Chapter 99: Chapter 99: Three People Together
Duke felt a heavy weight on his chest, as if a stone was pressing down on him, making it somewhat difficult to breathe. Lying on his side, he slowly opened his eyes. His head felt like it might explode from the hangover, and he couldn't help but struggle a bit to free one hand from Charlize Theron's embrace, gently rubbing his temples. Since the wild party after graduating high school, he hadn't indulged himself like this.
Charlize Theron was still asleep, her messy golden hair and flushed face bearing witness to last night's craziness.
But Duke sensed something was off; there was someone pressed tightly against his back, and that soft touch clearly indicated it was a woman...
He turned his head, and long strands of golden hair lay scattered like a bird's nest, as if it had just been through a brutal ordeal. Several rows of teeth marks remained on her smooth chest, and judging from the shape, they must have been his doing. On her slender thighs, a few bright red handprints stood out, as if blood had been splattered on white jade.
Even without looking at the face pressed tightly against his back, Duke recognized the woman behind him—it was clearly the owner of this house, Cameron Diaz.
Three... P?
Shaking his head slightly, Duke focused on recalling the hazy fragments from after he got drunk.
He and Charlize Theron had gone to find a guest room in the villa, had a few more drinks, and just as he was getting into the mood, Cameron Diaz suddenly barged in, bringing with her some fresh goods. Of course, he had refused, while Charlize and Cameron both lit up a cigarette and soon became extremely excited...
The clearest fragment Duke remembered was him and Charlize kissing passionately, and Cameron Diaz actively joined in, planting kisses on his chest, which he then forced her hands down below.
It seemed he had been quite rough with Cameron Diaz last night, as the bite marks and handprints on her body were the best proof.
"Hi, good morning."
Suddenly, a voice greeted him from his embrace. Duke looked down and smiled at Charlize's eyes, "Good morning, dear."
"Good morning, Sally."
A drowsy face peeked out from Duke's shoulder, "Morning, Duke."
"Cami!"
"Duke!"
Both women quickly realized something at the same time, sitting up rapidly, glancing at Duke and then at each other, blinking as they seemed to recall some fragments, instinctively covering their foreheads.
"Oh my God." They seemed unable to believe it.
Duke jumped out of bed, his eyes sweeping over the faces of Charlize Theron and Cameron Diaz. Although both looked surprised, they didn't appear overly alarmed. He guessed that even if they hadn't slept together before, they must have seen others in the industry do similar things.
"Damn it, Duke!"
Cameron Diaz jumped up, standing there naked in front of him, "Why didn't you refuse?"
"Why should I refuse?" Duke took a step back, looking at her, "Do you think a physically and mentally normal man could refuse you and Sally in that situation last night?"
"Damn it!"
Cursing softly, Cameron Diaz ran her hands through her messy golden hair, pacing back and forth as she said, "I actually slept with a man I just met for the first time, and with other women!"
Spreading his hands, Duke made a face that said, "That's just how it is, Cami!"
This woman seemed a bit frantic, but unfortunately, she had just transitioned from modeling, and her acting skills were still lacking.
On the other side, Charlize Theron seemed lost in thought. Perhaps such situations were too common in the modeling world; she had seen plenty at parties before. She looked calm, walked to the window, and opened it, letting in the sea breeze that carried away the smell of smoke and alcohol, also helping to clear their heads.
Things that happened after a wild night generally didn't have any better way of being handled than just being left alone. Cameron Diaz shot Duke a resentful glance, casually wrapped herself in a towel, and walked out of the bedroom.
"Sorry, Sally."
Looking at Charlize Theron standing by the bed, Duke sighed, "I didn't expect it to end up like this. I drank too much last night too."
"Just wait here for a moment."
Charlize grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around herself, heading for the door, "I'll go get my clothes."
They had come back in swimsuits, and their clothes were still in the changing room by the beach.
Half an hour later, Duke and Charlize exited Cameron Diaz's villa. After overcoming the initial awkwardness, they returned to the state they were in when they first met yesterday. For these models, this wasn't a big deal; they would continue to work in Hollywood, and this industry isn't small, nor is it large. People who have had relationships, even multiple ones, could still interact normally, as it was simply the norm.
Moreover, for Cameron Diaz, this could also be seen as a way to connect with Duke, a rapidly rising director. If there were suitable roles, he would definitely prioritize her.
There were various ways to build connections, and this could be considered one of the most ordinary in Hollywood.
"What are you thinking about?"
Once they got into the Bentley, Duke looked at Charlize Theron, who was lost in thought in the passenger seat, "Do you need some water?"
"Do you have a girlfriend?" she suddenly asked.
"No," Duke shook his head.
"Then…" Charlize's eyes showed a hopeful expression, "Can I...?"
"We should head back, Sally!" Duke directly interrupted her, started the car, and as they turned onto the main road, he thought for a moment and said, "I'll have Nancy... Nancy is my agent, help you find a good acting training school. If your agent is willing to join her agency, ICM will provide acting, etiquette, physicality, and accent training for potential actors."
He had never been one to only take without giving. Of course, his contributions would certainly be limited to a certain extent.
"I'll discuss it with John when I get back." John was Charlize's agent.
"Right now, what you need most is to learn, not to chase opportunities everywhere." Duke frowned and finally added, "It's best to get rid of your addiction. No production team will recklessly hire an actor addicted to drugs."
With that said, Duke wouldn't interfere in others' personal lives. However, the car hadn't driven far before his phone in his pocket rang. He temporarily pulled over and pressed the answer button.
"Where have you been?"
The questioning voice belonged to Sofia Coppola. "Since yesterday afternoon, I've called you five times. I've also called your apartment and Aunt Leah's place. What are you doing?"
"Sorry, I didn't see it."
Duke understood that Sofia was looking for him for something urgent. "I went to a party."
"Did the beauties at the party make it hard for you to move?"
After a sarcastic remark, Sofia switched to a work tone. "The North American and some overseas shares for 'The Rock.' have been credited. The Duke Studio and your accountant need you to confirm and sign off; otherwise, they can't be credited!"
"Okay, I'll head back right away."
Hanging up the phone, Duke accelerated and drove directly towards Los Angeles.
He didn't expect Warner Bros. would actually have a day of conscience. It was only October, with two months left until the deadline of the agreement. Not only had they credited the North American shares, but they had also included part of the overseas income.
However, in just five seconds, Duke figured it out. He was currently leading a multi-million dollar project jointly invested by Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox, and their prompt payment of the shares likely had an incentive—using the shares that rightfully belonged to him to stimulate his work enthusiasm, thereby creating more profit for Warner.
After dropping off Charlize Theron, Duke headed straight back to the Duke Studio in North Hollywood to work with Sofia and the accountant on financial matters.
Aside from the whopping $12 million in North American share revenue, Warner Bros. had also paid some of the overseas box office share revenue in advance.
Currently, "The Rock" had a total overseas box office of $222.11 million. Although the overseas release of the film might not conclude until next year, it had already been taken down in most major overseas markets. The small and medium-sized countries and regions that planned to screen or were still screening generally bought out the screening rights, and the box office revenue had almost no direct profit relationship with Warner Bros. and Duke Studio.
This time, the total box office settlement amount between Warner Bros. and overseas marketers reached a staggering $200 million. This figure appeared to exceed the North American box office, but the distribution percentage varied across overseas markets, with different taxes, and the promotional costs deducted by the distributor after payment, so the share received by Warner Bros. during settlement was far lower than the North American box office.
The calculation of overseas box office shares was quite complicated. Some countries and regions required taxes to be paid on the shares given to Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. received more than $54 million from the initial overseas distribution. From this amount, various expenses such as additional taxes, labor costs, capital recovery costs, and marketing expenses had to be deducted, leaving a shared amount of $40 million to be distributed among investors, including Duke Studios.
Duke Studios received one-fifth of these proceeds—$8 million.
The team of lawyers and accountants Duke hired confirmed that this figure was basically accurate.
Compared to the massive overseas box office figures, this amount might seem modest. However, this was not the entire share of overseas revenue. In addition to a portion of the box office that would need to wait until the next settlement, the overseas video and television copyright transfer fees also fell within the scope of Duke Studio's share. The timeline for these revenues would depend on the negotiation results between Warner Bros. and local distributors, and it could take quite a while to receive these payments.
This was one of the rare instances where Warner Bros. made a conscientious payment after Duke had demonstrated his value. Big-budget commercial films in Hollywood are certainly not short-term investments that yield immediate returns. The complexities and waiting periods involved often lead many investors to face hardships.
With the revenue sharing in place, Duke was prepared to implement his new plans.
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