Chapter 879: The Price Paid

"Hi, Duke."

Watching the middle-aged man approach, Duke stepped forward and briefly shook his extended hand. "Hi, Larry."

He then turned to nod at David Ellison, who was following behind Larry. "Make yourselves comfortable."

This was a reception room in Duke Manor, typically reserved for heavyweight guests. Even though he couldn't stand the Ellisons—they were enemies more than friends—Duke would not ignore the capital and power they represented.

And no one could afford to underestimate Larry Ellison.

Larry and David then greeted Scarlett Johansson and took the two armchairs across from Duke. Scarlett temporarily played the role of hostess, serving them coffee.

However, the two men were clearly not here for a social call or to enjoy the coffee. Without so much as a glance at their cups of Blue Mountain blend, they kept their eyes fixed on Duke.

Having roughly guessed the father and son's motives, Duke was in no rush. He sat back in his seat and met their gaze.

Larry wore his customary arrogance, but the look in his eyes as he stared at Duke carried a trace of complexity.

David, on the other hand, practically wore his thoughts on his face. His stare was as sharp as a knife, barely masking his lingering resentment.

Duke focused almost all of his attention on Larry. In a room with the two of them, David simply didn't have the standing to speak.

After setting down the coffee pot, Scarlett sat beside Duke and lightly hooked an arm through his. She kept her mouth tightly shut. After years together, she knew perfectly well that this wasn't the time for her to speak.

Larry withdrew his gaze and sighed inwardly. To some extent, the man across from him was just like him: outstandingly capable, starting from scratch, and building massive wealth.

Yet he saw their differences even more clearly. Duke Rosenberg was far more composed; beneath his calm face lay a profound depth.

This was not an easy man to deal with!

After years of observation, Larry was finally certain of this. It was just a little late, and the price they were about to pay would likely be heavy.

He had, however, prepared himself mentally before coming. Paying a steep price was far better than letting David get dragged into a murder scandal and a messy, unending lawsuit.

No matter what, David was his son.

"Duke..." Larry's eyes returned to him. "David has decided to leave Hollywood."

Hearing this, Duke couldn't help but smile faintly. He turned to look at David. "That is a wise decision."

David gripped the armrest of his sofa hard, but he said nothing.

Some things didn't need to be spelled out, nor was there any point in doing so. Larry spoke again. "David is my only son."

As if missing the hidden meaning in those words, Duke spoke slowly. "When you do certain things, you have to pay the price."

Larry's face darkened. He knew the matter wouldn't be resolved so easily. "Spit it out, Duke. What do you want?"

Recently, Duke had been putting heavy pressure on the Los Angeles Police, but his real goal was never to prove whether David was the mastermind. That would do him no good.

Even if he proved David was the mastermind and sent him to prison, what would he gain? He would only make Larry Ellison a sworn enemy.

Therefore, Duke pondered for a moment, recalling the intelligence Tina Fey had gathered. "Since David is leaving Hollywood, Sky Film Studio..."

"That film studio is already insolvent," Larry said, glancing at his son. "It will soon declare bankruptcy."

"Bankruptcy?" Duke slowly shook his head. "How about this. You strip Sky Film Studio of its debts, and then..."

He held up a single finger. "I'll buy the remaining shell company for ten million dollars."

Larry frowned slightly, while the indignation in David's eyes grew even more obvious.

Hearing Duke's words, Scarlett froze for a moment. She didn't understand why Duke would want to buy Sky Film Studio, but then she figured it out. With its debts stripped away, the company was indeed still worth ten million dollars.

After all, Sky Film Studio held the copyrights to several films.

However, Scarlett hadn't seen the latest intelligence, so she naturally didn't know that Sky Film Studio possessed assets of far greater value.

"Father!" David finally couldn't help but speak up.

Last month, after signing formal cooperation agreements with Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures, Sky Film Studio had already paid a substantial share of the preliminary investment funds for the Fast & Furious franchise, the Star Trek franchise, and Jurassic World to both companies...

Clearly, Duke Rosenberg had his sights set on those very assets—and they were David's last remaining chips.

Duke knew perfectly well that with Larry and David's brains and foresight, they could easily see what he was after.

In this world, there was no such thing as reaping a reward without paying the price.

Others might not understand the true value of the investment and profit rights for the Fast & Furious franchise, the Star Trek franchise, and Jurassic World, but Duke did. Even without Vin Diesel, the Fast & Furious franchise still held immense value.

Of course, everyone had a bottom line.

For Duke, his bottom line was his mother and Scarlett Johansson. No one was allowed to hurt them.

Duke didn't mention the internet in front of Larry, nor did he mention Oracle. He only spoke of the film industry. He knew this would earn him enough profit without crossing Larry's bottom line.

Ultimately, this was not a world where one could act with total impunity. Even people at his and Larry's level had to follow certain rules of the game. David had broken those rules, and now he had to pay the price.

David looked at Larry, speaking up again in protest. "Father..."

Larry raised his right hand, cutting off his son. He gave Duke a deep look, feeling a faint sliver of admiration in his heart, and said, "Once Sky Film Studio's debts are stripped, have your people contact mine. We'll finalize the transfer agreement as soon as possible."

Duke gave a slight nod.

The two sides reached an agreement on this, though they never discussed the specific details. Both Duke and Larry knew exactly what kind of role money could play in this country. As long as Duke stopped pressuring the Los Angeles Police, Larry's side would have plenty of room to maneuver.

For Larry, this was enough.

The two sides were neither friends nor partners. Having reached this tacit understanding, neither saw the need to say anything more. Larry and his son took their leave, and Duke had his housekeeper Emma walk them out of the Eye-Shaped Villa.

"That's it?"

In the living room, Scarlett still seemed a bit dissatisfied. "You're just going to let David off the hook like that?"

"We're just going to stop pressuring the Los Angeles Police." Duke sat back down on the sofa. "Whether the matter ultimately drags David down is no longer our business."

Over the next ten days, the Ellison Family stripped Sky Film Studio of its debts at top speed and completed the transaction with Duke. Duke directly merged the shell company into Lucasfilm. Setting aside the Fast & Furious and Star Trek franchises, the investment shares he acquired for Jurassic World alone would yield terrifying profits in the future.

With far fewer behind-the-scenes forces stirring up trouble, the North American entertainment market—which had been weathering continuous storms since early May—gradually quieted down. The entertainment media's focus, in particular, shifted back to celebrity gossip and actual film releases.

On the internet, Duke's fans spontaneously organized an event: Duke Rosenberg's Twenty-Two Years in Film—To the Cinematic Times We Spent Together.

Countless movie fans left comments for the event.

"What do Duke's movies mean to your life? If someone asked me this question, my answer would be that I don't know why I love Duke's movies, but I just do!"

This was from an ordinary fan in Texas. Duke fanboys from other regions were also scrambling to leave their own messages.

A fan from Los Angeles wrote, "Duke's movies are my lifelong companions. They memorialize the past and illuminate the future, while I live in the present with them. I love Duke Rosenberg! I love these movies!"

The East Coast had its fair share of crazy Duke fanboys as well. A fan in New York commented, "Every time a Duke movie premieres, the moment I walk into the theater and sit down, I can feel myself entering a new world. When the lights hit the silver screen, I know it's a journey belonging to me and Duke Rosenberg. In there, I can forget the depression and troubles of reality, explore freely, and laugh with abandon!"

Duke fanboys lived in this world in all shapes and forms, only revealing their true selves when encountering Duke's films.

"I have etched history, faith, attitude, passion, and dreams into one thing: Duke Rosenberg's movies. I am thankful his films appeared in my life, bringing more value to my shallow existence."

"Human life is short, so there are many regrets. The charm of Duke's movies lies in letting you experience a different life within that brief time, making up for the lost beauty in your heart."