Chapter 596: Cooling Down

The real estate industry was undoubtedly the core business of the Trump Group. It wouldn't be long before the sector encountered a massive crisis, making life difficult for Donald Trump and sending the entire American real estate market into a prolonged slump.

This wasn't just the bitter fruit of capital's relentless pursuit of profit; it was also the result of the Federal Government pinning too much of its economic hopes on a single industry. Countless past examples in North America, Japan, and Europe proved the disastrous consequences of relying on real estate as an economic pillar.

Just look at Tokyo in the past—the land value of that single city could have bought up almost all the land in America...

From the moment the Federal Government pushed real estate development to squeeze the middle class dry, the subprime mortgage crisis had become inevitable.

Duke wasn't a magnanimous man. He certainly wanted to see Donald Trump suffer, and if necessary, he wouldn't mind giving him a push.

Their clash of interests over Instant Sharing was completely irreconcilable.

"Where are we going next?"

Getting into a black Bentley, Aerin Lauder checked her watch. "Want to get dinner together?"

"Sure." Duke nodded.

Aerin Lauder murmured instructions to the driver and dialed a number to book a table. The car slowly made its way toward Fifth Boulevard.

"Have you and Ivanka not had a proper talk since then?" she asked with sudden concern.

Pulling his gaze back from the window, Duke slowly shook his head. "There's no need for that anymore."

His investment agent, David, had already reached a preliminary agreement with Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Before long, Google would use a stock swap to acquire the shares held by him and a few other stakeholders. By gaining a controlling stake in Instant Sharing, they would complete a massive piece of their internet puzzle.

Even though it had never generated substantial profit, Instant Sharing was already the most outstanding social networking site in America, and its online video business was thriving. Those were the exact two aspects Google had its eye on.

Therefore, rather than showing interest in YOUTUBE—whose operations were heavily suppressed by Instant Sharing—Google chose to purchase Instant Sharing as a complete package.

As for his relationship with Ivanka, their conflict stemmed from the clash between two interest groups. It doomed any chance of them remaining ordinary friends after their breakup.

The friction between Duke and Donald Trump wasn't just a personal grievance. Anyone who reached Duke's current status would inevitably gather a large crowd around them; he had effectively become the representative of an entire interest group.

The same was true for Aerin Lauder. Every ultra-wealthy individual was backed by a team whose interests were deeply tied to their own.

The two walked into a three-star Michelin restaurant on Fifth Boulevard. The Lauder Family name worked wonders; while tables at this establishment typically required reservations days in advance, Aerin Lauder had easily secured a spot by the window with a single phone call.

"My cousin is a major shareholder here," Aerin Lauder told Duke after they sat down. "Otherwise, even my calls wouldn't do much good."

While this wasn't a society running purely on favors, connections still played their part. They were a fundamental component of human society, after all.

"Looks like I should invest in a few famous restaurants," Duke joked. "That way, I wouldn't even need a reservation when eating out with friends. Wouldn't that be pretty impressive?"

"How many friends do you even have?" Aerin Lauder teased, well aware that Duke's friends could be counted on two hands. "Or are you thinking of returning to your old lifestyle and inviting some gorgeous Hollywood actress out?"

Duke shook his head. "I'm sick of that kind of life."

He took the initiative to change the subject. "I heard your cosmetics brand nearly doubled its revenue last year?"

"Yes," Aerin replied. Just then, the waiter brought over their orders. Once the dishes were set down, Aerin Lauder continued, "I've been actively expanding our business across the Pacific Ocean these past few years. The market capacity and growth rate over there are truly staggering. Those sales have played a massive role in our company's rapid growth."

"Aren't you also negotiating the Warner Fox World project?" she asked.

"It's basically settled." Duke picked up his knife and fork, enjoying his veal steak as they chatted. "We'll probably sign the official contract in the second half of the year."

"Compared to your investments," Aerin said, spearing a piece of mushroom and bringing it to her lips, "my cosmetics are just a small operation."

"Darling," Duke reminded her, "I think you forgot that the investor is the Time Warner News Group."

"Aren't you a major shareholder and executive director of Time Warner?" Aerin Lauder put down her fork, raised her wine glass, and gestured toward Duke. "The entire investment plan came from your proposal, too."

"That's because this investment aligns with my interests, as well as the needs of Warner and the News Group." Duke took a sip from his glass. "You know how enticing that market is."

Who wouldn't be envious of a market that hadn't yet matured? How many world-class corporations were focusing their expansion efforts there, and how many conglomerates on the brink of bankruptcy viewed it as their final lifeline?

Leaving aside everything else, Iron Man landing in the market across the Pacific Ocean as quickly as possible had already demonstrated immense power.

In just a three-day weekend, the film raked in 50 million RMB from across the ocean, making it the undisputed ruler of the May box office. Up to now, Iron Man had been screening there for nearly ten days, and its box office had already broken through 100 million RMB. The final figure could very well reach as high as 200 million RMB.

Converted to dollars, this sum was at best comparable to the film's highest single-day box office in North America. But looking at the performance of imported films over the past year, it wasn't hard to see the rapid growth of the market across the Pacific Ocean—a growth rate exceeding thirty percent.

In two to three years at most, this movie market would inevitably erupt with results that would capture the attention of the entire world.

Duke and Aerin Lauder chatted as they ate, their topics shifting from business to gossip, and then from gossip to their personal lives.

"When will Scar become a superstar?" Aerin asked with interest.

"It'll take some time." Duke was a little puzzled. "Why the sudden interest in Scar's career?"

Aerin shrugged. "My brand signed a long-term endorsement contract with Scar. The more famous she gets, the better it is for me."

"It'll be soon," Duke replied.

Without a doubt, Scarlett Johansson had a certain level of fame before, but the role that truly brought her to the world stage was Agent Natasha Romanoff.

Unlike the previous Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff carried far more weight in the new Marvel Series. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her a crucial character.

For example, the script for Captain America was already finalized. In this film, the main story was framed through Natasha Romanoff's memories, and Scarlett would also play a teenage Black Widow fighting alongside Captain America Steve Rogers and the Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes.

After dinner, the two didn't linger on Fifth Boulevard. They headed straight back to the Upper East Side, and Duke was home before ten o'clock.

Upon returning, he knocked on the study door and pushed his way in.

"Mom, are you still busy?" Duke asked, seeing his mother sitting behind the desk, reviewing some documents.

Mrs. Leah looked up at him. "These are documents just sent over by the Europe branch. I'll be done reading them soon."

Walking over to the desk, Duke picked up his mother's coffee cup and poured the remaining cold coffee into the trash can. He replaced it with a glass of water, knowing he couldn't talk her out of working, and simply sat down across the desk to keep her company.

In truth, Mrs. Leah had gradually handed over most of her workload to professional managers over the past few years. However, with the company grown to its current scale, it embodied countless hours of her blood, sweat, and tears; letting it go entirely was impossible.

Besides, professional managers like Michael Eisner were certainly not isolated cases in North America. Delegating complete authority wasn't a wise choice either.

Soon, Mrs. Leah set the documents aside. She took a sip of water, then stood up, gently massaging her forehead with one hand.

No matter how healthy she was or how well she took care of herself, she was nearing sixty. No one could fight the natural laws of time; legends of eternal youth were just that—legends.

Duke walked over and supported his mother's arm. "Mom, shouldn't you consider retiring?"

Mrs. Leah shook off his hand. "Am I really that old?"

Retracting his hand, Duke smiled helplessly. "Of course not."

Discussing age with any woman was undoubtedly a massive mistake.

"Where's Scar?" Leading the way out of the study, Mrs. Leah turned her head and asked, "Why didn't she come back to New York with you?"

"She and Robert Downey Jr. went to Australia for some press events."

Seeing his mother sit down on the sofa, Duke hurried over and tucked a cushion behind her back. "They're heading to East Asia next, so I reckon the earliest she'll be back in North America is next month."

Mrs. Leah suddenly sighed. "I originally wanted to train Scar to take over Saintphia, but just like you, her interest in movies far outweighs her interest in business."

"Better leave it to the professional managers," Duke said, taking a seat beside his mother. "We just need to maintain the necessary oversight."

"I heard Victoria's Secret is going through another round of financing to expand its shares," Mrs. Leah said, changing the subject. "If you still have capital on hand, I suggest you keep investing. Women's products will never go out of style."

"Got it." Duke nodded slightly.

He had been busy with work these past few years. Aside from occasionally using Victoria's Secret angels as eye candy in his films, Duke rarely interfered with Victoria's Secret's operations, content to simply sit back as a shareholder.

However, Victoria's Secret's business was growing rapidly. His initial investment brought him not just preserved capital, but massive annual dividends.

After spending a week in New York, Duke returned to Los Angeles. In North America, Iron Man was already starting to cool down.