Chapter 379: Duke's Cash Machine

The area outside Somerset House was packed with a sea of people, several times more crowded than during London Fashion Week. Among the crowds besieging this holy land of fashion, actual fashion enthusiasts made up only a tiny fraction; movie fans, readers, and celebrity chasers formed the bulk of the audience, drawn by the sheer number of stars who had already walked the red carpet.

This year's annual Victoria's Secret show was far more bustling and glamorous than ever before. Celebrities and socialites from both Britain and America seemed to treat it like a royal banquet, rushing to attend.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, Liam Neeson and his family, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, David and Victoria Beckham...

As one of the most prominent guests, Duke arrived relatively late, but he moved quickly, stepping into the interview area almost right on the heels of Tom Cruise and his wife.

At a pointed look from Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise very graciously yielded his spot in the interview area to Duke, stepping aside to wait for him by the entrance of Somerset House.

"The official Victoria's Secret announcement claims that the design for this fashion show was inspired by Tolkien's works. What are your thoughts on this?"

The reporters from Fleet Street had Duke tightly surrounded.

"Sorry, but I don't know much about fashion."

Although he disliked these people from Fleet Street, Duke knew exactly how to answer. "Tolkien is a great writer, and his works are absolutely extraordinary. The descriptions of the clothing worn by the various unique races in Middle-earth certainly leave a lot of room for imagination."

A globally renowned American director heaping such high praise on a British author perfectly suited Fleet Street's tastes.

Another reporter immediately asked, "Director Rosenberg, how do you view Mr. Tolkien?"

"He is a magnificent author, the father of modern fantasy literature. He didn't just change literature; he also influenced the development of the film industry. Many of Hollywood's great epic films bear the traces of his literary works. To have the opportunity to personally turn The Lord of the Rings trilogy into a movie is a profound honor..."

Then, Duke shifted the topic back to the movie, unhesitatingly promoting his own work—though while doing so, he made sure to use Tolkien's name to bolster his credibility.

After finishing the interview, Duke walked out of the press area and arrived at the entrance to Somerset House, where he found Tom Cruise and his wife still waiting for him.

"Congratulations, Tom," he said.

"We should be congratulating ourselves!" Tom Cruise walked alongside Duke, his arm linked with Nicole Kidman's. "Our collaboration was a massive success once again!"

"True." Duke didn't slow his pace.

They were talking about Mission: Impossible 2. With the film's global theatrical run practically over, it had accumulated a total worldwide box office of $558.9 million. Not only did it set the highest box office record of Tom Cruise's acting career, but it also elevated him to the status of Hollywood's top commercial superstar.

With the film selling so well, Duke was naturally delighted. After all, he enjoyed a one-third cut of the film's profits. Moreover, with his current status and position, he had both the power to oversee the film's entire operational process and no fear that the distribution company would try any dirty tricks.

He was no longer the small-time director he had once been, nor was he one of those clueless outside investors who threw their money around without understanding the rules of the game.

The three of them chatted about The Lord of the Rings and Mission: Impossible 2 as they walked into the main hall of Somerset House. Their seats were all in the front row. Seemingly to show off their close relationship, Tom Cruise specifically traded seats with Elijah Wood and the others so he could sit right next to Duke.

As they chatted, compared to the radiant and high-spirited Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman seemed somewhat downcast.

"Mary, although I'm not great at directing artistic films..."

After exchanging a few words with her, Duke roughly understood the reason behind her mood.

Since he was currently in a honeymoon phase with the Cruises, he went out of his way to offer a few words of comfort. "But I believe The Others is absolutely an outstanding work, and your performance truly deserves recognition."

"It's a pity..." Nicole Kidman shook her head.

Tom Cruise immediately squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Don't be discouraged, darling. There will always be opportunities."

"Mary, Tom is absolutely right. The improvement in your acting has been tremendous," Duke added.

For some reason, Duke felt that this couple was heading in the exact opposite direction from his past life.

"If you run into the right role, you'll definitely be able to display all your brilliance," he said.

If Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman didn't divorce, and she lost those sympathy points, would she still be able to win Oscar Best Actress? No one could say for sure.

However, the negative impact on her box office draw was already apparent.

The Others was arguably Nicole Kidman's most commercially successful past work. Duke vaguely remembered its North American box office exceeding $100 million. But when the film was released last year, its North American box office didn't even reach $50 million. The fact that she was unpopular in the North American market was evident.

Although the film would definitely turn a profit due to its extremely low budget and decent overseas box office, her return on investment was pitifully low when compared to her massive reputation and exorbitant salary.

"Hi, Tom."

"Hi, David."

Taking advantage of the time before the fashion show started, another famous couple came over to say hello.

Tom Cruise then introduced them to Duke.

"David, this is Director Rosenberg. Duke, this is David Beckham, the famous soccer star, and this is Victoria Beckham, the famous singer."

Duke shook hands with this equally world-renowned couple. He had no intention of getting involved in soccer and merely wanted to make their acquaintance. Moreover, he and Victoria Beckham maintained a tacit understanding, pretending this was their very first time meeting.

Just as Duke always said, he was no saint, and he had nothing in common with gentlemen. But he still had his own bottom line: he had never once thought about destroying someone else's family.

His fling with Victoria Beckham was just an incredibly ordinary entry in both of their extensive histories of romantic conquests.

But to Duke's surprise, when Victoria Beckham shook his hand, she quietly slipped him a small piece of paper.

Duke, however, didn't look at it. He handed it straight to Tina Fey beside him, and the female assistant tossed it right into the trash can.

Duke had no idea what was written on the note, nor did he want to know. His relationship with Victoria Beckham was merely a temporary fling.

Besides, he had already made plans with Alessandra Ambrosio to spend a couple of days touring London together after the fashion show.

This fashion show would be broadcast by Sky Television and NBC to Europe, North America, and other regions respectively. Both The Lord of the Rings Studio and Victoria's Secret had invested massive amounts of resources into it. The clothing and stage design, in particular, were filled with a magical, exotic charm, so exquisitely elegant that they hardly seemed like artistic masterpieces from this world.

If it were any other runway show, designing the stage in the elven style of Lothlorien would definitely seem extremely out of place. But the Victoria's Secret angel shows were never bound by conventional styles. Not only did the angel models never wear stiff, rigid expressions, but the runway itself was always arranged to look like a dream.

The theme of the show was the Angel Elf Show. Although there wasn't any content directly related to The Lord of the Rings, the sheer scale of the super show from two years prior had built massive momentum. When the models walked onto the runway wearing lingerie with pale green, moss, and crimson as the primary colors, adorned with various leaf and plant patterns, it immediately sparked people's imaginations.

In particular, to highlight the pure and holy side of the elves, all the angel models wore a layer of translucent gauze over their lingerie, perfectly echoing the clothing style of the elves in the film.

Anyone who had watched a Victoria's Secret fashion show knew that, despite it being a lingerie show, the angels rarely walked out wearing just plain lingerie. Consequently, all sorts of elf-related accessories, and even exquisite artifacts, became decorations on their bodies or in their hands.

For example, Adriana Lima transformed into an elven handmaiden. As she walked down the runway, she cradled an elven wooden flask in her hands...

Similar scenes appeared one after another. These elements would have thrown off the balance of an ordinary fashion show, but under the meticulous design of the designers from The Lord of the Rings Studio and Victoria's Secret—paired with the stage and the rich expressions of the angels—they didn't look out of place at all. Instead, they were exceptionally eye-catching.

As for the guest performers, Victoria's Secret had accepted Duke's suggestion and invited the famous Irish female singer Enya. She sang a poem from Tolkien's books praising the elves, performing it in both English and Quenya. Naturally, the music for the poem was composed by the film's composer, Howard Shore.

"Rebecca, I don't understand..."

By the runway exit, Lori Grile, the president of Victoria's Secret stores, watched the company's models walk out one by one and asked with slight confusion, "I don't understand why we have to cooperate with Duke. Even if he's the company's largest individual shareholder, he has no right to demand that we do this."

"He indeed has no such right," Rebecca Fein agreed first, before adding, "But don't forget the influence of his work. If The Fellowship of the Ring can achieve the same level of success as The Matrix, its influence will expand infinitely. Our elven clothing and accessories..."

At this point, she looked at Lori Grile, who nodded in understanding.

In the moment she figured it out, she seemed to see even further ahead. "And this is a trilogy," she said. "If all the films sell well, our product sales are bound to surge over the next few years."

Just as the two women said, Victoria's Secret was willing to cooperate with Duke because they could foresee the future profits!

To this end, they even made certain changes, accepting Duke's suggestion to let Alessandra Ambrosio, who had the largest role in The Lord of the Rings, walk the finale to showcase the ultimate piece.

She wore a nightgown as thin as gossamer, which bore the typical characteristics of Arwen's clothing. The translucent silk gauze was dotted with tiny, crushed gems that reflected streaks of starlight under the lights, just like the original meaning of Arwen's name—Evenstar!

This nightgown, woven from Indian silk gauze, diamonds, emeralds, and Ceylon gems, was named Evenstar!

Victoria's Secret slapped a staggering price tag of $8 million on it!