Chapter 534: Con Artist

Duke frowned slightly as several men in black suits blocked his path, but they ignored him, walking right past to intercept Anne Hathaway.

The leader of the group pulled out his badge to show Anne Hathaway, then showed her another document.

"Miss Hathaway, we are agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation," he said. "We suspect you of involvement in fraud..."

Anne Hathaway turned pale. Disbelief washed over her face, the sheer shock leaving her completely speechless.

Everyone around them, Duke included, heard the agent's words and immediately turned to look. Anne Hathaway might not be a Hollywood A-lister, but she was still a famous actress...

While the others stood stunned, Duke recovered instantly. He shot a look at the bodyguard behind him, who immediately pulled out his phone to contact Anne Hathaway's agent.

As the film's director, and having navigated Hollywood for years, Duke instinctively sensed that something was wrong. A man like him never hesitated to view North America's highly commercialized society through the most cynical lens.

He took a step forward.

"Hello..." he began.

Another agent blocked his path before he could finish.

"Apologies, Director Rosenberg," the agent stated directly. "We have concrete evidence proving Miss Hathaway is involved in a fraud case, and we need to take her in to assist with the investigation."

With that, the agent joined the others, leading Anne Hathaway out of the hotel.

Frowning slightly, Duke trailed a short distance behind them. He stopped behind the hotel's glass wall and watched the FBI agents lead her outside. Camera flashes immediately erupted nearby—reporters or paparazzi were clearly photographing the scene.

The FBI made no attempt to keep the operation a secret. They casually led Anne Hathaway across the street to two black Chevrolets before getting in and driving off. A few reporters had even stood less than ten feet away to snap pictures.

The cast and crew were staying at this hotel, and they had just finished a promotional event that afternoon, so it wasn't strange for reporters to be nearby.

But Duke still felt something was off. Even if Anne Hathaway was wrapped up in some case, weren't the time and location the FBI chose a little too coincidental?

Duke turned back to Liam Neeson and the others. "You guys go get some rest," he said. "Don't let this delay tomorrow's events."

He waved his bodyguard, Charlie, over and gave him a few instructions before taking out his phone to contact Warner Brothers and Penny Kalis.

Coincidence or not, the news of Anne Hathaway being taken away by the FBI was bound to cause negative fallout.

Reporters outside had already photographed the scene. The pictures would inevitably spread.

It went exactly as Duke expected. By the time he returned to his room and turned on his computer, the news had already hit numerous entertainment sites and web portals. Many of the articles even included photos from the scene.

The most crucial thing right now was figuring out exactly what had happened. While countless Hollywood movies depicted the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a bunch of idiots, anyone with an ounce of sense knew the truth. The FBI was always cautious in its operations, especially when dealing with public figures.

This wasn't the sixties or seventies anymore.

Duke made and received one phone call after another. About an hour and a half later, a general outline of the situation finally reached him.

'Another woman with no eye for men!'

Duke could only sigh, but he wasn't entirely surprised. Hollywood was never short on actresses like Jessica Alba, and now Anne Hathaway was just another one on the list.

The only thing Duke hadn't anticipated was that the problem stemmed from Anne Hathaway's boyfriend—a man who, by all appearances, possessed status and prestige.

Raffaello Follieri, who claimed to be the Vatican's real estate agent in North America, had been formally arrested by the FBI that afternoon for fraud. The case involved his foundation, and Anne Hathaway, having just become a board member, was inevitably dragged into the mess.

That was just the gist of it; Tina Fey was still looking into the specifics. Duke had gotten to know a few high-ranking FBI and CIA officials in the years following 9/11, and since this type of case wasn't strictly classified, the network he had built back then was now proving useful.

Around midnight, Tina Fey called back. The situation was now clear, and it was practically a carbon copy of the Jessica Alba incident.

The catalyst was a transaction in which Raffaello Follieri had written a bad check for over $20,000, prompting someone to report him. Evidence of various illegal operations within his foundation had then been delivered to the FBI. Following a recent series of investigations by the Bureau, the massive scam had been laid bare.

Follieri had falsely claimed to be the Vatican's representative in the US. Under the guise of being able to purchase idle Vatican real estate below market prices, he had swindled investors out of six million dollars. Furthermore, he had leveraged Anne Hathaway's fame to amass immense wealth through charitable donations...

By the next morning, Jamie Jensen and legal counsel from Warner Brothers, Penny Kalis and attorney Al Ryder from Duke's side, along with Anne Hathaway's publicist and agent, had all rushed to Chicago.

Meanwhile, news of Anne Hathaway's involvement in a massive fraud case had already been sensationalized by the media and was flying everywhere.

"Batman Begins Lead Actress Anne Hathaway Suspected of Fraud; Taken by FBI in Chicago for Investigation!"

That was a relatively polite report. The internet and gossip tabloids were far more unhinged.

"The Anne Hathaway You Don't Know: The Fraud History of Batman Begins Lead Actress Anne Hathaway..."

"Duke Rosenberg's Poor Judgment: His New Film Batman Begins Casts a Doomed, Infamous Actress."

"Despicable Anne Hathaway! A Con Artist Becomes the Leading Lady of Hollywood A-List Blockbuster Batman Begins. A Dark Secret May Lie Within."

There was a massive amount of this kind of sensationalized news, and over seventy percent of it shared a common thread. Aside from exposing Anne Hathaway's true colors, it all placed heavy emphasis on her being the female lead of the upcoming Batman Begins!

Seeing all this, Duke would have to be a complete fool not to realize someone was deliberately targeting his movie.

In the conference room of his presidential suite, the relevant personnel sat together, discussing how to handle the PR crisis.

At any other time, Duke wouldn't have cared even if someone had dragged Anne Hathaway off to throw her into the sea. But things were different now. She was the leading lady of his film, and all this negative press surrounding her was effectively an attack on Batman Begins. The worse her reputation became, the greater the negative impact on the movie.

It would have been fine if she were starring in a different type of film, or if she played an infamous villain. But as fate would have it, her character was, in a sense, a representative of justice and the law...

How would audiences feel watching an actress suspected of massive fraud play a righteous district attorney on screen?

Moreover, Batman Begins was premiering soon. Even Duke couldn't possibly delete Anne Hathaway's scenes and find a replacement for reshoots in just a few short days. It was utterly impossible on such a tight schedule.

As the person with the most PR experience in the room, Penny Kalis sat next to Duke. After murmuring a few words to him, she spoke up.

"The best option is to extricate Anne Hathaway from this mess entirely," she said. "And it needs to happen as quickly as possible. Every extra day she spends with the Federal Bureau of Investigation deepens the negative impact on Batman Begins."

While this kind of fraud case was practically nothing in North American society, one should never underestimate the so-called moral purity of the mainstream public.

"I agree with Penny," Jamie Jensen said. He represented all of Warner Brothers, and the studio absolutely did not want any accidents befalling Batman. "Warner is already contacting the relevant parties."

This kind of mess was certainly a massive headache. In Duke's impression, Anne Hathaway—who had started as a Disney teen idol—must have been highly level-headed and intelligent to successfully transition into one of Hollywood's top divas. He never expected her to do something so stupid. Were women really so easily blinded by love?

Why had Ivanka Trump remained so clear-headed while dating him? If she had let love blind her as well, the two of them wouldn't have reached the point they were at now.

At that thought, Duke shook his head. If Ivanka had been foolish, they would never have gotten together in the first place.

He turned to look at Anne Hathaway's agent. "Bryan, is Anne actually involved in this or not?"

The agent, Bryan, was well aware that the people sitting in this room were Anne Hathaway's greatest backing right now. He thought back carefully for a full few minutes before slowly shaking his head.

"I can guarantee that Anne is just one of the victims," he said.

It was hard to say how much credibility that guarantee held, but Duke and Warner had no choice but to bail Anne Hathaway out for now. They couldn't let her reputation be completely ruined, otherwise, there was no telling how much the box office for Batman Begins would suffer.

"Al..." Duke looked at attorney Al Ryder. "Find a way to bail her out."

"Bryan, Penny, Jamie..." he said, addressing the group familiar with public relations. "Anne is a woman who was conned because of love. She was deceived and betrayed by her boyfriend. She should be the one receiving sympathy."

"I know what to do," Penny Kalis said with a nod.

This was the best approach. Once dragged into a case like this, completely clearing her name was impossible. The optimal solution was to package Anne Hathaway as one of the victims.