Chapter 318: Duke and Cruise

Brisk footsteps landed on the thin layer of snow, leaving faint footprints behind. Braving the snowflakes still drifting from the sky, Duke crossed the plaza in front of the villa and jogged into the garden. Having just returned to New York from summer in New Zealand, he was struggling to adjust to the bitter winter cold. The air he drew into his lungs felt like it was going to freeze his internal organs.

Still, Duke kept running, just as he had kept pushing forward all these years.

As he completed a lap around the snow-white garden, the dark clouds overhead gradually scattered, allowing sunlight to spill through. The winter sun seemed closer than usual, exceptionally clear and dazzling, yet its rays felt as though they had been chilled by the ice and snow, offering no real warmth.

He ran another lap before returning to the villa. Taking a hot towel from a servant, he wiped his reddened face and swapped his snow-caked running shoes for cotton slippers. He headed into the dining room, picked up today's newspaper, and read for a while. His mother walked in and sat across from him just as the servants served breakfast.

Mrs. Leah looked at him and said, "You look much better than you did the last few days."

"I can only relax when I'm back home."

Duke picked up his skim milk and took a large gulp. "I feel much better. When I was in New Zealand, it felt like a mountain was pressing down on my shoulders. I couldn't stop thinking about work. It was as if I'd turned into a computer's CPU—all I knew was how to run, unable to shut down for a proper rest."

"You put too much pressure on yourself."

Swallowing her bite of food, Mrs. Leah stared at Duke for a moment and said, "Darling, don't push yourself so hard."

"That's why, Mom..."

Duke lowered his head to tackle the fried eggs on his plate, a rare, relaxed smile hanging on his face. "I fled New Zealand and hid at home to recharge."

Mrs. Leah didn't eat much, and Duke ate rather quickly, so breakfast was soon over.

As they walked out of the dining room, Mrs. Leah asked, "What do you plan on doing today? Are you still going to hide at home?"

"I don't want to go out."

Duke walked his mother to the front door of the villa. Before she got into her car, he added, "I'm going to hide at home for a few days of peace and quiet. I don't want to do anything right now."

"Tell you what, Duke."

Just as she was about to get in, Mrs. Leah turned back and said, "There's a banquet tonight. It's not an ordinary party, but a New Year's dinner for New York's upper circle. Come with me."

"No problem."

Duke nodded and agreed right away.

After watching his mother's car pull out of the driveway, Duke went back inside. He slouched on the living room sofa, picked up today's newspaper, and flipped through it.

This wasn't a serious broadsheet like the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal, but rather one of the trashiest tabloids on the streets of New York. The pages were stuffed with the romantic affairs of celebrities and socialites. He even found himself in there—a photo of him walking into a Western restaurant in Wellington with Kate Beckinsale. In a tone of absolute certainty, the gossip rag confirmed that he had found a new lover.

Duke had never cared about these half-true scandals. He only read this trash to let himself completely relax and stop thinking about his work in New Zealand.

Napping, hitting the gym—the day passed quickly. When his mother returned home that evening, Duke changed into a sharp tuxedo. His relaxed laziness vanished, and he returned to his usual sharp, capable state.

The New Year's banquet for New York's elite was held at the Waldorf Grand Hotel. By the time Duke walked into the banquet hall with his mother on his arm, quite a few people were already seated. Some looked rather familiar—either business elites he had seen in the financial media, or the scions of prominent commercial families.

No matter what their relationships were like normally, in a formal setting like this, both the titans of the business world and their descendants would politely greet each other and warmly exchange pleasantries.

Even if someone in attendance wasn't entirely clear-headed, the people accompanying them definitely would be.

Even if someone was naturally born with a scornful face, no one would actively jump out to cause trouble. Doing so wouldn't just lose them their own face, but the face of their entire family or corporate group.

Such idiots might exist, but the chances of running into one here wouldn't exceed zero point one percent.

For example, Duke spotted Michael Ovitz here. Because Godzilla had taken a hit from The Matrix, its box office had fallen far short of expectations, causing Sony Columbia Pictures to call a halt to the franchise. This meant the first packaging project for Michael Ovitz's new company had suffered a major setback. Coupled with the conflicts they had accumulated back at CAA, it was inevitable that the wealthy agent harbored a grudge against him.

Yet the two of them gathered together like old friends, warmly shaking hands and exchanging greetings as if none of those conflicts existed.

Then there was the famously strained relationship between the tycoons of the East and West Coasts. Duke saw the renowned madman Larry Ellison. Even as arrogant as he was, when facing the New York tycoons who privately mocked him as nouveau riche, Ellison remained the picture of a civilized man.

These tycoons and their descendants committed countless bastardly acts in private, but none of them would tear off their civilized masks in public.

Following by his mother's side, Duke met quite a few New York socialites. This banquet could truly be called a microcosm of New York's high society.

In truth, the purpose of hosting such a banquet was extremely clear. Business elites also needed to socialize and expand their networks and funding circles. This was the perfect opportunity. Some business deals and investments might very well start right at this dinner.

"Director Rosenberg..."

"Please, just call me Duke."

The man his mother had just introduced was an investment director from Goldman Sachs. He looked at Duke as if he were looking at a stack of green dollar bills. "Duke, not only are the films you direct a guarantee of profit, but your investments in Titanic and Mission: Impossible were also massive hits. How much revenue did that big ship bring you last year? At least 300 million dollars, right?"

Duke just smiled, offering no answer.

"When are we going to collaborate?"

His words gradually steered toward investment. "Goldman Sachs is interested in investing in your films, or we could co-invest in films you favor. I hear you're prepping The Lord of the Rings trilogy? If you're short on funds, don't forget Goldman Sachs."

"If I run short on funds, I'll definitely give you a call," Duke said politely.

The two had exchanged business cards a moment ago.

The man didn't seem willing to give up and added, "The film industry is a high-risk sector, but Goldman Sachs has always been very optimistic about you. Don't you plan to expand Duke Studio? Goldman Sachs can provide you with financial backing."

"Accepting outside capital requires consulting with Warner Brothers."

Without a second thought, Duke pushed the issue onto Warner. "I can't make that decision on my own."

Finally managing to shake off the man from Goldman Sachs, Duke returned to his mother's side. Greeting people along the way, he walked toward the banquet area. Nearly a hundred round oak tables were set up in the Waldorf Grand Hotel's massive banquet hall, with enough space left between them to form wide aisles so people could mingle and move around easily.

"Hey, Duke, over here."

As he headed toward their table, Duke heard a familiar voice nearby. He said a quick word to his mother, walked over, and greeted her. "Hi, Aerin. I didn't expect to see you here."

"You've been hiding at home these past few days." Aerin Lauder stood up to welcome him and shook his hand. "Not used to New York's cold weather?"

"Just tired. I wanted to rest." Duke smiled. Looking at her short blue evening gown, he added, "You look beautiful tonight."

"Thank you."

Aerin Lauder gestured behind him. "Let me introduce you."

"Sure."

Duke followed her over.

"This is Jane, my younger sister."

"This is Robert, my cousin..."

As Aerin Lauder introduced them, Duke shook hands with the direct descendants of the Lauder Family one by one. However, aside from Jane Lauder, the others' enthusiasm toward him remained purely superficial.

After the round of introductions, only the Lauder sisters were left standing beside Duke.

"When is your new movie coming out?"

Looking just like an ordinary movie fan, Jane Lauder leaned in close to Duke and whispered, "And what about the sequel to The Matrix?"

"According to the plan, the new film will be out in the spring..."

Duke had barely spoken a sentence when he felt Aerin Lauder gently tug his arm. "Aunt Leah is waving this way."

Duke glanced back and said, "Let's chat another day. I'll head over first."

Once Duke turned and walked away, Aerin Lauder and Jane Lauder returned to their table. The two sisters huddled together, chatting in low voices, their topic constantly revolving around Duke.

"Didn't he invest in Titanic?" Jane Lauder asked curiously. "Aerin, you've always had a good relationship with him. Do you know exactly how much he made from that investment?"

"The return on investment is definitely high..."

She had originally just wanted to offer a perfunctory reply, but seeing her sister's curious, insistent expression, Aerin Lauder had no choice but to say, "I heard Duke mention that by Christmas, his 50 million dollar investment had pulled in over 380 million dollars in returns from Titanic's box office and all its merchandise. There will still be more revenue to come, but it won't be as terrifying as the release year."

"A return ratio of nearly eight times..."

Even though she was born into a commercial family like the Lauders, Jane Lauder still stared blankly for a moment. "That's terrifying."

"Terrifying?" Aerin Lauder said, taking it as a matter of course. "What has he done in film that isn't terrifying?"

On the other side, Duke reached his table and sat down on his mother's left. "Did you need something, Mom?"

"Let me introduce you to some people."

Mrs. Leah looked to her right at a middle-aged man with short golden-brown hair. Sitting next to him was a young girl with long golden-brown hair. Even though she was seated, the girl still looked exceptionally tall.

Duke glanced at them and immediately confirmed they were a father and daughter. What's more, they looked very familiar.