Chapter 54: Initiative

"Ever since you were little, everyone has constantly let you down. You have to start thinking for yourself now, Nami!"

Sitting in the driver's seat of her red Ford, Naomi Watts stared straight at her reflection in the rearview mirror. Her pale skin was as supple as a peeled hard-boiled egg, and her exquisite makeup perfectly highlighted her already striking features.

She ran the pale fingers of her right hand through her newly permed blonde curls, certain she could captivate anyone she wanted.

"You have to seize this chance. Opportunities in Hollywood are so rare, and this is a chance to walk a red carpet with nationwide influence!"

Looking at the beautiful woman in the mirror, Naomi Watts flashed a sweet smile. "I know what you're thinking, Nami! Every time you reach for something you want, the hand of fate snatches it away. But not this time, Nami! Not this time!"

Her blue-green eyes widened, filled with pure determination.

Slipping into her khaki woolen coat, she cupped her hands to breathe into them and checked her breath. With a satisfied smile, she pushed the car door open, stepped out in her four-inch heels, and walked toward the restaurant ahead.

As she walked, she checked her reflection in the glass walls. While she lacked the explosive curves of typical American beauties, she possessed her own petite, delicate charm. Being in the absolute prime of her life, she was more than enough to draw anyone's gaze.

The MTV Movie Awards didn't hold much appeal for Hollywood's A-listers or even Second-Tier Stars, but for any actor trying to make a name for themselves, or who had just started to, walking the live red carpet for MTV Television was a monumental opportunity. If they were lucky enough to answer a few questions in an interview, they might just be remembered by audiences across America. At the very least, it would be a major addition to their resume.

A few days ago, Naomi Watts had heard Nancy mention that Warner Brothers wanted Duke to attend the MTV Movie Awards and was looking for a suitable female companion. The agent had bluntly told her she should fight for the spot.

"Speed has reached 350 million dollars at the global box office, Nami. I'm sure you know what that means." Her agent's words were still crystal clear in her mind. "Duke will be a massive center of attention at the ceremony, and the woman standing next to him will be squarely in the spotlight. You are my client, and by all rights, this opportunity should be yours. But I have an agreement with Duke and can't interfere with him, so..."

Nancy was a pure pragmatist, and Naomi Watts knew it well. The agent was merely accelerating Naomi's path to stardom to profit from it.

Then again, who wouldn't want fame and success?

Stepping into the restaurant, Naomi Watts paused. She was just about to scan the room when a waiter approached.

"Welcome. Do you have a reservation?" he asked politely.

"Has Mr. Rosenberg arrived?" she asked with a smile. The waiter immediately gestured for her to follow. "Are you Miss Watts? Mr. Rosenberg is already here. Right this way, please."

A faint, refreshing, and sweet fragrance hung in the air of the elegant restaurant. Soothing piano music flowed like a quiet stream, peaceful and melodic, while men and women in formal attire sat around their tables, whispering playfully to one another...

"Hi, Nami."

Seeing the delicate, beautiful woman approach, Duke stood up and pulled out the chair opposite him. He took her woolen coat as she slipped it off, hung it on a nearby rack, and waited until Naomi Watts was seated before returning to his own place.

"You look beautiful today," Duke complimented her, gazing across the table.

Beneath her coat, Naomi Watts wore a beige turtleneck sweater. The pleated design at the chest perfectly masked her overly slender frame. Her makeup, while exquisite, leaned toward a fresh and elegant style, completely devoid of any heavy or caked-on appearance. She had clearly put a lot of thought into it.

"Thank you," Naomi Watts said, breaking into a brilliant smile.

"Black pepper steak, medium-well..." Duke ordered casually.

"Fruit pudding, no sugar, no milk," Naomi Watts ordered, choosing just the one item. "Thank you."

"This is lunch." Duke frowned. "You're ordering too little."

"I can't help it. If I want to keep my figure and look good on camera," Naomi Watts said, clearly not planning to change her mind, "dieting is the price I have to pay."

"You could increase your workouts," Duke suggested.

Naomi Watts shook her head. "I don't want to build a bunch of ugly muscles. Fitness has to be in moderation."

"Have you been busy lately?" Duke asked, taking the initiative to change the subject. "I heard from Nancy that you landed another role."

"A role with less than ten minutes of total screen time..." Naomi sighed with perfect timing. "A minor part with fewer than twenty lines in all. And I only got it through Nancy's connections."

"If you have the time, go sign up for an acting workshop." Duke pushed the juice the waiter had just delivered toward her. "You still have a lot of room for improvement in your acting."

"I already signed up." Naomi Watts picked up the glass and took a small sip. "Classes start in February, along with dialect and movement training. I'm going to be busy for a while."

The waiter arrived with their food right then. Naomi looked at Duke across the table, her deep eyes flickering. She picked up her fork, speared a piece of diced banana, and popped it into her mouth before asking in a casual tone, "How's your shoot going? From the news in the papers, it sounds like you destroyed a few streets in San Francisco."

"That's just Warner exaggerating for publicity." Duke cut into his steak. "Things have been going fairly smoothly lately. We should finish all the shots by the end of January."

"Warner's pre-release marketing has been excellent." Naomi subtly drove the rhythm of the conversation. "Nancy mentioned that to promote The Rock, they want you to attend the MTV Movie Awards?"

"That's right. I've already received an official invitation from MTV." Duke raised his eyelids slightly, his gaze sweeping over Naomi's face before returning to the steak on his plate. "Warner suggested I bring a female companion to drum up some easy hype. I was thinking, should I walk the red carpet with Nancy?"

"What do you think, Nami?"

With a seemingly offhand remark, he effortlessly snatched back the initiative in the conversation.

Naomi Watts, who had just speared another piece of fruit, froze for a moment before flashing a bright, perfectly normal smile. "Nancy probably wouldn't agree to your request, would she? Unless it's absolutely necessary, she rarely exposes herself to the reporters' cameras."

She paused. Seeing that Duke was about to go off on another tangent, she gave up on hiding her intentions and asked directly, "Duke, would I have the honor of walking the red carpet with you?"

Biting her lip lightly, Naomi used almost all of her acting chops to present her most beautiful and touching side to Duke. She knew perfectly well that the man sitting across from her was absolutely not the rigid, inflexible type she had once called him.

Slowly raising his head, Duke looked at the blonde woman across from him. Beneath her charming, fragile exterior, she seemed to be harboring a trace of nervousness and unease, as if that single question had drained all her courage, looking genuinely terrified that he might refuse.

Knowing he didn't possess such impressive acting skills himself, Duke simply maintained a calm expression.

Of course, he had no intention of refusing. Otherwise, why would he have called her out to lunch? After all, he had already reached out to two other people. Sofia didn't want to expose herself to the cameras and continue being criticized by film reviewers, and Shania Twain had gone to Nashville and simply couldn't make it back to Los Angeles in time.

While he could walk the red carpet alone, Duke understood the importance of publicity for a commercial film, so he naturally wouldn't reject Warner's suggestion. And the only woman in the industry he was relatively close to was Naomi Watts. Besides, she had played the only substantial female role in The Rock anyway.

Regardless, they were temporary partners who got along well enough.

"The honor is all mine."

Intentionally waiting two seconds, Duke finally spoke. "I'm sure plenty of people will be jealous that I have such a beautiful and charming companion."

Since he was going to agree to Naomi Watts anyway, Duke didn't mind tossing out a few nice pleasantries.

"Do I need to say thank you?"

Hearing Naomi Watts's words, Duke extended his index finger and tapped lightly on the table. "Eat first. We'll go shopping when we're done."

Walking the red carpet was never just about walking, especially for a woman. It meant a massive expense, and given Naomi Watts's current income, she probably couldn't even cover the cost of the dress.

After lunch, Duke took Naomi straight to the Chanel boutique in Los Angeles. With the awards ceremony right around the corner, getting a custom dress was definitely out of the question, but they could still pick a suitable gown from the current season's collection, doing their best to avoid the embarrassment of clashing outfits with anyone else.

Like an ordinary couple, the two strolled through the shops, bought clothes, ate dinner, and returned together to Duke's apartment in North Hollywood.