Chapter 932: Born to Break Records

Inside a Manhattan skyscraper, another person who was once closely connected to Duke was also keeping a close eye on the performance of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

After being busy for most of the day, Ivanka Trump temporarily set her work aside. Once she finished reading the box office report in the New York Times, she habitually opened Instant Sharing. Even though she had long since been forced to sell her shares to Google, that didn't stop her from using the site to keep up with social trends.

Instant Sharing looked vastly different now. News about Star Wars: The Force Awakens blanketed the site, and the countless users were nearly unanimous in their praise.

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens isn't perfect, but Duke paid close attention to detail in every aspect and ensured accuracy. You can go in with sky-high expectations and still not be disappointed."

Seeing that familiar name made Ivanka Trump pause in a slight daze. She sighed softly and went back to scrolling through the fan reviews. Perhaps because of their past romance, she had kept a close eye on hit Hollywood films over the past few years, particularly Duke's. She still retained her old habit of checking the audience reception online right after his movies premiered.

"Duke Rosenberg's narrative approach in Star Wars: The Force Awakens is highly successful. The story unfolds naturally while constantly progressing, bringing surprise after surprise."

Praise, endless praise—that was the audience reception Ivanka Trump saw.

"Duke Rosenberg rediscovered the key elements of the original trilogy, turning Star Wars: The Force Awakens into a movie filled with laughter and tears. It is joyous at times and sorrowful at others—both thrilling and slightly silly, bringing back the exact feeling of watching A New Hope."

'He is still the darling of the fans!' Ivanka mused.

"With Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Duke Rosenberg has injected entirely new energy into a hollowed-out franchise, making all its best aspects shine brightly once more while pointing the series in a fresh direction."

Even though she hadn't seen the film, had lost contact with Duke, and now even stood on opposite sides, Ivanka Trump was certain these comments were entirely genuine. Countless past examples had already proven that Duke Rosenberg was not only as formidable as ever, but continuously growing stronger.

Thinking of the man who was so remarkably familiar in her memories yet somewhat of a stranger in reality, Ivanka Trump could not help but become a bit lost in thought. That past romance remained impossible to forget, but she knew perfectly well that the two of them could absolutely never go back to how things used to be.

Their relationship had been the result of love, but their breakup had stemmed from a conflict of interests. Their opposing stances had long since turned them into strangers.

Just like everything that had happened in the past, Duke Rosenberg would never abandon the interests of the capital group he headed. And what about herself?

Ivanka Trump knew she was equally incapable of ignoring the fundamental interests of the Trump Group...

Besides, driven by sufficient profit, Duke Rosenberg had once dealt the Trump Group a nearly fatal blow.

Despite speaking with Duke Rosenberg several times back then, she hadn't been able to stop him from selling his shares of Instant Sharing to Google. That move made Google the company's largest shareholder with over half the voting rights, while Duke walked away with a portion of Google's stock, making him Google's largest shareholder.

Looking back now, that deal was an absolute steal. Google's future was simply limitless.

Duke Rosenberg was the greatest beneficiary of that transaction, while the Trump Family became its biggest victim.

Under multi-pronged attacks from Google—and especially during the real estate crisis triggered by the 2008 subprime mortgage meltdown—she had been forced to sell off her own shares of Instant Sharing to save her family's enterprise, the Trump Group. Although the Trump Group had ultimately survived despite its core strength taking severe damage, facts proved that the transaction had been a poor deal. Today, with Google's full backing, Instant Sharing had become the world's number one social and online video media platform...

Ivanka Trump was deeply unwilling to accept this, yet she knew there was nothing she could do. She had even strongly shot down her father's idea of allying with Walt Disney to take revenge on Duke Rosenberg.

She was one of the people in this world who understood Duke Rosenberg best. Before 2008, the Trump Group might have been able to cross swords with him, but doing so now would undoubtedly be like throwing eggs at a rock. They simply didn't possess that kind of power, not even if they brought Walt Disney into the fold.

As someone who had once shared his bed, Ivanka Trump knew that from the moment he officially joined this war for fame and fortune, Duke Rosenberg was never fighting alone. He had never believed that an individual's power could challenge an entire capital group, nor did he believe a person could achieve success simply, easily, and as a matter of course. He was surrounded by a massive community of shared interests—Warner Brothers, Time Warner, Google, and many others. This was far beyond anything the Trump Group could contend with.

Even setting those allies aside, the Trump Group was powerless against Duke Rosenberg alone.

After all, this was a nation belonging to money and commerce, and his status among the top five wealthiest people in the world was absolutely not just for show.

Moreover, would a man like Duke Rosenberg fail to network with government officials to further expand his influence? Ivanka wouldn't believe it no matter what anyone said. Back when she was by his side, she had seen him establish countless intricate connections with the Pentagon, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and even the White House.

Furthermore, he was a staunch supporter of the Democratic Party...

Ivanka Trump frowned. Her father, Donald Trump, was already preparing to run in the next election and had garnered considerable support from many within the Republican Party, but whenever she thought of Duke, she always felt uneasy.

Perhaps ordinary moviegoers thought Duke Rosenberg was a fantastic director who brought them so many brilliant films. Perhaps average people saw him donate massive sums to charity every year and viewed him as an enthusiastic philanthropist. Perhaps those close to him, like Scarlett Johansson, always felt he looked out for them, seeing him as a best friend and family member...

But Ivanka Trump knew very well that Duke Rosenberg was by no means a good person.

"Beneath his calm, genial facade, he hides nothing but cold ruthlessness!" Ivanka Trump blurted out before she even realized it.

He harbored deep prejudice against her father, Donald Trump—one could even say he thoroughly loathed him. Would he just sit idly by while her father became master of the White House?

A single person's power was undeniably limited, but the power of capital and capital groups in this country...

Ivanka Trump wasn't stupid. She never bought into the country's so-called fair and just elections. Only a fool would believe they were actually fair, or the result of the public's free choice.

In the future, the Trump Group and Duke Rosenberg were bound to clash head-on once again.

It was just that the thought of facing that imposing figure completely drained Ivanka Trump of her confidence. She knew her side's chances of winning were infinitely close to zero.

Letting out a long sigh, Ivanka Trump turned her eyes back to the computer in front of her. She closed Instant Sharing and unconsciously opened a movie-related website. Right in its most prominent spot sat even more news regarding Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Unlike print media such as the New York Times, the internet provided faster and more convenient news updates. The most prominent item on the site was the freshly released global box office report for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

"Duke Rosenberg Breaks Global Opening Weekend Box Office Records Once Again! Star Wars: The Force Awakens Dominates the World!"

Upon seeing that headline and the accompanying numbers, Ivanka Trump unconsciously clicked the link.

"Ever since Star Wars: The Force Awakens officially opened in North America last weekend, it has left the competition in the dust, successively shattering the box office records for North American opening weekend, single-day earnings, and midnight screenings. However, there seemed to be one record it had failed to break: the global opening weekend box office record held by The Avengers, released two years prior."

"This morning, the preliminary global opening weekend box office for Star Wars: The Force Awakens was estimated at 587.6 million dollars, trailing behind the 591.05 million dollars set by The Avengers. But as the exact box office figures came to light, that record was finally broken. The film's global opening weekend box office reached 595.15 million dollars—4 million dollars more than The Avengers."

"Breaking this record is clearly fantastic news for the film, especially considering it hasn't even opened in Mainland China, the world's second-largest box office market. Two years ago, the global opening weekend box office of The Avengers already included its earnings from Mainland China. Now, even this 'absence' can't stop Star Wars: The Force Awakens from conquering territory across the globe."

"All in all, this is merely the opening act for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The film is set to open in Mainland China in early January next year, and its performance in the world's second-largest box office market is highly anticipated. At the same time, its ongoing domestic run in North America looks very promising. The approaching Christmas holidays in Europe and America will provide the perfect timing for the film to keep shattering records."

"As it stands, the biggest question Star Wars: The Force Awakens leaves us with is this: Can it break the North American box office record of 760.5 million dollars and the global box office record of 2.78796 billion dollars held by Avatar? We'll have to wait and see!"

Although she was no industry professional, Ivanka Trump only had to think for a moment about the North American box office, audience reception, and momentum of Star Wars: The Force Awakens to be absolutely sure that the film would break Avatar's North American box office record. As for the global record, that was hard to say...

Ivanka Trump lowered her gaze, taking in the long list of records Star Wars: The Force Awakens had already broken. She sighed inwardly; Duke Rosenberg was simply born to break records.