"When does my audition start?"
As he just started the car, Scarlett's voice came from the side, "I've been waiting for a long time."
"There's still some time, I think." Duke turned the steering wheel and drove onto the main road. "Someone will notify your mother when the time comes."
"Oh..." The little girl nodded and pulled out a small wallet from her backpack, waving it in front of Duke's eyes. "I've prepared the money."
"Money?" Duke glanced at the passenger seat in confusion.
"I said I'd treat you to ice cream," Scarlett Johansson said, blinking her bright eyes with an innocent expression. "Did you forget? I'm not like you, I don't like to play tricks."
Knowing how stubborn this little one could be, Duke decided to ignore her and focused on driving.
"Hey, why aren't you talking?"
After two minutes of silence, Scarlett couldn't help but say, "Did you regress into an egg?"
"An egg?" Duke showed his teeth in a grin.
"Yeah," the little girl explained seriously. "Chickens don't talk when they're still eggs!"
"Ms. Johansson!"
Duke barely suppressed the urge to give her a light slap on the head.
"How about this, let's play a riddle."
This little girl just wouldn't let him be. Without waiting for Duke's agreement, she blurted out, "Long ears, white body, red eyes..."
Regardless of the chattering beside him, Duke said nothing, slightly speeding up. Once he got home, he could hand this little troublemaker over to her mother; otherwise, his ears would soon be worn out.
As the Bentley entered Santa Monica, Duke asked curiously while Scarlett took a drink from her water bottle, "Scarlett, don't you feel tired?"
"Tired? Why would I be tired?" Scarlett asked, puzzled.
"You've said so many words," Duke pointed to his mouth with one hand. "Isn't this tiring?"
"No," the little girl made a wounded expression. "Duke, do you think I'm noisy? Annoying?"
Although Duke wanted to nod in agreement, he couldn't just admit it; after all, she was a child and also his mother's goddaughter. He could only shake his head reluctantly.
"Don't lie to me." Scarlett pouted. "Your mouth is saying one thing while your heart is saying another!"
Her bright eyes suddenly dimmed a bit. "This year, I transferred from New York to Los Angeles. Mom is busy with work and has no time to take care of me. Dad is rarely seen, and my brothers don't want to play with me, this little brat. I haven't had the chance to make new friends at school. After school, I have to go to acting class, where the students are all older than me, and some are even adults. Hardly anyone pays attention to me. I usually don't have any friends to talk to."
With a gentle sigh, Duke glanced at the girl who was not even ten years old. For child stars, whether their childhood is fortunate or unfortunate, and whether they regret the choices made by their guardians, they probably wouldn't be able to clarify even when they grew up.
This path looked glamorous but was, in fact, quite abnormal, filled with the temptations of devils and countless dangers. A single misstep could lead to a fall into the abyss, with no chance of recovery.
"Then I'll keep quiet."
Seeing Duke remain silent, Scarlett Johansson made a zipping gesture and turned to look out the car window.
Duke smiled slightly but still didn't say anything. It wasn't until the car entered the garage and he unbuckled her seatbelt that he said, "We're here. Get out."
The little girl turned her head, picked up her backpack, opened the car door, and jumped out. Without waiting for Duke, she skillfully walked through the passageway directly toward the villa, as if she had been here many times.
Following the little girl, Duke entered the living room, where Scarlett ran quickly to the sofa and affectionately called out to Mrs. Leah, who was sitting there, "Godmother."
"Yes, come here." Mrs. Leah took the backpack and said to another servant, "Take Scarlett to freshen up."
"Mom..."
After greeting her on the sofa, Duke entered another bathroom. After a simple wash, he came out and asked, "Ms. Sloan didn't come over?"
"She went back to New York," Mrs. Leah said, looking toward the bathroom. "Scarlett will stay here for a few days until her mother returns."
Then she lowered her voice a little. "When San Fia expanded its business in New York, Melani helped out a bit. The East and West Coasts have never been on good terms, and neither has the Jewish community. She was one of the people who introduced me into the New York Jewish social circle."
Not long after, the servant brought Scarlett Johansson back to the living room. Mrs. Leah stood up and told Duke, "You take Scarlett upstairs to see the room, your old studio. I'll have dinner ready."
All of the little girl's mischief seemed to have disappeared. She came over, tugged at Duke's sleeve, and followed him upstairs. Turning into the corridor on the second floor, Duke opened the door to his former temporary studio, which had already been transformed. It not only had a beautiful children's bed but also had decorations suitable for a little girl in pink tones.
"This is the bathroom..." Duke walked her through the room. "This is the intercom; if there's an emergency, you can directly call the servant. This is the balcony; you can see the ocean from here."
Scarlett Johansson merely nodded but said nothing.
"Do you have any opinions?"
After standing on the balcony and asking, seeing that she only shook her head, Duke couldn't help but frown. "Why aren't you speaking?"
"Did you allow me to speak?" Her one blue and one green eyes wrote of grievance.
"When did I say you couldn't speak?"
Duke sighed; this girl was too troublesome. He would rather deal with the scheming adult actors than play babysitter.
"I guess I should keep quiet," Scarlett said, pouting. "I just wanted to find a friend to talk to."
"It's about time."
Not responding to her, Duke glanced at his watch and left the balcony. Scarlett followed behind and tugged at his sleeve again. Duke turned back. "Let's go eat dinner."
"You're not angry anymore?" she asked hesitantly as they went down the stairs.
"When was I angry?"
Though Duke found her changing moods and expressions a bit of a headache, he wouldn't argue with a child.
Dinner was sumptuous, clearly prepared especially for them. Although Duke could tell from his mother's words that accepting this goddaughter wasn't without its obligations, he still had a good impression of Scarlett Johansson and spoke warmly, far from the strictness he had faced as a child.
Of course, this was partly the difference between boys and girls, as well as the difference between a son and a goddaughter.
In this country, unlike the place he had lived before, where actors were both envied and belittled, it was a highly commercialized society. Any normal profession was a reasonable choice. Hollywood and its surrounding industries create hundreds of billions of dollars each year, just like businessmen. For example, Tom Hanks and Stallone, Schwarzenegger, and other actors are viewed as examples of success and the American Dream.
During dinner, Mrs. Leah would occasionally discuss interesting stories about acting schools and Hollywood with Scarlett Johansson. Duke also observed that the little girl behaved exceptionally well, clearly trying to please her mother.
Smart and clever girls are always likable; this is a universal truth.
"The teachers at the acting school say I have great talent." Scarlett Johansson would also boast a bit, "They say that if I find a suitable role, I could become a child star like Macaulay Culkin."
"I saw your performance in 'Con Air'." Mrs. Leah encouraged her at the right moment. "Although your scene was short, it was impressive."
"Thank you, Godmother." The little girl smiled sweetly.
"Duke..."
Hearing his mother's voice, Duke looked over, realizing that he had hardly spoken during the entire dinner.
"Scarlett's school and acting school are both in Burbank, so you'll temporarily move back here for a few days." His mother clearly didn't intend to discuss it. "In the morning, take her to school, and in the afternoon, after class..."
"The acting school has someone to pick her up from school," Scarlett promptly interjected.
"Well..." Mrs. Leah nodded. "In the afternoon, you'll go to the acting school to pick her up and bring her back to Santa Monica."
"Mom, my work schedule is unpredictable," Duke said, feeling a bit of a headache. "Sometimes I get really busy and won't be back until late."
"Then..."
"Godmother." Scarlett Johansson spoke up again, "I can wait at school. It's no problem."
Hearing the little girl's words, Mrs. Leah looked over. Duke hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded, sighing helplessly in his heart. It seemed that coming home for dinner today led him to take on an unexpected temporary nanny role.
Fortunately, it was just a matter of giving rides in the morning and evening, so it wouldn't take up too much time. Otherwise, it would have been more of a hassle.
Even though Scarlett Johnson was only nine years old, she was very independent, managing tasks like eating and dressing without needing help. The next morning, after Duke finished his run on Seaside Boulevard and had breakfast, he drove the car into the yard. Right on cue, Scarlett came out, jumped into the passenger seat, and quickly buckled her seatbelt.
"Morning, Duke," she said cheerfully.
"Morning, Scarlett!"
With a nod, Duke drove out, heading towards Burbank. He first dropped Scarlett off at her elementary school, then hurried over to Warner Studios.
As soon as Duke stepped into the Independence Day production office, he received good news. After persistent efforts from himself, Warner Bros., and 20th Century Fox, the Pentagon finally made concessions. They no longer demanded changes to the script's ending or the content related to Area 51. Furthermore, the Pentagon would send aviation experts to assist with filming the air combat scenes, and offer Edward Air Force Base and White Sands Missile Range as shooting locations.
If needed, they would even dispatch a squadron of fighter jets to participate in the film's production.
Clearly, the Department of Defense decided to invest some support into the project, teaming up with Duke to create a large-scale recruitment film!
.....
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