America's No. 1 financial conglomerate

Chapter 385 An Unexpected Person

The crystal chandelier refracted a dazzling light, giving even the aroma of alcohol floating in the air a touch of luxury.

Ernst and Hugh Hefner reclined on the sofa, each holding a glass of whiskey, the ice clinking in their glasses like a prelude to this extravagant night.

Hugh Hefner stared at Ernst with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

He noticed the other person's gaze wandering around the bar from time to time, and couldn't help but put down his glass. His chest heaved violently from laughing, and the wrinkles on his face were all squeezed together.

"Giselle would never come out to drink with clients for such a small amount of money. She knows very well that all she needs to do now is to keep you, this tycoon, in check. Not to mention two hundred thousand dollars, even two million or twenty million dollars in wealth will be within her grasp in the future."

At this point, Hugh Hefner picked up his glass again, took a sip of whiskey, and said, "If I'm even luckier and can give you a son or daughter, that would be a complete meteoric rise! I'd never have to worry about food or clothing for the rest of my life, just like Nicole Kidman, how wonderful!"

Nicole Kidman's having a baby is hardly a secret in Hollywood's upper echelons.

Since the other party also wanted to develop their career in the entertainment industry, Ernst naturally had to give them a heads-up.

So even though Ernst never publicly acknowledged his relationship with the child, anyone in the circle could easily guess that the illegitimate child was most likely his.

Moreover, MGM's recent high-profile announcement of its entry into the maternal and infant industry has become the most compelling evidence to prove the child's identity.

Given Ernst's current status in America and Hollywood, he's a figure who can make the entire industry tremble with a stomp of his foot. Under such circumstances, who wouldn't give him some face? Even those who are on opposing sides have to restrain themselves and won't hold a grudge against him over such a trivial matter.

In the upper echelons of American society, no one is completely clean; everyone has some secrets to some extent, and everyone is wearing the emperor's new clothes, though it's an open secret.

If anyone dares to be so blind as to delve into Ernst's illegitimate son, it would be tantamount to opening Pandora's box.

Everyone's got shit in their asses, they all smell bad when they walk, nobody's going to have a good time, the whole upper class of America will be set off.

So even if some fearless reporter captures some sensational news, no media outlet dares to broadcast it easily.

All of this shows that Ernst cared a lot about this illegitimate child and did not shy away from the topic.

In the United States, wealthy people are generally indifferent to their illegitimate children, basically ignoring them completely.

This is why U.S. courts handle the most cases of child support claims by illegitimate children among all civil cases.

Ernst, upon hearing Hugh Hefner's words, nonchalantly replied, "I didn't look for her."

He was telling the truth. When he scanned the bar earlier, he wasn't looking for Gisele at all; he was looking for a comfortable elbow rest.

The woman sitting next to him was so thin she looked like a skeleton. He could clearly feel the sound of their bones colliding when he moved his arm even slightly, which made him extremely uncomfortable.

Looking around the bar, I saw that many women were already drunk, their eyes glazed over, and some were even having a blast, holding leaves and puffing away, creating a chaotic scene.

Ernst was already used to this kind of scene.

His predecessor used to be much crazier than they were when it came to these things.

In high-end circles in America, a leaf is like a pass, more useful than money.

Many wealthy people not only enjoy having fun themselves, but also particularly admire those who are reckless and take excessive amounts of drugs, finding that's what makes it exciting.

Some wealthy people, while not engaging in such activities themselves, enjoy watching others do so. In particular, when they see others having a great time, they take the opportunity to do all sorts of outrageous things to those people in order to satisfy their perverse desires.

Ernst snapped out of his reverie and looked at Hugh Hefner, his tone tinged with impatience. "What exactly did you want to see me about today? Stop with the nonsense. You don't need to call me over so late at night for something as trivial as this."

Hugh Hefner was surprised that Ernst had seen through him. His smile gradually disappeared, and he looked dejected, like a punctured balloon.

However, he quickly adjusted his expression, becoming serious. His previous drunken, carefree demeanor vanished completely, as if he had instantly become a different person.

He took a deep breath and slowly said, "Someone wants to see you. I owe her a favor, so—"

At this point, Hugh Hefner shrugged, looking quite helpless.

Ernst frowned immediately, his eyes filled with wariness. "A woman?"

"She's waiting in my room. I only called you over to repay this favor. Everything else is none of my business," Hugh Hefner quickly clarified, afraid that Ernst would misunderstand that he was there as a mediator.

If Ernst really thinks that way, then he would owe this person a huge favor, which is not what he wants.

Ernst glanced at Hugh Hefner with suspicion, but seeing that he had returned to his usual playboy demeanor with a frivolous smile on his lips, he didn't ask any further questions.

He stood up, straightened his expensive suit, then turned and left, heading confidently toward Hugh Hefner's room.

He was very familiar with the layout of the villa, having lived there for quite some time before.

When Ernst arrived at the floor where Hugh Hefner's room was located, he immediately saw Hugh Hefner's butler standing straight at the top of the stairs, like a statue.

Clearly, the butler was stationed there to prevent unauthorized personnel from approaching, to prevent anyone from discovering what was happening in the room, and even more so to prevent anyone from disturbing the people inside.

The butler immediately greeted him respectfully. Ernst did not speak, but simply nodded slightly, and then walked forward along the long corridor.

Oil paintings hung on both sides of the corridor, and lights shone down from the ceiling, casting long shadows on the floor, creating a sense of tranquility and mystery.

Ernst walked to the door of Hugh Hefner's room and pushed it open.

Upon entering the room, his brows furrowed tightly at the first glance of the person inside, his eyes filled with surprise and bewilderment.

"I never expected it to be you." Ernst's tone was devoid of any politeness, even carrying a hint of coldness.

He never expected that the person Hugh Hefner wanted to see would be her.

The moment the door opened, the other person immediately stood up from the sofa, a fawning smile on their face, and spoke in a very respectful tone, "Can't I even offer Mr. Garfield a drink?"

She adopted a very humble posture, and Ernst chuckled softly, his laughter carrying a hint of mockery.

He slowly walked to the sofa area and sat down. The woman very tactfully picked up the wine bottle on the table and filled the empty glass in front of Ernst with wine, her movements very careful.

Ernst, however, did not drink. He merely watched the woman with interest, displaying an air of superiority and arrogance, like a king scrutinizing his subordinates. "I don't like drinking."

The atmosphere instantly became awkward; this could be considered a humiliation.

Ernst still smelled faintly of alcohol, and in all of Hollywood, everyone knew he was a notorious playboy, yet he claimed he didn't like drinking.

Surprisingly, the woman's expression remained unchanged, still smiling radiantly, like a docile maid in an ancient palace, showing no displeasure at Ernst's rudeness.

"Then I'll make Mr. Garfield a cup of coffee; coffee helps to keep him alert."

After the woman left, Ernst fell into deep thought.

He crossed his arms over his chest, his brow furrowed, his eyes filled with doubt.

He truly hadn't expected that this old hag would actually come to him on her own initiative.

Hugh Hefner has always been a liberal and a staunch supporter of the donkey.

Over the years, Hugh Hefner has not only spoken up for donkeys in his own magazine and published various articles in support of donkeys, but has also donated a large amount of money to donkeys.

Ernst never expected that Hugh Hefner and this old hag would actually cross paths.

The old hag hasn't been on this path for very long, and logically speaking, she shouldn't have any deep connection with Hugh Hefner.

What exactly did Hugh Hefner do to owe her a favor?

A ridiculous thought suddenly flashed through Ernst's mind: Could it be that Hugh Hefner slept with her?

Just as Ernst was pondering this, the door opened again.

The woman walked in carrying a steaming cup of coffee, her face still bearing that ingratiating smile.

Like a maid, she knelt at Ernst's feet, carefully placing the coffee on the table in front of him, and then casually removed the glass that had been filled with wine.

"Waste is no good." Ernst's voice suddenly rang out, his gaze falling on the untouched glass of wine in the woman's hand, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Upon hearing this, the woman did not hesitate at all, picked up the glass of wine, tilted her head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

The wine slid down her throat, instantly flushing her cheeks, but she didn't even flinch.

It can only be said that when a woman gets ruthless and doesn't care about her life, there's no point in talking about men.

If it had been a woman who endured hardship and bided her time back then, would she have been able to wait ten years to take revenge?

"Looks like your position is in jeopardy?" Ernst said calmly, looking at the woman.

At the last donkey banquet, Ernst had already made his attitude towards this woman very clear: he didn't like her at all, and even felt somewhat disgusted by her.

Although Ernst hadn't had any direct contact with the West Coast gang recently, he could guess that there must be some internal problems within them.

Otherwise, given this woman's arrogant personality, it would be absolutely impossible for her to appear here so late at night and be so obsequious to him.

The old hag didn't hide anything, and even deliberately put on a pitiful look. However, her face, which was already over fifty years old, combined with such an expression, not only failed to evoke any pity, but instead made people feel somewhat ridiculous.

"The Fisher family is secretly plotting to have one of their 29-year-old collateral relatives marry Harold's daughter." The woman's voice carried a hint of grievance and helplessness as she slowly revealed the truth.

Ernst was stunned when he heard this, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

He blurted out, "You mean that unmarried old lady? How old is she? How could she agree to something like this?"

"I'm 46 years old," the woman replied softly.

Harold, Jerry Brown's younger brother, wields considerable influence in California politics.

In his career, Harold's achievements were in no way inferior to those of his brother Jerry Brown. He served as a judge on the California Court of Appeals and enjoyed a high reputation in the California judicial system.

However, Harold's emotional life is quite different from his brother's.

He was very rebellious and unwilling to accept the arranged marriage by his family, as if he had no interest in women.

His only daughter was also an illegitimate child.

This daughter inherited Harold's genes completely and is also a pure-blooded non-marriage advocate.

The Brown family sent her home with the intention of using her for a future marriage alliance, but instead, she caused a sensation in California's upper class with a wrist-cutting incident during a blind date.

As she gets older, people in her circle call her the "unmarried auntie."

"She just agreed to this marriage like that?" Ernst still couldn't believe it and couldn't help but ask again.

He simply couldn't understand how someone who had remained a staunch non-marriage advocate for so many years could suddenly compromise and agree to marry a man so much younger than herself.

Upon hearing Ernst's question, the woman's face revealed a resentful look, like that of a woman confined to her chambers, filled with sorrow. "A 46-year-old..."

"What do you think, a 29-year-old?"

Ernst understood somewhat, and muttered to himself: This is no marriage alliance at all, it's clearly just finding a tonic for Harold's daughter.

Ernst only hoped that the other person's body could be as strong as his own, otherwise he might die young in a few years.

"So, this man from the Fisher family was chosen from within your ranks to replace you?"

>