The living room of the Blackwood Mansion was quiet, except for the loud, colorful sounds of *Super Smash Bros* playing on the massive television.
Chris Evans was aggressively mashing the buttons on his Nintendo 64 controller, leaning forward on the white leather sofa. Jake Gyllenhaal was sitting next to him, eating a slice of pizza and trying to distract Chris by bumping his shoulder.
Donovan walked into the room. He was wearing comfortable gray sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt. He looked completely different from the terrifying, cold CEO who had destroyed Leo Vance's life just a few hours ago. He looked like a normal seventeen-year-old kid who was simply tired after a long trip.
He walked over to the sofa and dropped down right between Jake and Chris, stealing a piece of pepperoni from Jake's pizza box.
Chris immediately paused the game. He and Jake looked at Donovan cautiously. The last time they had spoken to him on the phone, Donovan had sounded like a soulless, angry robot.
"Okay..." Chris said slowly. "Are you going to use the Force to choke us, or are you back to normal?"
Donovan chewed his pizza, looked at his two best friends, and let out a heavy sigh. He ran a hand through his messy hair, dropping all his walls.
"I'm normal," Donovan said sincerely. "And I owe both of you a massive apology."
Jake raised an eyebrow, surprised. "For what?"
"For acting like a complete jerk on the phone while I was in Australia," Donovan admitted. "I was cold, I was arrogant, and I shut you guys out. You didn't deserve that."
"Man, you really sounded like a Hollywood villain for a minute there," Jake chuckled, though he looked relieved. "What happened?"
"I got tilted," Donovan said honestly, shaking his head. "The truth is, for a very long time, absolutely nothing has gone wrong for me. I'm used to winning. I'm used to having total control over my life and my studio. So when Leo Vance actually managed to corner Scarlett and put my show in danger... I got angry. I completely lost my temper."
"Leo Vance is a snake," Chris agreed, crossing his arms.
"He is," Donovan nodded. "But my anger wasn't just about Leo. It was about Scarlett, too. When I saw that magazine cover, and I realized she didn't call me for help... it hurt. It left a really sour taste in my mouth. I felt betrayed, so I put my walls up and pushed everyone away. I'm sorry."
Chris smiled and playfully punched Donovan's shoulder. "Shut up, Donny. We're brothers. We all go a little crazy sometimes. We forgive you."
"Yeah, we're just glad you're back," Jake added with a grin. "So, what did you do about Vance? His agents called us trying to offer us movie deals. We told them to go to hell, obviously."
Donovan smiled, a genuine, warm smile. "Thank you. And don't worry about Leo Vance. I used my private accounts from Japan to secretly buy the movie studio producing Scarlett's film. I fired her manager, canceled the fake romance contract, and told Leo that if he ever threatens my friends again, I will buy his agency and tear his building down."
Chris's jaw dropped. Jake started laughing so hard he almost choked on his pizza.
"You bought the movie?!" Chris yelled, throwing his hands in the air. "Bro, you are insane! That is awesome!"
Before Donovan could reply, the intercom near the front door chimed.
*"Mr. Blackwood,"* the voice of the front gate security guard spoke through the speaker. *"Miss Scarlett Johansson is here to see you."*
The living room went silent. Jake and Chris looked at Donovan.
"We'll give you two some space," Jake said quickly, standing up and grabbing his slice of pizza. Chris nodded, following Jake toward the kitchen to leave Donovan alone.
"Send her in," Donovan told the intercom.
A few minutes later, the heavy front door opened. Scarlett walked into the foyer. She was wearing casual jeans and a simple sweater, looking completely different from the glamorous Hollywood star in the paparazzi photos. She looked incredibly nervous. Her hands were fidgeting with the strap of her purse.
Donovan stood up from the sofa and walked over to meet her. His face was calm. He wasn't angry, but the special, warm spark that he usually had when he looked at her was completely missing.
"Hi, New York," Donovan said softly.
"Hi," Scarlett breathed out, her voice shaking slightly. She looked up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "My new lawyers called me an hour ago. They told me what happened. They told me you bought the movie, fired my manager, and stopped the Vance Agency from suing my mom."
"I did," Donovan confirmed simply.
"Donovan, thank you," Scarlett whispered, stepping closer to him. "You saved my mother from bankruptcy. You saved my career."
"You don't need to thank me. I protect the people I care about," Donovan replied, his voice even.
Scarlett swallowed hard, sensing the heavy distance between them. She desperately wanted to explain herself. She needed him to know she didn't choose Josh Hartnett over him.
"Donovan, I need you to know why I didn't call you," Scarlett pleaded, looking directly into his dark eyes. "Leo Vance told me that if you tried to fight the contract, he would get a federal judge to freeze my career. He said it would force you to shut down *Teen Wolf*. He said you would lose millions of dollars and lose your television network slot."
She took a shaky breath, a tear finally falling down her cheek.
"I couldn't let him destroy your show, Donovan. I couldn't let you sacrifice your studio just to save me from a mistake my mom and I made. I did the PR stunt because I wanted to protect your empire."
Donovan looked at her. With his absolute empathy, he could feel her honesty. He knew she had sacrificed her own happiness to protect him. He understood her logic perfectly.
But understanding wasn't the same as trust.
"I know you wanted to protect me, Scarlett," Donovan said gently. "And I appreciate your loyalty. But you made a massive mistake."
Scarlett wiped her tear, confused. "What mistake?"
"You lied to me," Donovan stated plainly. "You hid a massive problem because you thought I wasn't strong enough to fix it without losing my studio. You thought Leo Vance was smarter than me."
"No! That's not true, I just—"
"We were supposed to be a team, Scarlett," Donovan interrupted, his voice firm but not cruel. "If you had called me and told me the truth, we would have found a solution together. But you didn't trust me. You chose to fight alone."
Scarlett looked down at the floor, her heart breaking. She realized he was right. Her New York pride and her fear had made her keep secrets from the one person who had always supported her.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice cracking. "Are you... are you going to fire me from the show?"
"No," Donovan said immediately. "You are an incredibly talented actress, Scarlett. You earned your role as the female lead of *Teen Wolf*, and you earned your role in that movie. We are going to film Season Two, and it's going to be amazing."
Scarlett looked up, a small glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Are we okay, then?"
Donovan looked at her for a long moment. He didn't smile, but he didn't glare either. He just looked at her with absolute honesty.
"We are friends, Scarlett. And we are great colleagues," Donovan said quietly. "But trust is a very heavy thing. I gave you all of mine, and you didn't give me yours. We aren't as close as we used to be."
Scarlett felt a sharp pain in her chest, but she nodded slowly, accepting the consequences of her actions.
"I understand," she said softly.
"If you want to be in my inner circle... if you want us to be what we were before... you are going to have to earn my trust back, New York," Donovan told her.
"I will," Scarlett promised, her eyes hardening with determination. She wasn't going to give up. She had made a mistake, but she was going to prove to him that she belonged by his side. "I'll earn it back, Donovan. I promise."
Donovan gave her a small, respectful nod. "I'll see you on set."
Scarlett gave him a weak but genuine smile before turning around and walking out the front door.
As the door clicked shut, Donovan let out a long breath. The heavy, serious atmosphere vanished instantly. He turned around and walked back into the living room, where Jake and Chris were already arguing over who got to play next.
Donovan dropped back onto the middle of the sofa, picked up his gray Nintendo 64 controller, and grabbed another slice of pizza.
"Alright," Donovan said casually, unpausing the game. "Whose ass am I kicking in Smash first?"
Chris laughed, leaning into the screen. "You wish, bro. I'm picking Link."