After parking the car, Nancy Josephson walked through the neat cobblestone path and arrived at the eye-shaped villa in the estate. She was a regular here, and no one stopped or greeted her. Only when she entered the spacious living room did she see the housekeeper, Emma, waiting for her.
"Duke and Tina are in the study."
The female housekeeper led the way, and Nancy nodded, following her. The two walked past the neat staircase and directly arrived at the study on the third floor. Emma knocked on the door, asked for permission, and then let Nancy in before heading back downstairs.
Inside the study, Duke had his hands crossed on the desk, and Tina Fee, with a serious expression, was organizing some documents. Seeing Nancy enter, she moved a chair and sat next to her opposite Duke.
"Is something wrong?" Nancy asked when she saw the serious expressions on Duke and Tina's faces. "Why did you call me back so urgently?"
Recently, she had been invited by Christopher Rokenkort to travel to France and Belgium to assess the feasibility of shooting his project in Europe on-site. Their negotiations had already entered the final stages, and they were sure to reach an agreement before Halloween.
"Sorry, Nancy." Duke picked up the teapot and poured her a cup of red tea. "There are some matters I think you need to be aware of."
Nancy furrowed her brows, thinking of her recent work, and asked, "Is this about the project with Christopher Rokenkort?"
Duke nodded at her and gestured to Tina Fee. "Tina..."
Tina Fee handed Nancy the documents she had been organizing. "These are the investigation records of Christopher Rokenkort by Hollywood's Eye, Anthony Pellicano."
Taking the documents, Nancy opened them and read carefully, line by line. She knew that Duke had always been suspicious of Christopher Rokenkort, so it was not surprising that he had someone investigate him. The document was very detailed. But after reading it, instead of becoming more suspicious of Christopher, she found him more trustworthy.
Anthony Pellicano was indeed very skilled, but his ability was mostly limited to Hollywood, and the investigation only covered what Rokenkort had done since entering Hollywood.
Nancy knew Duke's working style, so she first went through the documents carefully.
Christopher Rokenkort arrived in Hollywood at the age of twenty-four. He got into the industry through an introduction from the famous French actress Brigitte Bazel's makeup artist. For many years, he had claimed to be a descendant of an European count, and many producers, artists, bankers, and investors regarded him as a reliable friend, investing in his "projects" in various ways.
He was also a typical playboy. Before dating Jessica Alba, he lived luxuriously, staying in the top hotels, and female celebrities flocked to him. He was a well-known figure in Hollywood, and there was even a rumor at one point that he was the unacknowledged grandson of Sophia Loren.
Among all the things, what impressed Nancy the most was his skill with women. The records showed that he had close relationships with many actresses, including Demi Moore. He had even been romantically involved with the daughter of the president of the small African country Gabon!
Looking at this document, Christopher Rokenkort's Hollywood career seemed extremely successful.
Closing the document, Nancy looked at Duke, her confusion deepening.
Tina Fee spoke up at this point. "Anthony Pellicano dug up everything about him in Hollywood, but the title 'Hollywood's Eye' may be a bit overstated."
Another investigation. The information obtained was much more than that, and Tina Fee handed over another set of documents. "This is the information obtained by a former FBI employee using his connections."
Before Nancy could look through the documents, Tina Fee continued, "He traced down the makeup artist who introduced Christopher Rokenkort to Hollywood through the immigration office in Northern Europe. When Christopher first met him, he wasn't a count, nor was he a producer. He only claimed to be a lightweight boxing champion in Europe..."
"Also, his so-called investment projects have issues." Tina Fee continued. "Christopher Rokenkort did have many Hollywood celebrities involved in his projects. A few years ago, many of them invested a lot of money and got corresponding returns, but all these investments have problems."
"He set up a pyramid-style investment structure, attracting investors at the bottom of the pyramid, then taking their money and returning only a small portion, making them think they received huge returns, and then telling them to bring in their friends..."
"A Ponzi scheme?" Nancy immediately understood what Tina Fee meant.
"Not just that..." Duke interrupted, "He used this method to gain more people's trust, and then those people would invest even more when a big project came up. And then..."
"He used financial means to disappear with the money..." Tina Fee finished Duke's words.
Nancy seemed reluctant to believe it. "But we checked, and his passport, identity, and bank credit all seem fine."
"That's where Christopher Rokenkort is truly brilliant," Tina Fee said more seriously. "And it's also the reason he pursued the daughter of the president of Gabon."
Without keeping Nancy waiting, Tina Fee directly said, "The president's daughter, Li Dabona Bog, spent a large sum of money to help him resolve his identity issues. If you only use normal methods to investigate, you wouldn't find any problems with him."
Nancy, being a smart person, started to understand. A bitter smile appeared on her face. "That president's daughter must have been carefully chosen by him, right? After she went back to Africa, she could never influence North America. Who would bother to go to such a small country in Africa unless they had to?"
"Such meticulous thinking..." By now, she had to admit, "What a clever method."
A person who had been in Hollywood for ten years without being exposed, and even managed to get close to the upper echelons of the industry, was impressive. If it hadn't been for him deceiving her, Duke would have really wanted to describe him as a legend.
Sometimes, reality is more incredible than the movies.
Combining the information provided by the former FBI employee, Edward Newgate, and reflecting on the past interactions with Christopher Rokenkort, Duke could conclude that he was planning a final big move and would then disappear. Although he was financially ignorant, Duke knew that all Ponzi schemes eventually collapse due to a broken cash flow. Christopher Rokenkort must be nearing the end.
"Duke..." Nancy spoke again, "What should we do?"
What should they do? If the man hadn't deceived him, Duke wouldn't have cared at all. Many Hollywood stars would have squandered their money even without being deceived. He didn't have that deep of a relationship with most of them, so he didn't feel the need to play the role of the saint.
The problem was, Christopher Rokenkort had already dragged him into it.
"We'll end the negotiations with Christopher Rokenkort..." Nancy tentatively asked, "And then report it to the Los Angeles County Police?"
"No..." Duke shook his head.
Actually, when he had contacted Anthony Pellicano and Edward Newgate, he had already figured out what to do if Christopher Rokenkort turned out to be a fraud.
"Don't do anything until the right time comes. This matter must stay between the three of us. After we leave the study, pretend it never happened."
As Tina Fee had been his assistant for years, she could roughly guess Duke's thoughts and simply nodded without saying anything.
Nancy Josephson was still confused and asked, "Are we not giving up contact with Christopher Rokenkort?"
"Not giving up!" Duke answered without hesitation. "Nancy, just pretend today's events never happened. Continue negotiating with Christopher Rokenkort. But be careful not to sign any formal agreements with him."
"I understand." Nancy would be a fool to sign an agreement with a fraudster.
"This time, it's up to you." Duke joked, "Show off your Oscar-winning acting skills."
Nancy rolled her eyes slightly and curiously asked, "Duke, what exactly are you aiming for?"
Duke didn't answer directly. Instead, he quoted a series of data from the documents. "According to the information Anthony Pellicano gathered, Christopher Rokenkort has raised nearly $35 million, with more than thirty investors, including actors and directors, involved. Among them, many retirees have invested their retirement funds..."
He knew Nancy understood who the 'retirees' were.
"You want more people to join the scheme?" Nancy had now figured out what Duke meant.
"Exactly, I want to make more people Christopher Rokenkort's victims..." Duke said seriously, "We'll wait for the right time to act, and then make these influential people in the industry owe us a favor!"
It was indeed a society driven by profit, but personal connections also played an important role within the rules.
Duke had never believed he deserved everything Peter Jackson had achieved, and this was his preparation for when the trilogy ended.
Nancy thought for a moment and then asked, "Aren't you worried he'll run away early?"
"People's greed is always infinite." Duke pointed to his chest, "It always wants more."
The former FBI agent hired by Duke had been keeping an eye on Christopher Rokenkort.
Duke continued, "Nancy, whether we succeed or not depends on your acting skills."
Nancy pouted and joked, "After this, you must give me an Oscar statuette."