Chapter 504: Miss Trump

"This is your private business."

In one of the villa's reception rooms, Mrs. Leah stood up from beside Duke. She glanced at her goddaughter and let out a soft sigh.

"Scar."

"Godmother..." Scarlett stood up. "Could you give me half a minute?"

Mrs. Leah said nothing, simply turning and walking out.

Duke took the cold towel Tina Fey handed him and draped it over his face. The icy chill of the water helped clear his alcohol-addled mind a little.

Tina Fey spoke softly, "I told Charles and the others that you drank too much and had to sleep. Emma has already seen the guests out."

After walking in on him and Scarlett, Ivanka hadn't said a word. Although Duke was certain she hadn't seen Scarlett kissing him, he wasn't foolish enough to think she'd believe they were just having a casual chat.

And even though she remained silent, she had walked straight into this reception room. She obviously wanted to talk.

Duke didn't feel guilty, nor did he want to avoid the conversation. After all, since they started dating, he hadn't done anything inappropriate with another woman.

"Scar!"

Duke couldn't just ignore the thick-skinned Scarlett who had followed them in, the way Ivanka had.

"You can leave now," he warned.

Turning his head, he instructed Tina Fey, "Contact the driver and the hotel."

Tina Fey understood his meaning and walked over to pull Scarlett away. Knowing Duke's temper, Scarlett didn't insist on her so-called half a minute. She walked slowly toward the door, pausing briefly as she passed Ivanka's seat.

"Human nature wasn't meant for monogamy. Sticking to it is hard. Especially for men in Hollywood."

She spoke rapidly, clearly not giving anyone time to interrupt.

"I really like Duke. I have for years. Evie, I wouldn't mind sharing..."

She stopped there. Ivanka simply stared at her, seemingly unwilling to say a word. No matter how sluggish Duke's alcohol-addled brain was, he reacted instantly.

"Miss Johansson, please leave immediately," he snapped, his tone incredibly severe.

Scarlett shut her mouth at once.

"Sorry. I'm leaving right now."

With that, she and Tina Fey quickly left the reception room.

The door opened and clicked shut from the outside. Ivanka remained silent, but her eyes kept flickering.

"She's been fooling around like this since she was a kid," Duke said, breaking the silence as he set the cold towel on the armrest of his armchair.

Ivanka turned to look at him.

"When did it start between you two?"

"When did it start?" Duke frowned. "Evie, I admit that upstairs, Scar was a bit too intimate with me. But I haven't done anything inappropriate with her. Never."

"Intimate?" Ivanka stared hard at him.

Duke didn't hide anything.

"She tried to do something, but I rejected her."

Ivanka kept her eyes on him but didn't speak. Her flickering gaze told Duke she had reservations about his claim.

"Since we officially started dating..." Duke said slowly, "I haven't touched another woman."

Ivanka took this relationship seriously, and so did he. Otherwise, he wouldn't have buried certain things in his heart, pretending to know nothing. He wouldn't have tolerated Donald Trump time and time again, right up until the man tried to get his hands on Instant Sharing.

Both of them appeared very calm, or at least they looked that way on the surface.

Duke had explained everything as concisely and quickly as possible. Ivanka, meanwhile, recalled many things—incidents from her time working as his assistant.

Perhaps those memories had faded, but tonight they all came rushing back. One Christmas, Duke and Scarlett Johansson had gone on vacation together to a private island with no one else around. God only knew what they had done there!

Charlize Theron, Cameron Diaz, Alessandra Ambrosio, Madonna Ciccone, Shania Twain, Naomi Watts, Catherine Zeta-Jones...

The figures she thought she could ignore were now looming in front of her once again.

Ultimately, Ivanka wasn't part of Hollywood. Even now, she couldn't understand its incredibly complex and chaotic romantic entanglements.

"Evie, I don't want to make too many excuses about certain things."

With Duke's personality, it was impossible for him to swallow his pride and beg.

"But I will fulfill every promise I've made to you."

It was true; to this day, he had insisted on making a clean break from his chaotic past.

Ivanka hesitated, thinking it over for a long while before speaking.

"Could you ask your mother to come to Los Angeles less often?"

At those words, Duke's gaze snapped from the door straight to Ivanka.

While it was impossible for his mother to treat Ivanka the same way she treated Scarlett—whom she had watched grow up—as far as he knew, she had never had any conflicts with Ivanka.

His alcohol-numbed brain wasn't nearly as sharp as usual.

Ivanka looked at him, seemingly using her stare to stand firm on what she had just said.

Even though she usually deferred to his opinions, she wasn't going to back down easily at a time like this. She clearly remembered that every time Scarlett Johansson came to Duke Manor, she was always tagging along with his mother. And as long as his mother wanted to see Scarlett, Duke definitely wouldn't stop her.

If it were any other issue, Duke would have backed down, or even agreed. But this was the absolute exception.

"That's impossible."

Hearing the complete lack of room for negotiation in his tone, Ivanka's calm facade finally cracked. The frustration she had been building up since the hallway seemed to have found an outlet.

"Duke, don't you think your mother and her goddaughter have seriously interfered with our private life?"

"I can do my best to stop Scar from coming to Duke Manor," Duke replied, his mind gradually clearing.

But whether a man or a woman, once anger and dissatisfaction flared up, they were never easily quelled. Ivanka immediately pressed him.

"And what if your mother wants to see her?"

"That is her freedom." Duke refused to yield.

Ivanka's beautiful face tightened completely.

"And if I don't agree?"

Duke narrowed his eyes into two slits. Only those who had been by his side since his early days, like Sofia Coppola and Tina Fey, knew that this was a precursor to his anger.

"She doesn't have to come to Los Angeles at all." Ivanka didn't stop. Seeing Duke's silence only made her angrier. "We can go see her in New York every Christmas and Thanksgiving!"

Taking a deep breath, Duke stood up.

"Let's leave it at that for tonight, Evie. Whatever else there is to say, we can talk about it tomorrow when you've calmed down."

He wasn't the only one who had been drinking; Ivanka Trump had been drinking, too. Following Duke around meant she had her fair share of social engagements.

"Why wait until tomorrow?" Ivanka stood up as well, blocking his path. She glanced at her watch. "Your mother probably hasn't gone to sleep yet. I'll go talk to her right now..."

"Miss Trump!"

Even the best of people had tempers, and Duke could hardly be considered a good person.

"Do I need to remind you that this is Duke Manor?"

"I know this manor belongs to a Rosenberg!" Ivanka shot back. "You don't need to remind me. I'm moving out right now."

Without giving him a chance to say another word, she turned and walked out. She closed the door with a bit too much force, producing a heavy thud.

It wasn't as if they hadn't argued before; it was impossible for a couple not to fight. In the past, sometimes Duke would compromise, and sometimes Ivanka would. But this time, neither was willing to back down.

Standing by the reception room window, Duke looked out at the front of the villa. Ivanka was dragging a large suitcase toward a Mercedes. Her driver hesitated, and Emma seemed to be quietly trying to persuade her otherwise. Ultimately, however, she got into the car. The black Mercedes drove toward the manor gates and vanished into the night.

Duke watched it all unfold without going down to stop her or making a call. He could compromise on other things. Even when Ivanka proposed taking the company public—when in reality she wanted to let Donald Trump's capital into the firm—he could pretend not to notice and simply stall the IPO subtly. Even when Donald Trump endlessly hyped up his own name through talk shows and books by piggybacking on Duke and Ivanka's romance, he could endure it temporarily...

But when it came to his mother, he would absolutely not back down.

To put it bluntly, for someone with Duke's unique experiences, family inherently outweighed romance. The position his mother held in his heart was simply not something a girlfriend could compare to.

If someone forced him to choose between the two, Duke wouldn't hesitate for a second.

The reception room door opened, followed by familiar footsteps. At this hour, there was only one person who could be walking up behind him.

"I just made a call," Tina Fey said softly. "Evie has arrived at the hotel."

"Mm." Duke gave a slight nod.

Tina Fey probed hesitantly, "Because of Scar?"

"Call Scar for me."

Thinking of Scarlett Johansson, Duke couldn't help but feel a surge of irritation.

"Tell her to stop coming over here for no reason. If my mother doesn't ask for her, it's best she doesn't come."

Tina Fey wasn't Sofia Coppola; she didn't have that deep of a relationship with Scarlett.

"I'll call her tomorrow," she replied immediately.

Everyone had their biases. It was unavoidable.

After standing by the window for nearly half an hour, Duke gradually cooled down. He reached out his hand, just about to speak, but Tina Fey had already placed his mobile phone in his palm.

He dialed Ivanka's number. The moment Duke brought the phone to his ear, he heard the call being cut off. It happened twice in a row.

Duke handed the phone back to Tina Fey.

"Get some rest."

The mobile phone suddenly chimed. Tina Fey glanced at it.

"A text from Evie."

"What does it say?" Duke asked.

"She says..."

Although she had her own leanings, Tina Fey always acted with Duke's best interests in mind.

"She says she needs to calm down for a while."

Putting the phone away, Tina Fey looked up.

"She wants to take some time to think things over. About your relationship."

"Then let her think."

Duke paid no more attention to Tina Fey behind him, walking straight out of the room.