Chapter 38: No Need!

Stepping out of his black Bentley and walking toward Tom Cruise's mansion, Duke noticed the road outside the Hearst Estate was lined with every kind of luxury car. Bentleys, Audis, and Cadillacs were merely entry-level here; there were enough limited-edition global supercars to drive any gearhead insane.

"Even though big-name stars compete," Naomi Watts said suddenly, clinging to his arm, "once they reach Tom Cruise's level, they rarely tear each other down in public. They still maintain at least a superficial relationship."

"Over there..." She gestured with her chin toward a Lexus parked up ahead. "That's Mel Gibson's ride. He's famously fond of Japanese cars and doesn't get along well with Tom, but he still came to this party for Nicole Kidman's sake, since they're both Australian."

Duke shrugged without a word, letting Naomi Watts continue whispering in his ear.

"During the Summer Season, Lethal Weapon 3 was completely suppressed by Speed. I heard Mel Gibson has a bit of an issue with you. He's got a nasty temper, so you'd better just ignore him."

"I don't waste my time with barbarians."

Hearing Duke's reply, Naomi covered her mouth and giggled. "So you can make a joke. You aren't that boring after all."

"Am I that rigid?" Duke had never considered himself that kind of person.

The two of them walked up to the mansion. Naomi handed over the invitation, took Duke's arm, and led him along the flagstone path. Following a waiter's directions, they bypassed the front lawn and headed toward the back garden.

"Maybe you aren't rigid, and you aren't boring either," Naomi said, answering his earlier question. "You're just far too focused."

Roughly understanding what the petite woman beside him meant, Duke replied earnestly, "In Hollywood, you first have to know what you want. Once you know what you want, you'll naturally find the path to your goal. You'll find a way. You will concentrate all your energy and endure anything, because you crave that destination and you know that realizing your goal demands absolute focus."

Naomi tilted her head in thought. "That actually makes a lot of sense."

Following the marble-paved pathway, Duke and Naomi turned down a corridor and entered the back garden. Under the bright lights, nearly a hundred people were gathered in the massive courtyard, scattered into various circles around the swimming pool. Waiters in crisp uniforms wove back and forth with trays, continuously serving drinks.

"Hi, Nami."

"Hi, Mary."

Up ahead, Nicole Kidman came forward in a short evening gown to welcome them. Naomi Watts let go of Duke's arm and shared a light embrace with her; the two women genuinely seemed to have a good relationship.

"Hello, Duke."

The tall woman clearly possessed an excellent memory. She walked over and lightly shook Duke's hand. Before Duke could say anything, the true host of the house arrived.

"Tom, let me introduce you." Nicole Kidman pulled Cruise over. "This is Duke Rosenberg, the director of Speed."

"Hello, Mr. Cruise." Duke took the initiative and extended his hand. As the host, Tom Cruise naturally wasn't about to show any discourtesy. "Duke, may I call you that? Thank you. You created a miracle in this year's Summer Season."

Perhaps it was a bit uncomfortable for him to have to look up slightly while speaking to Duke, so Tom Cruise merely exchanged a few pleasantries before leading Nicole Kidman away to greet other guests. This golden couple, famous all across America, were not just the hosts of the party, but its absolute center of attention.

Coming to this kind of event naturally meant mingling and chatting with people, whether he knew them or not. Knowing what to say to whom in any given situation wasn't difficult for Duke in the slightest.

"Nami, is this your boyfriend?"

Just as Duke sat down at a table by the pool, he heard a rather gruff male voice ring out from behind him, right as Naomi Watts shot him a helpless look.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" The man, holding a glass of wine, sprawled carelessly into the seat next to Duke, immediately furrowing his brows. "Duke Rosenberg?"

Smelling the alcohol wafting off the man's breath, Duke shifted slightly away and gave him a faint nod. "Hello, Mr. Gibson."

Since the man had a poor attitude, Duke wasn't going to go out of his way to smile and suck up; he simply maintained basic politeness.

"Boy!" Mel Gibson had clearly had a bit too much to drink. He tapped his finger aggressively against the table in front of Duke. "The face I lost over Lethal Weapon 3, I'm absolutely going to win it back."

"I'll be happy to oblige." Duke didn't even spare him a direct glance.

The guy was an alcoholic with a fiery temper and an arrogant, unruly personality; right now, he was no different from any other drunken sot.

Even though Mel Gibson was intoxicated, he still remembered what kind of occasion this was. He waved a hand at Naomi Watts on the other side and left on his own accord.

"Remember what I told you?" Naomi ordered two glasses of sweet wine and handed one over. "Because Lethal Weapon 3 failed to meet expectations, Mel Gibson fired his agent and jumped ship to CAA."

Hearing Naomi bring up CAA reminded Duke that many of the people attending today's party, including the two hosts, were artists represented by CAA. He couldn't help but turn his head slightly, his gaze sweeping quickly across the party. There were more than just artists here; there were also some CAA agents. For instance, one of the women present was none other than Pat Kingsley—the very publicist who would later drive Tom Cruise to the brink of madness and drag his reputation through the mud.

Of course, measured by the standards of Duke's past life, Handsome Tom was just a textbook cult member.

"Nami..."

Nicole Kidman walked over just then. "May I borrow Duke for a moment?"

"Excuse me..."

Before Naomi Watts could say anything, Duke cast a questioning glance at Nicole Kidman. He had absolutely no prior relationship with this couple, did he?

"Could I invite you over for a second?" Nicole Kidman asked very politely. "There's a friend who wants to meet you."

Since the host was inviting him and hadn't made any unreasonable demands, refusing would be quite rude. Duke gave Naomi a slight nod, stood up, and followed Nicole Kidman toward the quietest corner of the party.

When they were still dozens of feet away, Duke caught sight of the person sitting at the white round table, chatting and laughing with Cruise. Even though the lighting was a bit dim, he recognized the man at a glance. It was Martin Bob, one of the super-giants of CAA!

'Interesting!'

Since he was already almost there, Duke certainly wasn't going to turn back halfway. Plastering a faint smile onto his face, he strode confidently over.

The other man had clearly spotted him too, merely turning his head to stare in his direction. Duke gave a slight nod of greeting, pulled out a chair beside the round table, and sat straight down.

"I've read your new script," Martin Bob said, cutting straight to the chase. "If you hand it over to CAA for our packaging services, I guarantee the production crew will begin prep work within two weeks, and you will be the director!"

"The terms?" Duke asked simply.

"Modify the character of Goodspeed. Change him into a young, handsome, and highly agile chemical weapons expert."

Hearing Martin Bob's words, the corners of Duke's mouth curled up slightly. He swept a passing glance out of the corner of his eye across Tom Cruise's face, and then he stood up.

"Thank you, but no need."

This was one of the reasons he was so disgusted by CAA's packaging policies. Under their packaging services, the directors and actors signed to them were nothing more than pawns. Furthermore, to cater to the needs of their A-list clients, they would frequently make all sorts of absurd, unimaginable demands.

Duke needed an agent, but he had no desire to be a puppet.

Even though he was currently in a weaker position when dealing with the movie studios, the studios were completely different from CAA. They didn't exert nearly as much control over their directors and actors; it was purely a business partnership.

If you wanted to become extremely popular or win heavyweight awards, you could absolutely go to CAA. That wasn't just empty talk—as long as you didn't mind them meddling in every single aspect of your life.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Ms. Kidman."

As someone with a good family upbringing, Duke naturally wouldn't forget to bid his hosts farewell. "Thank you, Mr. Cruise."

Even though Tom Cruise still had a polite smile plastered on his handsome face, it was noticeably a bit stiff.

Leaving Tom Cruise's mansion, Duke found his Bentley. He waited for Naomi to buckle her seatbelt in the passenger seat, then started the car and drove slowly toward the outskirts of Beverly Hills.

"You didn't actually have to leave with me."

Turning at a T-junction, Duke glanced at the passenger side through the rearview mirror. "I'm just not used to staying up too late."

"We came here together." Naomi adjusted her position in the seat. "Of course we're leaving together."

She could tell that something unpleasant must have happened, but she didn't ask about it. This was also her way of taking a stance; she didn't want to get dragged into the mess.

"Are you heading back to West Hollywood..."

As the car reached the edge of Beverly Hills, Duke asked, "...or are we going to my place?"

Naomi Watts turned her head and stared at Duke's profile for a moment. "Your place."

Duke stepped on the gas pedal, and the car sped toward North Hollywood.