Chapter 262: Sisterly Bonds

[Chapter 262: Sisterly Bonds]

The awards ceremony at Radio City Music Hall was still ongoing. Jimmy Fallon and Saturday Night Live actor-writer Andy Samberg announced the winner of "Video of the Year" — Beyoncé's Single Ladies, the very video Kanye had just proclaimed as "the greatest of all time."

At this moment, Ryan and Taylor had already left early, avoiding all journalists. They exited through a private backstage passage and hopped into a nanny van en route to an upscale New York restaurant. Someone was waiting for them there.

"Did we just miss our chance to be interviewed first?" Taylor mused. Without a response, they might lose a golden wave of publicity.

"There will be plenty of chances for you to respond later," Ryan said casually.

"Did you put Kanye up to that?" Taylor asked.

"It benefits him too. He agreed immediately," Ryan admitted.

"Next time you pull off something this dramatic, at least give me a heads-up," Taylor huffed. She had been genuinely startled.

Even without Ryan's involvement, the mic-snatching incident was already destined to be a media spectacle. The VMA nominations had been public for weeks, and Kanye — who had won Grammys before — should have known that the biggest awards were saved for last. If he really wanted to "stand up for Beyoncé," he could have waited until Video of the Year was announced. But Taylor truly hadn't been in on it — her reaction was too raw to be an act.

"Oh, and pass him a message from me," Taylor added after a pause. "Tell him his acting skills deserve encouragement." Now that she knew Ryan had orchestrated the scene, she didn't mind as much.

From an awards perspective, Beyoncé was the night's biggest winner, snagging trophies for Best Choreography, Best Editing, and of course, Video of the Year.

Lady Gaga wasn't far behind, winning Best Special Effects, Best Art Direction, and Best New Artist.

But thanks to the mic-snatching drama, both women were overshadowed by Taylor. Even a decade later, that moment would remain the most talked-about highlight of the VMAs.

In other words, the real winner of the night was Taylor.

As for Ryan, although he lost Best Male Video, he didn't walk away empty-handed — at the very least, Taylor's original acceptance speech was completely derailed.

For Ryan, the real challenge was only beginning. Tonight's meeting would set the tone for their future dynamic. The last thing he wanted was chaos at home.

"Let's drop it for now…" Taylor changed the subject. The real issue on her mind was the pregnancy. She turned to Ryan with a sharp look. "How far along is she?"

"Just over a month," Ryan replied.

"So she got pregnant right around the time she left?" Taylor immediately began connecting the dots — then spotted the flaw in the timeline.

"Then why did she leave? That doesn't make sense. I mean, if she knew she was—" Taylor suddenly grabbed Ryan's thigh and pinched hard.

This time, she wasn't playing around. Ryan winced but forced a smile.

...

Upon arriving at the high-end restaurant, they were led to a private suite. The restaurant, located inside the Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, had been arranged in advance by Ivanka. The staff here would remain discreet.

Ryan and Taylor had changed into casual wear. Ivanka, on the other hand, wore a sleek black dress with a sheer, mesh-like fabric on the side — revealing just enough to be tempting.

"Ivanka!" Taylor greeted her warmly as they walked in.

"Taylor!" Ivanka immediately stood up and embraced her.

"I just saw the live broadcast — you were absolutely stunning!" Ivanka gushed.

"You're just as gorgeous. If you walked the red carpet, you'd outshine half those celebrities," Taylor replied, taking Ivanka's hand.

"No, you were the most beautiful one tonight," Ivanka countered, squeezing Taylor's hand.

Ryan exhaled in relief. It seemed both women weren't the petty, jealous type.

"Let's sit and eat while we chat," Ryan took the middle seat, positioning Taylor and Ivanka on either side.

"You're way more beautiful than me. And that figure — if I were Ryan, I'd be tempted too. Plus, you got pregnant so quickly. Ryan told me he wanted kids, and boom! Here you are. What a coincidence," Taylor said, smiling.

Ivanka's expression stiffened.

She quickly composed herself. "Taylor, I owe you an apology. I made mistakes. But the pregnancy — really, it was an accident. I never planned for this. But with Ryan being Ryan, avoiding it was practically impossible. Maybe you were just too busy?" she teased.

Taylor's smile froze for a moment before recovering. "Well, at least you're helping Ryan fulfill his dream. I am quite busy. And, let's be honest — pregnancy changes your body. That would affect my work. But you don't have to worry about that. Lucky you. In fact, since you're so good at this, why stop at one? Have twenty!"

Ivanka covered her mouth in mock surprise. "That honor belongs to you first. If you're not pregnant, how dare I?"

Ryan finally realized the previous harmony had been an illusion. Women were naturally skilled at these silent battles. The first round was a draw.

"Taylor isn't pregnant because I considered her career. But if she wants to be, it's not exactly difficult," Ryan said, defending Taylor. Then he added, "As for the baby, we'll wait until we're officially married."

"Exactly! Ryan cares for me so much — he doesn't want me to suffer," Taylor beamed.

"But Ivanka, I don't feel comfortable with you staying so far away. Once you return from Florida, you should move in with us," Ryan added.

Both women were visibly taken aback.

"I think staying at Mar-a-Lago is better. It's quiet, secluded, and not far from your place," Ivanka hesitated.

"Yeah, and if she moves in, the paparazzi will notice immediately," Taylor agreed, unexpectedly siding with Ivanka.

"Paparazzi can't even get near our house. Security is tight. Mar-a-Lago, on the other hand, is full of visitors. Too many prying eyes. This is final," Ryan insisted.

If these two were going to be "sisters," then living together was a must. Otherwise, what was the point? Just to sharpen their debating skills? No way — this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Ivanka and Taylor exchanged glances, but neither could find a strong enough excuse to refuse.

"Dinner's served. Let's eat first — plenty of time to talk later," Ryan declared.

...

The conversation shifted to music and summer blockbusters.

"Several major films were released recently — Terminator: Salvation, Night at the Museum 2, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Angels & Demons, and Transformers 2," Ivanka noted.

"The Transformers actress is stunning! She was sitting right behind me at the VMAs," Taylor added.

"Megan Fox. Heard she clashed with Spielberg and Michael Bay during filming. She accused them of mistreatment and even made some Jew-related remarks. She's done. She'll be the next Mel Gibson," Ivanka shook her head.

"Crossing those guys? Kiss your career goodbye," Ryan smirked. Another potential investment opportunity.

"By the way, Selena told me Disney is in talks with Marvel about a full acquisition," Taylor suddenly mentioned.

"Seriously? That would cost at least $3 billion. Disney's probably the only studio with that kind of money," Ivanka speculated.

"Tell Selena to keep an ear out. If it's happening, we should buy some Disney stock," Ryan said immediately.

"That's borderline insider trading," Ivanka warned.

"If they cared about insider trading, half of Congress would be in jail," Ryan shrugged.

The conversation continued late into the night, and before long, Ryan had skillfully maneuvered both women into an unexpected new arrangement.

...

The next morning, Taylor abruptly opened her eyes and immediately realized she was completely naked. Across from her, Ivanka was in the exact same state. Ivanka had just woken up as well, and the two of them stared at each other in shock.

"What… what did I do last night?" Taylor whispered.

"Not much… just that it got really loud, and Ryan had to change the sheets twice," Ivanka recalled.

"Shit!" Taylor groaned, her headache worsening.

"What about you?" Taylor asked.

Ivanka blushed, her reaction speaking volumes.

As for Ryan, who was originally supposed to be between them, he was now holding a tray with breakfast for two.

"I made this just for you two," Ryan said considerately.

He set the tray on the bed, and Taylor and Ivanka propped themselves up against the pillows, eating together.

"You're pregnant — you should eat more," Taylor said, placing an egg in front of Ivanka.

"I can't possibly eat that much," Ivanka said, and poured Taylor a glass of milk in return.

Unlike last night's fierce battle of wills, this time, they were both being overly polite.

"Come on, no need to be modest. From now on, I'll take care of both of you," Ryan said as Ivanka finished pouring Taylor's milk, gently wiped a crumb from the corner of Ivanka's lips.

"Taylor, actually… my father offered Ryan a considerable sum to break off his engagement with you, but he refused. He was willing to give up everything for you. If it weren't for the pregnancy, I wouldn't have come back," Ivanka suddenly confessed.

She was telling the truth. Even though she hadn't forgotten about Ryan during that month in New York, if it weren't for the pregnancy, she wouldn't have reached out to him again.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Taylor's nose tingled, and she turned her face away.

After a moment, she looked back at Ryan. "To be fair, you were originally with my friend first. You really were a bastard… and so was I. But loving someone means loving all of them, flaws and all."

"From now on, the three of us will live our lives together," Ryan said solemnly, nodding.

Then, he spread his arms, and Taylor and Ivanka leaned into him from either side.

"Let's get this straight — there won't be a third or fourth woman in the future, right?" Ivanka asked with a sly smile.

Taylor smirked. "Not so sure about that. There's this one model… Ryan sure has been 'taking care' of her."

"Karlie Kloss?"

"That's right. And Ryan's about to go to Europe — sTray's collaboration with Dior is about to be announced."

"I'm going too!" Ivanka immediately declared. She had always been passionate about fashion, which was why she had her own brand.

"I have to go too! I can reschedule a few stops on my European tour," Taylor added.

Ryan thought it over. Ivanka had experience managing a fashion brand, and Taylor was an essential part of sTray — after all, the 'T' in sTray stood for her.

"You have to agree to this. After all, I agreed to everything you asked for last night," Taylor said quickly.

"Exactly. Even if it's just for Taylor's sake, I need to keep an eye on you," Ivanka said with a huff.

Wait a minute… since when did these two form an alliance?

"Fine, we'll all go. Consider it a vacation," Ryan shrugged.

The management company would just have to let Teresa cover for a few more days.

...

Over the next few days, Taylor and Ryan returned to Florida first, while Ivanka stayed in New York to pack up all her belongings. Besides personal items, she even arranged for some of her furniture to be shipped over — clearly planning to stay long-term.

As for the household staff, Ryan replaced them all with Ivanka's own people.

"In this house, Ryan is the head of the family, and Taylor and I are the mistresses. You take orders from Ryan first, then Taylor, and finally me," Ivanka instructed the new staff, who were lined up in front of her.

"I'm not home that often. You should be the one in charge," Taylor chuckled, feeling that Ivanka was taking this hierarchy thing a bit too seriously.

"This is the best way to avoid conflicts. We'll do it my way. If you're away, then I'll take charge," Ivanka said.

...

Once the staff had dispersed, Ivanka and Taylor went upstairs to the study, where Ryan was waiting.

"Even the President has spoken out against Kanye now. And he dragged me into it while he was at it," Ryan said with a laugh.

As the microphone-snatching incident continued to make waves, public opinion was overwhelmingly in favor of Ryan and Taylor.

The publicity also helped Ryan maintain his top spot on the Billboard charts, while the Black Eyed Peas' new song, I Gotta Feeling, had to settle for second place. Taylor's Long Live was also climbing steadily, reaching fourth place.

"Even as an average listener, I can tell the Black Eyed Peas' new song sounds a lot like Ryan's style," Ivanka mused.

"David Guetta was involved in producing it," Ryan said.

The Black Eyed Peas had come in strong. If he could outshine them, his dominance in the electronic music scene would be unquestionable.

...

Just then, Ryan received a call.

"I see," he said, hanging up.

The call was from Berrick, who was investigating the ringleaders of the protest outside the festival. One of them had massive gambling debts — Berrick had easily uncovered the truth.

"The mastermind behind the protest at the festival has been found. The guy's currently in Ibiza. The upcoming fashion launch is the perfect opportunity to expose him," Ryan mused.

*****

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