The wheels of history were turning, and "9/11" was creeping closer.
It'd be the first attack on U.S. soil since Pearl Harbor, but the stakes were totally different.
The Pearl Harbor attack turned America into a soaring eagle—filthy rich, with the whole world in its debt. "9/11," though? It shackled the country, drowning it in debt and flipping the script—now America owed the world.
For Dunn, "9/11" was a big deal too.
But right now, his eyes were locked on September 9th—the global premiere of Band of Brothers on STARZ!
September 8th, Saturday. STARZ added another 70,000 subscribers that day, still climbing.
September 9th. Dunn sent his private jet to scoop up his two New York-based supermodels, Angela Lindvall and Karolina Kurkova, and bring them to L.A.
Mostly, he was worried about potential hiccups from the big event two days away.
While he was at it, he sent Scott Swift to Silicon Valley under the guise of "investment research" to chat with Apple's board.
Dunn Capital now held over 45 million shares of Apple—the max the board had greenlit before. With the iPod presale kicking off, the stock was stabilizing and even showing room to climb.
Scott's mission was to feel out the board—could Dunn keep buying up Apple stock? (Any shareholder with over 5% of total shares needed board approval for changes.)
Band of Brothers was set to air at 8 p.m. prime time on STARZ.
Dunn had rounded up quite the crew: Milla Jovovich, Isla Fisher, Sophie Marceau, Reese Witherspoon (who'd quit her secretary gig), Angela Lindvall and Karolina Kurkova fresh from New York, plus Penelope Cruz, Rose Byrne, and Abbie Cornish, who already lived at the Beverly Hills estate.
The more, the merrier—time to celebrate!
But with so many women around, the looks they shot Dunn were… well, a little weird.
One guy, nine girls—what's the plan here?
That is, until a new guest showed up.
"Huh? What are you doing here?"
Dunn was mid-fantasy about the night ahead when he spotted Taylor Swift's adorable, cherub-like face at the door.
"I'm here to watch TV!" Little Taylor grinned, tilting her chin up with a smug hum. "I got an A in math, and Mom said I could come as a reward!"
Behind her, Andrea Swift looked a tad embarrassed.
Dunn? Even more so!
With this house full of women, he could've lived like an emperor tonight—maybe even kicked back with some lovely company while watching Band of Brothers.
Now? Little Taylor, the clingiest kid ever, had crashed the party.
Dunn's face stiffened. "It's a war show—not for kids."
"Who says? It's the U.S. Army fighting bad guys! You can't stop me from being patriotic!" Taylor huffed, crossing her arms with righteous indignation.
Dunn's forehead creased in frustration. "But this episode's an hour long. It'll end at 9 p.m.—too late for you."
"No way! I go to bed at 9 all the time!" Taylor shook her head triumphantly, then her gem-like eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Wait… you're not hiding women in there you don't want me to see, are you?"
"Don't talk nonsense!" Dunn glared.
Andrea chimed in, scolding, "Honey, watch your mouth!"
Taylor let out a dramatic "hmph," her big eyes sizing Dunn up. Then she smirked. "I'll just go check!"
Before he could stop her, she slipped past him like an eel and darted inside. Dunn's face twisted in misery, teeth gritted.
Before he could explain, a shriek echoed from the house—"Ahh!!!"
Andrea flinched. Dunn's heart skipped—did she fall?
But then Taylor stormed back out, fuming like Dunn owed her money. She thrust out nine little fingers and huffed, "Nine! Nine of them!"
"What's nine?" Andrea blinked, confused.
Even her wildest imagination couldn't picture Dunn stashing nine gorgeous women in his house.
Dunn had no choice but to tough it out. "Look, it's the Band of Brothers premiere tonight, so I… invited a few friends over for a little party."
That excuse was flimsy as hell.
A party with one guy and nine women? Even a nightclub wouldn't get that wild!
Andrea caught the vibe—outsiders were here, and Dunn was clearly dodging. Thinking they might be VIPs, she waved Taylor over. "If there's company, we'll head out. Taylor, let's go home!"
"No way!"
Taylor shook her head stubbornly, then softened her tone. "I'm sleeping over tonight!"
"What?!"
Dunn's eyes widened.
Andrea snapped, "Taylor, stop messing around. Home, now!"
Taylor planted her hands on her hips, giving Dunn a sly, knowing look. "Dunn, can I stay tonight? Your… friends—I know a bunch of them."
"Uh…"
"I can name them if you don't believe me—"
"Fine!"
Dunn caught her drift. She was bargaining—stay the night, keep her mouth shut. "Andrea, she's a kid. Loves a crowd. Let her stay—Nat can watch her."
Hearing Natalie Portman was around put Andrea at ease. The families were tight, but Taylor was a girl and Dunn a guy—solo, it'd be awkward.
Once Andrea left, Dunn finally exhaled.
His scandals were no secret—everyone knew.
But nine women at once? That was next-level ridiculous.
Thankfully, Taylor was sharp and didn't spill the beans.
"Come on, you little gremlin!" Dunn waved her in, half-resigned.
Taylor giggled. "Dunn, you're such a liar! I bet Natalie isn't even home tonight."
"Huh?"
Dunn shot her a surprised glance. This kid's brain was something else.
She was right—after a week of promo, Spielberg had dragged the Minority Report crew back to work. Natalie was still on set.
"I've gotta keep an eye on you, or you'll tear the roof off! Hmph!" Taylor lectured him like a mini-adult, leaving Dunn torn between laughing and crying.
"You little punk, where'd you learn all this? How old are you anyway? What do you even know?"
"Who says I don't know? My classmates are dating! We've had health class—grown-up stuff, I get it." She tilted her pale chin up. "You and those women in there… there's definitely something going on!"
"Cough!" Dunn nearly choked, crouching down fast. "Inside, you better behave. Don't blab everything—people will laugh at you, got it?"
"Relax, I know how it works." Taylor waved him off impatiently, muttering, "Stop treating me like a kid. Could a kid write poetry that good?"
"Alright, my little poet laureate!"
Dunn rolled his eyes, exasperated.
…
Taylor's presence put a damper on the vibe.
Dunn could sneak a thigh graze or a chest brush and get a secret thrill, but anything bolder? Forget it.
By 7:50 p.m., everyone grabbed seats, tuned to STARZ, and waited for Band of Brothers.
Dunn plopped down in the middle of the couch, naturally.
Taylor, naturally, glued herself to his side—er, sat right next to him.
Dunn felt caged, sighing left and right.
Milla Jovovich quietly slid over to his right, hitching her skirt up a bit—her intent crystal clear.
Dunn's eyes sparkled. He sneaked a hand over, brushed her thigh, then slipped under her skirt. Talk about a rush!
No wonder they say a wife's no match for a mistress, and a mistress pales next to a fling.
The sneaky thrill? It hit different!
Then his phone rang. Seeing the number, his face sharpened. "Chris, it's me."
Chris Albrecht, STARZ's head honcho, was on the other end, buzzing with excitement. "Dunn, huge news! As of now, STARZ has over 8 million viewers tuned in!"
"8 million?"
Dunn knew Band of Brothers would crush it—back in its original run, it hit 15 million simultaneous viewers on HBO.
Still, hearing the numbers lit a fire in him.
The past two months of Six Feet Under barely cracked 3 million viewers.
Now? Ten minutes before airtime, over 8 million households were parked on STARZ, waiting!
Legendary show!
No doubt about it—tonight, America would witness the birth of a TV legend!
"Great, keep me posted!"
They traded quick words and hung up.
It felt like the minutes before the Super Bowl—hype and nerves all rolled into one.
Luckily, Milla's thigh pressed against his leg, melting the tension into pure excitement.
Taylor's eagle eyes caught it. She huffed, leaned in, and whispered, "That woman next to you's shameless—flirting with you in front of everyone."
Dunn glared. "Sit still and watch TV."
Five minutes…
Four minutes…
Three minutes…
STARZ wrapped up its last show. Now it was airing tomorrow's weather forecast.
Band of Brothers—two minutes from meeting America!
Then his phone rang again!
"10 million! Rough viewership just topped 10 million! Boss, we did it!"
Chris's voice was a near-shriek of joy.
For a movie, those numbers wouldn't raise an eyebrow. But a TV show pulling blockbuster-level hype and impact? That was a miracle!
Band of Brothers—on air!