boxer to hollywood

"Lana, Link is my boyfriend now."

Ivanka said as she walked out of Baker's shop, pulling out her phone to call her friend Lana Del Rey, a slight seductive smile on her lips.

"Really? Did you confess to him?"

Lana asked over the phone.

"No!"

Ivanka glanced at the people on the beach, nodded to James, and walked towards the sports car parked by the roadside, swaying her alluring figure while talking on the phone in high heels.

---

"Miss Ivanka has left."

The people on the beach watched her departing figure and continued to discuss her relationship with Link. Some said Link was her lover, others said they were a couple, while some believed it was a work relationship. The debate was endless.

They asked James if he knew anything.

James shook his chubby face. After seeing Ivanka get into the car, he put down the trash bag he was holding and ran back into the store.

"Link, Link, I saw Miss Ivanka leave."

"I know."

"Aren't you going to see her off?"

"She drove here, so there's no need."

Link sat on the sofa with his arms crossed, still thinking about becoming Ivanka's boyfriend.

After breaking up with Taylor, he had sworn that his next girlfriend would definitely not be someone with an IQ over 100.

But it hadn't been long before he found himself dating a woman who made it onto Business Week's "30 Under 30 Outstanding Female CEOs" list and Forbes magazine's "Outstanding Millennial Business Leaders of the Year" list.

It was like forgetting the pain after the scar healed, digging a pit for himself.

James took a gulp of soda, burping, "Everyone's guessing what your relationship with Miss Ivanka is. Some guys even said you're her lover, but I told them no, you're just colleagues, right?"

"Why are you all talking about this?"

Link shook his head. "She's my girlfriend."

Burp~

"No way! She's Miss Ivanka. How could she be your girlfriend? Are you joking?"

James said in shock.

Link raised his eyebrows, feeling a bit offended by James's disbelief.

"Is it so hard to believe she's my girlfriend? Don't forget, I'm a billionaire too."

"Not the same, not at all. Miss Ivanka comes from a wealthy family. I heard her family has tens of billions, maybe even hundreds of billions. The tallest building in Palm Beach, the Thompson International Hotel, is owned by her family, and so is the fourth tallest building in New York. They're the real rich people.

Though you're wealthy, you're just a billionaire. You can't compare to the aristocracy of New York. But now she's your girlfriend. It's unbelievable, like a commoner marrying a princess in the movies."

James gestured excitedly.

"I'm an Olympic champion, world boxing champion, top singer, the most handsome man in the world. Isn't that more than enough for her?"

"It does sound like it, but she's the eldest daughter of the Thompson family, with inheritance rights. You used to say that when you saved enough money, you'd spend a night at her family's hotel, but now you've become her boyfriend."

James pinched his arm, wincing in pain, confirming this was real.

Link shook his head, having nothing to say to him, and continued thinking about becoming Ivanka's contractual boyfriend.

The more he thought about it, the more something felt off.

According to Ivanka, after they became a couple, he could mess around freely without restrictions, but she couldn't.

So what was her goal?

Was it just to help him build a good public image? To expand Link Music?

If that were the case, there seemed no need for her, as a CEO, to get involved personally.

Could there be some sort of conspiracy?

He thought for a moment and sent Ivanka a message on his phone.

"Do you like me?"

This was a question Taylor had brought up first. Taylor said Ivanka was interested in him too, but he had doubted it.

He had wanted to ask Ivanka directly but didn't know how to bring it up. Now, asking through a message was less awkward.

"I don't dislike you. Also, my father is urging me to get married, and I need a boyfriend. You're very suitable."

"Alright, got it."

Hearing Ivanka's response, Link felt relieved. He wanted a steady girlfriend to restore his public image, and Ivanka needed a boyfriend to deal with Mr. TP.

It was mutually beneficial and didn't seem to be a problem.

"Do you like me?"

Two minutes later, Ivanka sent another message.

Link was a bit surprised that she would ask that and started thinking about it. Did he like Ivanka?

Ivanka was smart, beautiful, sexy, knowledgeable, and capable, with a great family background. She would undoubtedly be rich and powerful in the future, a true princess.

Having known Ivanka for nearly two years, he found her character and personality to be good, with no scandals or bad habits—she was an excellent woman.

Link admired her, respected her abilities, and was attracted to her body.

As for liking her...

Because they hadn't spent much time together, he didn't feel the same closeness he had felt when he was with Taylor.

"Of course."

"I see. One more thing I forgot to tell you: the verdict for the private video leak case will be announced this Wednesday. As one of the involved parties, you need to attend and be interviewed by the media. If you don't have anything else to do in Miami, we can return to New York together tomorrow."

"Alright, you really are here to assign me work."

Link replied and put away his phone. James was still mumbling to himself nearby.

"Link, I read some articles in a magazine saying that girls from wealthy families usually have bad tempers. I think you should be more careful and treat Miss Ivanka better when you interact with her. Don't make her angry. If you can marry her in the future, the entire TP Real Estate and that big hotel will be yours. Wow, just thinking about it is unbelievable."

Link patted his chubby shoulder and walked to the small shop's entrance, where the trash left on the beach had almost been cleaned up.

The messy beach just needed to wait until the evening tide, and the sand would be smooth again.

Link walked along the shore with his hands in his pockets, letting the seawater wash over his feet, gazing at the sunset on the horizon. Suddenly, the memory of practicing guitar with Taylor by the seaside came to mind.

On impulse, he took out his phone, snapped a photo of the beach, and sent it to Taylor.

Two minutes passed without a reply from Taylor. He took off his clothes, placed them on the dock, and jumped into the deep blue sea for a swim.

After getting out of the water, he received a message from Taylor sent eighteen minutes earlier.

Taylor: Are you in Miami?

Link: Yes, I just had a swim in the sea. It felt great. Where are you?

Taylor: Nashville.

Link: Are you at that villa in the suburbs? Have the irises in the garden withered? Can you take a photo for me to see?

Taylor: No, I bought another apartment in the city.

Link remembered that Taylor was also famously known in the entertainment industry for owning over a dozen luxury homes, most worth more than ten million.

Link: Have you finished recording your third album?

Taylor: Yes, it's done.

Link: When will it be released?

Taylor: The date is undecided.

Link: Last time, you said this album's sales would surpass my "The Woman I Love." Do you still think that?

Taylor: Of course, my album doesn't need hype to outsell yours.

Link: You're such an arrogant woman.

Taylor: That's called confidence.

Link smiled softly and typed: Today, Ivanka proposed we become a couple to help me shed my playboy image. I agreed.

After about ten seconds, Taylor: What does that have to do with me? Why are you telling me this?

Link: I thought you should know. She said she wouldn't interfere in my personal life, would tolerate me to the fullest extent, and would love me wholeheartedly, never breaking up over small disagreements.

Taylor: Haha, congratulations on finding a woman who lets you fool around. Go ahead and fool around forever. I'm going to practice now. Goodbye!

Link: Are you mad?

Link sent the message, but the MSN chat interface showed "not a friend."

He was so angry that he almost crushed his phone.

This woman was too infuriating.

When they were breaking up, he wrote songs to apologize, admitted his mistakes several times, and even promised to retire from the music industry early for her, playing the emotional card perfectly.

Taylor remained unmoved.

Before they broke up, they spent three days alone in the villa, making love daily, often from morning till night, from night till morning.

With his incredible strength and stamina, he overwhelmed Taylor again and again, feeling countless times that he had conquered her physically and made her unable to leave him.

But she still left.

Link had defeated many formidable opponents in the boxing ring and on the Billboard album charts, earning the title of the world's strongest man.

But in the end, he couldn't conquer a woman.

This sense of defeat was hard for him to let go.

Link sighed, jumped back into the sea, and swam until he was exhausted.

——

After spending the night in the small shop, he told James the next day that he had received a work assignment and needed to leave Miami early.

James visibly became depressed upon hearing this.

Link didn't comfort him either. In life, no one can always be by someone's side, and parting is the norm.

Before leaving, Ivanka called, asking him to ride a motorcycle to the street in front of the Trump International Hotel Tower to meet her.

Link asked why.

Ivanka didn't explain but said she hoped he would do as she asked.

Link had no choice but to comply. Riding James' scooter, he roared through the streets and alleys until he arrived at the towering Trump International Hotel.

Just as he was about to call Ivanka, he saw her coming down the steps, wearing stylish sunglasses, a sky-blue silk blouse, and a black knee-length pencil skirt, highlighting her curvy figure with a full chest and hips.

"Miss Ivanka, here are your car keys."

A bellhop in a red shirt brushed past Link's shoulder, holding a set of car keys, and handed them to Ivanka.

Link froze for a moment, suddenly feeling that the scene was familiar. It seemed that when they first met in 2008, Ivanka was dressed the same way, and the scenario was exactly the same.

"Hey, Miss Ivanka, I'm a fan of yours. Can I have your autograph?"

Link smiled and said.

Ivanka took off her sunglasses, revealing her curled eyelashes and blue-gray eyes, smiling as she looked at him.

"You're my fan? What do you like about me?"

"A lot—smart, beautiful, elegant, and you're also a visionary business leader, a great partner."

Link looked her over and said.

"Then would you like to be her boyfriend?"

Ivanka gracefully walked toward him, extending her fair hand.

"It would be my honor!"

Link took her hand and kissed the back of it.

That day, the two took a TP Group private jet back to New York and attended several final court hearings and verdicts on Wednesday.

Since the computer engineer didn't post the video online and didn't intentionally violate Link's privacy, he was sentenced to 14 months of probation by the Manhattan District Court for theft of important information.

The computer engineer's friend was sentenced to two years in prison, ordered to return all illegal earnings, and publicly apologize to Link and Emma Watson.

In the case against YouTube, Yahoo, MySpace, and Entertainment Online for spreading the unauthorized video, violating Link's and Emma Watson's privacy and reputation rights, the legal teams for the companies were strong enough that continuing the lawsuit would incur higher costs.

After several negotiations, the parties settled, with the companies agreeing to pay Link and Emma Watson $13.5 million, including the subscription fees for the private video on the platforms.

Additionally, British police caught the paparazzi who secretly filmed the video.

The paparazzo had hidden in a locker room during a match, hoping to catch Link with other women backstage, and ended up filming a kiss between Link and Emma Watson.

He initially planned to release the video, but the legal issues surrounding the secret footage made it financially unfeasible. Following a friend's suggestion, he edited it into an intimate video and sold it to a reporter from The Sun for £100,000. How the video reached the U.S. remained unclear.

After more than a month of investigation and trial, the British court sentenced the paparazzo to 60 days in jail, fined him £100,000, and ordered a public apology for violating the privacy and defaming the celebrity.

The Sun reporter was sentenced to 14 months in prison for commercial fraud and fined £1.2 million.

After the 'private video' cases concluded, Link and Emma Watson received a total of $18.6 million in compensation. In a public interview outside the courtroom, Link announced that he would donate all the compensation to the newly established Link Global Charity Foundation.

The foundation aims to support all retired professional athletes who have fallen into poverty due to injuries, regardless of nationality, gender, or sport. Retired athletes who meet the criteria can apply for support from the Link Global Charity Foundation, including medical treatment, living expenses, and job placement.

Emma Watson also announced in the interview that she would donate all her compensation to the Link Global Charity Foundation.

Link and Emma's generous donations attracted worldwide media coverage, helping to restore some of the reputation they had lost due to the private video.

(End of Chapter)