Chapter 408: How to Become an Ageless Goddess

"My dad wanted to come too," Ivanka Trump told Duke as they walked through the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel. "But since he dies so gruesomely in the movie, he ended up scrapping the idea."

It was an obvious joke, and Duke took it in stride.

"I'm just glad you could make it," he said lightly.

As they neared the banquet hall hosting the party, Ivanka suddenly stopped him. She adjusted his bow tie slightly, looked him up and down, and smiled in satisfaction.

"Among Hollywood directors," she said, flashing a charming smile, "you easily rank in the top five for looks alone."

"And here I thought I'd be number one."

Duke headed toward the banquet hall doors. Ivanka followed, smoothly slipping a hand into the crook of his arm.

Staff members opened the doors as they arrived. The moment they stepped inside, the banquet hall erupted in warm applause. It wasn't as thunderous as the cheers in the theater, but it was just as sustained. From the Warner Brothers executives and the North American Theater Alliance representatives down to every cast and crew member, everyone was clapping for Duke.

With the massive success of The Fellowship of the Ring, Warner Brothers and Duke Studio were the most direct beneficiaries.

But the profits generated by a blockbuster hit rippled out to every sector involved in the film.

The actors, the theater chains, the merchandise manufacturers, and more—they were all reaping the rewards of The Fellowship of the Ring's triumph.

Christophe Rocancourt stood near the corner of the banquet hall, clapping slowly. His gaze on Duke was particularly fervent—this man was the guarantee for his future livelihood!

Duke's directing contract was no secret in Hollywood. For The Fellowship of the Ring, he had received a base salary of 15 million dollars, plus a cut of the box office and merchandise revenue. Now that the film's global box office was marching toward 1.1 billion dollars and merchandise sales had broken 500 million, how much would he take home from his directing income alone, even excluding his dividend shares from Duke Studio and Warner Brothers?

Maintaining a congratulatory smile, Christophe Rocancourt quietly gritted his teeth. He knew very well that, even by the most conservative estimates, Duke Rosenberg would pull in around 200 million dollars from this first film alone!

This was a true top-tier Hollywood director! Unless James Cameron came out of retirement, there probably wasn't a single actor, director, or producer in all of Hollywood whose commercial earnings could surpass his.

And that was true even though he never did commercial endorsements!

Looking at Duke surrounded by countless people, and then looking at himself with only Jessica Alba by his side, Christophe Rocancourt sighed inwardly. They had entered Hollywood at almost the exact same time. He had spent nearly ten years racking his brains and treading on thin ice just to build his current net worth of tens of millions.

And the other man?

In those same ten years, his net worth had to have reached at least a billion dollars by conservative estimates, right?

At that thought, Christophe Rocancourt hardened his resolve. The man was so obscenely wealthy; Rocancourt was only going to take a tiny fraction of it.

"Come on, let's go say hello to Duke."

Christophe Rocancourt led Jessica Alba toward Duke, but they couldn't get close right away. Too many people were crowding around him, eager to network. Unable to squeeze in, they could only listen to the constant stream of flattery pouring out from the crowd.

"Duke, AMG guarantees that The Fellowship of the Ring will remain in theaters until next year's Oscars."

Christophe Rocancourt recognized the speaker as Lynch, the vice president of the AMG Cinema Line.

"When The Two Towers premieres, AMG will dedicate at least 1,500 theaters and 3,500 screens!"

As soon as that voice faded, Christophe Rocancourt peered through the gaps in the crowd and saw the CEO of Regal Entertainment speaking up. Coming from the largest theater chain in North America, his words carried immense weight.

"Regal Entertainment will provide 1,800 theaters and no fewer than 4,000 screens for The Two Towers! Duke, the entire Regal Entertainment Group is looking forward to this release."

"United Artists Theaters will also offer at least 500 theaters..."

"Tracy Cinema Chain Company..."

Each voice represented another theater chain. These people were practically going crazy over The Two Towers!

Having been in Hollywood for ten years, Christophe Rocancourt considered himself highly experienced, but he had never seen a scene like this. The theater executives looked ready to press their faces against Duke Rosenberg's shoes.

Unlike Christophe Rocancourt, Jessica Alba kept her eyes glued to Duke's side. A tall, blonde girl stood quietly next to him, wearing a reserved smile. Aside from the necessary pleasantries, she didn't seem to have said much, yet even in her silence, she was the center of attention.

All because she was standing next to Duke Rosenberg!

Though she had her arm looped through Christophe Rocancourt's, Jessica Alba's mind wasn't on him. She was fantasizing about how wonderful it would be if she were the blonde girl standing next to Duke Rosenberg.

Then she would be the focal point of the banquet hall, the object of attention for every Hollywood executive, and the center of Hollywood—if not the whole world!

As long as she could stand beside Duke Rosenberg, she would easily command the attention of the entire world!

Glancing sideways at Christophe Rocancourt, Jessica Alba instantly made up her mind. Once that massive project got off the ground and she became the leading lady, she was definitely going to dump him.

Other than being a little taller, how did that blonde girl compare to her?

"Darling, let's head over," she said.

The crowd in front of them was thinning, and Christophe Rocancourt and Jessica Alba eagerly walked up to Duke.

"Hi, Duke."

"Hi, Chris."

Seeing the French count he was about to do business with, Duke put on his best acting performance, greeting him with a manner that was neither overly intimate nor distant. The woman beside Rocancourt suddenly offered her hand.

"Hello, Director Rosenberg. We meet again."

"Hello, Miss Alba."

Christophe Rocancourt waited for Duke to shake Jessica Alba's hand before looking at Ivanka Trump. "Duke, aren't you going to introduce us?" he asked with a slight smile.

"Chris, this is my friend Miss Ivanka Trump. She's from New York. Evie, this is Mr. Christophe Rocancourt, a producer, and this is Miss Jessica Alba..."

Although Ivanka hadn't said much earlier, she knew exactly what to do and when to do it. She shook hands with both of them. For someone of her background, this kind of social networking was a breeze.

Duke's gaze lingered on Ivanka. Her performance tonight was flawless. She was subtle, reserved, and composed, yet brimming with confidence. When the moment called for it, she always said exactly the right thing.

Her etiquette and upbringing were simply impeccable.

Given Duke's own family background and his mother's strict upbringing, it was only natural that he would think highly of someone like her. People who walked into these settings without knowing how to read the room, who tried to show off their individuality through eccentric or absurd behavior, didn't just make fools of themselves—they turned everyone around them and their entire families into laughingstocks.

It was a very simple concept. Take Duke himself, for example. He might not care what others thought of him, but he couldn't disregard the reputation of the Rosenberg Family or his mother.

The sort of person who wore bizarre outfits to public events, gorged themselves on food and drink, and practically announced to the room that they disdained associating with anyone else—regardless of whether they respected themselves or others, they certainly didn't respect their own family and parents.

When people criticized someone for being poorly raised, they weren't just talking about the person themselves!

However, Duke had attended plenty of public parties and rarely encountered anyone like that. Even people like Drew Barrymore and Johnny Depp, who were known for their eccentric and wild behavior in private, knew how to maintain basic etiquette.

"Hi, Duke."

Someone else approached from the side to say hello. Duke turned and took a few steps forward to greet her. Charlize Theron, wearing a silver-white evening gown, walked over with easy grace.

"Long time no see," she said with a bright smile. "As the producer, have you given up on The Matrix crew? You haven't been to Australia to check on us since April."

"That's because I have faith in Zack." Just as Duke lightly grasped her outstretched hand, he saw Zack Snyder walking over. Snyder came right up and, without a word, pulled him into a hug.

"Congratulations, Duke!"

They pulled back, and Zack Snyder grinned. "Congratulations on crossing the one-billion-dollar mark!"

"You get some of the credit for that too."

The two had been friends and collaborators for nearly ten years, so there was no need for excess pleasantries. Zack Snyder gave a brief update on the crew's status and then asked, "Where's Anna? How come I don't see her?"

"She should be here somewhere. She came over with Wallace Lee a moment ago to say hi."

Seeing Zack Snyder's look of confusion, Duke explained, "Wallace Lee is the new assistant director."

"We'll catch up later."

Zack Snyder wasn't one to stand on ceremony with Duke. "I'm going to go say hi to the others."

Duke nodded. On the other side, Charlize Theron didn't seem ready to leave. She pointed at Ivanka Trump behind Duke, suddenly leaning in to whisper, "Your new girl?"

"Just a friend." Duke glared at her.

Charlize Theron just laughed. "She might be talking to other people, but she's keeping her eyes right on you."

Although Ivanka was chatting with Christophe Rocancourt and Jessica Alba, her eyes would dart over in their direction from time to time. It was as if Duke were the only person in the entire banquet hall she cared to pay attention to.

"Excuse me..."

Ivanka offered a polite excuse to Christophe Rocancourt and Jessica Alba, then turned and walked toward Duke and Charlize Theron.