Chapter 461: Because the Leader is Jobs

"Darling, are you ready?"

Duke pushed open the dressing room door and walked in. A top Hollywood stylist had already helped Ivanka change; she greeted Duke, then quickly hurried out with her assistant.

"Do I look pretty?" Ivanka asked, turning around.

Duke smiled. "Absolutely stunning."

Ivanka's blonde hair was pinned up at the back, free of any accessories. A diamond-studded platinum necklace rested against her smooth, slender neck. Below it, she wore a custom handmade strapless white Chanel evening gown, the form-fitting design perfectly accentuating her stunning figure.

"Is the dress a little tight?" Duke walked over.

Ivanka checked herself in the mirror and said, "I think it's just right."

Catching his meaning, she rolled her eyes slightly, leaned in close to his ear, and whispered, "I have another, even tighter sheer dress ready. I'll wear it for you tonight."

Duke's eyes immediately lit up. "Sounds good."

With a smile, Duke handed her the box he was holding. "Your birthday gift, darling. Happy birthday."

"Thank you." Taking the box, Ivanka gave it a little shake. "May I?"

Duke gestured for her to go ahead. Ivanka opened the box to reveal an exquisite watch.

"It's beautiful."

Ivanka examined it closely. It was a top-tier Patek Philippe, clearly custom-made. From any angle, the outline of her portrait could be seen on the sapphire-studded dial.

"I love it," she added.

The watch was exquisite, elegant, and understated—much like herself.

Ivanka took off her bracelet, handed the watch back to Duke, and offered him her wrist. "Could you put it on for me?"

"Happy to." Duke gently stroked her wrist. "My lady."

"Am I that old?"

Duke shrugged as he fastened the watch. Glancing at the time, he took her hand and led her out. "It's about time. We should head down."

Reaching the spiral staircase to the banquet hall, Duke stepped down first. The music in the hall came to an abrupt halt, drawing the eyes of countless guests toward them. He reached up to guide the star of tonight's banquet down the steps. When Ivanka rounded the stairs and came into full view, the hall erupted in warm applause.

Ivanka's styling highlighted her sweet elegance. Arm in arm with Duke, she descended the stairs and graciously greeted the guests who came forward to offer their congratulations. Her etiquette, temperament, and poise were absolutely impeccable.

"Evie, you look beautiful."

Doug Walter walked over with his girlfriend. After greeting Ivanka, he cracked a deliberate joke. "Duke, you'd better pay attention tonight. Be careful someone else doesn't set their sights on Ivanka."

"If anyone dares try to steal her from me..." Duke smoothly replied, "I'll throw them straight into the ocean."

"What if it's me?"

A loud, slightly arrogant voice rang out from the side. Duke gave Doug Walter an apologetic smile.

Turning around, he said, "Hello, Donald. You're late."

Donald Trump seemed a little displeased. "I hit traffic on the way over."

"Dad..."

Ivanka let go of Duke's arm and walked over to give Donald Trump a hug. Donald's tone carried a hint of complaint. "I had everything prepared for you in New York, but you refused to come back."

Glancing back at Duke, Ivanka said softly, "My career is in Los Angeles. This is a great opportunity to expand my social circle."

Just as Ivanka had said, even though this was her twenty-first birthday—an extraordinarily important milestone in America—the event inevitably turned into a networking party once the cake-cutting and other ceremonies were over.

Duke's reputation carried enough weight that the birthday banquet he had meticulously arranged for Ivanka was attended not only by Hollywood stars, celebrities, and major corporate executives, but also by quite a few prominent figures from Silicon Valley.

Just as Ivanka always accommodated him in public, Duke also considered her needs. She was clearly a highly ambitious woman, so Duke had invited people from the IT industry primarily for her benefit. Judging from the practical results, Ivanka was thrilled to be making connections with successful figures from Silicon Valley.

In a sense, many of these attendees were—or had once been—Duke's business partners.

This included Jerry Yang of Yahoo, the two founders of Google, and the famous Steve Jobs from Apple.

"I'm also very optimistic about the future of virtual social networking."

After getting a brief overview of Ivanka's company, Jobs again displayed his eloquence. "It's just that Apple is currently in a critical stage of transition, so we can't spare the energy to get involved in this field."

Ivanka smiled and said, "I heard Apple is preparing to reintegrate its resources?"

"That's right." Although Jobs was talking to Ivanka, his eyes kept drifting toward Duke. Suddenly, he asked, "Evie, a social networking site needs a lot of capital to expand. Are you interested in accepting an investment from Apple?"

"If we ever need it, I'll be sure to reach out to you." Ivanka was young, but she had no trouble handling this kind of exchange.

Duke raised an eyebrow slightly. He could tell Steve Jobs wasn't joking. Did that mean he really saw potential in Ivanka's company?

These true business geniuses and successful titans naturally had their own unique vision.

Wrapping up his conversation with Ivanka, Jobs turned toward him. "Duke, can we talk?"

"Of course."

Duke also wanted to chat with the man. Neither he nor Warner Brothers had ever forgotten about Pixar Studio.

Ivanka was smart. She immediately said to Duke, "I'm going to introduce Dad to some of our friends on the West Coast."

Once Ivanka walked away, Duke and Jobs moved over to the floor-to-ceiling windows facing the ocean. It was relatively quiet here, making it a good spot to talk business.

"Duke, I need your support."

Steve Jobs didn't beat around the bush, speaking bluntly. "I'm pushing forward with reforms at Apple, but I've encountered quite a bit of resistance..."

Duke gave a slight nod. Whether for a nation or a corporation, every reform inevitably threatened established interests. While a company like Apple carried Jobs' deep imprint, it hadn't yet reached its future state. Jobs didn't hold that many shares himself, and the board of directors certainly had its share of opposition.

"What do you need me to do?" Duke was equally direct.

"Throw your full support behind me at the shareholder meeting!"

Hearing Jobs' words, Duke chuckled. The majority of the Apple shares in his hands came with voting rights.

If Apple hadn't been mired in a deep slump back then, he never would have been able to acquire those shares. And, of course, Steve Jobs wouldn't have been able to return to Apple either.

Duke had some idea of what kind of person Jobs was. Since returning to Apple, Jobs had been constantly purging dissidents. However, the current Jobs was not yet the Jobs of the future, and some enemies couldn't be easily defeated by him alone.

After pondering for a few seconds, Duke looked at Jobs and naturally asked, "And your terms?"

"Apple will inevitably undergo equity financing to expand its shares in the future," Jobs said slowly, clearly prepared. "I promise that for the next five years, you will have priority investment rights so you can maintain your current percentage of Apple shares."

This promise was highly tempting, especially for someone like Duke, who knew exactly how terrifyingly massive Apple would become in the future. But in reality?

Duke shook his head. "Steve, Apple's stock price has been dropping continuously since 2000. Its market cap has shrunk from nearly ten billion dollars down to the current six billion. How can I be sure my investment won't go down the drain?"

Jobs gave him only one answer. "Because Apple's leader is Steve Jobs!"

"That isn't enough of a reason for me to support you."

In some ways, Duke did admire the man, but he wasn't going to make a decision that went against his own interests because of it. This was a business negotiation, after all, and profit was the only standard that mattered.

Furthermore, talking about personal ties with someone like Steve Jobs was entirely pointless. Which of these business titans would ever casually bring personal feelings into a commercial negotiation? Steve Jobs needed support right now, but Duke firmly believed that if the timing was right, Jobs would turn around and sell him out without hesitation.

Just think about it: in order to make his comeback, Jobs had been willing to set aside his prejudice against Bill Gates and accept a massive investment from him.

Try to buddy up, build a relationship, and make friends with these people? Even if Duke wanted to, the likes of Jobs would probably just question his true motives for approaching them.

Duke looked at Jobs. He knew very well that this was just the first condition Jobs had tossed out. Even if the man was arrogant, he wasn't naive enough to think this alone would sway him.

After a few seconds of silence, Steve Jobs glanced slightly toward where Ivanka was standing and said, "Both I and Pixar Studio will join Miss Trump's social networking site. Moreover, I guarantee that every three to five days, we will post updates regarding Apple and Pixar animated films."

Although the current Steve Jobs might not match Duke in terms of personal net worth, his influence and drawing power in the business world were magnitudes stronger.

His joining Instant Sharing would undoubtedly catch the eyes of many business figures.

After considering it for about half a minute, Duke took the initiative to extend his hand. "Pleasure doing business with you, Steve."

"Likewise." Jobs gave his hand a brief shake.

Though the negotiation had concluded, Duke didn't seem ready to let Jobs leave just yet. "Steve, I heard Pixar Studio's contract renewal negotiations with Walt Disney have been progressing slowly. Michael Eisner doesn't want to make any concessions?"

Just as Duke and Jobs were discussing Pixar Studio, a Latino man drove up to the gates of Duke Manor. After producing his invitation for the security guards to inspect, he drove into the estate, parked his car, and headed toward the banquet hall.

His eyes were bright and spirited, and his messy, shoulder-length hair gave him the distinct artistic vibe typical of the independent film circle.