Rhythm and Ray: A DJ’s Journey

[Chapter 250: Two Lines]

In the late night, inside Mar-a-Lago, Ivanka paced anxiously back and forth in the room.

The door had been locked from the outside, and she found herself trapped inside, her phone confiscated. After work today, she had rushed to Mar-a-Lago right away, but before she could say much to Ryan, she was taken into this room.

She had no idea how long it had been, but when she heard shouting from outside, she swiftly pressed her ear against the door.

"Who are you?!" a guard's angry voice rang out from outside.

Then, there was silence.

A few seconds later, she heard the sound of the lock being opened, and the door creaked open slowly. Ivanka stumbled back two steps, and her eyes widened as she saw several unknown men in black uniforms before her.

"This girl is really beautiful!" one of them exclaimed, staring at Ivanka.

Another quickly tapped the speaker on the head.

"She is Trump's family; watch your mouth."

"The boss mentioned to treat everyone more politely; shouldn't we report to him?"

"Absolutely..." The two whispered to each other, and one of them stepped out, leaving the other to keep an eye on Ivanka.

The boss? Ivanka was completely baffled and had no idea what was happening.

After a while, the man returned, smiling at her. "Ms. Ivanka, the boss requests your presence; he's with your father."

Had a real conflict broken out? Ivanka realized who the "boss" they mentioned was. Without a word, she walked out of the room, walking straight into the reception room.

...

The moment she pushed the door open, her eyes widened. The tense standoff she had anticipated did not materialize; Ryan was sitting at the table with her father, both enjoying a meal and raising their glasses in a toasty mood.

"You're here; come sit!" her father gestured as he spotted her.

After a moment's hesitation, Ivanka chose to sit beside Ryan.

"Dad, I admit that I made a mistake. Please don't blame Ryan," Ivanka lowered her head in shame.

"It's your freedom to like whoever you want. Ryan just told me that you have a better opportunity here; perhaps I was wrong all along, always wanting you to accept my arrangement and live according to my expectations," her father sighed as well.

Donald didn't want this incident to go public, especially with his daughter involved. If they couldn't force a resolution, he would have to calmly talk things through with Ryan.

Understanding his daughter's feelings, he began to reflect.

"I won't interfere in your relationship anymore; you two are getting married this year!" he had made up his mind.

"Married?!" Ivanka exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, Ryan's intentions are clear; you are far superior to that singer. You would make a good wife; that singer will never achieve that." Her father grinned.

He then turned to Ryan, "Out of all my kids, I've always favored Ivanka; once you're married, we are one family. Ryan, I know you are capable, and in these coming years, I'll gradually let you join the family business. Eventually, you will become the successor."

The core assets that her father controlled amounted to at least 2-3 billion dollars.

This could be the end of Ryan's lifelong struggle, and now it seemed all he needed was a marriage certificate!

"Can Ryan handle real estate?" Ivanka looked at Ryan, her father's words bringing her a hint of hope.

"I'm not asking him to step away from his music career; I'm just paving a smooth path for his future, so he won't have to worry," her father smiled. It was a straightforward plan. If Ryan agreed, he would gladly accept him as a son-in-law, and if he refused in front of Ivanka, it would naturally lead to their breakup. Regardless of Ryan's choice, her father wouldn't lose.

Ryan glanced at Ivanka's father and then at her. "I'm grateful to receive your approval. Taylor is quite busy; we barely see each other during the week. Being a wife might not be suitable for her."

Ivanka's face lit up. "I'll take care of you every day! I'll have my dad buy the most lavish house here!"

"Why buy? Look at where we are; Mar-a-Lago will be yours and Ryan's from now on!" her father generously replied.

But then Ryan abruptly shifted the conversation, "However, I promised Taylor that I would marry her."

Ivanka's smile instantly froze.

Her father's expression grew cold. "Daughter, you clearly see what Ryan is thinking."

Sometimes, a single sentence spoke louder than a thousand words.

Ivanka had truly considered severing ties with her father for Ryan, but she never expected this would be the response!

She forced a smile, "Then I wish you and Taylor happiness."

"That's enough, daughter; you should head back. I need to discuss things clearly with Ryan," her father waved her off, implying she should leave.

"Dad, book me a flight back to New York; I'm leaving the day after tomorrow," Ivanka stood up resolutely and exited the room.

Once outside, she could no longer contain her emotions, and tears streamed down her cheeks...

...

Half an hour later, Ryan and his associates left Mar-a-Lago.

Donald Trump severed all ties with Ryan, rendering their previous agreements void; Ryan no longer needed provide a guarantee for him, and Donald would also cease to support the Spirit club. As for the shares in the club, Donald sold them to Ryan at a very low price. Perhaps to quickly cut ties, Donald Trump didn't dwell on the matter any longer.

...

"Ryan, Ivanka just left in tears..." Berwick couldn't help but comment, but noticing Ryan's glare, he quickly fell silent.

Ryan sent Berwick and his crew out to grab some late-night snacks, while he returned home straight away.

...

Once back, he called Taylor, asking her to temporarily manage the operations while he sorted everything out.

...

Then he placed another call.

"Collaboration?" Nora sounded surprised.

"Yes, Donald Trump is pulling out of the Spirit club."

"What's going on?" Nora chuckled on the other end.

"Don't worry about that," Ryan replied.

"Alright, see you tomorrow. Where can I find you?"

"Come to my office."

...

The next day, Ryan met Nora in his office. She had short black hair and, compared to last time, hadn't changed at all, except dressed more casually: tight jeans showcasing her curves and a snug t-shirt accentuating her slim waist.

"I was on vacation with my new boyfriend; I rushed over as soon as I heard the news," Nora explained.

"Looks like I'm quite important to you!"

"Of course, you're a great collaborator; I got excellent results from working with you," Nora nodded.

"Then next time, send a prettier liaison, preferably one without a boyfriend," Ryan handed over a proposal.

"Am I not good enough for you? Although I've got a new boyfriend, we've not been intimate yet. If you want to hook up, it's possible. If you want, I can break up with him; but I should warn you, I'm quite a passionate woman, so prepare yourself," Nora teased, biting the arm of her sunglasses.

Ryan felt a wave of sympathy for her boyfriend.

When she realized Ryan didn't respond, Nora looked down to read the proposal.

"In other words, we need to find properties nationwide through purchase or long-term lease to secure contracts. The Spirit club will find tenants, and we split the rental profits -- that sounds like McDonald's profit model, right?" she quickly grasped the situation after browsing through the proposal.

"We need half of the rental profit share. In return, you don't have to worry about the funding; this deal is fair. What do you think?" Nora felt that there was nothing wrong with this business model, so she went straight to the point of discussing the offer.

"Trump only charges 35%."

"Then you must have other transactions with him; 45% is our bottom line. If it works for you, we have a deal; if not, I'll just go back to vacationing," Nora stated, no longer willing to drag this out.

"So, how do you feel about your new boyfriend?"

"At times, he can be a bit boring and unromantic. He's a young college professor, my colleague's brother," Nora contemplated.

"Well then, maybe don't ruin that pure-hearted professor; you should end that relationship," Ryan suggested.

Truthfully, a 50% split wasn't unacceptable to him. Although Trump only took 35%, he still held shares; in essence, Ryan was making more than before. Ultimately, compared to large private equity firms like Carlyle, Donald Trump was still far behind.

...

After Nora left, Ryan checked out the news, discovering the entertainment resort company owned by Donald Trump had announced bankruptcy restructuring -- marking their fourth bankruptcy filing. Post-restructuring, Donald Trump would be out of the picture entirely. Given that these were just poor assets in Atlantic City, Trump wasn't in deep trouble, only losing a chunk of change.

...

News from Teresa also came through; Ivanka had sent someone to retrieve all her belongings from the office. Ivanka herself had arrived that morning, indicating she would stay a couple more days to hand over responsibilities to Teresa, marking a peaceful parting.

...

Ryan then spoke with Jimmy Iovine, who expressed great satisfaction with the design drafts Ryan got for free; he had found a suitable location on the famous Sunset Boulevard in LA, not far from the well-known Viper Club.

...

Finally, Ryan called Virgil, who had been refining the Spirit club's design work.

"I'm planning to assign you the design work for the Bad Room Carnival, including the logo, stage design, and all visual components," Ryan handed Virgil a new assignment.

"I'll need a few assistants; I can't manage this alone."

"That's fine; you can interview anyone you think is good," Ryan said, giving Virgil the autonomy he needed.

...

A month went by quickly; with summer's arrival, Florida became increasingly humid. Oddly, temperatures in New York were also higher than usual this year.

In an air-conditioned room, Ivanka lounged on the couch, phone in hand, as the television played in the background, surrounded by snack wrappers. She hadn't bothered with makeup, her hair simply tied back, seemingly a homebody for the past month.

As the door closed, a middle-aged woman bearing some resemblance to Ivanka entered the living room, followed by a maid carrying bags filled with groceries and essentials from the store.

"Ivanka, it makes me happy that you're home with me, but at this rate... you need to go outside," her mother Ivana said with concern.

"It's too hot outside." Ivanka put down her phone, grabbing chips, stuffing them into her mouth. Since returning from Florida, her behavior had completely changed; her commitment to fitness lapsed, diving right into the high-calorie treats she previously avoided, isolated at her mother's place.

Her phone screen displayed message notifications rapidly scrolling, likely from a group chat on some social platform.

Ivanka switched the channel with the remote; when it landed on CW, she saw on-screen coverage: "Less than a week until the opening of the Bad Room Carnival; a new stage is being built at the original memorial park site, and several high-profile performers have arrived for rehearsals. This carnival will be broadcast live 24/7 by CW...

Next up, news about Ryan Rivers: he and Taylor attended the Teen Choice Awards yesterday, where they appeared close, embracing each other in front of the cameras, dispelling rumors of a falling out. Ryan also took home several awards last night, including..."

Ivanka's expression turned cold, and she swiftly switched the channel, even though she had actively blocked out news about Ryan, it was everywhere -- on TV, in magazines, all of it unavoidable.

Her mother approached, viewing the pile of snacks on the table and Ivanka's fuller face, and sighed, starting to lecture, as most mothers do.

"I don't know, my appetite has been oddly great these past few days... okay, enough, don't say another word," Ivanka snapped, getting up to retreat into her room.

...

Once inside, Ivanka went to the bathroom to relieve herself. Sitting on the toilet, thoughts drifted to the changes she had been experiencing. She had grown sensitive to cooking smells, even the odor of coffee; lying around at home all day, she often felt fatigued, and her sleeping hours had dramatically increased. She frequently woke up feeling nauseous, and her trips to the bathroom began to multiply.

At first, she didn't pay it any mind, until the sporadic breast tenderness started...

Ivanka opened a drawer, where she found a pregnancy test she bought downstairs yesterday, and began the check.

Upon seeing only one line, she exhaled in relief, but quickly remembered the test needed time to work, so she waited, eyes locked on it.

Every second felt like an eternity, and those minutes of waiting became the longest in Ivanka's life.

After what felt like a year, she saw a faint red second line emerging. The color was so light, there must be an error! Ivanka thought with a fluke, and then immediately read the instructions.

To her shock, it stated clearly: two lines indicated a positive result!

Ivanka gasped, feeling the hairs on her body stand up as she turned her gaze back to the test, and the second line had become more pronounced, a vivid red -- a clear indication.

"Fuck!" Ivanka cursed quietly.

Since returning from Florida, she stayed at her biological mother's house all day and had not seen anyone. So, the baby's father was undoubtedly that man...

*****

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