There was no way Dunn would take the initiative to smooth things over with Kirk Douglas—not a chance!
This mess didn't even start with him, so why should he be the one to grovel?
Just because the other guy's got seniority and years on him?
Young people despise nothing more than entrenched hierarchies!
Dunn's cold shoulder caught the Douglas family off guard. Within a couple of days, he spotted a news snippet in a few media reports that left him both amused and exasperated.
Kirk Douglas was hospitalized!
Unlike his near-fatal stroke from years back, this time it was a minor issue—mouth ulcers.
You know the saying: Ulcers aren't a disease, but the pain can kill you!
Kirk Douglas had been dealing with these ulcers for a week with no relief, stuck on a liquid diet and dropping weight fast.
No choice but to check into the hospital for IV nutrients and antibiotics to speed up recovery.
Dunn caught wind of this while flipping through a newspaper on a flight to Denver, where he was headed to check in on the TA TV network.
The news of Kirk Douglas's hospitalization had him leaning back in his seat, eyes closed, lost in thought for a while.
This old guy—ulcers for a week and still not better? Talk about a hot temper!
It also showed Kirk Douglas wasn't some laid-back, "fame doesn't matter" type. This old coot… he had a fiery streak!
No doubt Dunn refusing to show up and apologize was eating at him.
This feud was set in stone now.
After mulling it over, Dunn dialed Catherine Zeta-Jones.
"Dunn, I'm at the hospital," she said softly, her voice cautious.
Dunn gave a quiet "mm-hmm." "That old fossil didn't kick the bucket, did he?"
There was a pause on the other end before she replied faintly, "No. Dunn, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have said we… you know, that day. It caused a misunderstanding. The Douglas family—they're obsessed with their reputation."
Dunn brushed it off. "What's done is done, no point dwelling on it. You see how it is now—that old guy's pissed, probably fuming at me, maybe even plotting something."
Catherine lowered her voice. "The old man's temper's always been like that. But my husband… he's calmer. He's been trying to talk him down, get him to cool off."
"Your husband? Michael Douglas?" Dunn snorted dismissively. "If he's so calm, he wouldn't have flown off the handle in the first place and sent his daddy to pressure me!"
Catherine sounded awkward now.
She couldn't stand how Michael Douglas always ran to his father for backup.
A guy pushing sixty, still leaning on his dad's clout? Embarrassing!
Dunn cut in, "Things aren't looking good for me right now. I'm just giving you a heads-up—if that old geezer comes after me, I'm striking first."
"Huh?"
Catherine froze for a second.
It wasn't that she doubted Dunn—he was Hollywood's own warrior saint, always fighting some battle.
She was just confused why he'd bother telling her this.
Dunn cleared it up fast. "This all started because of you, so you're in it too. If that old man makes a move, I'm hitting back first—starting with you. Get ready."
"What? Huh?" Catherine thought she'd misheard. "Starting… with me?"
Dunn's tone turned serious. "I mean turning those rumors into reality."
"This…"
Catherine stammered, at a loss for words.
Married into the Douglas family, she'd lost a lot of freedom. Cheating? Out of the question.
"What, you're not up for it?"
"No… it's not that…"
"Hmm?"
Dunn let out a cold hum through his nose.
Catherine scurried a few steps away, finding a quieter corner of the hospital. Covering her mouth, she whispered, "Mr. Walker, they keep a tight leash on me. Something like this…"
"That's your problem, not mine! If they come at me, I'm slapping a big green hat on the Douglas family's head!"
"I… I get it."
"So?"
Catherine bit her lip, murmuring, "If you want to… just let me know ahead of time. We can meet up at Rachel's place."
Rachel Weisz's house?
Not a bad idea!
Dunn nodded, satisfied. "Alright, that's the plan. Get yourself mentally prepared. Of course, if that old guy behaves and enjoys his retirement, I won't touch you."
"Okay, got it."
Catherine's voice was soft, almost kitten-like.
After hanging up, Isla Fisher had already sorted the newspapers for him, pulling out the key bits.
"These papers all mention your short-selling. The tone… it's pretty mocking."
She plopped a thick stack in front of Dunn—quite a haul.
Dunn's latest round of shorting the stock market had been confirmed by some big Wall Street outlets, and the nation was buzzing!
The Bush administration had been in power for over six months, rolling out economic policies to ease the Nasdaq bubble crisis. So far, it was working.
Sure, the Nasdaq index was still dipping, but the drop had slowed way down. Tech stocks like Yahoo, Microsoft, Cisco, Dell, and Apple were starting to bounce back.
The NYSE? Even better—it was showing overall gains.
The Republicans' low-tax approach was proving effective in calming the economic storm.
Right now, nearly every major investment firm was buying in, seeing signs of recovery.
But Dunn? He was going the opposite way—doubling down on shorting!
What a joke!
For the past two weeks, Wall Street's mainstream rags had been tearing into this "fallen stock god," mocking how he and Natalie Portman were a perfect match.
Natalie Portman—young, starring in the blockbuster Star Wars series, and snagging an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress with The Virgin Suicides—was at her peak.
Recently, word got out through various channels that Minority Report swapped its male lead because she and Tom Cruise didn't get along. Dunn stepped in, pulling strings to boot Cruise out.
Plus, she refused any kissing or nude scenes, driving producers and directors up the wall.
Plenty of crews wouldn't even approach her now, dubbing her "America's Spoiled Girl."
And here was Dunn, screwing around in the stock market, ignoring all logic, stirring up bearish rumors. The finance world started calling him "America's Spoiled Boy."
Lately, the trend was picking up steam. Big-name papers jumped on the bandwagon, piling on the criticism.
In six months, he'd lost nearly a billion bucks shorting.
Now, in the second half of the year, he wasn't backing off—he was still at it. Was he trying to bankrupt himself?
Heavyweights like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Los Angeles Times took a "hate to see it" tone, warning him to stick to directing movies. Playing finance and stocks? He'd die without knowing how!
Smaller, gimmick-chasing papers went overboard, hyping his story nonstop, recycling it to death.
It led to a bizarre, hilarious split in a lot of publications.
Finance sections trashed Dunn, calling him a national sinner, the biggest fool ever—Dunn Capital's wealth a laughingstock, a Wall Street cautionary tale!
Entertainment sections praised him to the skies, hailing him as a national hero, the greatest genius ever—Dunn Films' movies the box office kings, the new face of Hollywood!
Over the past few years, Dunn had dropped a summer blockbuster every year to dominate the box office. This year, he'd unleashed two massive commercial hits at once, leaving rival films no room to breathe.
The results were dazzling!
Dunn flipped through the papers casually, a deep smirk tugging at his lips.
Today… August 11th.
One month to go!
"When that day comes, these shortsighted idiots won't be saved even if God himself shows up! Heh, you'd better get ready!"
Dunn gazed out the plane window at the white clouds, a slight grin on his face.
He wasn't a finance whiz.
But that didn't matter. In business, there's a golden rule: Information trumps expertise!
Alright then—arms wide open, bring on 9/11!