Chapter 535: Victim

"Neither phone nor online ticket pre-sales have met our expectations."

In the hotel lounge, Tina Fey, who had just rushed over from Los Angeles, sat beside Duke with a slight frown. "The Hathaway scandal blew up right when our pre-sales were supposed to hit their peak."

Duke gave a slight nod. Ticket pre-sales usually peaked about a week before release, and Anne Hathaway just had to cause a scandal at this critical juncture. For people with moral hang-ups—especially parents across America—Batman Begins was naturally crossed off their list of top choices.

"So far, our pre-sale box office is around $20.1 million," Tina Fey continued. "That's still short of Warner Brothers' $25 million projection. More importantly, the growth rate of ticket reservations has noticeably slowed. We definitely won't hit that target before the premiere."

Duke checked his watch and stood up.

"Let's head over."

The two left the lounge, passed through a private corridor, and slipped into the back of a press conference room. Duke nodded to attorney Al Ryder, Penny Kalis, and the others, then stood listening closely to the voices coming from the stage.

The production crew and Warner Brothers had convened this press conference specifically for Anne Hathaway.

Anne Hathaway had only spent forty-eight hours at the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Chicago branch before Warner Brothers and Al Ryder bailed her out. The actress wasn't completely foolish; she knew she was at a critical juncture that could ruin her reputation forever, so she actively cooperated with all their public relations efforts to rebuild her image.

In truth, her best strategy right now was to play the innocent victim.

The PR teams for the crew and Warner Brothers were also pushing this angle, as it directly impacted the market reception of Batman Begins. Once the film's theatrical run ended, it wouldn't matter to them whether Anne Hathaway was a pure white lotus or a manipulative schemer.

"The decision to break up with Raffaello caused me agonizing pain, but I never imagined the person I loved most would deceive me like this."

Anne Hathaway's choking sobs drifted from the front of the room.

"Deceit is what I cannot tolerate most, especially how he used me to hoard money..."

From behind the partition, Duke and the others could clearly hear Anne Hathaway weeping.

Then her manager, Bryan, stepped in. He claimed that while Anne was busy with work, her boyfriend had frequently flirted with other women, including quite a few models. With these issues piling up, Anne had made the decision to break up. She had originally stayed on the East Coast instead of heading to Hollywood purely so she could be by her boyfriend's side...

In short, they were trying their hardest to paint Anne Hathaway as a pitiable victim.

Standing in the back, Duke remained perfectly calm. The industry had always been like this. Anyone with a clear head could see that a celebrity's public persona was exactly that—just an image.

Take Anne Hathaway, for example. Following the scandal, both Duke and Warner Brothers had launched an investigation into her. To formulate targeted public relations strategies, they had to know exactly what she had been up to.

Anne Hathaway was indeed a victim, but she wasn't exactly innocent.

Aside from Duke and Warner Brothers stepping in, her ability to make bail was largely due to her active cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

A luxury apartment in New York, several designer watches, and millions of dollars in jewelry—these were the assets Anne Hathaway voluntarily handed over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. All of them had been gifts from Raffaello Follieri.

Furthermore, during their relationship, Anne had enjoyed various mansions, yachts, private jets, and countless expensive gifts. Rather than saying she was blinded by love, it was more accurate to say she was blinded by wealth.

The current Anne Hathaway was not the superstar she would later become. She was certainly famous, but after being dropped by Disney, her career had fallen into a slump. Even at the peak of The Princess Diaries' popularity, her income hadn't been all that high. Disney's exploitation of their manufactured teen idols was common knowledge throughout Hollywood.

Judging by the sound alone, Anne Hathaway was crying her eyes out out front. Duke, however, was already considering whether to recast her role in the sequel if she failed to turn her image around.

Strictly speaking, Anne Hathaway really was a victim, but that had nothing to do with business.

Duke made commercial films. Everything was based on commercial interests, and an actor who couldn't generate profits was entirely useless to him.

The press conference ended in a chaotic clamor. Duke, Penny Kalis, and the others returned to the lounge. A few minutes later, Anne Hathaway and her manager, Bryan, walked in.

Gently dabbing her red, tear-stained eyes with a tissue, Anne Hathaway walked up to Duke.

"Thank you, Duke. I'm so sorry..."

Duke raised a hand to cut her off. "While the movie is in theaters, mind your words and actions."

"I promise I will," Anne Hathaway said, acutely aware that the production crew was her greatest pillar of support right now.

It wasn't just the press conference; Duke's paid online shills were also building momentum on the internet, doing everything they could to clear Anne's name for the sake of the film. However, the internet was an open medium, and completely reversing the image of a scandal-ridden star was no easy task. Online opinions regarding Anne Hathaway had split into three camps.

The first camp believed she was simply a victim blinded by love.

The second camp consisted of neutral bystanders who didn't care what kind of person she was.

The third camp consisted of harsh critics. Just like the first camp, this group was heavily padded with paid online shills. Following the press conference, they relentlessly accused Anne of being "fake," "pretentious," and "staged," labeling her a typical two-faced actress.

Regardless, by weeping like a pure white lotus during the press conference, Anne Hathaway had salvaged a few image points. Completely erasing the negative impact, however, was impossible.

It wasn't just the internet, either. In traditional media, tabloids under the News Group and outlets controlled by Walt Disney were vehemently criticizing and attacking Anne Hathaway as Batman Begins approached its release, constantly mentioning her starring role in the new film.

Due to this ongoing influence, even though pre-sale figures for Batman Begins saw a slight bump after the press conference, there was still a noticeable gap from Warner Brothers' initial projections.

"The media outlets under Twentieth Century Fox and Walt Disney are biting onto us and refusing to let go."

Hearing Tina Fey's words, Duke stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out at the Chicago nightscape.

"I made a mistake, Tina," he said.

Tina Fey looked at him curiously. It was rare for Duke to voluntarily admit a mistake.

"I let certain things cloud my vision." Duke let out a soft sigh. "I underestimated the enemy."

Though he wouldn't normally look down on any opponent, when the competitors were films like Kingdom of Heaven and Flyboys, it was inevitable for his guard to slacken a little. He hadn't taken a total victory for granted, but he hadn't treated them with enough importance, either.

Clearly, his continuous string of successes had caused a subtle shift in his mindset.

Even with a clear and calm head, he was ultimately just human.

Now that he realized this, however, Duke knew exactly how to adjust. In some ways, this wasn't entirely a bad thing; rather, it served as a wake-up call.

Slowly walking to Duke's side, Tina Fey suddenly said, "By the way, I haven't had the chance to tell you yet. Warner Brothers just called. David Ellison wants to attend the film's premiere."

"Him?" Duke raised an eyebrow slightly.

Even without investigating closely, Duke knew that David Ellison and Michael Ovitz were definitely lurking behind this scandal. The fact that so many media outlets were still overwhelmingly hyping the negative news surrounding Anne Hathaway and Batman Begins clearly meant they had received large sums of sponsorship money.

The corners of Duke's mouth curled up slightly.

"Send him a formal invitation."

If David Ellison wanted to come, let him come. Having reached his current status, Duke wouldn't care if David Ellison's old man showed up, let alone David himself.

While Duke prepared for the premiere of Batman Begins, under the night sky in Los Angeles, Ivanka Trump unhurriedly walked into a cafe in Burbank City. Led by a waiter, she arrived at a booth.

"Hello, Aerin."

"Hello, Ivanka."

After exchanging greetings, Ivanka Trump sat opposite Aerin Lauder. She casually ordered a cup of coffee and asked directly, "Are you going to Chicago?"

She knew very well that the woman across from her was a good friend of Duke Rosenberg, sharing a relationship comparable to his bond with Sofia Coppola.

"What about you?" Aerin Lauder asked, looking at her.

Ivanka Trump fell silent for a moment, then said firmly, "I'm not going."

"I originally wanted to invite you to go together."

Aerin Lauder let out a soft sigh. This had been her goal in asking Ivanka out, but hearing that tone, she knew her plan had fallen through.

"Between me and Duke..." Ivanka shook her head.

The problems between them were no longer as simple as Scarlett Johansson. It had escalated into a collision between two families, and even two capital groups.

She didn't elaborate further. Taking out a box, she pushed it in front of Aerin Lauder.

"Can you do me a small favor? Return this to Duke."

Aerin Lauder stared at Ivanka for a long moment before finally giving a gentle nod.

Seeing Aerin put the gift box away, Ivanka Trump stood up.

"Thank you, Aerin."

"You're welcome." Aerin Lauder smiled faintly.

Ivanka Trump offered one more polite parting remark and left the cafe without looking back.