The black Rolls-Royce had just stopped in front of a hotel right next to the Thames River, and dozens of reporters and paparazzi swarmed like flies smelling blood. If it weren't for the security guards instantly forming a human wall in front of the car, the vehicle would have been completely overwhelmed.
The car door was pushed open from the inside, and as Duke was just climbing out, the shutter clicks and chaotic questions came like a storm.
"Mr. Rosenberg..."
"Director Rosenberg..."
Amid such a mess of questions, Duke couldn't answer anything. The reporters and paparazzi seemed to understand this and tacitly formed a certain order, so soon only a few reporters closest to the front kept asking questions.
"Is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows delayed?"
The voice from The Sun was the loudest. "It's said that it's because the crew refuses to compromise on the actors' pay? There's a sharp conflict between both sides? Is this true? When will it be resolved?"
Duke stopped, raised his hand to gesture for them to quiet down. After the hotel entrance calmed a bit, he said, "The Harry Potter crew is a whole. All reasonable demands of the actors will be met. The production side is making every effort to resolve the new contracts with the actors. It won't take long before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is officially greenlit."
Having said that, he ignored the reporters' questions and, escorted by security, entered the hotel.
Someone was already waiting inside. Just as Duke entered the hotel lobby, a man with a distinctly British butler demeanor came up to greet him.
"This way, Mr. Rosenberg."
He led Duke to a private elevator and took it to the third floor, where a huge banquet hall was located. Because it was a bit late, the party had already started.
"Hey, Duke."
"Hi, Rupert."
Entering the banquet hall, Duke shook hands with Rupert Murdoch and said, "Sorry, I was chased by reporters when I left. Then I got surrounded by them here again, so I was delayed a bit."
Rupert Murdoch waved his hand, "No problem."
Though the banquet hall had hundreds of guests, Duke and Murdoch were definitely in the top-tier social circle. Led by Murdoch, Duke walked toward a small group gathered around a few sofas, with only a handful of people present but all were famous.
For example, the UK's top tycoon and Warner Music's largest individual shareholder, Sir Ryan Blavatnik, as well as Tony Blair, who had just stepped down as Prime Minister.
"Hi, Duke,"
Ryan Blavatnik, who had met Duke a few times at Warner, teased, "You're late. Were you held up by Rupert's reporters?"
Hearing the joke, Duke shrugged slightly and said, "The Sun's reporters are always at the front line."
Everyone laughed.
Then Rupert Murdoch formally introduced the well-known politician, "Duke, this is Tony Blair. Just call him Tony. Tony, this is Duke Rosenberg, you can call him Duke."
"Nice to meet you, Tony." Duke reached out his hand, and the Labour leader shook it firmly. "Nice to meet you, too."
After shaking hands with Tony Blair, Duke sat on a single sofa and glanced discreetly at Murdoch's wife. Rumors about her and Blair had spread worldwide; Duke wondered if they were still involved.
The thought passed quickly. Whether or not Rupert Murdoch had been cuckolded was none of Duke's business.
The topic stayed focused on British politics. Duke was an outsider, mostly listening, rarely speaking. Still, he could vaguely tell that Murdoch was having trouble with the new Prime Minister.
What these troubles were, Duke could guess, but he didn't want to get involved. The phone hacking scandal would damage Murdoch's influence but wouldn't be a fatal blow.
He cooperated with Murdoch, sure, but he wanted a news group that wasn't too strong.
Just like he didn't want News Corporation to merge with Warner Bros. too powerfully a too-strong news group wouldn't serve his interests.
Duke knew well that the hacking scandal hindered News Corp's growth and severely hit Murdoch's ambitions.
Especially since Murdoch was getting old and family infighting was fierce. The future News Corp couldn't grow as fast as before.
If that weren't true, Duke wouldn't have chosen to cooperate with Murdoch.
Of course, neither he nor Murdoch were fools; both knew neither was a saint.
The Warner-Fox Universal project was set to officially start construction next year in Shanghai. It was the biggest shared interest between them.
They were partners but also competitors such is business.
During the chat, Duke and Murdoch agreed on another investment: they would join Ryan Blavatnik to invest in the political and economic consulting company 'Blair Association' soon to be founded by Tony Blair.
Though retired from the Prime Minister post, Blair's years of political and business connections could play a huge role at times.
However, their conversation stopped there because someone who didn't belong to this circle approached.
"The Russian nouveau riche." Seeing the approaching man, Ryan Blavatnik shrugged and simply left, clearly holding some grudge against Roman Abramovich.
Although desperate to break into the Western elite circles, Roman Abramovich still faces considerable exclusion.
After a brief casual chat, Tony Blair and Rupert Murdoch went to attend to other matters, leaving Duke alone here.
Unlike others, Duke never underestimates anyone even if a pig possessed Abramovich's fortune, that alone would prove it's a very formidable pig.
"I originally thought our teams might face off in the Premier League."
The Russian tycoon quickly shifted the topic to football. "But you later withdrew from the Manchester United acquisition…"
"They offered an outrageous price," Duke casually gave a reason, "It exceeded my psychological expectation."
Abramovich, sitting opposite, asked again, "What about now? Interested? Arabs are also scheming for Premier League clubs, trying to join this game. This league is about to become the world's most watched professional sports league."
The Abu Dhabi consortium is acquiring Manchester City; Duke had also seen this in the newspapers since arriving in London.
But his interest in English football isn't that strong. He shook his head and said, "No plans in the short term."
Compared to English football, he is more interested in American football. Unfortunately, there is no NFL team in the Los Angeles area, or he would have already made an offer.
In fact, he did have intentions; the main target was the Oakland Raiders in the San Francisco area.
Founded in 1960, the team was one of the original eight American Football League teams. In 1982, the team relocated to Los Angeles and was renamed the Los Angeles Raiders but moved back to Oakland in 1995.
The current owner is Al Davis, an elderly man with limited wealth, who has served as coach, manager, and owner of the Raiders. Under his leadership, the Raiders won 1 AFL championship and 3 Super Bowl titles, achieving winning rates over 50% in 28 of 48 seasons, including 16 consecutive years from 1965 to 1980.
The economic crisis swept the U.S., and Al Davis was not spared. Although NFL teams are quite profitable, other investments caused him financial troubles.
One of Duke's agents contacted him last month, but Al Davis showed little willingness to sell, especially opposing Duke's plan to relocate the team to Los Angeles. They are only in preliminary contact, with no formal negotiations yet.
However, there are always ways to pressure the other party into selling. Duke's investment agent David contacted the banks and foundations lending to Al Davis; these creditors will soon demand repayment...
Of course, Duke is not desperate to buy; if the cost or difficulty is too high, he will simply give up.
David once suggested buying the Los Angeles Clippers, but Duke knows nothing about basketball and has no interest in the NBA.
Actually, the Los Angeles Dodgers in Major League Baseball are also a good option, with influence in Los Angeles not less than the two NBA teams. However, buying them is even harder than the Raiders.
Moreover, the Dodgers are valued at over $1.5 billion, more than the combined worth of the Lakers and Clippers.
Faced with such a huge sum, even Duke must think carefully.
Such a large amount isn't just tossed out casually; it involves every aspect of his business empire.
"Too bad you're a bit late," Abramovich clearly wanted to be friendly with Duke. "Otherwise, we could have watched the European Championship together."
"I heard Spain won the championship?"
Though not intending to get close, Duke would not dismiss others' goodwill lightly. Out of basic politeness, he went along with Abramovich's words, "I don't watch much English football but admire Spain's team for their control-style play..."
Abramovich laughed, "My team is also moving in that direction. You're welcome to watch games at Stamford Bridge".