Chapter 501: A Well-Deserved Reward

"We won! We won!"

In a Paris hotel room, Aerin Lauder stood up from the sofa and pumped her fist. She was as thrilled right now as she had been when her cosmetics brand broke a billion dollars in global sales. Having loved Duke's films since her college days, she knew exactly how much hardship, effort, and struggle her close friend had gone through to reach this point!

"Keep going, Duke!" she murmured without realizing it, staring at the television. "Just like you told me back then—we will always persevere, and we will always move forward!"

In an apartment in the Los Angeles suburbs, Norman Hiller clenched his right fist, excitedly pounding the armrest of his computer chair as if he were the one winning the award.

He typed a message to his circle of friends on Instant Sharing as fast as he could: "We won!"

"Yes, we won!"

Also sitting in front of a computer, Brad Miller took his hands off his keyboard. He felt a deep sense of fulfillment. Was there anything more joyous than seeing his favorite film and director finally get recognized?

"Whoa..."

"Duke won Best Director!"

The moment Tom Cruise announced the winner, cheers erupted in countless bars across America. The clinking of glasses rang out in a continuous wave before the crowds fell quiet again, waiting for the director to step onto the stage to accept his award.

Inside the ABC Television Network studio, Roger Ebert glared at the television screen. He wished he could fly straight to the Kodak Theater and shove those words right back into Tom Cruise's mouth!

But everything was set in stone. The result he and all the other professional film critics least wanted to see had just become reality.

Everything they had done since their efforts began with Saving Private Ryan had turned into a joke the moment Best Director was decided.

Roger Ebert felt the veins throbbing on his forehead. The fury he had accumulated over the years began to burn fiercely. The fire was so intense it permeated every corner of his body, and not even his thick layer of foundation could hide his rapidly reddening face. It was not flushed with excitement, but with anger, resentment, and jealousy...

All the negative emotions of humanity seemed to surface on his face at that moment.

Even though he was still sitting in front of the camera, Roger Ebert's hands trembled as he struggled to maintain a calm posture.

There was no surprise, no hesitation, and no delay. The moment Tom Cruise announced Duke's win, thunderous applause erupted. It seemed as though everyone had been waiting for this exact moment, and that everyone had expected it.

"There really was no suspense at all!"

Clint Eastwood clapped his hands. If anyone else had won, he would have felt bitter, but losing to Duke felt like a given. Wasn't this the most natural outcome in the world?

"It couldn't be helped. His advantage was simply too great."

Not far behind in the back row, Harvey Weinstein spoke to Bob Weinstein while clapping. "Commercially, only Spielberg and James Cameron can rival him, and he has driven the internationalization of Hollywood films. The Academy has to acknowledge his achievements in these areas."

Bob Weinstein just nodded. Neither he nor Harvey Weinstein found the result surprising. Duke Rosenberg had been far too brilliant over the past twelve years—so brilliant that only James Cameron could compete with him during the same period. If the Academy still refused to recognize someone like him under the pressure of this year's circumstances, the whole world would likely question the fairness and justice the Academy touted.

"It's fine." Harvey Weinstein didn't feel particularly resentful. "We can come back next year. Besides, given Duke Rosenberg's style, who knows how many years it will be before he returns to the Oscars!"

At a moment like this, to say he wasn't thrilled or excited would certainly be a lie.

Despite being a man of steady emotions and resilient character, Duke let out a long breath. He had finally seized what was likely his only chance.

Right beside him, Mrs. Leah's face was full of pride. She was so proud of Duke!

Duke had always been her greatest pride. Tonight, even facing the entire world, she could declare without any reservation that Duke Rosenberg was the proudest achievement of Leah Rosenberg's life!

Unlike everyone else who only saw Duke's glamorous side, she, as his mother, knew exactly how much effort he had put in to succeed. A person who had set his goal at the age of ten and had been fighting for it ever since was now simply reaping a well-deserved reward!

Thinking back to her past disagreements with Duke, Mrs. Leah suddenly felt a sense of relief. If Duke had followed her demands and gone into business, he might just be another ordinary businessman. But as a film director, he now stood at the very pinnacle of the world!

In just a few short seconds, the eyes of the entire nation focused on the Kodak Theater, landing squarely on Duke!

Exhaling a long breath, Duke didn't look at Ivanka Trump waiting on his right. Instead, he turned to his left and pulled his mother into a deep embrace. He knew better than anyone that without his mother's support, guidance, and help, today would never have happened!

"I will always be proud of you!"

As they pulled apart, Duke heard his mother's words. He then turned to Ivanka, who planted a sweet kiss on him without any hesitation.

Duke stood up. Ivanka and Mrs. Leah stood up. The crew members around him had already gotten to their feet.

Immediately after, everyone in the Kodak Theater gradually began to stand, offering their most enthusiastic applause.

A standing ovation from the entire theater!

Tonight's awards ceremony had reached its climax!

As Duke hugged his crew members one by one and prepared to walk to the stage, the Nielsen Company recorded viewership reaching a staggering 65.7 million!

Striding toward the stage, Duke received countless congratulations, some of which were rather flirtatious.

Charlize Theron, having just won Best Actress, was still riding her excitement. After hugging Duke, she unapologetically kissed his cheek.

When Duke walked past the seating area for the Lost in Translation crew, Sofia Coppola was already waiting with her arms wide open...

The biggest surprise came after Duke finished hugging Sofia. Scarlett Johansson darted out from behind her, and Duke gave her a light hug as well.

"Congratulations, Duke."

Like a hunter who had lain in ambush for a long time and finally caught her prey, Scarlett Johansson planted a hard kiss on Duke's lips with lightning speed.

Duke froze for a split second, but his reaction was incredibly fast. He pulled away from Scarlett and hurried toward the stage.

From an angle he couldn't see, the main camera suddenly pivoted away from him and onto Ivanka, giving her a massive close-up.

Ivanka stood there smiling and clapping, her expression unchanged.

Strictly speaking, the kiss didn't mean anything. Last year, when Adrien Brody won Best Actor, he had passionately kissed Halle Berry, and just earlier, when Charlize Theron accepted her Best Actress Golden Statuette, she had also kissed the presenter, Adrien Brody.

But hidden behind Ivanka's smiling face was deep caution and a hint of anger. The corner of her eye flicked toward Mrs. Leah, a flash of displeasure disappearing in an instant. She knew Duke's mother doted on that goddaughter of hers.

Pushing down her thoughts, Ivanka refocused all her attention on the stage, where Duke had already stepped up beside Tom Cruise.

The thunderous applause had long since gathered into a tidal wave, washing over the stage in a continuous surge. Duke accepted the Golden Statuette representing Best Director from Tom Cruise's hands and shared a light hug with him.

They had once been mortal enemies, but through their collaboration, they had gradually grown closer. Now, they had become good buddies in the eyes of outsiders...

Gripping the Golden Statuette in his hand, Duke stepped up to the microphone. The tidal wave of applause gradually subsided.

"Wow! Thank you so much to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. You've given me such a wonderful night."

After finishing his obligatory remarks, Duke took two deep breaths. The excitement and thrill of winning slowly settled down. "First of all, I want to thank all the members of my team. Without you, there would be no Lord of the Rings Trilogy!"

Compared to his earlier routine words, Duke spoke with absolute sincerity. A project as massive as the Lord of the Rings Trilogy could never have been successfully completed without the cooperation of a mature, cohesive team.

Film was also never the product of individual heroism.

"Tina Fey and Charles Roven, you joined me in this most adventurous endeavor and took on an unimaginable amount of pressure. But today, we've finally been rewarded, and I am so happy for it!"

"Mike Dawson, Hannah Serena, Zack Snyder, Anna Printz, John Schwartzman, Joss William, and Wallace Lee—thank you for your cooperation and collaboration. Your support has given me the most incredible working experience of my life. And to Nancy Josephson and Penny Kalis, my agent and public relations consultant: thank you so much. You've supported me every single day. There's also the phenomenal cast, and the fantastic team at New Zealand Weta Studio. Everyone's hard work made every day a joy for me. It was precisely the work we did there that gave me the opportunity to stand here today!"

"I also want to thank a very special person. Back when I was just ten years old, I started shooting video clips at home for fun using an Old Super-8 Camera. My mother bought it for me. Over the years, she has always supported my pursuit of a career in film..."

Applause rang through the Kodak Theater once again. Duke followed the usher toward the backstage area, but instead of walking straight in like Tom Cruise had, he stopped at the entrance, standing there to wait for the next award.

The next award was the grand finale of the Oscars—Best Picture!

Now that he had secured Best Director, after previously taking home Best Editing, Best Cinematography, and Best Adapted Screenplay, there was essentially no suspense left for Best Picture.

"Before the final award arrives, the eleven nominations for Return of the King have already claimed eleven Golden Statuettes!" Inside the ABC Television Network studio, taking advantage of the stage transition, Roeper hurriedly spoke. "The current win rate is one hundred percent, tying Titanic's record of eleven Golden Statuettes. As long as they take Best Picture, Duke Rosenberg and his team will make Oscar history..."

On the other side, Roger Ebert's expression was incredibly grim!