Chapter 222: Don't Lose Your Way

The blue four-seater luxury sports car drove down the straight road and pulled into a parking lot in the Santa Monica Yacht Marina Area. Duke stepped out wearing a T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, followed by Catherine Zeta-Jones in a tight, short white shirt and denim shorts. Their appearance instantly sparked a frenzy of flashing cameras from the reporters waiting nearby.

"It's Duke Rosenberg and the lead actress of his new movie, Chicago!"

Even with security holding the press at bay, Duke could still faintly hear their chatter.

"They have to be more than just a director and his lead actress, right? Newspapers and magazines have been printing pictures of them out together all month."

"Is this playboy finally settling down to find a real girlfriend?"

"There are plenty of examples of directors and actresses falling in love and getting together while making a movie."

Hearing this, Duke knew he and Zeta-Jones would definitely appear in tomorrow's gossip media. Although they chatted and laughed happily, they stuck to their plan and avoided holding hands or any other intimate gestures. The movie's release was still a long way off, and the most explosive news had to be saved for the critical moment.

They had made frequent public appearances together ever since the Oscars. It was indeed a fake romance orchestrated to promote the film, but they still needed to lay the groundwork. If they suddenly announced they were dating right before or immediately after the movie premiered, anyone with half a brain would see right through it, which would ruin the marketing effect.

Duke had seen prime examples of this. For instance, Jennifer Lawrence, the representative actress of the new generation, suddenly started dating Beast actor Nicolas Holt while filming X-Men: First Class. They split up at lightning speed once the movie's theatrical run ended. Then, just as filming for X-Men: Days of Future Past wrapped, they suddenly got back together, only to break up again mere days after the movie left North American theaters. Even an idiot could tell something was off.

Exploiting gossip between a director and an actor, between co-stars, or even between actors and other key crew members for publicity was a time-honored tradition in Hollywood.

This was simply not an industry that could be judged by normal logic or standards.

"Do you really want to buy a yacht?"

They stepped into the specially restricted marina area, where the surroundings immediately grew much quieter.

Zeta-Jones slipped back on the sunglasses she had taken off for the reporters' cameras and asked, "A big one?"

"A big one? No, no, I only have a small dock at my house. A big one would run aground."

Looking ahead, the Santa Monica Yacht Marina Area had changed a bit from Duke's memory. The old-fashioned yachts were gone from most of the slips, replaced by brand-new vessels. A few of the deep-water berths even housed massive vessels stretching hundreds of feet long.

Yacht exhibitions like this were held almost every year in the Greater Los Angeles area, and Hollywood celebrities and socialites were considered their primary target audience. Compared to some of the stingier business elites, Hollywood's biggest stars—whose overall cultural literacy and refinement weren't exactly high—preferred to spend lavishly, with some even taking on massive debt just to do so.

They had barely stepped into the designated exhibition area when someone approached to check their invitations. Reporters were among the most unwelcome guests at these events. After verifying their identities, the manager, who clearly held a degree of status, asked another question.

"Do you need us to provide an attendant for you?" he asked.

"We'll just look around ourselves first."

Duke shook his head and stepped onto the freshly painted pavement. He signaled for Zeta-Jones, who was curiously looking around, to follow as they walked onto the pier extending into the sea. There weren't too many people milling about. After all, luxury yachts weren't exactly everyday consumer goods, and the exhibition undoubtedly had strict entry requirements.

Along the way, Duke spotted a few other people who worked in Hollywood, but they weren't particularly close, so they merely nodded in greeting.

"Hey, Duke, over here."

A greeting rang out from an area they had just passed.

Zeta-Jones immediately leaned in and said, "It's the Cruises."

Duke turned and walked over with Zeta-Jones to greet them.

"Tom, Mary, you're late," he said.

"We got held up on the way."

Nicole Kidman offered an explanation as she shook hands with Zeta-Jones. Tom Cruise rested his hands on the pier's railing, looking out at the gently rolling sea.

"Duke, see anything you like?" he asked.

"I just got here myself." Duke looked up at the vessel moored in this slip; it was definitely a big one. "I haven't had a chance to look closely yet."

"Why don't you come aboard and look at this one?"

Tom Cruise had clearly come specifically for this massive vessel. They were currently in the honeymoon phase of their working relationship, so Duke had no intention of refusing.

"Then let's go up and take a look together," Duke said.

Duke and Tom Cruise walked in front, with Nicole Kidman and Zeta-Jones following behind as they boarded the yacht. Cruise's face was the best possible calling card. A receptionist immediately greeted them, and after a few words, a middle-aged man dressed like a manager hurried over to take the receptionist's place, giving the four of them a tour around the yacht.

This yacht belonged to the premier British luxury yacht company, Sunseeker. To be shipped all the way to Los Angeles—a hub of celebrities and billionaires—and to catch Tom Cruise's eye meant it was undoubtedly the most dazzling jewel in Sunseeker's lineup. Over a hundred and twenty feet long, its four-deck structure offered unmatched luxury and refinement. It boasted exceptional design, performance, and interior decor, while also leaving immense room for customized client requests.

Standing high up on the top deck, Tom Cruise gazed out into the distance.

"What do you think, Duke?" he asked.

"Not bad at all." Duke glanced at Zeta-Jones, who had been whispering non-stop with Nicole Kidman, and patted the handrail next to him. "Have your eye on it, Tom?"

Cruise didn't answer, instead asking, "What about you?"

Duke shook his head. "It's a bit too pricey for me, and a bit too long. The dock at my house wouldn't be able to fit it."

Nicole Kidman overheard this. She raised an eyebrow.

"You? Short on money?" she asked.

"I just injected an additional five million dollars into Chicago," Duke said with a helpless shrug. "That's twenty-five million dollars straight from Duke Studio, which means it's straight from my own pocket. I really don't have the budget to splurge on a yacht right now."

The less-than-smooth progress of filming Chicago had increased their financial burn rate, forcing Duke to up his investment.

A luxurious, hundred-and-twenty-foot yacht like this couldn't be bought for less than ten million dollars. For him, right now, it was simply too extravagant. He wasn't about to tie up a massive chunk of capital in such a luxury item anytime soon.

"I'm going to have a chat with the Sunseeker people."

Tom Cruise walked toward the aft deck to find the manager waiting there, looking like he genuinely intended to buy the yacht.

"Tom's tempted?" Duke asked Nicole Kidman.

Brushing back her wind-blown hair, Nicole Kidman turned to look at Cruise.

"He had his eye on this yacht the last time he was in Europe," she said.

"What about you two?" she asked Duke and Zeta-Jones. "Do you have a general target in mind?"

As if fielding a question about their shared domestic life, Zeta-Jones pointed toward the small yacht exhibition area to their front left. That section was filled with smaller vessels, just a few dozen feet long, perfectly suited for coastal use.

"Our target is over there. Something under fifty feet," she said.

Tom Cruise was visibly captivated by the yacht and seemed ready to negotiate specifics. After chatting with Nicole Kidman for a little longer, Duke simply excused himself and brought Zeta-Jones to the small yacht exhibition area. They browsed through three brands—America's Bertram, France's Beneteau, and Italy's Wally—and even came across two models that caught their interest.

Afterward, Duke and Zeta-Jones boarded a sporty offshore cruiser made by the British Princess Company. It wasn't large—just a little over forty feet. Over the course of about half an hour, he inspected it inside and out. The Princess Company staff shadowed them the entire time, well aware that Duke was a potential buyer, and offered a thorough presentation.

"Princess Company always adheres to the principle of supreme comfort, so we've put meticulous thought into the layout," the man said, clearly blowing his own trumpet a bit. "The yacht's iconic lines and exquisite interior design are absolutely top-tier for its class."

Duke raised a hand to cut the salesman off. Playing along perfectly, Zeta-Jones waved at the man, signaling for him to step aside.

Out of all the small yachts they had looked at, Duke was most satisfied with this one. Furthermore, he had done some prior research on the Princess Company.

As a paragon of world-class luxury yachts, Princess Company perfectly blended modern shipbuilding technology with traditional handcrafted artisanship. Designed by top-tier naval architects, the hull featured elegant, graceful lines that exuded pure British flair.

The interior spatial layout was another area where Princess Company truly excelled. Thanks to advanced design techniques and years of accumulated experience, Princess Company's interior space design consistently remained leaps and bounds ahead of other yachts with the same hull length.

Constrained by the yacht's overall length, the cabin wasn't huge, but the modern furnishings maintained a sense of openness while providing maximum aesthetic enjoyment. The deck and helm station boasted sleek, dynamic, and stylish lines. The seating arrangement ensured a sweeping field of vision while remaining exceptionally comfortable, and the precise instrument layout allowed the helmsman to fully experience the thrill of speeding across the ocean.

The salesman had wandered back over at some point and chimed in at just the right moment.

"Every Princess yacht undergoes multiple sea trials before it's handed over to its master, ensuring that its owners enjoy the most outstanding, safest sailing experience," he said.

Duke gave the guy a look, then shot Zeta-Jones a subtle glance. He walked out of the cabin and stepped right off the yacht.

"You seem pretty satisfied?"

Stepping onto the wooden pier, Zeta-Jones tossed her medium-short black hair, which the sea breeze had blown into a mess.

"Are you going to choose this one?" she asked.