King of Hollywood
Chapter 467 - 188 It’s You

Chapter 467: Chapter 188 It’s You

"Are you two done talking?" A pleasant voice sounded by his ear, and Kate appeared beside Adrian with a smile as radiant as flowers. She was dressed in a black gown, her hair pulled back, revealing a delicate collarbone and a graceful swan neck, carrying a small handbag, exuding both mystery and grace with a touch of sensuality.

"It’s pretty obvious, I’m not Claude," Adrian shrugged his shoulders, "I’m not as comfortable with this as he is."

"How rare, to actually hear you admit there’s something you’re not good at." Kate raised her eyebrows in surprise, yet her smile didn’t fade.

"There’s no one who’s good at everything in this world. Isn’t it better to admit your shortcomings?" Adrian spread his hands and then smiled as he reached out to lightly trace her cheek, "Are you so happy tonight because lots of men have been hitting on you?"

In truth, he knew the reason for Kate’s happiness. When introducing her to guests at the party, he used the term "girlfriend." Sometimes, it’s very easy to satisfy a woman.

"Yeah, lots, including that man you’ve been watching." Kate rolled her eyes at him and then looked towards a middle-aged man conversing with two or three people in the distance. He appeared to be just over fifty, with a square face, somewhat thinning hair, but always looking confident and liked to talk at length—a person obviously adept at showcasing himself.

"You noticed?" Adrian looked at Kate in disbelief.

"Of course, don’t forget I’ve been by your side for quite a while now. Though I might not compare to Charli, I still have some observational skills," Kate said with a light sigh, but soon she smiled again, "Don’t worry, I believe most people here haven’t noticed."

She’s started using the nickname Charli... Adrian watched her with a hint of surprise but didn’t show it. Instead, he looked towards the middle-aged man and half-jokingly asked, "So, if I want to go talk to him, could you introduce me?"

If there were any gain from tonight’s party, it would be meeting this guy, one of the judges Adrian had decided on for "America’s Next Top Model." Of course, there were other reasons to choose this man, such as a potential reality show in the future. But after observing him carefully for a long time tonight, Adrian noticed something more interesting—this fellow must have a substantial network in New York.

Even though the title "Real Estate Magnate" carried a bit of fluff, largely due to his fondness for media exposure, after all, he had been operating in New York for so long and, despite currently being at his most challenging moment, was still a member of the billionaire’s club with an extensive network. That was not surprising. Although Uncle would help over on the East Coast, Adrian didn’t mind paving more paths. Eggs should never be kept in the same basket.

If only a small investment was needed to gain his favor, why not? It was always better to offer help when someone was in trouble than when they were flourishing. Without his help, the other party would still make it through this period. Besides, after entering the 21st century, the prospects for real estate were quite hot. You just needed to know when to pull out.

"Yes, I’m aware, but it won’t be too long. Everything has its ups and downs. Since it’s already as bad as it can be, a rebound is only a matter of time. I have no doubt about that," the middle-aged man said with an easy tone when someone expressed pessimism about the persistently sluggish real estate market. He still looked very confident, although his voice was a tad too loud.

"I agree with that. Many times, success belongs to those who persevere," a voice interjected at that moment. The middle-aged man turned his head to see a male in his thirties approaching with a smile.

"Hello, Mr. Trump, I am Adrian Cowell," the man immediately extended his hand.

"Please call me Donald," the man was initially a bit perplexed, but then his eyes lit up. As someone who often dealt with the media, how could he not recognize the name Adrian Cowell, "I never thought I’d meet you here, Mr. Adrian. You are indeed very young."

Following that, he noticed Kate and immediately revealed an expression of realization: "So Miss Kate’s boyfriend is you. No wonder, such a beautiful and charming lady should naturally be matched with a fine man like yourself."

"Thank you, Donald, you can call me Adrian or Ed," Adrian smiled slightly, neither confirming nor denying the compliment.

"So, Ed, are you interested in real estate too?" Donald Trump didn’t mince words, which wasn’t his style to begin with.

"Not really. Maybe I have many mature opinions on media, but I don’t have enough understanding of real estate," Adrian shrugged, "I just agreed with what you said. They say Donald Trump is a man who never admits defeat. Although we’re only meeting for the first time today, I think that description quite fits."

"Well, of course, the only one who can beat me is myself," Trump laughed heartily, fully accepting Adrian’s compliments.

"I can’t provide conclusive evidence right now, but I believe that the real estate industry will recover soon, and if you want to get involved, now is the best time," he continued, speaking in a way that although Adrian’s comments were subtle, how could he not hear them.

"Really?" Adrian chuckled, but didn’t pursue the topic further. "To be honest, I was still a bit hesitant at first, but now I’ve made up my mind, inviting you seems like a good choice."

"Inviting me?" Trump looked at him, puzzled.

"Yes, an interesting project," Adrian said, glancing at the time. "Oh, I’m sorry, Kate and I have something else to do, so we have to leave first, perhaps we can..."

"I am having a party at my house the day after tomorrow evening, would Ed be willing to grace it with his presence?" Trump immediately said.

"That’s wonderful, I will arrive on time," Adrian nodded.

Stepping out of the luxury apartment, the cold wind hit them in the face. Although the snow on the streets had been cleared away, there was still a fair amount lingering on the vegetation and in places that the cleaners couldn’t reach, adding a certain charm to the city.

"Aren’t you worried about leaving so early?" Kate asked while adjusting Adrian’s scarf.

"It’s not late anymore, and I’ve already met with everyone I need to, even my uncle can’t say anything about it," Adrian shrugged with a smile, then took Kate’s arm after she finished adjusting his scarf.

"I thought you were going to have a long chat with that... Donald Trump," Kate leaned on him.

"I did plan to, but then I suddenly remembered that you and I haven’t properly toured New York together, so I pushed the conversation to another time," Adrian said as they reached the car, opening the door and gesturing for Kate to get in.

He hadn’t lied, of course. Chatting inconclusively with Trump for a few sentences and arranging a next meet-up were mainly to keep Trump’s appetite hanging, to probe and possibly maximize his own interests. Trump had hesitated briefly before mentioning the party at his home, obviously an event that hadn’t originally been planned, which showed that he had high hopes for Adrian—important information to have.

But the fact he hadn’t strolled through New York with Kate in a long time was also true, and since he didn’t want to stay too long at the party, he took the opportunity to take Kate out.

"Really?" Kate asked after she sat in the passenger seat, her eyes bright with a hint of a smile, as if she saw something, or perhaps nothing at all.

"Of course, let’s talk about our plans next, I’m all ears," Adrian leaned over and kissed her cheek lightly. "While the little guy is with auntie, tonight will be a world belonging only to the two of us."

"Alright, then let’s first head to Central Park, and if there are people ice skating, we’ll join in. After that, we can watch a performance on Broadway, and we’ll decide what to do next later. Also, I’m still hungry, you should buy something to eat."

"Your wish is my command, my dear."

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Even though his return to Los Angeles was postponed, Adrian still kept in touch with Claude, sharing his thoughts about Trump with him.

"No, no, no, I’m not planning on entering the real estate market. I just want to make an investment in him, in terms of personal connections. Personally, I have a good feeling about this guy. Although he’s a bit arrogant and likes to attract attention, he’s definitely not an ignorant fool who thinks he’s above everyone else," Adrian explained his new idea.

Claude didn’t take long to agree, as the preparations for "America’s Next Top Model" were going smoothly. The planning department at TBS was mostly supportive of inviting Donald Trump to be one of the judges, and Claude had come to understand quite a bit about him. Apart from the detailed analysis from the planning department, Claude had also had people gather lots of information on Trump. If Adrian’s opinion was correct, it wouldn’t be a problem to invest a modest sum of money.

With that settled, Adrian hadn’t forgotten about certain things.

"Nata," the bedroom door opened, and Shelly peeked her head out from behind it, "It’s almost 10 o’clock, don’t stay up too late."

"I know, Mom," Natalie said with a smile, sitting up straight at her desk. She rolled her eyes and let out a long sigh after her mother left, then resumed her previous posture—chair tilted back, legs crossed on top of the books, pen twirling through her fingers—gazing at the ceiling somewhat absentmindedly.

Just then, a faint ringtone sounded from the bookshelf behind her. Natalie was startled for a moment and upon realizing that it wasn’t her imagination, immediately turned to stretch out her arm, opened the bookshelf, and took out the cell phone, which was considered quite compact for the era.

"Um... hello? Who is this?" She asked carefully after picking up, but her expression quickly turned a bit excited. It was a gift from him, ostensibly for convenient contact, but only a very few knew the phone number.

"I’m not doing that kind of boring game," a smile spread across her lips as soon as she recognized the caller’s voice, "I’m not... What?!"

Before she could finish, Natalie suddenly let out a cry of shock and tried to leap up, but since the chair was still tilted backward and only her legs were supporting her on the ground, she suddenly lost balance and screamed as she fell from it.

"That hurt," the girl grimaced and rubbed the hurt spot as she stood up, then quickly picked up her phone again: "No... It’s nothing, just took a little fall. Where did you say you are?"

She hurried to the window, pulled back the curtains, and looked out onto the street. Soon, under the lamplight, she found the silhouette of the person standing under the tree across the street. A sweet feeling bubbled up inside her involuntarily, and she immediately raised her hand to wave, though she said, "That’s really unoriginal, hardly any different from last year."

Despite her words, Natalie quickly took a telescope from the drawer and held it up to her eyes to look across the street. "Ha, I can see you very clearly... It’s disgusting, how can you make kissing gestures at the phone... Mmm, that’s a bit better, do you want me to pick it up?"

After a good while like this, she finally regained her composure, sighed, and looked up at the ceiling with a bit more bewilderment in her eyes, her brows furrowed slightly.

"You’re saying... I should aim for Harvard?"

"Yes, that would be good for your future development, any Ivy League would do, but Yale or Princeton would be best. However, overall, Harvard suits you the most. Also, once you’re in, you must graduate!"

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"Hey, Ed, I’ve been waiting for you," Adrian had just entered the living room when he was greeted by Trump’s enthusiastic voice, "and the beautiful Kate."

"It’s an honor to be at your party," Adrian said with a smile, holding onto Kate and glancing around the living room. There were a lot of people, many of whom he had seen at the previous party. That a hastily arranged party could draw in so many wealthy and influential guests proved his judgment on Trump’s network was correct.

"Let me introduce you to..." Trump then began introducing several people he had been chatting with.

Among them were bankers, fund managers, and his colleagues. After responding properly to a few remarks, Adrian soon realized that Trump was leveraging the situation and chuckled to himself; he began cooperating very well. This didn’t last long before Trump excused himself.

"Regrettably, Ed and I have some private matters to discuss, so I must take my leave for a moment," he said.

"I’ll be away for a short while, I’ll be back soon," Adrian told Kate.

"I know, go ahead," Kate smiled and said no more.

Then, the two men entered Trump’s study one after the other.

"Would you like something to drink? I have the best red wine from Mouton Wine here," Trump said with a smile, gesturing Adrian to take a seat.

"No, that won’t be necessary, I generally don’t drink at times like this," Adrian gently shook his head.

"Then..." Trump immediately opened a cigar box.

"I don’t smoke," Adrian continued to smile and shook his head.

"That’s truly a pity, these are some of the finest cigars from Cuba," Trump lifted the cigar to his nose and took a whiff, then sighed with regret, "What a dreadful thing it would be, not to enjoy life."

But he quickly burst into laughter: "However, that’s a good habit. I don’t smoke cigars or drink hard liquor either. These are all for guests. Life should be enjoyed, certainly, but in moderation."

"Indeed," Adrian nodded in agreement.

"Alright, let’s get down to business. What is this invitation you mentioned, Ed?" Trump said as he poured himself a glass of wine and sat down.

"Simply put, our cable station is currently preparing a reality show, and I would like to invite you to be one of the judges," Adrian explained with a spread of his hands.

Trump’s eyes widened immediately; fortunately, the glass hadn’t reached his lips, otherwise, given his current expression, he might have spit it out.

"Sorry, did I... mishear something?" Trump looked at him, surprised.

"I am seriously inviting you, Donald," Adrian said with a slight smile, "It’s a modeling competition. Among the judges, we need someone who isn’t in this line of work, yet understands it well and has unique insights."

"Why me?" Trump squinted his eyes, his tone flat, revealing nothing.

"Because no one is more suitable than you. You’re a renowned real estate magnate, having served as president of several beauty pageants, like America’s Next Top Model. You have an exposure much beyond your peers, a person who doesn’t like to hide behind the scenes and desires to showcase oneself." Adrian’s arms were crossed over his knees, "I can’t think of anyone who could replace you."

"Is that so?" Trump’s voice sounded noncommittal, but a hint of pride flickered across his face, which did not escape Adrian’s eyes.

Just then, a knock sounded, and the door to the study opened. A clear, pleasant voice floated in: "Daddy!" (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to go to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your votes for recommendation, monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)