Chapter 331: News Silence

The black Bentley pulled up to the end of the red carpet. Duke stepped out, offered his mother his arm, and strode toward the front of the theater. This was the Star Wars premiere, and he was merely an invited guest. With absolutely no intention of interacting with the fans around them, he made his way into the interview area at the end of the carpet as quickly as he possibly could.

As he was one of the top directors in Hollywood, the waiting media certainly wouldn't let him leave so easily.

Knowing his mother disliked dealing with the press, Duke took the initiative to step forward and say a few words.

"Star Wars is a great franchise. It ushered in a new era for sci-fi films."

Since he was standing in front of the cameras, Duke had to talk George Lucas up a bit.

"The world George built is wondrous and unique. Star Wars isn't just a movie; it's a worldwide cultural phenomenon. As a Star Wars fan, I've been waiting for this day for far too long."

Although reporters kept asking about his new film, this was someone else's premiere. Duke deflected the questions, found his mother waiting at the theater entrance, and followed the staff toward the VIP lounge.

When they reached a less crowded area, Mrs. Leah suddenly asked, "What made you decide to buy shares in Marvel Comics?"

"I'm optimistic about the future of comic book movies."

Knowing his mother was just concerned about him, Duke offered a brief explanation. "Mom, movie special effects are advancing at an incredible speed. It won't be long before the scenes and superpowers that currently exist only on paper can be easily brought to the big screen."

Mrs. Leah nodded and let the matter drop. She had a vague idea of Duke's true net worth and knew this massive sum of capital came from stock market trading. Even if the investment failed, it wouldn't do him any real damage.

Besides, right after Duke had returned yesterday, he signed the investment agreement with Marvel Comics to secure twenty-five percent of their shares. Saying anything else now would be useless.

Duke had returned to New York for two reasons: first, to attend George Lucas's Star Wars premiere, and second, to sign his personal investment agreement with Marvel Comics.

After several long months of wrangling, Marvel—facing a severe cash shortage and having been rejected by the bank for a new copyright-backed loan—had finally reached this agreement with Duke's representative.

Even with the agreement signed, however, Duke didn't foolishly jump up and preach to Marvel's management about how explosive superhero movies would be in the future.

This was a business world that prioritized data and actual profits. Even with his current status, few would believe empty predictions. Once X-Men and Spider-Man showed their true box-office power, Marvel's executives would know exactly what to do—provided they weren't complete idiots.

At that time, casually suggesting a massive superhero crossover would be far more effective than bringing it up now.

Since the film rights to X-Men and Spider-Man couldn't be reclaimed anyway, he might as well let those movies serve as a wake-up call to Marvel's upper management.

Entering the VIP lounge, neither Duke nor Mrs. Leah had any interest in socializing. They had just found a quiet spot to sit down when a girl walked over, following a middle-aged woman.

"Hello, Leah."

"Hello, Shelley."

Mrs. Leah exchanged familiar greetings with the woman. When the brown-haired girl beside her offered a respectful greeting, she nodded back. "Hello, Nat."

"Hi, Duke."

Seeing her mother chatting with Mrs. Leah, Natalie had no choice but to turn and sit beside Duke. Duke gently shook her extended hand. "Long time no see, Nat."

The girl next to him seemed to have grown a bit taller, though her frame remained slender beneath her dark little dress. Her long brown hair was casually tied back into a bun. At a glance, her styling seemed carefree and relaxed.

Their last conversation had ended on bad terms, so the atmosphere between them was inevitably a bit distant.

Mrs. Leah turned her head just then. "Duke, Shelley and I are going to say hi to some friends."

Soon, only Duke and Natalie were left.

"Why are you in here?"

Looking at Natalie, Duke asked out of genuine curiosity, "Shouldn't you be out on the red carpet, taking photos with the cast and doing interviews?"

Aside from Natalie Portman, no other members of the Star Wars cast had entered the lounge yet.

"I don't want to face the reporters."

After a moment's hesitation, Natalie added softly, "I don't want the media bothering me. I'm taking the SATs soon. If George hadn't insisted, I wouldn't have even come today."

Hearing this, Duke could only silently marvel at Lucas's good temper. If the lead actress of his own movie pulled a stunt like this, he would definitely make the studio withhold the rest of her paychecks for a while...

Thinking about Natalie Portman's background, Duke's interest was piqued. He deliberately asked, "Why take the SAT? Don't tell me you aren't planning on staying in Hollywood?"

"I'm applying to Harvard," Natalie said without hesitation. "Acting won't be my primary career. I plan to study clinical psychology."

"What a shame." Duke sighed softly, as if he truly meant it. "Hollywood is going to lose a genius actress."

Natalie suddenly turned her head and looked Duke straight in the eye. "Do you really mean that?"

Duke merely shrugged and said nothing.

The conversation between them was far from harmonious. To put it bluntly, neither Duke nor Natalie Portman was anywhere near being a simple, innocent person—they were two Pacific Oceans away from that.

"Nat, we haven't interacted much."

After a full half-minute of silence, Duke spoke again. He stopped beating around the bush; when dealing with a girl with such a complex mind, it was better to be direct. "But my interest in you hasn't faded at all. If anything, it's only grown."

"Why?" Unable to figure it out, Natalie asked bluntly. "I'm not beautiful. Compared to the actresses you're rumored with, I'm an ugly duckling."

"Because we're the same kind of people." Duke pointed to his own face, then to his chest.

Natalie's expression darkened. "You might be two-faced, but I'm not!"

"Nat, are you really completely uninterested in Hollywood? Are you really going to Harvard to become a scholar? Do you really plan to be a clinical psychologist?"

Perhaps compared to adult schemers like Nicole Kidman, Natalie Portman still had some catching up to do, but Duke was certain that none of them had been nearly as calculating at her age.

"If that's truly the case, why not give up acting? Starring in Star Wars will only cause trouble for your future studies," he added.

"Why... are you saying all this?" Natalie's voice was very soft. "We aren't friends."

"Because I'm very interested in you, and because I like you a lot."

Tearing the mask off a calculating teenage girl was, admittedly, highly entertaining. Duke stared straight into her eyes and deliberately added, "I want our conversation to be genuine, rather than talking in circles with meaningless lies."

"You like me? You're interested in me?" Natalie's lips quickly curled into a sneer. "Are you going to officially pursue me?"

Duke thought for a second. "No."

"How honest." Natalie's mocking smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "Playboy."

"Are you willing to give up Hollywood?"

Completely ignoring Natalie's jab, Duke said earnestly, "If you truly intend to become a scholar in the future, or to completely abandon your career as an actress, I will pursue you with the fiercest offensive possible."

"Why should I give it up?" Natalie's lips curled up slightly, though she tried her best to keep her voice confined to their small space. "I swore a long time ago that I would be a successful actress! I won't give up on Hollywood!"

"So, getting into Harvard is just to add a halo to your image?"

After talking in circles for so long, Duke had finally baited the truth out of her.

"Let me guess. Once you get into Harvard, you'll hide from the media. But through the mouths of your classmates and professors, you'll occasionally leak news about how friendly you are, how hard you're trying to adapt to school and your identity as a normal student. You might even manufacture some self-deprecating talking points, all to make your image better fit that of an ordinary college student."

"Am I right, Nat?"

The aura of the girl beside him suddenly weakened.

Holding back his amusement, Duke continued with deadpan seriousness. "If possible, you'll also collaborate with your professors on some research papers. When they're published, however, you'll let the media conveniently ignore the professors' names. That way, the image of an actress who possesses both beauty and brains—someone completely unattached to the fame and fortune of Hollywood—will gradually take shape."

"I..."

Duke wagged a finger, cutting her off. "You're of orthodox Jewish descent, so you must have a plan in mind. Let me guess: how can you win the favor of the Academy and the Jewish influence in Hollywood? Hmm... After graduation, instead of rushing back into Hollywood, you'll go to Israel for further studies. It doesn't need to be for long; staying there for half a year or a year will be enough."

"By then, all of Hollywood—no, the entire Jewish influence across America will know," Duke said, leaning in a little closer, "that Miss Natalie Portman comes from Jerusalem."

Natalie Portman pursed her lips, neither admitting nor denying it.

She simply looked at Duke, her gaze gradually turning complicated. She truly hadn't thought of some of the things he'd just said, but others were exactly what she had planned—like why she'd chosen Harvard!

Even her mother and manager didn't know about these things. Yet he had seen right through her...

Suddenly, Natalie thought of what Duke had just said. Were they really the same kind of people?

"Duke," she said slowly, "why are you saying all this?"

She didn't believe for a second that he actually wanted a sincere conversation with her.

"Why?" Duke frowned, thinking for a full minute before giving his answer. "Because I find that seeing through the mind of a very smart, very deceptive girl is a lot of fun."

With that said, Duke stood up. "It's almost time; let's head into the theater. Nat, I really enjoyed our chat."