Made In Hollywood

When it came to movies, the two of them clearly found a common topic. Although they were from different coasts, both being Jewish created a natural bond. As they chatted, they grew more comfortable, and Duke occasionally shared some Hollywood gossip, making Irene's smile more sincere.

This woman, about the same age as Duke, was obviously quite interested in the film industry. Later, at her request, Duke led her into the party, introducing her to Tom Hanks and Keanu Reeves.

"Keanu Reeves isn't as cool as he seems in movies; he looks a bit disheveled," Irene whispered to Duke as they walked towards the edge of the lawn. "Tom Hanks looks even nicer than he does on screen."

"Every actor has many sides," Duke responded.

Irene glanced at Duke. "And what about directors? My college roommate majored in film production at NYU. She's also in Hollywood now, and I've heard some stories about directors from her."

Perhaps because their conversation had been so engaging, Irene spoke more freely. "Especially about the rumors involving directors."

"Let me put it this way, Irene," Duke didn't answer directly. "In Hollywood, over eighty percent of the rumors you hear usually turn out to be true."

As if to confirm Duke's words, a tall blonde woman walked up behind him, clearly heading straight for Duke.

"Hi, Duke."

Wearing a green dress, Charlize Theron approached directly. "I hadn't seen you around. So here you are."

"Is this your friend?" she asked, glancing at Irene before slipping her arm through Duke's. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

Duke called over a passing waiter, using the opportunity to discreetly remove Charlize's hand from his arm. At a formal party like this, only the hostess should link arms with him, and he wasn't foolish enough to let that happen.

"This is Irene from New York," Duke introduced her briefly. "And this is Charlize, an actress represented by ICM, my agent's company."

Charlize had switched to ICM last year after leaving her previous agent.

Irene offered a polite, formal smile and nodded to Charlize before turning to Duke. "I won't disturb you any further. I'll go find Aunt Leah."

"How did you get here?" Duke asked Charlize.

He hadn't invited her, or any other women for that matter. A casual fling was just that, and he wasn't foolish enough to invite her to his house for a formal party.

"My agent helped me," Charlize replied, her gaze drifting towards the distant ocean. "When did you move? Why didn't you let me know?"

"I'll give you a call when I have time," Duke said, giving her hand a pat as he turned to greet Warner Bros. executive Clark Mueller.

Charlize watched Duke's tall figure as he walked away, throwing her glass onto the lawn in frustration. During their past encounters, she had repeatedly brought up the topic of dating, but Duke always deflected the conversation. Even if she were incredibly oblivious, she could see by now that he had no interest in a serious relationship. To him, she was nothing more than a temporary fling.

She felt a sudden urge to flip over the nearby oak table, but after taking a few deep breaths, she suppressed the impulse. After all, she had signed with one of the top talent agencies in Hollywood and received professional acting training without having to give much in return. Through the agency, she could land small, but visible, roles.

Everything she had gained was because of him. Just like in the modeling world she had once been part of, it was all a simple matter of mutual benefit.

Meanwhile, Duke was engaged in conversation with Clark Mueller, an important assistant to Jeff Robinov at Warner Bros.

"Jeff has said that working with you is the best decision he's made," Clark said with a smile. "He's eager to keep this partnership going."

"I'd like that as well," Duke replied with an equally friendly smile. "Warner Bros. has been a fantastic partner."

Although both men said the right things, they both knew that in Hollywood, partnerships could break down at any moment. A single contentious negotiation over profit shares could send both parties in different directions.

Clark had attended several recent high-level meetings at Warner Bros., where they had discussed how to permanently secure Duke as one of their assets. They had even come up with some specific strategies.

"Have you ever thought about investing in Warner Bros.?" Clark asked, noticing Duke's surprised expression before explaining further. "Around this time next year, Warner Bros. plans to expand through a stock offering. Jeff wanted to know if you were interested."

"Stock offering?" Duke kept his face neutral and didn't give a clear answer. Still, the prospect of becoming a shareholder in one of the big six studios was tempting to anyone in Hollywood, Duke included.

But was this something for next year? Warner was clearly dangling bait.

There were plenty of others who could dangle bait, though. Warner seemed intent on keeping him interested. If Duke's next film succeeded, Warner would want to keep working with him. But if "Saving Private Ryan" failed, Warner could simply drop him. After all, who would uphold promises made in informal settings like this?

Even with some capital behind him, Hollywood was still full of invisible traps. In this town, no one would sacrifice their own interests to help someone else. If you fell into one of those traps, there would be a few who watched quietly, but many more would throw stones at you while you were down.

After Duke said he'd need some time to think about it, Clark Mueller left. Clearly, Warner wasn't as eager as they claimed to be.

Shortly after, Duke ran into Tim Fisher from Fox, an old acquaintance. Fisher seemed worried, frequently probing Duke about his confidence in "Saving Private Ryan," and repeatedly emphasizing the need for a quick return on investment. Fox was clearly having cash flow issues.

Although Fisher didn't say it outright, Duke could guess what was going on. Not long ago, the media had reported that James Cameron was building a massive model ship in Baja California. Knowing Cameron's obsessive nature, he was probably pressuring Fox and Paramount for additional funding. And with so much already invested, both studios had no choice but to double down.

Duke recalled hearing a Fox executive once say that James Cameron nearly drove them to sell their souls. Of course, they almost drove the so-called "Tyrant of the Set" to suicide in return. Cameron even pulled out a razor blade at a press conference, declaring that if the project failed, he'd use it on himself...

The party didn't wind down until around ten o'clock. After seeing off the guests and leaving the garden to the care of the butler and the event staff, Duke returned to the living room with a few remaining people.

Pouring his mother a glass of water, Duke said, "Mom, you can stay here tonight."

He had a room specifically prepared for her.

Turning to the single sofa, he said, "I'll have someone take Irene back to her hotel."

"Alright, I've got something I'd like to talk to you about anyway."

Lady Leah walked over and whispered a few words to Irene. Duke called the butler and asked him to arrange a car to take Irene back to her hotel in Beverly Hills.

After another ten minutes of organizing things, the living room was finally left with just Duke and his mother. The two sat in separate armchairs, sipping their glasses of water.

"Mom, what is it?" Duke asked, putting down his glass.

Lady Leah looked at her son across from her and sighed softly. She was so proud of him in many ways, but in others...

Shaking her head, she decided not to dwell on it. After all, Duke wasn't married and didn't have a girlfriend. A lot of people in this country had gone through a wild phase in their youth.

"I'll be staying here whenever I visit LA in the future," she told Duke. "So don't let this place get too messy."

Duke laughed sheepishly and asked, puzzled, "Visiting LA?"

"Starting next month, St. Fia is officially moving to New York," Lady Leah explained briefly. "Santa Fia's business is now deeply tied to the fashion industry, and moving to New York makes everything more convenient. I'm planning to settle there."

"Mom..." Duke frowned.

"I'll still visit you often," Lady Leah shook her head, clearly not changing her mind. "And you can come see me when you have time."

"Next week, I'll have my things moved here from Santa Monica."

With that, she stood up and walked towards the stairs. Duke followed, calling after her, "Mom..."

Lady Leah turned and smiled. "Dear, you're the pride of my life."

"Mom..." Duke walked over and hugged her. "You're my pride too."

If older people didn't have goals or motivation, they aged especially fast. For the past twenty years, his mother's greatest drive had been her career. Duke knew he couldn't stop her, nor did he want to. Perhaps, like when she saw him succeed, his mother found her greatest joy in her own professional accomplishments.

Life had to go on. After a brief weekend, Duke saw his mother and Irene off on a flight to New York before diving back into the post-production work on "Saving Private Ryan." Due to the upcoming Academy Awards, all of Hollywood was on edge throughout March, especially after the results were announced.

Tom Hanks had won his second consecutive Best Actor Oscar, becoming only the second person in history to achieve such a feat. As everyone had predicted, "Forrest Gump" swept the awards, while "The Shawshank Redemption," with its nine nominations,Once again became the tragic background, arousing the sympathy of countless media and audiences, and was even named the "best film in history".

The production and distribution companies also took advantage of the situation to promote the film and pushed it into theaters again in an attempt to recoup their costs. However, what awaited them was still disastrous box office results. This film was destined to be unsuitable for theaters.

Another thing that caused a stir in the media was that the director of "Independence Day", last year's North American and global box office champion and the second-highest box office in film history, Duke, who was dubbed the "Explosion Maniac" and "Duke of Destruction" by the media and movie fans, unfortunately won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director, and "Independence Day" also won last year's Worst Picture Award.