Terms of the Alliance

Cruella de Vil didn't care at all how impolite it was to Givenchy. She simply said to herself, "Did you finally decide to support my succession to the title by summoning me all the way from London?"

"Actually, I also need your help with something. A trade-off, isn't that reasonable?"

"Not bad." Cruella de Vil took a drag of her cigarette and exhaled to the side. "What do you need my help with?"

Givenchy didn't say it directly, but instead gave him a look. "Let's find a quiet place."

"Can."

The group, in a large procession, found a small conference room next to the banquet hall. After instructing the security personnel responsible for maintaining order at the venue not to let anyone disturb them for the time being, Givenchy closed the conference room door.

Cruella de Vil certainly recognized Givenchy and Philippe Vénet, two industry veterans. But she didn't recognize the other two young men and the older woman. So at this moment, she simply observed and commented on the three of them with great interest.

She glanced at Henry first, then quickly made her judgment. "Pass!"

Henry was confused. Why had he been overlooked at first glance? He asked, "What's wrong with me? Why was I given up on so easily?"

Cruella de Vil, carrying a large pipe, approached Henry and bluntly stated, "That's a Givenchy men's suit from seven years ago, suitable for successful people over fifty."

"Considering that people of this age may not be able to maintain a fit physique like younger people, the design is relatively loose. It fits you perfectly."

"But from the details of the shoulders and waist, it's clear that this outfit was temporarily altered from a ready-made garment, so there are some minor, inconspicuous Flaws."

"Do you have any right to deserve my respect, a guy who wears old clothes and whose tailoring is subpar? No, unfortunately, you don't."

Cruella de Vil pretended to straighten Henry's suit collar, then casually slid her hand to his tie.

"--But I must commend you for your taste in this tie. However, I suspect you didn't choose it yourself. Royal blue with diagonal white stripes, silk. Hmm, Philip, is this from your collection?"

Givenchy found it amusing and nudged his old friend with his elbow. "Look, people say your tailoring skills have declined."

"How long have I had presbyopia! Did you notice anything wrong? If so, why didn't you tell me?" Philip complained.

"My eyesight isn't as sharp as it used to be." Givenchy feigned surrender and took a small step back.

Cruella de Vil showed no fear of offending anyone, chuckled, and said, "Philip, if your eyesight isn't good, you shouldn't do it. Nobody can do needlework until they die."

Henry would have whistled on the spot if it weren't for her rudeness to the elderly man who supported him. This woman was so arrogant; she was no ordinary person.

Henry got criticized, and it seems Charlize Theron and JJ Harris aren't immune to his sharp tongue either.

Cruella de Vil looked at the two of them, said only, "It's alright," and didn't continue.

Since both women were wearing over-season Givenchy dresses, which were quite conventional, and women's dresses are much easier to adjust than men's suits, there was no indication that they were ill-fitting.

The people Givenchy brought were wearing old clothes from his own brand. Even if Cruella de Vil was stupid, she knew that this old man had come for them today.

Before clarifying the situation, she didn't want to waste any more time criticizing. She went straight to the point. "Givenchy, what you want me to do is related to them, isn't it?"

"That's right," Givenchy explained. "Simply put, Charlize Theron is attending a film premiere at the beginning of next month."

"But they're being targeted by external forces, so no designer is willing to work with them. That's why they're looking for someone bold enough to see if they're interested in breaking into Hollywood."

Cruella de Vil asked, "External force? What external force?"

Givenchy at Henry, unsure whether he should elaborate to that extent.

Henry, however, didn't have so many reservations and said directly, "Vampires. Not any nickname or description, but the kind of Monster you heard about in bedtime stories when you were a kid, a real Vampires."

"You mean that kind of guy who wears medieval clothes, has terrible taste, and has two fangs?" Cruella de Vil even put her index fingers down to her lips, making a fang-like gesture.

Henry nodded and said, "They're Vampires, you know. But they don't wear medieval clothing; that would be too conspicuous."

"Then why aren't you going to see the Priest? What are you doing here with me?" Cruella de Vil asked simply, her tone unreadable, neither angry nor curious.

Henry said, "Because in Hollywood, they secretly control a lot of people in the lower and middle classes, and their influence is no less than that of the big companies that are in the public eye."

"They are targeting us with business tactics, so we should respond with business tactics as well. We should try to avoid escalating our tactics to prevent the impact from expanding and causing more losses."

"But I don't want to involve unsuspecting people in this potentially escalating struggle. Because this is my first time encountering them, and I don't know what they're capable of. Maybe the next second, it will turn into a bloody war."

Givenchy then softened the situation, saying, "Actually, things aren't that bad. Their reluctance to expose us limits many of their methods. At least as far as I know, if you clearly express your refusal, they'll back down."

Henry didn't want to correct Givenchy's perception. For someone of his stature, as long as he kept a distance, Vampires wouldn't dare approach. That was a good thing; there was no need to expose the fact that those dark creatures were ruthless towards ordinary people.

"What can I get in return?" Cruella de Vil asked Henry directly, looking him straight in the eye.

Henry certainly didn't think it would be enough for Givenchy to pay the price; he could get it for free. But he also didn't know what Cruella de Vil, whom he was meeting for the first time, would need, so he asked:

"What do you want? I'm the CEO of Stark Studios now, I have some assets, and compared to the average person, I don't think you'd be interested in an AR wearable system."

"Besides, that system still has a long way to go before it can be implemented. So, what do you want? Just name your price; it'll be faster for me to guess."

Henry laid out his available options, making it seem like Cruella de Vil could choose whatever she wanted. Even technical support wasn't out of the question, but AR technology was still too early to be used. The hardware needed further development before it could support the system's application.

However, Cruella de Vil wasn't even interested in asking what AR was; she went straight to Charlize Theron.

As a future South Africa diamond and ice queen, she may not have the same aura she will later possess, but with her height exceeding Cruella de Vil's by half a head, she holds her own against this fashion icon.