Chapter 640: Fatty Peter

Those bright blue eyes were fixed on the man across from her. His tall frame remained as straight as ever, his short dark brown hair still standing on end. His broad chest and sturdy back seemed capable of bearing any pressure in the world. He held up a piece of the sky like a mountain, sheltering those around him from the wind and rain, serving as a solid pillar of support.

But this mountain of support had long since ceased to belong to her.

If not for his initial proposal and financial backing, Instant Sharing wouldn't exist today. He had every right to dispose of his shares, but Ivanka knew that letting him handle them as he pleased would be extremely detrimental to the Trump Group's future.

Duke was still the same Duke, drawing a clear line between his own people and outsiders. Ivanka, however, was no longer the same Ivanka. Anyone who spent years fighting it out in the business world would become more mature, rational, and... realistic!

If Duke walked away now, Ivanka knew she wouldn't get another chance.

She looked at Duke, her blue eyes turning slightly red. "Do you really not care about everything between us? Have you forgotten it all?"

Duke paused for a moment at those words. He drew his gaze away from his coat on the chair and turned to look at Ivanka, but his eyes were like he was looking at a stranger.

People were always influenced by the people and environment around them. Eventually, they all changed, just as Scarlett Johansson had gone from a childhood chatterbox and troublemaker to the woman she was today.

A mature and rational Ivanka—an Ivanka who knew how to leverage every possible advantage—was undoubtedly better suited to surviving and fighting in the business world.

Picking up his coat, Duke said calmly, "You were my first official girlfriend, Evie. There are some things I will never forget..."

Ivanka's eyes lit up, but before she could react, Duke's voice rang out again. "But none of that has anything to do with business."

Shrugging into his coat, Duke turned and walked out of the cafe without a backward glance.

Watching Duke walk away at a leisurely pace, Ivanka Trump remained expressionless. Duke Rosenberg was still Duke Rosenberg after all.

She took out her phone and dialed a number. Once the call connected, she said, "Sorry, Dad. I did my best."

Without waiting for a reply, she hung up. Sitting back in her chair, she picked up her cooling coffee and downed it in a few gulps, letting the bitterness spread to every corner of her body...

A severe test had only just begun.

Leaving the cafe, Duke didn't return to his hotel. He went to his nearby estate and took a stroll through the grounds. The housekeeping company had maintained it well, but perhaps because no one had lived there for a long time, the estate felt unusually deserted. The cold winter wind only added to its desolation.

After a brief walk around the estate, Duke returned to his car and instructed the driver, "Back to the hotel."

He wouldn't be staying in New Zealand for more than a few days, so there was no need to stay here. He had originally planned to sell the property, but after seeing the soundstages James Cameron had rebuilt, Duke figured he might return to New Zealand to shoot in the future. He might as well keep the estate.

Over the next few days, aside from visiting Weta Studio to keep an eye on James Cameron's crew, Duke wandered around Wellington. He even made a special trip to the old exterior locations of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. The sets in those areas had long since been converted into permanent, real-life locations of Middle-earth, becoming New Zealand's most famous tourist destinations.

The day before he left New Zealand, Duke ran into a director at Weta Studio whose career he had greatly influenced.

Unlike Zack Snyder, this director's path had become exceptionally rugged due to Duke's emergence.

"I didn't expect to see you here, Peter."

Hearing Duke's greeting, the bespectacled fat man across from him reached out to shake his hand. "I heard from Richard Taylor that you came to New Zealand, so I made a special trip over."

Duke gestured to the chair beside him. "Sit."

They were in the recreational lounge at Weta Studio. Duke found a small empty table and sat down, and Peter Jackson took the seat across from him.

"Did you need me for something?" Duke asked.

Peter Jackson nodded. "Yes, there is something."

In front of Duke, he appeared exceptionally humble—a reflection of their respective statuses in Hollywood and the broader film industry.

Duke gestured for him to continue.

"It's like this." Peter Jackson adjusted his glasses. After a brief hesitation, he went on, "I asked Tolkien's copyright agency, and they said the adaptation rights for The Hobbit are in Duke Studio's hands?"

Hearing this, Duke immediately understood why Peter Jackson had sought him out.

"You mean..." Duke looked at him.

Peter Jackson smiled. "You probably know I'm a fan of The Lord of the Rings. Making The Lord of the Rings movies has always been my dream, but..."

Duke shook his head. "It's fine."

"The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is already done," Peter Jackson continued. "I think The Hobbit is a chance to fulfill that wish. Of course, if you want to produce it yourself..."

"It's not in my plans."

As soon as Duke finished speaking, Peter Jackson pressed on, "Could you consider me?"

The Peter Jackson of today was not the Peter Jackson of the past. Although he had directed a major production like King Kong, he had been given a hard time on set by Naomi Watts, who was already an A-list actress by then. He had almost quit the project entirely at one point. And even though the film was ultimately completed and grossed nearly 500 million dollars at the box office, it still hadn't met Universal's expectations.

Having lost the chance to direct The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, this director—who originally could never seem to make a good film outside of that franchise—had subsequently directed two other projects to extremely mediocre reception. Whatever little prestige he had accumulated from King Kong was essentially exhausted. Compared to the 1990s, his directing career had not only failed to progress but was actually on a downward slide.

"Duke Studio has already been acquired by Time Warner. To be precise, the adaptation rights for The Hobbit aren't in my hands."

Just as Peter Jackson's fat face was about to fall, Duke slowly tapped his fingers against the table and said, "Prepare a proposal, Peter. I'll recommend you to Warner."

Peter Jackson was overjoyed. "Thank you," he said hurriedly. "Thank you, Duke."

"You're welcome."

With that, Duke stood up, exchanged a few more words with Peter Jackson, and then left Weta Studio.

His itinerary in New Zealand came to an end. The next day, he took a flight to Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. The moment the plane came to a halt on the private tarmac Tom Cruise had rented, Duke spotted Tom Cruise's figure through the window.

"Hi, Duke."

Stepping off the plane, Duke was greeted by Tom Cruise's embrace. The handsome actor was incredibly enthusiastic. Through his collaborations with Duke over the years, his career had advanced significantly; in particular, the several films they had co-invested in had all brought lucrative returns.

Getting into Tom Cruise's SUV, they drove toward the eastern side of Brisbane.

"Where's Mary?" Duke asked, bringing up Nicole Kidman. "Why don't I see her?"

"Duke, you should congratulate me."

Seeing Duke's puzzled expression, Tom Cruise suddenly let out a happy laugh. "I'm going to be a father."

"That's great news." Duke slapped Tom Cruise hard on the arm. "Congratulations, Tom!"

Although the two hadn't divorced, Duke knew that this golden couple had encountered their fair share of hurdles, the biggest being their issues with faith and children.

Now that one of those issues had been resolved, their marriage could probably last much longer.

As for Scientology, perhaps family ties could awaken Tom Cruise from his blind obsession.

Duke also vaguely remembered that during the final two years of his past life, Tom Cruise hadn't been as blindly devoted to Scientology as he was in his youth.

Then again, much like the shift in the relationship between a small-time actor and their agent after they hit it big, even a horse that had been led by the nose for ten or twenty years would eventually want to break free of its reins.

Of course, on a highly personal matter like faith, Duke wasn't going to voice any opinions.

The farm estate purchased by Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman was right next to the Gold Coast, covering an area of over 2,000 acres. It included a horse farm and a large wooded hunting ground, making it perfect for leisure and recreation.

Nicole Kidman hadn't been pregnant for long. According to Tom Cruise, she wouldn't take on any more roles for the next year and would essentially stay here to recuperate.

Australia was not an industrial country; its main economic pillars were livestock farming and selling resources. The air and environment here were comparable to New Zealand's, making it an absolutely ideal place for recuperation.

The vehicle drove eastward along a highway next to a small river. Large swaths of harvested pasture could be seen all around, until the car finally came to a stop in front of a massive brick-and-stone house.

"We're here."

Tom Cruise got out first. Duke followed suit, jumping out of the SUV, and then he saw Nicole Kidman standing in the small plaza in front of the house.

He strode over. "Hi, Nicole. Congratulations."

"Thank you." Nicole Kidman was in an excellent mood. She glanced toward the car and asked, "Weren't you going to bring your girlfriend along? Where is she?"

"Captain America needed some reshoots." Duke walked toward the house, guided by the Cruise couple. "Scar went to Louisiana for the reshoots."

"Not only did you save Marvel Comics," Tom Cruise said, "but you also brought it cinematic glory."

Duke shook his head as he followed them into the living room. "Only Iron Man has been successful so far."

Tom Cruise invited Duke to take a seat, then added, "Thinking about it now, I really should have fought with everything I had for the role of Iron Man a couple of years ago."

"Losing it might not have been a bad thing."

"That's true." Tom Cruise naturally understood the reasoning behind this. He suggested, "Let's drop the subject and discuss how we're going hunting tomorrow."