Chapter 85: Because I Can

"I feel like I'm flying!"

In the back seat of the Bentley, Charlize Theron was visibly excited. She leaned in close to Duke, her breath heavy with alcohol. "This feels amazing! It makes you forget all your stress and worries."

Turning his head slightly to dodge the fumes, Duke pushed her back. Charlize Theron was a little too excited right now.

In this era, the modeling industry was far more chaotic than the entertainment circle. This was especially true in Europe; it was almost impossible to find anyone who had spent time in that scene and didn't use drugs.

Of course, Hollywood wasn't much better. Stars who used drugs, like Julia Roberts and Johnny Depp, were countless.

During the drive from Malibu to downtown Los Angeles, Charlize Theron seemed to sober up quite a bit. Upon entering the city, she gave directions, and the Bentley finally stopped in front of an old apartment building in a middle-class neighborhood.

"Mr. Rosenberg, we've arrived," the driver said softly.

Charlize Theron looked at Duke. "Want to come up for a bit? I think we still have some topics to discuss."

Looking at her beautifully flushed face, Duke forced himself to turn away. "Another time. We'll see each other again."

He was no saint, and although Charlize Theron looked absolutely delicious, it was best not to touch her carelessly while he was caught in the Hollywood maelstrom alongside powerful competitors. People were unpredictable, and he couldn't guarantee it wouldn't cause massive trouble if someone decided to exploit the situation.

The next day, Duke subtly had Nancy Josephson look into her. He couldn't help but feel thankful he hadn't acted on impulse—Charlize Theron wouldn't turn eighteen until August. In a legal sense, she was still a "child"!

Though it wasn't uncommon in the industry for men to prey on even younger girls, just because others did it didn't mean he would. Duke was very clear-headed; certain people were likely keeping a close eye on him, just waiting for him to make a mistake.

Take Sean Connery, whose image and reputation were now completely ruined. His son and wife had officially filed a domestic violence lawsuit in a California district court. While there was no evidence linking Duke to anything happening now or in the past, it was just like when Duke and Warner had gone after him: some things didn't need evidence. Simply knowing who your enemy was was enough.

Even with Sean Connery trapped in a vortex of trouble, Duke wouldn't let his guard down. Since he had made the move, he had to be mentally prepared for retaliation. He wouldn't underestimate Connery's substantial wealth. In this country, money could often wield unimaginable power.

There was also CAA. Given the continuous clashes of interest between him and the agency, thinking CAA didn't want to see him suffer would be overestimating the conscience of those bloodsuckers.

This was especially true for Interview with the Vampire. While it would definitely turn a profit, it had been suppressed by The Rock from start to finish. To a certain extent, this indirectly proved that CAA's packaging policy wasn't necessarily suited for major commercial blockbusters. Moreover, after the massive success of Jurassic Park—which Spielberg had been forced to take on by Universal without using CAA's packaging service—rumors spread through the industry that Walt Disney and Twentieth Century Fox had successively shelved their upcoming packaged collaborations with CAA.

Following the release of Jurassic Park, all films took a hit. The theater count for The Rock dropped to 1,859. Its weekend box office plummeted below the $10 million mark, taking in only $7.88 million. Combined with the previous four weekdays, its total North American box office for the week was just $12.03 million.

As time passed and more films hit theaters, the North American box office for The Rock showed a clear decline. The film's primary focus then shifted toward the overseas market. Over the following week, the movie opened in numerous countries and regions across Europe, Latin America, West Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia, achieving fairly strong box office results across the board.

By the time Duke headed to New Zealand for a vacation in mid-June, the North American box office for The Rock had reached $134.75 million. With a global total surpassing $220 million, it was a veritable blockbuster.

"Congratulations. If your next film can pull in box office numbers like this..."

Sitting on horseback, Sofia directed her horse in a circle around Duke. "...you'll become a top-tier commercial film director in Hollywood."

"Sofia, can you be quiet for a minute?"

Carefully controlling his horse, Duke shot Sofia Coppola a displeased glare. "You're going to spook my horse, and I don't have your riding skills!"

This was a horse track on the outskirts of Wellington, built amidst emerald-green meadows at the foot of the mountains. Sitting on horseback and looking into the distance, they could see a continuous range of mountain peaks, their white snowcaps clearly visible.

New Zealand was filled with natural gardens, boasting pleasant scenery all year round. Being there meant being surrounded by verdant forests, while looking up revealed blue skies and white clouds. The vast, stretching beaches and lakes, towering jungles, lush pastoral fields, and deep valleys created a breathtaking landscape. It was like an unadorned landscape painting that left a person completely mesmerized.

During their time in New Zealand, Duke and Sofia had visited famous scenic spots on both the South Island and the North Island. It was a country with no shortage of blue skies, green grass, and unique rock formations, infusing visitors with boundless passion and vitality.

Immersed in it all, reaching out to touch the giant cedars felt like touching the very power of a primeval forest. While swimming in the bays, dolphins would frequently leap from the water and swim alongside them. Pitching a tent in the desolate wilderness brought an even more profound sense of completely blending into nature.

This country maintained so many pure, untouched natural landscapes.

Although he had taken riding lessons at boarding school, Duke's horsemanship wasn't much to brag about. At best, he was a beginner. Unlike Sofia, who let her horse gallop freely, he spent almost the entire time walking his. A skill that required time and practice couldn't be mastered simply by wishing for it.

After trotting another lap around the track, Sofia slowed her horse to ride side by side with Duke.

"The scenery here is pretty nice, isn't it?" Duke held the reins with both hands, a serious expression on his face.

"If you applied the same attitude to horseback riding that you use to chase women..."

Ignoring his comment, Sofia mocked him deliberately. "...you'd become a master equestrian in no time!"

"Miss Sofia Coppola!" Duke's face twitched in annoyance. He immediately shot back, "Should I interpret that as jealousy?"

"Jealousy?" Sofia turned her head, asking in confusion. "Why would I be jealous?"

It was only in front of a few friends like Sofia Coppola that Duke would joke around so brazenly. "Because I can, and you can't."

"Damn it! I'm not—"

Sofia glared at him resentfully, but Duke maintained his serious demeanor, seemingly oblivious to her dagger-like stare.

Women had a natural disadvantage when it came to this kind of topic. Retracting her indignant gaze, Sofia changed the subject. "Why did you have to drag me to New Zealand? I originally planned to go skiing in Europe."

"Because I heard a long time ago that the scenery in New Zealand is incredibly beautiful, but I never got the chance to see it for myself," Duke offered a casual excuse. "These near-primeval landscapes are a director's favorite. If we could capture them on camera..."

"Do we always have to talk about movies and work?" Sofia tugged at her reins, taking the lead toward the stables. When Duke caught up, she added, "If that's the case, how about we discuss a raise to my salary?"

"Hey, darling, I'm about to go bankrupt," Duke grumbled. "Are you really going to kick a man while he's down?"

"The Rock will end its North American theatrical run soon."

Before reaching the stables, Sofia hopped off her horse and tossed the reins to a staff member. "By then, you'll at least be a millionaire, right?"

"That's in the future!" Duke also jumped off his horse.

Recently, Rock Studio had paid him the final installment of his combined $3.5 million salary for writing, directing, and producing. While this $1.5 million injection completely turned Duke's financial situation around, it wasn't as wonderful as one might imagine, because his expenses were equally substantial.

Personal income tax was an unavoidable reality. Duke's accountant, David, had first withheld the estimated taxes from that $1.5 million. Even when employing reasonable tax avoidance strategies, California's tax rates were still maddening.

Duke had also paid off his $500,000 bank loan in a single lump sum, principal and interest included. As his agent, Nancy Josephson was entitled to a ten percent commission, and agent commissions weren't calculated post-tax—$350,000 of the total went to Nancy. Similarly, the lawyers and accountants handling his affairs needed to be paid, taking away another $50,000.

Add in rent, the car, wardrobe, Sofia Coppola's assistant salary, and other miscellaneous expenses, and of the remaining $2 million left after estimated taxes, $1 million had already vanished without a trace.

Fortunately, he was just a director and hadn't yet hired a professional PR manager. Expenses for wardrobe, travel, and the like could be minimized, and he didn't need to bribe the media for so-called "street snaps" and news coverage. Had he been an overnight breakout star, this same income might have even left him operating at a loss.

Duke temporarily left this final $1 million in his account. He would wait for his box office cut from The Rock to arrive before considering what exactly to do with it.

Of course, holding onto cash was the most foolish approach; the US dollar had been rapidly depreciating as of late.