"This is your personal matter."
In a villa’s reception room, Mrs. Leah stood up from Duke’s side, glanced at her goddaughter, and sighed softly. "Scarlett."
"Godmother..." Scarlett stood up. "Can I have half a minute?"
Mrs. Leah said nothing, turned, and walked out.
Duke took the cold towel handed to him by Tina Fey and placed it over his face. The chill from the towel, which had been soaked in ice water, sowhat sobered up his alcohol-dazed mind.
Tina Fey said softly, "I told Charles and the others you drank too much and couldn’t hold on, so you went to sleep. Emma has already sent the guests off."
After being caught with Scarlett, Ivanka said nothing. Though Duke was certain Ivanka hadn’t seen Scarlett kiss him, he wasn’t naive enough to believe she’d think they were just chatting.
Moreover, even though Ivanka didn’t say anything, she directly entered this reception room, clearly intending to talk to him.
Duke felt no guilt and didn’t intend to avoid it. From the start of their relationship, he had done nothing inappropriate in terms of romantic boundaries.
"Scarlett!"
As for Scarlett, who shalessly followed him in, Duke couldn’t choose to ignore her like Ivanka did. He warned her, "You can leave now."
Turning to Tina Fey, he added, "Contact the driver and hotel."
Tina Fey understood Duke’s intent and approached Scarlett, intending to pull her away. Scarlett, knowing Duke’s temper and character, didn’t insist on her so-called half a minute. She slowly walked toward the door, but when passing by where Ivanka was sitting, she paused briefly.
"Monogamy is against human nature. Following it is hard. Especially for n in Hollywood, it’s even harder."
Her speech was rapid, clearly not giving anyone the chance to interrupt. "I like Duke a lot. I’ve liked him for years. Ivvy, I don’t mind sharing him with you..."
Before she could finish, Ivanka simply looked at Scarlett, unwilling to exchange words. Duke, however, quickly realized what was happening. He spoke in an extrely stern tone, "Miss Johansson, please leave imdiately."
Scarlett promptly closed her mouth. "Sorry. I’ll leave now."
With that, she and Tina Fey quickly left the reception room.
The door opened and closed again from the outside. Ivanka remained silent, her eyes flickering constantly.
"She’s always been like this since childhood." Duke placed the cold towel on the armrest of the single-seater sofa and spoke first.
Ivanka turned to look at Duke. "When did it start between you two?"
"When did what start?" Duke frowned. "Ivvy, I admit Scarlett was overly close to upstairs, but nothing inappropriate happened between us. Never."
"Close?" Ivanka stared intently at Duke.
Duke didn’t conceal it. "She tried to do sothing to , but I refused her."
Ivanka looked at him without speaking, her flickering eyes making it clear she doubted his words.
"Since the beginning of our relationship..." Duke said slowly, "I haven’t touched any other woman."
Ivanka was serious about this relationship, and so was he. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have chosen to suppress certain matters, pretending not to know, nor would he have tolerated Donald Trump’s repeated provocations until Trump tried to interfere with Instant Share.
Both of them appeared calm, at least outwardly.
Duke used the simplest words to quickly explain everything, while Ivanka recalled many things, including events that occurred when she worked as Duke’s assistant.
Perhaps they had faded from mory before, but tonight they resurfaced. There was one Christmas when Duke and Scarlett Johansson went on vacation together to a private island with no outsiders. Only God knows what happened on that island!
Charlize Theron, Caron Diaz, Alessandra Ambrosio, Madonna Ciccone, Shania Twain, Naomi Watts, Catherine Zeta-Jones...
Figures she thought she could ignore now reappeared in her mind.
Ivanka, after all, wasn’t part of Hollywood and couldn’t understand its complicated and chaotic relationships.
"Ivvy, there are so things I don’t want to explain too much."
Duke, with his personality, would never lower himself to beg or plead. "But I will fulfill every promise I’ve made to you."
This was true. To this day, he had completely cut ties with his chaotic past.
Ivanka hesitated for a long ti before speaking. "Can your mother reduce her visits to Los Angeles?"
Hearing this, Duke, who had been looking toward the door, imdiately turned to Ivanka.
Though his mother couldn’t treat Ivanka the sa way she did Scarlett, as far as he knew, there had never been any conflict between them.
The alcohol-dulled brain didn’t process as quickly as usual.
Ivanka was watching Duke, seemingly holding her ground on her previous statent.
Even though she usually deferred to Duke’s opinions, she wouldn’t easily back down now. She clearly rembered that every ti Scarlett ca to the Duke’s estate, she was by Duke’s mother’s side, and Duke wouldn’t stop her from seeing Scarlett.
If it were another issue, Duke might relent, even agree. But this was a firm exception. "That’s not possible."
Hearing the firm and uncompromising response, Ivanka’s calm facade began to crack. The dissatisfaction she had been holding back since the hallway seed to find an outlet.
"Duke, don’t you think your mother and her goddaughter have seriously affected our private life?"
"I can try to prevent Scarlett from coming to the estate," Duke said, slowly figuring things out.
But anger, once kindled, doesn’t easily subside. Ivanka, still furious, pressed on, "What if your mother wants to see her?"
"That’s her freedom." Duke refused to back down.
Ivanka’s face tightened completely. "What if I disagree?"
Duke’s eyes narrowed into slits. Only people like Sofia Coppola and Tina Fey, who had been with him for years, knew this was a sign he was getting angry.
"She doesn’t have to co to Los Angeles." Ivanka didn’t back down. Seeing Duke’s silence, she beca even more upset. "We can go to New York to see her for Christmas and Thanksgiving every year!"
Taking a deep breath, Duke stood up. "Let’s stop here for tonight, Ivvy. We can talk tomorrow when we’ve both cald down."
Not only Duke but Ivanka had also been drinking. She had been by his side socializing and entertaining guests just as much.
"Why wait until tomorrow?" Ivanka stood up too, blocking Duke’s path. She glanced at her watch. "Your mother is probably still awake. I’ll go talk to her right now..."
"Miss Trump!"
Even the most patient person has a limit, and Duke was not known for being patient. "Do I need to remind you? This is Duke’s Estate!"
"I know this estate belongs to the Rosenbergs!" Ivanka retorted sharply. "No need to remind . I’m moving out right now."
With that, she gave Duke no chance to respond. She turned and left, slamming the door loudly behind her.
They had fought before. No couple doesn’t. But sotis Duke gave in, and sotis Ivanka did. This ti, neither wanted to.
Standing by the reception room window, Duke watched as Ivanka carried a large suitcase to a rcedes. Her driver hesitated, and Emma seed to be trying to persuade her quietly. But in the end, she got into the car. The black rcedes drove toward the estate’s gate, eventually disappearing into the night.
Duke watched all this without going downstairs to stop her or making a phone call. He could compromise on other matters, even pretend not to notice when Ivanka proposed going public with the company, which was essentially a way for Donald Trump’s capital to enter. He could even tolerate Donald Trump exploiting their relationship for attention through talk shows and books...
But when it ca to his mother, he wouldn’t budge.
For soone like Duke, who had a unique upbringing, family always ca before romantic relationships. His mother’s position was not sothing a girlfriend could compare to.
If forced to choose between the two, Duke wouldn’t hesitate.
The reception room door opened. Familiar footsteps sounded. At this ti, only one person could co to him.
"I just made a call," Tina Fey said softly. "Ivvy has already reached the hotel."
"Hmm." Duke nodded slightly.
Tina Fey hesitated. "Because of Scarlett?"
"Call Scarlett for ," Duke said, his anger rising again at the thought of Scarlett Johansson. "Tell her to co here less often. If my mother doesn’t invite her, she’d better not co."
Tina Fey, unlike Sofia Coppola, didn’t have such a close relationship with Scarlett and imdiately agreed. "I’ll call her tomorrow."
People inevitably show bias; it’s unavoidable.
After standing by the window for nearly half an hour, Duke gradually cald down. Reaching out, he was about to speak when Tina Fey handed him the phone.
Dialing Ivanka’s number, Duke raised it to his ear, only to hear the call end abruptly. This happened twice in a row.
Duke handed the phone back to Tina Fey. "Get so rest."
Suddenly, the phone buzzed. Tina Fey glanced at it. "It’s a ssage from Ivvy."
"What does it say?" Duke asked.
"She says..."
Though she had her bias, Tina Fey always prioritized Duke’s stance. "She says she needs so ti to think."
Tina Fey put away the phone and looked up. "She wants to take a good amount of ti to consider your relationship."
"Then let her think."
Duke said nothing more to Tina Fey, leaving the room directly.
Reviews
All reviews (0)