Chapter 96: More Troublesome Than the Pentagon

"When does my audition start?"

He had barely started the car when Scarlett's voice rang out from the passenger seat. "I've been waiting forever."

"It'll be a while," Duke said, turning the wheel to merge onto the main road. "Someone will notify your mother when it's time."

"Oh..." The little girl nodded. She dug a small purse out of her backpack and waved it in his peripheral vision. "I already have the money ready."

"Money?" Duke cast a confused glance at her.

"I said I was going to buy you ice cream." Scarlett Johansson blinked her bright eyes, the very picture of innocence. "Don't tell me you forgot? I'm not like you. I don't go back on my word."

Knowing exactly how difficult this little girl could be, Duke simply ignored her and focused on driving.

"Hey, why aren't you saying anything?"

Barely two minutes of silence passed before Scarlett couldn't help but ask, "Did you turn into a chicken egg?"

"A chicken egg?" Duke bared his teeth.

"Yeah." The little girl explained with utmost seriousness, "When a chicken is still an egg, it can't talk!"

"Miss Johansson!"

Duke fought down the urge to rap her on the head.

"How about this? Let's play a guessing game."

The little rascal truly couldn't stay quiet for a second. Without waiting for Duke to agree, she launched right in. "Long ears, a white body, red eyes..."

Duke let the little chatterbox ramble on beside him without offering a single reply. He sped up slightly. Once they got home, he could dump this troublemaker on his mother; otherwise, his ears were going to develop calluses from all the noise.

The Bentley entered Santa Monica. Taking advantage of a moment when the little girl pulled a water bottle from her backpack to take a drink, Duke asked, "Scar, don't you get tired?"

"Tired? Why would I be tired?" Scarlett asked.

"You've been talking so much." Duke freed a hand to point at his own mouth. "Isn't this tired?"

"No." The little girl put on a deeply hurt expression. "Duke, do you think I'm too loud? Am I annoying?"

Although Duke desperately wanted to nod and admit it, she was just a child, and his mother's goddaughter at that. He forced himself to shake his head in denial.

"Don't lie to me," Scarlett scoffed. "You don't mean that at all!"

Her bright eyes dimmed a fraction. "I transferred from New York to Los Angeles this year. Mom is busy with work and doesn't have time to take care of me. I barely ever get to see Dad, and my older brothers don't like playing with a brat like me. I haven't had time to make new friends at school yet, and I have to go to acting class right after school ends. The acting class is full of kids older than me, and some are even adults. Hardly anyone pays attention to me there, either. Normally, I don't have any friends to talk to."

Duke sighed softly, glancing at the girl who wasn't even ten years old yet. Were child actors lucky or unfortunate in their childhoods? Would they ever regret the choices their guardians made for them? Once they grew up, perhaps not even they would be able to say for sure.

It was a path that looked incredibly glamorous on the outside, but was in truth a highly abnormal childhood. The road was fraught with devilish temptations and countless dangers. One wrong step often meant plunging into the abyss with no chance of recovery.

"Then I'll just shut up."

Seeing that Duke remained silent, Scarlett mimed zipping her lips, wrinkled her nose, and looked out the car window.

Duke smiled slightly but still said nothing. It wasn't until he drove into the garage and helped unbuckle her seatbelt that he spoke. "We're here. Let's get out."

The little girl turned her head away, shouldered her backpack, pulled the door open, and hopped out. Without waiting for Duke, she familiarly navigated the passageway and headed straight for the villa. It clearly wasn't her first time here.

Following the little girl, Duke entered the living room. Scarlett quickened her pace and ran straight over to the sofa, calling out affectionately to Mrs. Leah, "Godmother!"

"Ah, you're here." Mrs. Leah took her backpack and told a nearby maid, "Take Scar to wash up."

"Mom..."

Having greeted her from across the room, Duke went into another washroom. He gave himself a quick wash and stepped back out. "Ms. Sloane didn't come over?"

"She returned to New York," Mrs. Leah said, looking his way. "Scar will stay here for a few days. She can go home once her mother gets back."

Her voice lowered slightly. "When Saintphia first expanded its business into New York, Melanie helped out quite a bit. The East and West Coasts have never gotten along, and the same goes for the Jewish Circle. She's one of the contacts who introduced me to the New York Jewish social circles."

It wasn't long before the maid brought Scarlett back to the living room. Mrs. Leah stood up and told Duke, "Take Scar upstairs to see her room, your old studio. I'll have someone prepare dinner."

All of the little girl's mischievousness seemed to vanish. She walked over, tugged on Duke's sleeve, and followed him upstairs. Turning into the second-floor hallway, Duke opened the door to his old temporary studio. The place had completely transformed. Not only had a beautiful children's bed been added, but the decor had also been changed to a pink tone suited for a young girl.

"Here's the bathroom..." Duke led her through everything one by one. "Here's the intercom. If there's an emergency, you can call the maids directly. And this is the balcony; you can see the ocean from here."

Scarlett only nodded, saying nothing.

"Any complaints?"

Standing on the balcony, Duke couldn't help but frown when she just shook her head. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

"I'm allowed to speak?" Grievance was written across her blue and green eyes once again.

"When did I ever not allow you to speak?"

Duke let out an involuntary sigh. This girl was simply too much trouble. He'd rather scheme and plot with calculating adult actors than act as a temporary babysitter coaxing a child.

"In the car." Scarlett pouted. "You thought I was too loud."

"I just don't have anyone to chat with normally..." she muttered. "I just wanted to find a friend to talk to."

"It's about time."

Refusing to take the bait, Duke checked his watch and walked straight off the balcony. Scarlett followed and tugged at his sleeve again. Duke glanced back. "Let's go eat dinner."

"You're not mad anymore?" she probed as they went down the stairs.

"When was I ever mad?"

Although her constantly shifting moods and expressions gave him a bit of a headache, Duke wasn't about to hold it against a child.

Dinner was sumptuous, clearly prepared with special care. Although Duke could tell from his mother's words that taking in this goddaughter was partly a way to return a favor, she genuinely seemed to like Scarlett. Her tone was quite affectionate, a far cry from the strictness she had shown him when he was a child.

Of course, this was the difference between a boy and a girl, as well as the difference between a son and a goddaughter.

This country was a far cry from the place he used to live, where actors were simultaneously envied and belittled. This was a highly commercialized society where any normal profession was a perfectly reasonable choice. Hollywood and its peripheral industries generated hundreds of billions of dollars in output value every year. Just like businessmen, actors such as the two Toms, Stallone, and Schwarzenegger were regarded throughout America as symbols of success and the American dream.

While eating, Mrs. Leah occasionally discussed anecdotes about acting schools and Hollywood with Scarlett. Duke observed that the little girl was behaving exceptionally well, clearly eager to win his mother's favor.

Smart and clever girls were always likeable; this was a universal truth.

"The teachers at the acting school all say my talent is pretty good," Scarlett even boasted a little. "They say that if I land the right role, I might just become a child star like Macaulay Culkin."

"I saw your performance in The Rock," Mrs. Leah offered timely encouragement. "The scene was short, but very impressive."

"Thank you, Godmother." The little girl smiled sweetly.

"Duke..."

Hearing his mother call him, Duke looked up. He had barely spoken a word the entire dinner.

"Scar's regular school and acting school are both in Burbank, so you'll temporarily move back here for the next few days." His mother clearly had no intention of negotiating. "Take her to school in the morning, and after class in the afternoon..."

"The acting school has someone specifically assigned to pick me up from my regular school," Scarlett chimed in.

"Hmm..." Mrs. Leah nodded. "Then you will go to the acting school in the afternoon to pick her up and bring her back to Santa Monica."

"Mom, my work hours aren't fixed," Duke said, feeling a headache coming on. "Sometimes when I get busy, I work very late."

"I see..."

"Godmother," Scarlett spoke up again. "I can wait at the school. It's fine."

Hearing the little girl's words, Mrs. Leah looked over at him. Duke hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. He sighed helplessly inwardly. 'I really shouldn't have come home for dinner today.' Now he had been forced to take on the job of a temporary babysitter.

Fortunately, it was just giving her a ride in the mornings and evenings. It wouldn't take up too much of his time; otherwise, it really would be a hassle.

Even though Scarlett was only nine years old, she was highly capable of taking care of herself. She didn't need anyone to look after her when it came to eating or getting dressed. The next morning, after Duke returned from his jog along the beachfront avenue and finished breakfast, he had just pulled the car into the courtyard when she came out at the perfect moment, hopped into the passenger seat, and swiftly buckled her seatbelt.

"Morning, Duke," she said with a bright smile.

"Morning, Scar!"

Nodding, Duke drove out of the gates and turned onto the road to Burbank. He first dropped Scarlett off at her elementary school before hurrying over to Warner Studios.

Right as he entered Independence Day Studio, Duke received good news. Through his own strenuous efforts as well as those of Warner Brothers and Twentieth Century Fox, the Pentagon had finally made a concession. They would no longer demand revisions to the script's ending or the content regarding Area 51. They would dispatch aviation experts as soon as possible to advise on the aerial combat scenes, and they were willing to lend Edwards Air Force Base and the White Sands Missile Range as location sets for the film.

If needed, the Pentagon would even dispatch a squadron of fighter jets to participate directly in the shoot.

Clearly, the Department of Defense had decided to invest significant resources into this movie. By joining forces with Duke as the director, they were going to produce a massive recruitment commercial of a film!