Chapter 397: Breathtakingly Beautiful

Stepping out of the Trump Building, Ivanka naturally took Duke's arm and walked with him toward Fifth Boulevard.

Duke glanced at her. She had changed before coming down, swapping into light sneakers and capri jeans that clung to her straight legs. Even without the elevation of heels, her legs looked startlingly long.

She wore a simple white T-shirt that was cut slightly short; whenever she tossed her smooth, long hair back, it revealed a flash of her flat stomach.

Pulling his gaze back, Duke looked ahead down Fifth Boulevard. "Are you going shopping?"

"All my money is invested in the website. I'm practically broke right now." Ivanka tightened her hold on his arm and pointed to an entrance not far ahead. "Come take a walk with me in Central Park?"

"Of course."

New York was nowhere near as hot as Los Angeles. After sundown, as they walked into the tree-shaded expanse of Central Park and strolled slowly along the water, a natural cool breeze blew past. It was far better than any air conditioning and exceptionally comfortable. The park was bustling with locals relaxing and tourists from around the world.

Looking out over the clear water as they walked, Ivanka said, "When I was in middle school, I used to come here to row all the time."

"No wonder you're so good at it," Duke said, recalling their time fishing on the lake.

Ivanka smiled and pulled him toward the plaza.

"Hurry up, it looks like there's a performance over there," she said.

Ahead was a modest little plaza where quite a few people had gathered. The faint sounds of drums and a guitar drifted over, and through the gaps in the crowd, they could see people in eccentric outfits putting on a show.

Dragged forward by the hand, Duke picked up his pace. By the time they reached the spot, the crowd had grown even larger. They had no choice but to stand on the periphery, but fortunately, they both had enough of a height advantage that their view wasn't completely blocked.

With so many people around, there was a risk he might be recognized. Always attentive, Ivanka immediately pulled the sunglasses from the neckline of Duke's T-shirt and slipped them onto his face.

Inside the circle, a Black band was playing the blues. Though their skills were only average, they still managed to hype up the crowd with their vocals and expressive body language.

"So cool!"

Ivanka cheered along with the crowd. Her youthful, vibrant enthusiasm infected Duke, and gradually, the two of them began cheering for the band together.

After staying there for about ten minutes, they headed elsewhere.

"Let's go check out the ice skating rink, even though there's no ice right now," Ivanka said.

Leading the way beside Duke, her face lit up as she looked into the distance. "That was my greatest joy during the winter when I was a kid. A few of us always loved running over here to skate..."

Duke simply listened as she went on, "Aside from Jane, I don't really keep in touch with the people I used to play with back then."

"Jane Lauder?" Duke asked.

"Yeah, Aerin's younger sister."

Duke nodded. "Is there anyone else I know?"

"There's one you definitely know. She's a somewhat famous model now." Ivanka smiled playfully. "I remember you two met at the banquet where we first got to know each other. Richard Hilton's daughter, Paris Hilton."

"I remember her."

He had indeed met her once before. But even if he hadn't, Duke still knew of the wildly famous Paris Hilton.

Arriving at the skating rink, they found it sparsely populated, quite unlike the winter. Ivanka found a bench and motioned for Duke to sit down with her.

Looking at the empty rink, she said, "Paris is a total party animal now. We practically don't speak anymore."

Duke nodded but didn't say anything. Paris Hilton actually represented the norm for the younger generation in wealthy circles. In reality, Aerin Lauder and Ivanka Trump were the outliers in that crowd.

Ivanka turned to look at Duke. "I remember you really like parties, too," she suddenly remarked.

"It's just a way to unwind."

In recent years, Duke had basically stopped attending any parties outside of commercial networking. "The pressure of being a director is massive. It requires a huge investment of time and energy, so I have to find my own ways to relieve the stress."

Duke checked his watch. "It's getting late, let's head back. I still need to contact Anna later to check on the progress over in Los Angeles."

Even though he had felt a bit tired of his current lifestyle while in New Zealand, it had been his routine for over a decade and was firmly ingrained. Anyone would hesitate to suddenly change their way of life.

The thought of changing had flashed through his mind more than once, but Duke poured the vast majority of his energy into his work and gave all his passion to his beloved films. He had never really considered how he ought to change.

Duke could see what was on Ivanka's mind. If she were a woman in the industry, he wouldn't have hesitated to sleep with her. But she had left a truly excellent impression on him. Even if she didn't fit his usual aesthetic preferences, she was a hardworking, ambitious girl and someone he could genuinely consider a friend.

Everyone needed a bottom line.

Ivanka clearly wasn't just looking for a quick thrill.

An official girlfriend? As he drove back to his home on the Upper East Side, Duke considered the possibility and subconsciously wanted to shake his head.

An official relationship meant mutual responsibility, and that kind of responsibility felt a little too heavy.

Of course, Duke had to admit that if he ever wanted to find a girlfriend and officially start a relationship, Ivanka Trump would be a very suitable candidate.

However, The Fellowship of the Ring was currently in theaters, and post-production for The Two Towers had already begun. Duke simply didn't have the mental bandwidth to consider these things right now. Just as he had for the past several years, he quickly threw his energy back into his work.

After passing its second weekend, The Fellowship of the Ring continued its strong, stable performance. Although its single-day box office dropped below 10 million dollars during the workweek, it maintained a high trajectory. Over four consecutive days—Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday—it grossed 9.52 million, 9.95 million, 9.62 million, and 9.33 million dollars respectively, raking in 38.42 million dollars over the four days and bringing its cumulative North American box office to 249.35 million dollars!

The North American market was relatively quiet heading into the following weekend. The only film opening in wide release was Fast & Furious, produced and distributed by Universal Pictures.

"It's a foregone conclusion that The Fellowship of the Ring will take the box office crown for a third consecutive week!"

After watching The Fellowship of the Ring sweep through the box office like a gale scattering autumn leaves, Michael Ovitz's state of mind had gradually settled. He was, after all, a veteran talent agency titan.

This was the premiere of Fast & Furious. Waiting in the lounge to enter, Vin Diesel wore a look of wild arrogance.

"Hey, Michael, you can't say that!" he argued.

Still carrying a trace of hubris, he continued, "This is already the third weekend for The Fellowship of the Ring, while Fast & Furious is in its opening week. We might just crush them!"

"Use that stupid head of yours and think!"

Michael Ovitz had never been particularly good-tempered toward these less-famous actors. "Can Fast & Furious really challenge The Fellowship of the Ring?"

Vin Diesel parted his lips but didn't dare say anything more.

Paul Walker and several others shot Vin Diesel mocking looks. Though they didn't show it openly, inwardly they were all reveling in his misfortune.

They all belonged to the same agency, and the company's resources were limited. Even top-tier agencies like CAA and ICM prioritized certain newcomers over others when promoting them, let alone the Artists Management Company. Nobody wanted to be relegated to second place.

In fact, outside of work-related exchanges, Paul Walker never spoke to Vin Diesel. This was partly because the two were in direct competition for everything from film roles to agency resources, and partly because he simply didn't like Vin Diesel's skin color.

In a cast heavily populated by Black and Latino actors, there were very few people Paul Walker found agreeable.

Of course, he was well aware that the others treated him as a competitor and found him just as disagreeable.

This was the norm on Hollywood film sets: a group of somewhat famous actors, none with enough clout to suppress the rest, acting out the same soap opera of superficial harmony and internal infighting that Hollywood had staged for decades.

Some just showed it directly, while others employed much more covert methods.

As the female lead of Fast & Furious, Jessica Alba was the most significant actress in the film and a prime target for heavy promotion by the Artists Management Company. Relying on her sexy, sweet appearance, she remained the actor who attracted the most eyeballs and camera lenses when the cast walked the red carpet.

Michelle Rodriguez took all of this in.

The agency was focusing heavily on developing two young actresses. One was the female lead of Pearl Harbor, Kate Beckinsale, and the other was the woman standing beside her, Jessica Alba.

But Michelle Rodriguez also had her own ambitions and dreams; she was unwilling to remain a supporting character forever.

Because of this, she had cultivated an excellent relationship with Jessica Alba on set. They even went out partying wildly at nightclubs together during the shoot, which allowed her to see another side of this seemingly pure girl.

Jessica already had a boyfriend—some producer who was a French count—yet she didn't mind flirting passionately with other men. Like most people in the industry, grabbing a hotel room after catching someone's eye was a common occurrence. At the beginning of the year, when her boyfriend had to leave Los Angeles for business, she had even carried on a nearly half-month-long affair with a Yankees player vacationing in the City of Angels.

Playing the role of the so-called bestie, Michelle Rodriguez naturally committed every little detail to memory.

Right at that moment, Jessica Alba suddenly became restless. Her legs were visibly squirming as if she were enduring something unbearable. Her complexion looked poor, and her hand unconsciously slid down from her waist.

"What's wrong, Jessie?" Michelle Rodriguez immediately asked with concern.