here to plead for her. I'm not a fool. Bar Refaeli is a traitor!"
"She betrayed not only MGM but also me! I looked for her for five days, made countless calls, but it was all in vain."
"I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have brought her here in the first place. It's all my fault!"
Sigh!
Sighing, Eric stood up, walked over, and put his arm around Judy, gently patting her back.
During her four years of college, Judy changed girlfriends most frequently, but ever since she found Bar Refaeli, she became devoted because she truly believed she had found love.
But clearly, the so-called love was just Judy's wishful thinking. Whoever falls in love gets hurt, and it seems she was deeply hurt this time.
"Forget it, don't say anything more. Love makes people blind, and I'm not blaming you."
"Look at you now, completely devoid of your usual spirited demeanor. Go home, take a good bath, get some sleep, and we'll talk about other things when you wake up."
But the more magnanimous Eric was, the more distressed Judy felt.
She said with a cold gaze, "I don't care that she left, but she absolutely shouldn't have done this. She's harming my friend."
"Eric, I promise you I will find Refaeli and make her pay the price!"
Seeing Judy's gloomy look, Eric was a little worried: "Don't act recklessly. Even if you find her, don't be impulsive."
"Especially don't resort to violence. Although you're the best fighter among the five of us, we all live under the law. Don't harm yourself."
Judy scoffed: "What are you talking about? Do I look like an idiot? Besides, what good would beating her up do? I might even have to pay her a sum of money."
"Heh heh. It's best you think that way. Go home and get some good rest, then come see me when you've recovered your spirits."
"Mm."
At the door, Judy suddenly turned her head and said, "Eric, Bar Refaeli is no longer my girlfriend. Do whatever you want with her."
Eric smiled: "I was just waiting for you to say that."
Soon, MGM released a statement.
"Due to Bar Refaeli's prolonged absence from filming without cause and without notifying the crew, the production schedule for the walking dead has been severely delayed."
"Her actions violated the spirit of the contract and constituted a unilateral breach of contract."
"Therefore, after careful consideration, MGM has decided to terminate all working relationships with Bar Refaeli, as stipulated by the contract, and will seek compensation for the damages caused by her breach of contract."
"MGM will not engage in any future work interactions with such an untrustworthy actress and hopes that the Screen Actors Guild will take action from an impartial standpoint."
After this statement was issued, it quickly sparked widespread discussion and was linked to the rumors about Eric and Gadot.
"What's going on? Has Bar Refaeli been blacklisted by MGM? What about Maggie? I really like Maggie."
"Bar Refaeli is actually this kind of actress, her character is too bad!"
"Is it true or false? Bar Refaeli is so beautiful, she definitely wouldn't do that. This is just MGM's unilateral statement, not necessarily credible."
"I think I understand. Bar Refaeli and Gal Gadot are roommates, and those indoor photos of Eric Cooper and Gal Gadot, could it be that Bar Refaeli exposed them?"
"After identification, it was Bar Refaeli who exposed the scandal, thus angering Eric Cooper. Everything is an excuse, because she provoked someone she shouldn't have!"
"I don't care about gossip, I just want to know what about house of cards? What about the walking dead? How will Bar Refaeli's role be handled?"
Netizens were online, feasting on the drama. On one side, there was the exciting confrontation on the big screen, and on the other, gossip flying around in the real world. It was truly fascinating.
The reason Eric issued the statement, besides tarnishing Bar Refaeli's reputation, was most importantly to force her to appear.
That bitch was hiding somewhere, and he didn't know if she still held other things in her hands. He had to force her out quickly.
It proved to be effective. Not long after MGM's statement was released, a video circulated.
Or more accurately, a declaration of war.
In the video, Bar Refaeli looked indignant, appearing as if she had suffered an immense grievance.
She said in a heavy tone: "I have been treated unfairly, both in my life and in my work."
"Gal Gadot is an arrogant person. When we first came to Hollywood together to pursue our dreams, we were just newcomers, and our relationship was very good."
"But ever since she got together with Eric Cooper and became the female lead of transformers, everything changed."
"Oh, I remember they were together a long time ago, when Gal Gadot wasn't even an adult yet."
"From then on, she was no longer like a friend, but more like a slave owner, and I was the one being oppressed. I served by her side like a servant."
"If I didn't obey orders, she would let the man exercise his privilege, and I would be immediately fired, losing the role and reputation I had worked so hard to get."
"This has been a painful experience, and I really can't bear it anymore. I really can't stand those privileged classes anymore."
"We are all human, so why should I suffer unfair treatment!"
"Yes, I did leave the walking dead crew without asking for leave, but that's because I couldn't bear it anymore."
"I was on the verge of a breakdown; their laughter was like a nightmare that constantly tormented me, preventing me from sleeping. Everything was too painful."
"Even if I'm fired, even if I'm sued for compensation, I will stand up, and I will speak out."
"Because I must defend my dignity!"