King of Hollywood
Chapter 633 - 41 Leisure Life

Chapter 633: Chapter 41 Leisure Life

After that heart-to-heart talk with her father, Ivanka felt much better. Despite always appearing calm, her father’s past few phone calls had put a lot of pressure on her. Now, even though the issues weren’t perfectly resolved, at least they allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief. But this was exactly what Adrian wanted to see, wasn’t it? Every time she thought about it, Ivanka felt both despondent and helpless. Not being able to teach that bastard a lesson was truly aggravating.

However, on second thought, the words he spoke to her father did resonate with her. As Adrian’s secretary, Ivanka obviously knew that her father had sought him out. If she hadn’t been constantly reminding herself to uphold professional ethics, she might have already pressed her ear against the door to eavesdrop. Afterwards, her father didn’t say anything more about her job or mention their conversation again. It was from Adrian that she learned about it.

To be frank, the lascivious jerk did make some sense. Although she had always taken pride in her image, which seemed to imitate that of a model, deep down, she genuinely craved some excitement, something that her parents had always forbidden, such as... seducing Adrian? Well, it might be better to ignore those thoughts. Nonetheless, the picture Adrian had painted for her father did have some merit.

"Have you not realized? Since you went to Stanford and then came to work here as a secretary assistant, you’ve changed quite a lot, haven’t you?" Adrian said, laughing heartily as he broached the subject.

In fact, she had already changed at the moment he took her virginity, hadn’t she? Even as she rolled her eyes at Adrian, Ivanka couldn’t help but think so. She also faintly realized that under the influence of both this bastard and Charlize, she was increasingly aligning herself with Adrian.

But what of it? Setting aside that Ivanka only had some vague feelings, just the thought of being married off to some suitable man according to her father’s plans made her feel indescribably suffocated, especially now that she had tasted the power that came with being a secretary assistant.

Just think about it—her father was now hinting that she might reveal something to make the collaboration with AC Media go smoother. Of course, as a secretary assistant with strong professional ethics, Ivanka had immediately refused her father and reported the matter to Adrian, and she felt both angry and sad.

"That’s normal, Innie," Adrian laughed heartily. "Your father is a successful businessman, and the biggest trait of a businessman is, when something is beyond redemption, to figure out a way to minimize the loss."

"Ha, you seem experienced. How many times have you done that? And who were the subjects?" Ivanka asked half-mockingly.

"Not even once. Although I have many ideas, I am not a qualified businessman, otherwise I wouldn’t have put Claude in charge of the company," Adrian said with a smile, "and then Charlize—now it’s you. I must say, you learn very quickly, Innie. The way you just acted and spoke was exactly like Charlize."

"Are you saying that I’m just a substitute for Charlize? Or am I merely imitating her?" Ivanka huffed.

"Even the greatest people start with imitation. Learning at first is about imitating, like a baby learning to walk and talk. Once you accumulate enough knowledge, you start to have something completely your own," Adrian said, his face twisting mischievously, "You know, Innie, speaking like that, in this context, has a different flavor to it."

Just as Ivanka was about to reply, Adrian suddenly lifted the covers and dove into her ample bosom. The lady, although she let out a scream and began to fight back with fists and kicks, regretfully found herself naked under the covers. As he sucked, she involuntarily let out soft moans.

Fortunately, Adrian didn’t continue and instead teased her about a morning exercise. After a brief affectionate interlude, he sat up. "Let’s get up. It’s your first official day moving into my house. I have to make it somewhat presentable."

Ivanka rolled her eyes again and sat up with a sigh. Yes, she had moved into Adrian’s mansion. As a secretary assistant, she had to stay constantly in touch with Adrian as something could need attention any second. Especially given the significant power this role held, being by Adrian’s side was the best option, particularly since Charlize had lived there before.

That was why she lied to her father about moving out after telling him she would do so. Her father was already unhappy about her becoming Adrian’s secretary assistant. If he found out she was also cohabiting with him, who knew what his reaction would be.

"Get up already, why not sleep a little longer?" As soon as she entered the dining room, a mocking voice rang out. Although Charlize sat there reading the newspaper without looking up, and her face was as expressionless as usual, Ivanka knew that once Charlize looked up, she would see the full irony of her smile.

Ivanka was quite displeased, and even Yukie’s quick action to serve her breakfast didn’t improve her mood. Even so, what could it do? Charlize’s place in Adrian’s heart was still beyond her reach for now, as evident from the former secretary assistant still living in this mansion despite having gone to work for ABC.

Alright, she couldn’t fuss too much with her, but she could get back at someone else, and Ivanka gave Adrian a glare. It was this guy who, despite her warnings not to bother her last night and even locking her room door, she forgot to double lock and secure it. After all, who locks their bedroom while sleeping at home?

That gave Adrian the opportunity to use his key to sneak in in the middle of the night, and then... it went on until this morning.

"Is there a problem?" Adrian, who was given a stare, asked bewilderingly.

"No, it’s nothing, just felt like doing that," Ivanka replied with an eyebrow lifted, in an indifferent tone, her gaze flitting over Charlize who was sipping her coffee.

Even if she could get back at that jerk, it wouldn’t be right now. The moment she sat across from Charlize, Ivanka couldn’t help but think back to their last lesson.

"You did very well, so now there is only one last lesson." After transferring all the files to her, Charlize had said that, then hugged her from behind and gently bit her ear.

"What are you doing?" Ivanka suddenly became panicked and struggled, but she was pinned against the wall.

"The last lesson," Charlize said matter-of-factly, then lifted her skirt and slid her hand up her pantyhose to her waist.

Ivanka should have resisted, and she did make some attempts, but for some reason, her resistance was futile. Perhaps from the moment Charlize began teaching her the job, that overwhelming presence had overpowered her, even as she seemed to fight back constantly. That domineering presence was even stronger than Adrian’s seduction, so, in a daze, she experienced woman-to-woman sex for the first time in the secretary’s office.

Actually, Ivanka wasn’t unfamiliar with such activity. Though she had always been a rule-following and seemingly independent girl under her parents’ guidance, repression always led to some unbefitting behavior. Most girls during adolescence can hardly avoid intimate moments with their besties, and of course, she was still quite proper at the time, the furthest she’d gone was at most kissing her female friends. So, after being played with from wall to desk to climax by Charlize, it took Ivanka a while to come back to her senses, and though she wanted to be angry, she just couldn’t be.

"I didn’t expect you to be such a low woman," she finally just said, gritting her teeth in indignation, but Charlize’s response almost made her spit blood.

"I’ve played with most of Adrian’s women, you’re not the first, nor the last," Charlize had said at the time, casually dressing herself while turned away from her.

Now, Ivanka knew that there was quite an exaggeration in such a statement, but at the time, she was indeed so shocked she couldn’t even think.

Sure enough, the people who stick around this jerk are also jerks! She said silently in her heart and at the same time resolved to seriously increase her bedroom’s security to prevent Adrian from sneaking in again, and to even consider letting Charlize join. However, she subconsciously ignored some things, like the fact that she was now working beside this jerk and that she was not averse to threesomes, among other things.

No matter what, the new secretary assistant officially began her work, and whatever she would become, that was a matter for the future.

Adrian still led a leisurely life. Having completed the filming of "Winter’s Bone" and "Erin Brockovich" this year, there wasn’t much else for him to do. Now, he just needed to oversee the post-production from time to time to ensure they could be released by the end of the year. He didn’t need to attend various film festivals to promote his movies anymore.

As for "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," although the post-production was relatively troublesome, the release date wasn’t until the end of next year. Even if the work dragged on until then, the first part should be finished. Plus, with Claude taking charge of the company, all he needed to do was to stay informed. Several acquisitions were also proceeding smoothly, so aside from checking on the post-production of the three movies, he spent his time accompanying the women and his daughter.

There was no need to mention the women, but as for his daughter, the 9-month-old Deva and Juliet finally managed to pronounce their first word clearly — and no, it wasn’t "daddy" or "mommy," it was — "sister!"

That’s right, "sister," as Lily often went to tease her two little sisters, tirelessly making mouth shapes and teaching them to say "sister," so the two little ones really did say it.

"I am Deva and Juliet’s favorite," Lily proudly declared, especially since she was holding a DV at the time, so her sisters’ first words were meaningfully recorded.

Considering this, Adrian was somewhat frustrated but didn’t make a big deal out of it. He just encouraged Lily to teach her two sisters more words. As for Monica and Sophie, they were only happy about Lily’s harmonious relationship with her sisters.

"Yay, I’m going to teach them lots and lots," exclaimed Lily, who received this "appointment," waving her hands joyfully, promising not to give up halfway. It was clear that she truly loved her two little sisters.

As a result, the three daughters got along very well, often ganging up against their dad, the Great Demon King.

Adrian couldn’t help but wonder if the child in Jessica’s womb could also blend into this scene when born. While teasing his daughter, this thought crossed his mind. However, he quickly discarded the idea, deciding to worry about the future later. Children are quite simple, after all. Of course, before that, he had to spend more time with Jessica to prevent her from getting bored and overthinking. _{f .r e\ewebnov(e)(l).c om}

This was Adrian’s daily life. Besides that, he also had to attend various cocktail parties, events, and premieres, more or less, such as "Gladiator," which had been promoted since the end of last year and was finally released.

Ridley Scott was a very competent director. If "Blade Runner" had been timed better and he hadn’t been so set on staying true to the novel’s themes, despite the story changes made to enhance the dramatic effect, it might not have been a huge failure due to its dragging plot. Contrastingly, Spielberg knew exactly what audiences wanted to see. Hence, "Minority Report," which hadn’t even started production yet, marked a significant turnaround where, in the novel, the protagonist realizes he is part of fate and thus ultimately kills someone as predicted.

Without any explanation, if these two movies were put together, no one would believe that the original novels were written by the same person. There might have been dissatisfaction from hardcore book fans or sci-fi enthusiasts, but entertainment value is the priority in movies. They have to consider a wider audience, not just enthusiasts. If Scott had not been so stubborn and had been more diplomatic, avoiding conflicts with the crew and not getting hung up on philosophical issues, "Blade Runner" might have been more successful and perhaps won him the Oscar for Best Director in 1992.

Those days are past; after his failures in the mid-90s, "Gladiator" was his first major directorial project upon his return. The accumulated effort ensured its quality was unquestionable, especially the first ten minutes, which displayed ancient military combat comprehensively and thoroughly, even if many details didn’t exist in historical Rome. Russell Crowe, leading the cavalry charge, was particularly impressive.

Although the movie eventually returned to the usual clichés of melee warfare with no formations or lines—just close combat and chaotic battles—one couldn’t deny the adrenaline-pumping and visceral excitement it generated, leaving Adrian feeling somewhat regretful. Epic movies that rose to fame from 2000 to 2005 started from here. If "The Lord of the Rings" had released before "Gladiator," the honor wouldn’t have gone to Scott.

But this thought barely flickered before vanishing. Adrian had enough accolades and didn’t care about adding another. Moreover, he had a grand plan, and he believed that after its success, it would be unprecedented. So, why bother over one more?

Beyond the first ten minutes, there were other eye-catching moments in the film. For instance, during the gladiatorial combat and one-on-one duels, Crowe fully unleashed his wild side, adding much vibrancy to the movie. Although they used quite a few stunt doubles during production and in some close-up shots, they "peeled" Crowe’s face off digitally and "placed" it onto the stunt doubles’ faces — similar to what Adrian did with the male protagonist’s scenes under his father’s guidance seeking prostitutes in "Malena" — the effect was incredibly good, making most people still feel the intensity and exuberance by the end.

"What an outstanding movie, congratulations, Ridley," Adrian was the first to go up and shake hands with the director after the show, congratulating him. The 60-year-old man, despite trying to maintain his composure with a polite smile, could not hide the excitement in his eyes.

Although he was nearly twice Adrian’s age, his fame and influence paled in comparison. Receiving such praise from the Miracle Director, or rather the big boss of AC Media, was enough to prove that his efforts hadn’t been in vain.

Adrian didn’t say much else and stepped aside, watching as people came forward to offer their congratulations while chatting casually with the male lead, Crowe. This Australian man’s attention was mostly on his girlfriend, presenting the perfect image of the new good man. Every time he saw Adrian, he felt like laughing, especially when comparing the current Crowe with the one from his previous life.

Finally, when the last of the well-wishers had left and the crowd in the screening room had thinned, Adrian approached Ridley Scott again, "Are you free, Ridley?"

"Of course," Ridley replied instantly, well aware that Adrian had been waiting.

"How about we find a place to have a drink?" Adrian suggested with a smile.

"No problem, but..." Ridley glanced behind him. Monica was having a lively chat with Crowe’s girlfriend.

Since they were at home and relaxing, it was natural for Adrian to bring his woman to events, premieres being no exception. As long as they didn’t arrive in the same car, it was fine, even if he walked in with Monica on his arm.

"It’s fine. If you’re worried, just invite Crowe as well," Adrian said with a smile.

Then the group headed to a nice bar nearby, where the men sat on one side drinking and the ladies chatted on the other. The initial conversation revolved around "Gladiator," discussing filming issues, CG effects, and Crowe’s acting. After a while, Adrian broached the real topic, "I have a good theme, Ridley. I think you’d be suitable to direct it—it’s a war movie."

"Can I know what it’s about?" Ridley asked cautiously after some thought.

"You’ll be familiar with it," Adrian said with a laugh. "You know, almost seven years ago, the Clinton administration had a pretty bad military operation in Somalia..."

"Two Black Hawk helicopters were shot down, and nearly 20 soldiers were killed," Ridley blurted out.

"Exactly right," Adrian snapped his fingers. "That’s it. A great real-life military theme. I’ve even thought of the name—’Black Hawk Down!’"

"I’m in," Ridley immediately said, excitement shining in his eyes. "This is definitely a great theme!"

Adrian raised his eyebrows in surprise, as he hadn’t expected such a straightforward response, but he soon smiled, "Great, now we can find a time to talk about this in more detail."

Ridley didn’t respond; he was staring at Crowe. Adrian knew what he was thinking and burst into laughter, "No, no, no, dear Ridley, Russell won’t be in this movie. He’s done too many of this type already. I’ve prepared a brand new role for him."

Saying this, he gave Crowe a sharp pat on the shoulder. "I think Russell’s performance in ’Gladiator’ was outstanding, and he definitely deserves a Best Actor nomination, but winning isn’t easy for such roles. So, I’ve prepared another role for him to play—a polished scholar that will shine just as brightly. If not this year, then definitely next!" (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian.com to cast your recommendation votes or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)