Seeing the middle-aged man approaching, Duke stepped forward and shook the man’s outstretched hand lightly. "Hi, Larry."
Then he turned his head, nodded slightly toward David Ellison, who was following behind Larry Ellison, and said, "Have a seat."
They were in one of the reception rooms at Duke Manor, a place Duke often used to receive heavyweight guests. Although he didn’t like the Ellisons—father and son and they were more enemies than friends, Duke would never ignore the capital and power they represented.
And no one could afford to underestimate Larry Ellison.
Larry Ellison and David Ellison greeted Scarlett Johansson as well, then sat down on two single sofas opposite Duke. Scarlett temporarily played the role of hostess, serving them coffee.
However, it was clear that the two weren’t here to visit or enjoy the Blue Mountain coffee. Neither of them even looked at the cups—their eyes were fixed firmly on Duke.
Duke could roughly guess the reason and purpose behind the father and son’s visit, but he wasn’t in any hurry. Sitting calmly in his chair, he looked back at Larry and David Ellison.
Larry Ellison’s face carried his usual arrogance, yet in his eyes there was a hint of complexity as he looked at Duke.
David Ellison’s thoughts, on the other hand, were written all over his face. His gaze toward Duke was sharp as a blade, laced with unwillingness.
Duke focused most of his attention on Larry Ellison. In front of him and Larry, David had no right to speak.
After placing down the coffee pot, Scarlett Johansson sat beside Duke, gently wrapping one hand around his arm. She kept her mouth tightly shut—after so many years together, she knew well that this was not the moment for her to speak.
Larry Ellison withdrew his gaze but sighed silently in his heart. In some ways, the man sitting across from him was just like himself—capable, self-made, and the creator of immense wealth.
But what he saw more clearly were the differences. Duke Rosenberg’s temperament was steadier, and beneath that calm expression lay an unfathomable depth.
This was not a man who could be easily dealt with.
After years of observation, Larry Ellison had finally confirmed that fact. It was just that he realized it too late and the price he would now have to pay might be heavy.
Still, he had already prepared himself for this before coming. Paying a certain price was far better than letting David Ellison get caught up in a murder scandal and a messy lawsuit.
After all, David Ellison was his only son.
"Duke..." Larry Ellison’s eyes turned back toward him. "David has decided to withdraw from Hollywood."
Hearing this, Duke couldn’t help but smile slightly and then turned to look at David Ellison. "That’s a wise decision."
David Ellison pressed his hand hard on the sofa armrest but said nothing.
Some things didn’t need to be spoken aloud—they both understood. Larry Ellison spoke again. "David is my only son."
Pretending not to notice the hidden meaning in those words, Duke said calmly, "When something’s done, a price must be paid."
Larry Ellison’s expression darkened. He knew it wouldn’t be that easy. "Say it, Duke—what do you want?"
Recently, Duke had put quite a bit of pressure on the Los Angeles Police Department, but his real goal wasn’t to uncover whether David Ellison was truly behind the scenes. That would do him no good.
Even if it were proven that David was the mastermind and he was sent to prison—what benefit would Duke gain? He’d only make Larry Ellison an irreconcilable enemy.
So Duke pondered briefly, recalling the information Tina Fey had gathered, and said, "Since David is leaving Hollywood, about Sky Flim Productions..."
"That studio is already insolvent," Larry Ellison glanced at his son and said, "It’ll soon declare bankruptcy."
"Bankruptcy?" Duke slowly shook his head. "How about this—you strip Sky Flim Productions of its debts, and then..."
He raised one finger. "I’ll buy the remaining shell company for ten million dollars."
Larry Ellison frowned slightly, while the resentment in David Ellison’s eyes became even more obvious.
Scarlett Johansson was momentarily stunned when she heard Duke’s words. She didn’t understand why he would want to buy Sky Flim Productions—but soon she realized that if the debts were stripped away, the company would still be worth ten million dollars.
After all, Sky Flim Productions still owned the copyrights to several films.
But Scarlett hadn’t seen the most recent reports, and thus didn’t know the studio still possessed even more valuable assets.
"Father!" David Ellison finally couldn’t hold back.
Just last month, after Sky Flim Productions had signed official cooperation agreements with Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures, it had already paid significant upfront investments to both companies for shares in the Fast & Furious, Star Trek, and Jurassic World franchises...
It was obvious that Duke Rosenberg had his eyes on those and they were David’s last remaining assets.
Duke knew that with Larry and David Ellison’s business acumen, they could easily see what he truly wanted.
In this world, nothing is obtained without paying a price.
The investment and profit rights in Fast & Furious, Star Trek, and Jurassic World—others might not understand their worth, but Duke did. Even without Vin Diesel, Fast & Furious still held immense value.
Of course, everyone had their limits.
For Duke, that limit was his mother and Scarlett Johansson. No one was allowed to harm them.
He didn’t mention the Internet or Oracle in front of Larry Ellison. He spoke only about the film industry—because he knew that would bring him sufficient gain without touching Larry’s bottom line.
After all, this was not a world or a society where one could act without restraint. Even people of Duke and Larry Ellison’s level had to follow certain rules of the game and David Ellison had broken them. Now, he had to pay the price.
David looked at his father again and said in a low, reminding tone, "Father..."
Larry Ellison raised his right hand, cutting him off. He stared deeply at Duke, with a faint trace of reluctant admiration in his eyes, then said, "Once Sky Flim’s debts are stripped away, have your people contact mine. Let’s finalize the transfer agreement as soon as possible."
With that, both sides reached an understanding, though they did not discuss the details any further. Both Duke and Larry Ellison were perfectly aware of how much influence money could exert in this country. As long as Duke stopped applying pressure on the Los Angeles Police Department, Larry Ellison’s side would have plenty of room to maneuver.
That alone was enough for Larry Ellison.
The two sides were neither friends nor partners. Having reached this tacit agreement, neither felt the need to say more. Larry and David Ellison took their leave, and Duke instructed his butler, Emma, to escort them out of the villa.
In the living room, Scarlett Johansson still seemed somewhat unwilling. "We’re just letting David Ellison off like that?"
"We’re only stopping the pressure on the Los Angeles Police Department," Duke said, settling back onto the sofa. "Whether or not things eventually implicate David Ellison is no longer our concern."
Over the next ten days, the Ellison family moved swiftly to strip away Sky Flim Productions’ debts and then completed the transaction with Duke. Duke immediately merged the shell company into Lucasfilm. Even putting aside the Fast & Furious and Star Trek franchises, the Jurassic World investment shares alone would bring him enormous future profits.
With many of the hidden forces now gone, the North American entertainment market—which had been turbulent since early May—gradually returned to calm. The focus of the entertainment media shifted back to celebrity gossip and their works.
Online, Duke’s fans spontaneously launched a campaign—"Twenty-Two Years of Duke Rosenberg’s Filmmaking: To the Movie Times We’ve Shared Together."
Countless fans left messages on the event page.
"What do Duke’s films mean to your life? If someone asked me that, my answer would be: I don’t know why I love Duke’s movies, but I just do!"
That came from an ordinary fan in Texas. Fans from other regions—the so-called "Duke Maniacs"—rushed to leave their own messages as well.
A Los Angeles fan wrote: "Duke’s films are my lifelong companions. They preserve the life I’ve lived and foretell the times to come, while I live the present together with them. I love Duke Rosenberg! I love his movies!"
The East Coast also had its share of devoted "Duke Maniacs." A fan from New York wrote: "Every time Duke’s movie premieres, the moment I walk into the theater and sit down, I feel like I’ve entered a new world. When the lights on the screen come on, I know it’s the start of a journey that belongs to me and Duke Rosenberg. There, I can forget the troubles of reality, explore freely, and laugh without restraint!"
"Duke Maniacs" live in all corners of the world, but only reveal their true selves when they encounter Duke’s films. "I’ve etched history, faith, attitude, and dreams into one thing—and that is Duke Rosenberg’s movies. I’m grateful his films appeared in my life, bringing more meaning to my otherwise shallow existence."
"Life is short, and therefore full of regrets. The charm of Duke’s films lies in allowing you, within that brief span of time, to experience different lives and make up for the beauty you’ve lost in your heart."
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