The flight back from London was a quiet, highly profitable victory.
Richard spent the entire twelve-hour trip organizing the legal structure for the newly acquired *Harry Potter* cinematic universe. His desk on the private jet was covered in contracts and financial projections.
Donovan, however, spent the flight resting in one of the leather recliners.
Buying a billion-dollar franchise in a single afternoon was a massive mental load. His physical energy was fine, but his brain needed a break from plotting global entertainment domination.
They landed in Los Angeles late on Wednesday. By Thursday morning, reality hit Donovan hard.
Just forty-eight hours ago, he was a Hollywood boss negotiating millions of pounds. Today, he was standing in the hot California sun outside the Department of Motor Vehicles.
The DMV was the great equalizer of American society. It didn't care if your face was on every magazine in the world. You still had to take a number and wait in line.
Donovan leaned against the brick wall near the entrance. He wore a simple black hoodie, faded jeans, and a baseball cap pulled low to avoid the paparazzi.
"I can't believe we've been standing here for an hour," Jake Gyllenhaal groaned, tossing a green apple in the air.
"They don't care about your box office numbers here, Donnie," Chris Evans laughed, leaning against the wall next to him. "In this building, you are just a number on a piece of paper."
Donovan glared at his two best friends from under his cap. "You guys really didn't have to come."
"Are you kidding?" Jake smirked, catching his apple. "We wouldn't miss this for the world. The great Anakin Skywalker, terrified of a driving instructor."
"If you hit a single orange cone, you fail instantly," Chris added, making an exploding gesture with his hands. "Boom. Back to riding a bicycle."
Donovan rubbed his temples. "I'm not terrified. It's just parallel parking. I can do it."
"Seriously, man," Chris laughed out loud. "You drove a podracer in front of two billion people. You can handle a standard Honda Civic."
"That podracer was a prop attached to a hydraulic machine, Boston," Donovan shot back smoothly. "This is real traffic. With terrible Los Angeles drivers. And the machine didn't judge my every move with a clipboard."
His mother, Evelyn, had strictly forbidden Richard from using his money or influence to skip the driving test. She wanted her son to do at least one normal teenage thing this year.
The glass doors of the DMV finally opened.
A heavy-set man with a thick mustache walked out into the sun. He looked tired, grumpy, and completely done with his job.
His plastic name tag simply read: *Gary*.
"Blackwood, Donovan," Gary barked, looking down at his clipboard.
"Wish me luck," Donovan sighed.
"Don't crash!" Jake yelled as Donovan walked away.
Donovan approached the battered dual-control sedan used for the tests. He got into the driver's seat and adjusted the mirrors.
Gary sat heavily in the passenger seat. He looked over at Donovan and blinked twice.
"You're the space kid," Gary said blankly.
"Yes, sir," Donovan nodded politely.
"Listen to me, Hollywood," Gary said, his voice completely flat. "I don't care if you're Darth Vader. If you don't use your turn signals, I will fail you. Keep your hands at ten and two. Drive."
For the next twenty-five minutes, Donovan was incredibly stressed.
He had faced down legendary directors without blinking, but Gary's heavy sighs were terrifying. Every time Donovan stopped at a red light, Gary scribbled something on his clipboard.
*What is he writing?* Donovan thought, checking his blind spots for the fifth time. *I'm completely stopped. What could he possibly be grading?*
When it was time to parallel park, Gary pointed to a tight spot between two orange cones on a quiet street.
Donovan took a deep breath. He focused completely, calculating the angle of the steering wheel and the distance to the curb.
He reversed slowly. He slid the car perfectly into the space. Not a single cone moved.
Gary stared out the window for a long moment. Then, he scribbled on his clipboard one last time.
"Adequate. Head back to the lot."
Ten minutes later, Donovan walked out of the DMV holding a fresh, temporary paper driver's license.
Jake and Chris immediately started cheering loudly. Chris actually lifted Donovan off the ground in a brief hug, acting like they had just won the Super Bowl.
"The streets of L.A. are no longer safe!" Jake announced to the parking lot.
A sleek black town car pulled up to the curb, interrupting the celebration. The back window rolled down, revealing Richard Blackwood's signature smile.
"Get in, boys," Richard called out. "I heard we have a new licensed driver."
Jake and Chris piled into the back seat, immediately arguing over what drive-thru they should visit first. Donovan opened the front passenger door and sat down next to the driver.
"Mom told you not to bribe the instructor, didn't she?" Donovan asked, glancing back at his dad.
"She did," Richard chuckled. "Which is why I waited until after you legally passed to give you this."
Richard reached into his tailored jacket. He pulled out a heavy, leather-bound set of keys and tossed them to the front seat.
Donovan caught them mid-air. The keychain had a distinct, elegant silver 'B' with wings.
Donovan's eyes widened. "Dad... is this..."
"It's parked in the garage at home," Richard said smoothly. "A brand new Bentley Continental R Millennium Edition. Black on black. Only a handful of them made in the world."
Jake choked on the piece of apple he was chewing. Chris slammed his hands against the back of Donovan's seat.
"A Bentley?!" Chris screamed. "Donnie, you're sixteen! That's a luxury yacht on wheels!"
"It's incredibly unnecessary," Richard noted casually, leaning back in his seat. "But you bought a British wizard on Tuesday, Donovan. I figured a British masterpiece was the appropriate reward."
Donovan looked at the heavy keys, a genuine laugh escaping him.
The stress of the DMV vanished instantly.
"Thanks, Dad," Donovan smiled.
"Just promise me one thing," Richard said, turning serious for a split second. "Don't let your mother catch you driving that thing to school on the first day. She will actually kill both of us."