This year's winter in New York was excessively cold. Compared to the warm, sun-filled Los Angeles, it had lost some of its allure. Under the sky gradually shrouded in darkness, Duke walked down the street. Even though he was wearing a thick knit hat, the cold wind still gave him a headache—it was freezing.
New York had been hit by a snowstorm a few days ago, and there was still snow and ice on the ground. For safety reasons, he didn't drive. At the moment, walking along the streets of Manhattan with Scarlett Johansson, he just wanted to find a shop to hide in.
He had just accompanied Scarlett to see that Mr. Johansson. Although her relationship with her father was very strained, she still visited him whenever she had time during Christmas.
"New York hasn't been this cold in years."
Along with Scarlett's words came a large cloud of white breath. It was so cold it felt like even breathing would freeze. "I miss the sunshine on Malibu Beach."
As she spoke, Scarlett raised her gloved hand and pulled her hat down further to cover her ears, which had turned bright red from the cold.
Duke visited New York every year, but he had never felt it this cold before. The temperature was lower than when he went skiing in Canada last year.
He wrapped his woolen coat tighter, looked up at the pitch-black night sky. After the snowstorm, the sky had cleared. Stars dotted the dark curtain of night, but the bright starlight, accompanied by the cold wind, only made everything feel even more chilly.
"Have you ever heard this, Duke?"
Hearing Scarlett's question, Duke turned to look at her in confusion. Scarlett moved closer, linked arms with him, and said, "Someone once said, the best and worst in the world combined—that's New York."
She shook Duke's arm and said, "New York is actually two cities. One belongs to the day—orderly and progressive; the other to the night—full of demons, with lust swelling in the body."
"Sounds about right." Duke pulled her along and quickened his pace. "Let's hurry. Mom is waiting for us for dinner."
After walking for ten minutes, the two finally escaped the cold and returned to the warmth of home. They took off their heavy coats and handed them to the maid waiting at the door. Duke and Scarlett freshened up quickly in the washroom and walked into the dining room.
Like the living room, the dining room also had a tall Christmas tree. Duke had specially arranged for it to be delivered after arriving in New York. He was usually in and out quickly, but this year, staying a few extra days, he wanted a bit of Christmas spirit.
"Mom."
"Godmother."
After greeting Mrs. Leah, Duke and Scarlett sat on her left and right respectively.
Mrs. Leah nodded gently, instructed the maid to serve the food, then turned to ask Scarlett, "How is your father?"
"Still the same." Scarlett pouted. "His drinking problem is worse than before."
She didn't want to continue on that topic and changed the subject. "Godmother, have you seen the gift I got you? It's an authentic Persian rug. I had someone bring it back from Iran."
"Mm, it's very beautiful," Mrs. Leah sipped her tea. "You're thoughtful."
Scarlett smiled happily and winked at Duke.
A lavish dinner was served one dish after another. As always, there were no tedious formalities. The three of them chatted while eating.
"I just had Tina place an order with Boeing," Duke remembered something he had handled before coming to New York. "Mom, your plane should be replaced too. I ordered two Boeing BBJ business jets."
"You take care of it."
Whether for Duke or for herself, changing planes wasn't a big deal.
After ordering a yacht in the summer, Duke planned to upgrade his business jet. The previous aircraft had become too small for his current needs—both in range and passenger capacity.
Of course, he wouldn't go crazy and convert a Boeing 747 or an Airbus jumbo into a private jet. As long as it's sufficient, there's no need for unnecessary extravagance.
So, after some consideration, Duke chose Boeing's BBJ business jet.
The Boeing BBJ is developed based on the Boeing 737 and includes a wardrobe, kitchen, bedroom, and business lounge. The business lounge is also equipped with a meeting area, dining area, and rest area. It can accommodate 60 passengers and has a range of over 8,000 miles, fully meeting Duke's needs.
Of course, the two planes would definitely need to be customized differently for Duke and Mrs. Leah.
Including the customization fees, the total cost of both planes would certainly exceed $100 million.
But this expense was nothing for Duke.
Now that he was in New York, besides spending time with his mother, Duke also had to attend some parties. He and Mrs. Leah were now regulars on the Forbes rich list and naturally received many invitations to high-society events.
Some social obligations were unavoidable.
Fortunately, Duke had friends in New York, and being with them was never boring.
In the grand banquet hall, the band played soft music. Over a hundred guests formed small groups with those they were interested in, whispering or discussing the latest economic trends.
This was the Christmas cocktail party hosted by media tycoon Rupert Murdoch. After entering the hall, Duke, arm in arm with Scarlett Johansson, walked directly over to Mr. and Mrs. Murdoch.
"Hi, Duke."
Unlike how he treated others, Rupert Murdoch took the initiative to give Duke a light hug. The two now shared a large number of common interests in many areas.
"We'll talk later when there's time," Duke glanced at the people entering the room one after another, "I won't keep you from entertaining your guests."
Leaving the Murdochs, Duke greeted others while scanning the banquet hall with his eyes.
Scarlett, holding his arm, gently tugged him, reminding him, "I saw Irene."
After speaking, she slightly quickened her pace and walked toward a corner of the hall.
Apparently, Irene had also seen Duke and Scarlett. She chatted with a small group for a moment before leaving them. Once Duke and Scarlett walked over, they found an empty table and sat down beside it.
"Scar, you look even more beautiful," she said playfully, winking at Scarlett.
Scarlett didn't hold back, smiling as she replied, "That's all thanks to your cosmetic brand."
"Unfortunately, your new film is set during World War II," Irene Lauder said regretfully, "My brand can't be placed in it."
"Maybe…" Scarlett's eyes sparkled, and she suddenly said, "Why don't you make a cameo appearance? That would help promote it too."
Duke had just asked a waiter for three glasses of water, and upon hearing Scarlett's words, he couldn't help shaking his head. "That's a terrible idea."
He turned to Irene. "Wait for The Avengers."
Irene nodded and said to Scarlett, "I actually wanted to invite you to an event during New Year's, but your agent turned it down."
"Why didn't you just call me directly?" Scarlett put down her glass of water. "Don't you have my number? Why didn't my agent inform me?"
"So that's what happened…" Irene Lauder paused for a moment and said, "I thought you wouldn't be available."
"I don't have any pressing work right now." Scarlett frowned slightly. "I'm free during New Year's…"
At this point, she turned to Duke. "Honey, I won't be able to go back to Los Angeles with you."
"Stay in New York and help Irene," Duke thought for a moment. "Upton's already messed things up more than once."
Scarlett shrugged. "Then fire him."
With Duke's backing, firing her agent wouldn't cause Scarlett any trouble at all.
Some agents and agencies were indeed very powerful, like CAA and Michael Ovitz. But an agent's influence depended on the situation. Top agents in the circle like Nancy Josephson, Enno Martin, and Pat Kingsley—let alone dealing with ordinary actors—held significant sway even over some B-list stars.
But when an actor reached A-list or super A-list status, everything changed. A-list actors and directors, as well as other top-tier talent, were rare resources in Hollywood.
These people directly affected the status of their agents within the company and the entire industry.
That myth about CAA being the all-powerful behind-the-scenes master of Hollywood—does that really hold up? Would a "king" like Michael Ovitz climb on a table and shake his butt to please a top client?
There's another obvious phenomenon: how many times have people like Julia Roberts, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg fired their agents? How many actors have jumped ship from CAA to other agencies?
In today's era, if an agent still dares to control someone like Tom Hanks or Leonardo DiCaprio, it can only lead to a split.
The relationship between agents and their clients is far from simple.
To top clients, agents are more like service providers. Take Leonardo's agent, for example whenever Leonardo is on vacation, his agent temporarily puts work aside to accompany him around the world. And why is that?
Agents are an important part of Hollywood, but if you think they're omnipotent puppet masters, you're underestimating the power of film studios and top-tier actors and directors.
Since the end of the independent studio era, agents barging into executive offices at major studios like in the last century has become something of a joke.
After the Christmas holiday ended, Scarlett Johansson directly fired her agent, and Duke notified Nancy Josephson to personally represent Scarlett.
After that, Scarlett stayed in New York to take part in Irene Lauder's promotional events, while Duke flew straight to Chicago to rejoin the crew after the break and begin shooting outdoor scenes for The Dark Knight.