Chapter 210: Ivanka's Arrival

With the completion of Wedding Crashers and the production of the investment project Ocean's Eleven, the system funds, which had dwindled to just over 500 million, had risen back to 700 million.

Over this period, besides acting and having coffee, Wayne hadn't neglected his work on screenplays.

For example, he had rewritten a script, changing the premise from a husband turning 17 again to a wife doing so, planning to cast Scarlett Johansson and Camilla Belle in the lead roles for 17 Again.

Another modified script, The Tuner, featured Ryan Reynolds as the male lead, with Eva Green and Martina García taking on the first and second female leads, respectively.

He also had projects lined up, including Gone Girl with Anne Hathaway as the female lead and Mr. & Mrs. Smith, in which he planned to star alongside Charlize Theron.

Despite the numerous productions, including The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, and Resident Evil 3, spending the 700 million system funds remained a challenge.

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"Darling, what are you thinking about?"

A sweet, smoky-eyed face suddenly appeared before Wayne, interrupting his thoughts.

"Work," Wayne replied honestly.

"Then I can't help you with that—I can only help decide what we'll eat tonight."

Both Avril and Wayne couldn't help but laugh at her playful comment.

"That already helps me a lot," Wayne said with affection, planting a kiss on her forehead before taking her hand and heading toward the parking lot.

---

“How’s the recording going these past few days? Smooth?”

“Of course! I’ve already recorded seven songs—only three more to go!”

“Then we have to celebrate tonight.”

Having coffee with Avril was a different vibe entirely.

Unfortunately, no matter how the vibe changed, it didn’t significantly improve her energy.

Left unsatisfied, Wayne ended up heading to Monica Bellucci's villa with her the next evening after wrapping up work.

Monica wasn’t the only one there—Nicole Kidman and Kate Beckinsale had already been invited for coffee.

Interestingly, since their last meeting, Isabelle Adjani and Sophie Marceau had also started to enjoy these coffee sessions with Wayne, though they refused to admit it.

As a result, whenever Wayne had coffee with Nicole and the others, Isabelle and Sophie would also join, making it an eight-person gathering.

This gave Wayne the chance to showcase more of his real prowess.

---

In the following days, things returned to normal. Heidi and Grandpa was nearing the end of its production, with just ten days or so remaining. With Nancy Meyers directing and being produced by Hemerra Pictures, major distributors were optimistic about the film’s prospects.

However, compared to Taken, Resident Evil, and Wedding Crashers, Heidi and Grandpa was a relatively small production.

Given its genre, even with excellent reviews and a strong performance, its box office potential was limited—likely even lower than the American remake of The Ring.

While people were interested, it wasn’t the must-have project like the previous films. Even Wayne himself estimated its box office would only reach around $100 million. For him, the film’s primary value was as a token of gratitude for Jill Tavelman’s assistance in acquiring Industrial Light & Magic.

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At the moment, Wayne’s primary focus was on the latest round of interviews for Wayne’s Garden, his personal project.

On the morning of the 15th, Wayne arrived punctually at Wayne’s Garden's newly relocated office building, where General Manager Jenny had been waiting for him.

Jenny had worked for seven years as a model trainer at one of the world’s top three elite modeling agencies, eventually becoming head of the training department. She was one of the most renowned trainers in the industry.

Thanks to an introduction by Anne Hurst, Jenny had recently joined Wayne’s Garden as General Manager.

Given that Wayne’s Garden primarily served Wayne and occasionally created ad campaigns or runway shows for Supreme, its factory now employing 5,000 people, Jenny’s workload was manageable.

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“Boss, all the applicants are ready, and Miss Ivanka arrived at the reception room five minutes ago.”

“Then I’ll meet Miss Ivanka first,” Wayne said, raising an eyebrow thoughtfully. With Hannah and Amanda, who had come specifically for Ivanka’s visit, as well as Lydia, he headed to the reception room.

At just 16, Ivanka had joined an elite modeling agency as a part-time model. Her wealthy upbringing and striking beauty frequently landed her on the covers of fashion magazines under the Hearst Group.

Thus, not only Jenny but also Amanda and Lydia were quite familiar with her.

“Hey, Ivanka!”

“Amanda, Lydia, long time no see!”

As soon as they entered the reception room, Amanda greeted Ivanka warmly. Ivanka, seeing her, showed no surprise, gracefully rising from the couch to hug them both. She then turned to Wayne.

“Hello, Mr. Wayne. I’m Ivanka.”

“Hello, Miss Ivanka. I’m Wayne. On the way here, Amanda and Lydia shared a lot about you, but seeing you in person, your beauty is truly stunning,” Wayne said, shaking her hand and offering genuine praise.

---

In terms of looks alone, Ivanka wasn’t particularly stunning. She was on the same level as Amanda and Lydia. However, Wayne’s memories from his previous life subconsciously placed a filter over her, making her appear even more charming.

“Thank you for the compliment!”

Ivanka’s face lit up with a radiant smile.

Although compliments like this were something she had heard countless times due to her status, the effect varied depending on who said them. Coming from someone like Wayne—a handsome man whose wealth and influence even surpassed her father’s—it was a compliment that truly delighted her.

Still, she didn’t forget the purpose of flying to Los Angeles specifically to meet Wayne.

After a few polite exchanges, she brought up the main topic.

“You hope I can sponsor the Miss Universe pageant and serve as its ambassador?”

“Yes. Miss Universe is one of the two major global beauty competitions. Sponsorship in the name of ‘Wayne’s Garden’ and ‘Supreme’ would be a huge boon for both brands, wouldn’t it?”

Wayne chuckled softly, showing no surprise at her proposal.

After all, Ivanka’s identity was no mystery. A quick background check could easily reveal her motives for this visit.

Wayne’s fame and influence needed no elaboration.

On top of that, he had recently started a trendy fashion brand and his own modeling agency. Moreover, Ivanka had a good relationship with the Hearst sisters.

“Miss Ivanka, do you know how much I’m offered to act in a movie?” Wayne suddenly asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

Before Ivanka could respond, he answered his own question. “Last month, Spielberg approached me to star in a biographical film alongside Tom Hanks. The shoot would take about two months, and the offer was $30 million plus an 8% share of the box office.”

“With the combined power of my name, Spielberg’s, and Tom Hanks’, it’s unlikely the movie would gross less than $400 million.”

“By that estimate, my share alone would be around $46 million.”

“But I turned it down. You see, if I make my own movie, I can give myself a $5 million screenwriting fee, $40 million as the lead actor, and earn hundreds of millions more by selling distribution rights.”

Wayne stopped here and took a sip of coffee.

On the sofa across from him, Ivanka, who had done her homework on Wayne’s accomplishments before the meeting, was still visibly shocked by these figures.

At the same time, she understood Wayne’s underlying message:

How much is Miss Universe even worth? Can you afford to have Wayne as a spokesperson?

Sponsorship and ambassadorship? Is Miss Universe even qualified?

In this era—long before the rise of streaming platforms and pervasive online media—the influence of Miss Universe was largely confined to the U.S. and Europe. And even then, only those interested in modeling and fashion would have heard of it.

Later, WMA couldn’t make much money from it and sold it at a slight markup to NBCUniversal.

Miss Universe only grew stronger because of NBCUniversal’s resources.

Of course, Ivanka wasn’t about to give up just yet. She had anticipated the challenges of this trip.

But before she could formulate her next argument, Wayne spoke again.

“I just so happen to be hosting a casting session. Miss Ivanka, would you like to join me?”

Caught off guard by Wayne’s suggestion, Ivanka hesitated briefly before smiling and agreeing.

The group soon arrived at the company’s largest studio, reserved for the auditions.

Inside, there were four rows of precisely 100 applicants standing in line. The hallway outside and two adjacent studios were also packed with people waiting their turn.

The total number of participants had to be over 300.

“All of these are here for the audition?”

“That’s right. Wayne’s Garden holds auditions every two weeks. Each applicant only gets one chance per year, so these are the people who registered in the past two weeks and made their way here,” explained Jenny before Wayne could respond.

Ivanka couldn’t hide her astonishment.

First, the sheer number of applicants shocked her. Over 300 in just two weeks? For a modeling audition? Even Hollywood’s blockbuster productions with multimillion-dollar budgets didn’t attract this many women—and these participants only got one shot!

By that logic, 7,000 to 8,000 people must audition each year.

Second, as she surveyed the room, she quickly noticed the diversity. The applicants were of different ethnicities, and some didn’t even speak the same language.

This meant that Wayne’s Garden’s influence extended far beyond the United States and had reached international levels.

Lastly, the overall quality of the applicants was impressive. Even Ivanka, confident as she was, couldn’t help but notice several women whose beauty surpassed her own.

To be honest, she felt that the quality of contestants in the Miss Universe finals couldn’t compete with this biweekly audition.

This realization hit her hard.

At the same time, she understood Wayne’s intention in inviting her to observe.

With the reputation and reach of Wayne’s Garden, there was no need to collaborate with Miss Universe. If Wayne wanted to, he could easily organize a beauty pageant more prestigious and influential than Miss Universe.

Becoming Miss Universe? That didn’t hold a candle to becoming one of Wayne’s women.

It was widely known in the industry that Wayne, who was otherwise elusive, attended Wayne’s Garden auditions without fail every two weeks. That was why the number of applicants continued to grow.

After all, being chosen by Wayne didn’t just open doors in the modeling world—it also offered a shot at breaking into the film industry.

Could Miss Universe offer that kind of opportunity?

Not even Miss World, combined with any top-tier modeling agency, could rival this level of influence.

Having figured this out, Ivanka gave up on persuading Wayne. She quietly sat beside Amanda and Lydia, content to watch the auditions as a spectator.

Yet her interest in Wayne only deepened.

As someone who had always been considered the “gold standard” of her peers, Ivanka had never encountered a young man like Wayne. At just 21, he had become an international superstar and a Hollywood powerhouse, amassing a fortune in a single year that was several times greater than her father’s—over $2 billion.

This was her first time meeting someone like him, or even hearing about someone like him.

“No wonder the two heirs of the Hearst family are willing to overlook his playboy ways and share him,” Ivanka thought to herself.

(End of Chapter)