Chapter 486: A Headache

"International Travel Company?"

Ivanka glanced at the business card, then looked up at Duke. "You don't think they provide escort services too, do you?"

"Very likely." Duke shrugged.

"Hollywood really has every kind of company imaginable."

With that muttered remark, Ivanka stepped aside and tossed the card straight into a trash can. She had just returned to link her arm through Duke's when a cell phone rang in her clutch.

"I need to take this." She pulled out her phone and glanced at the screen. "It's my dad."

Duke nodded. "Go ahead."

Right after Ivanka stepped away, Doug Walter, the CEO of Warner Brothers, came looking for him.

"There was a young man here a moment ago," Doug Walter said. He grabbed two glasses of champagne and pressed one into Duke's hand. "He tracked me down, looking to invest in Warner's projects."

"Who?" Duke already had a rough guess.

Sure enough, Doug Walter replied, "The son of that madman, Larry Ellison. He wants to invest in your project and Harry Potter."

Duke looked amused. "I'm guessing you turned him down."

"Do you think I'd agree?" Doug Walter took a sip of his champagne. "Never mind him—even if his father came here himself, I'd still say no."

Larry Ellison was undoubtedly famous, but that was in the tech industry, not Hollywood.

Much like trying to buy into established giants like General Electric, having money in Hollywood didn't always mean you could spend it.

Besides, neither Duke nor Warner lacked capital.

Doug Walter clearly hadn't paid David Ellison much mind, quickly changing the subject. "Duke, I think it would be more appropriate to release the Return of the King DVD after the Oscar Awards Ceremony."

"You seem very confident." Duke knew exactly why.

"Warner's publicity and PR departments have already set things in motion." Doug Walter was indeed brimming with confidence. "We've built up such a massive advantage with this trilogy. If the big prize still slips away, I'll fire every single person in those two departments!"

The click of high heels approached as Ivanka hurried back. Having said his piece, Doug Walter greeted her with a nod and took his leave.

"What's wrong, honey?"

She had been in great spirits when she stepped away, but now a clear trace of unhappiness clouded her face.

"Nothing." Ivanka forced a smile for Duke. "I just argued with my dad for a bit. Let's talk about it when we get home."

Realizing it was a father-daughter issue, Duke wisely refrained from prying. Donald Trump had a habit of doing outrageous things from time to time, and this was hardly the first time he and Ivanka had clashed.

The party ran late. It was close to midnight by the time Duke and Ivanka returned to Duke Manor. Walking into the Eye-Shaped Villa, they found Tina Fey still sitting in the living room. She was clearly waiting for them.

"Something wrong?" Duke asked.

"Yeah."

Tina Fey nodded. "There was a press conference in New York tonight."

Ivanka was just about to head upstairs. "I'll go to our room and take a shower first."

"Evie..." Tina Fey called out, stopping her. "You should probably see this too."

"Does it involve me?" Ivanka asked, mildly surprised.

"It involves Mr. Donald Trump."

As she spoke, Tina Fey turned on the television and played a pre-recorded clip. It was footage of a press conference, and the man of the hour was none other than Donald Trump.

Duke frowned after just one glance.

It was a launch for Donald Trump's new book. The title was Trump and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy!

"I was involved in much of the early prep work and later post-production for The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and the book details all of that."

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy was now universally recognized as a cinematic phenomenon. Donald Trump clearly wanted to leverage it to expand his own influence, and his words were explosive enough.

"It not only includes behind-the-scenes movie content, but also stories about my interactions with Duke, as well as Duke and Ivanka..."

Tearing her eyes away from the screen, Ivanka first looked at Duke, then shot a glance at Tina Fey.

"I didn't know about this beforehand," she said softly. "I only heard about it during that phone call at the party. I was planning to bring it up with you once we got home."

Duke nodded, saying nothing as he continued to watch the footage. Donald Trump was undoubtedly a master showman; his interview answers practically revolved entirely around Duke and Ivanka.

No one liked being used as someone else's publicity tool, and Duke was no exception. His face remained calm, but he was more than a little displeased.

Ivanka tried to offer an explanation on her father's behalf. "Duke, my dad..."

"Honey," Duke interrupted, a rare occurrence. "This has nothing to do with you."

He suddenly remembered that Donald Trump had once mentioned writing a book. They had almost clashed over it back then, only for Ivanka to smoothly defuse the situation. When no further news about the book ever surfaced, Duke had tossed the matter to the back of his mind. Looking at it now, Donald had clearly planned this all along, waiting to launch the book when the trilogy's release hit peak cultural impact.

"Turn it off, Tina."

Even though the recording had only played for a short while, Duke had Tina Fey shut the TV off.

Duke sat on the long sofa, lightly tapping one hand against the armrest. Ivanka sat beside him, gently massaging her temples, clearly at a loss for what to do.

Although he had told her it didn't involve her, how could Duke possibly sidestep her when handling this matter?

"I'm so sorry, Duke." Ivanka had a massive headache over this as well.

She knew exactly what kind of man her father was. If it hadn't been for that phone call tonight, she would still be completely in the dark. She had thought he'd given up on the idea of publishing a book long ago, but in the end, he still...

"Honey, it's fine."

Duke gave her hand a comforting squeeze, suppressing his own dissatisfaction. Now that this had happened, he couldn't take his anger out on Ivanka. That would simply be too unfair to her.

It was just that Ivanka's piece-of-work father really was a massive headache.

"Tina, notify attorney Al Ryder tomorrow." Duke had no intention of keeping this from Ivanka. Trying to hide things like this would only breed conflict. "Send Donald a cease and desist letter!"

Clinging to Duke's arm, Ivanka could only offer a helpless smile.

Duke knew this was merely a way to make his stance clear. Donald Trump loved hype and showmanship, but he was no fool. He certainly wouldn't spout blatant lies in the book. Given the publishing and copyright laws in North America, even if the book dragged him and Ivanka into the spotlight, there was little Duke could actually do to stop it.

Was he really supposed to take Donald Trump to court? Even if he did, the lawsuit would simply drag on indefinitely.

Though North America heavily emphasized freedom and independence, Duke was certain that if he completely tore up his relationship with Donald Trump, it would inevitably hurt Ivanka.

While he was about two Pacific Oceans away from being a saint, he still had no desire to actively sabotage a relationship he had worked so hard to build.

Back in their room, Ivanka closed the door and wrapped her arms around Duke from behind. Pressing her face completely against his broad back, she listened to his strong, steady heartbeat.

"Thank you."

"There's no need to be so polite between us." Duke turned around, pulling Ivanka into his arms, and planted a firm kiss on her forehead. "Don't overthink it. Let's get some rest."

"Mhm..." Ivanka nodded. Kicking off her high heels, she headed toward the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower."

She glanced back over her shoulder. "Care to join?"

"Sure." Naturally, Duke wasn't about to refuse an invitation like that.

Ivanka waited for Duke to reach her side before linking arms with him to walk to the bathroom together. During that short walk, her eyes flickered thoughtfully a few times. As they stepped through the door, she said, "I plan on flying back to New York tomorrow to have a proper talk with my dad."

Duke stopped in his tracks, thought about it for a moment, and said, "That might be for the best."

Having Ivanka sit down and hash things out with Donald Trump wasn't a bad idea. Duke had never expected that zealous showman to completely drop him and Ivanka as media fodder—he just needed the man to dial it back a bit.

Early the next morning, Duke went out to jog in the gardens, but Ivanka stayed behind. She walked into the gym and spotted Tina Fey working out on a treadmill.

"Hi, Tina."

"Hi, Evie."

The two exchanged warm greetings, just as they always did. Ivanka came to a stop in front of Tina Fey's treadmill.

Tina Fey glanced at her, hit the stop button, and asked, "Do you need something?"

"Not exactly, I just wanted to ask you something." Ivanka thought for a second before continuing, "Tina, if you ran into this kind of situation, what would you do?"

"Me?" Tina Fey pointed at herself, then shook her head with a smile. "I'm Duke's assistant. My work only has one core principle: anyone who damages Duke's interests is my enemy."

Ivanka could only roll her eyes and sigh, realizing she had asked the wrong person entirely. The woman was Duke's right-hand and the de facto manager of Duke Studio—how could she possibly side with anyone else?

Dropping her smile, Tina Fey hopped off the treadmill and stood in front of Ivanka, giving her arm a gentle pat. "Evie, we've been friends since New Zealand. Go back to New York and have a real talk with your dad. Nobody is going to tolerate this indefinitely."

"I know."

Even so, the mere thought of her father gave Ivanka a massive headache.

After breakfast, Duke had his driver take Ivanka to the airport first, while he and Tina Fey headed straight for Duke Studio in Burbank. Pre-production on Taken was still ongoing, and the work couldn't just stop. As for Donald Trump, he had already instructed attorney Al Ryder to send out a routine cease and desist letter; the rest he would leave for Ivanka to handle.

For now, he would just pretend that newly published book didn't exist.

Upon arriving at the studio, Duke saw the formal letter of investment intent sent over by David Ellison, which listed multiple projects Duke Studio was involved in. He took one glance at it and told Tina Fey to draft a direct rejection letter.

Despite being rejected by Duke, David Ellison had no intention of giving up his plans to break into Hollywood. Through some mutual connections, he managed to secure a meeting with a major Hollywood figure.