Chapter Summaries

Over dinner, Henry explained how Vampires had targeted Charlize Theron and asked Givenchy to find a designer willing to make her a gown for an upcoming film premiere. Givenchy said he had someone in mind, leaving Henry and Charlize eager to hear the name.

• Givenchy and Henry discussed how old sculptures changed over time, while Charlize Theron shared her own aesthetic impressions.
• During dessert, Givenchy asked Henry what trouble had brought him to seek help finding a designer.
• Henry explained that Vampires led by Gitano Dragonetti had targeted Charlize Theron because of his connection to Tony Stark and that she needed a gown for an important premiere early next month.
• Henry asked Givenchy to introduce them to a designer willing to work with them despite the Vampires' influence.
• Givenchy said he had someone in mind, and Henry asked him to make the introduction.

Givenchy offered to introduce Henry to the ambitious designer Cruella de Vil, whose support could help her claim a noble title and enter Hollywood. Henry and Charlize Theron chose to stay at Givenchy’s castle for two days before meeting Cruella at a fashion-week banquet.

• Givenchy described Cruella de Vil as a talented but reckless woman seeking influential noble supporters, and Henry recognized her from his memories of the film Cruella.
• Givenchy offered to invite Henry and his companions to a semi-public banquet in two days, where they could meet Cruella.
• Henry and Charlize Theron agreed to stay in France, while Henry assured Charlize that old Gary would care for Kitty at home.
• Henry, Charlize Theron, and J.J. Harris stayed as guests at Givenchy’s modernized castle.

Charlize joined Henry’s morning piano performance, and Givenchy and Philippe Venet criticized his precise but passionless playing. After Charlize asked for something livelier, Henry performed Ievan Polkka with newfound energy, leaving the guests impressed and Charlize blushing; the group then headed to breakfast.

• Charlize followed the piano music to the music room, where Henry played for Givenchy and Philippe Venet.
• Givenchy and Philippe Venet told Henry that his performance of Liebestraum No. 3 was technically precise but lacked passion.
• Charlize sat beside Henry and asked him to play something livelier, so he sang and played Ievan Polkka in Finnish.
• Givenchy praised the passion Henry showed while playing beside Charlize, and the two of them reacted with surprise.
• J.J. Harris arrived and learned about the performance, and Givenchy’s butler announced that breakfast was ready.

At a Paris fashion party, Henry and Charlize endured repeated hostile pranks while Givenchy introduced them to his circle. The flamboyant Cruella de Vil arrived and confronted Givenchy, leaving the other guests wary of approaching him.

• Givenchy brought Henry and Charlize to the party, where guests treated the couple with respect neither received on their own.
• Henry used his Super Senses to shield Charlize from deliberate collisions and spilled drinks, stopping her from retaliating.
• A commotion announced Cruella de Vil's arrival, and she entered in a striking black-and-white outfit with two attendants.
• Cruella greeted Givenchy with a hand-kiss and flirted with him, but he reminded her that he had a husband.
• Cruella's attendants lit her cigarette, and her presence kept other guests from approaching Givenchy.

Givenchy asked Cruella de Vil to help Charlize Theron prepare for a film premiere after vampires had driven other designers away. Cruella heard Henry’s offer but focused her attention on Charlize, leaving her terms unstated.

• Cruella de Vil criticized Henry’s altered Givenchy suit but praised his tie, while she judged Charlize Theron and J.J. Harris as acceptable.
• Givenchy explained that Charlize faced a premiere and that outside forces had made designers unwilling to work with her.
• Henry told Cruella that real vampires were pressuring them through Hollywood’s business networks and that he wanted to respond without escalating the conflict.
• Cruella asked what she would receive, and Henry offered to negotiate from his position as Stark Studios’ CEO.
• Cruella ignored Henry’s offer of assets and technology, walked up to Charlize, and met her steady gaze.

Cruella tried to recruit Charlize Theron as a spokesperson, but J.J. Harris demanded fair compensation and the negotiation turned into a heated argument. The chapter ended with Henry and the Baden brothers pulling Cruella and Charlize apart before they could fight.

• Cruella inspected Charlize Theron and offered to provide gowns if she modeled in commercials and print shoots.
• J.J. Harris demanded that Cruella pay Charlize Theron for the work and protect both the model’s and the brand’s commercial value.
• Henry met Jasper Baden and Horace Baden, who explained that they handled Cruella’s affairs and often served as her muscle.
• Jasper and Horace revealed that Cruella usually modeled her own designs because people could not stand working with her.
• Cruella and Charlize began to come to blows, so Henry carried Charlize away while the Baden brothers restrained Cruella.

Givenchy entrusted Henry with the last bottle and sole surviving formula of Audrey Hepburn’s private version of L’Interdit, asking him to preserve its memory and keep it private until Givenchy’s death. Henry accepted and promised not to use it for profit.

• Henry told Givenchy that Charlize Theron and Cruella de Vil had agreed to sign their contract despite disliking each other.
• Givenchy explained that professionalism meant working with others regardless of personal feelings and praised Cruella’s professionalism.
• Givenchy revealed that he had retired because Audrey Hepburn’s death had left him without inspiration.
• Givenchy gave Henry the last bottle of Audrey’s true L’Interdit and its only surviving formula, explaining that the commercially sold fragrance was different.
• Henry accepted the inheritance and promised to preserve the scent without commercializing it.

Henry brought Kitty to the soundstage after Charlize asked for help with a GG shoot, hoping the tiger would make it easier to film a wild-themed scene. Kitty’s arrival startled the crew, while Charlize greeted her and prepared to shoot.

• Charlize asked Henry to bring Kitty to the green-screen set because she wanted the tiger for the GG shoot.
• Henry left Stark Studios and drove Kitty to the soundstage, where the crew reacted with alarm.
• Charlize greeted Kitty and explained that she had suggested using a tiger because the crew struggled to plan her interaction with a lion.

Henry brought Kitty to Charlize's set, where Cruella de Vil wanted to use the tiger in a fashion shoot. J.J. Harris agreed to handle Kitty's temporary animal-actor contract as Cruella and the director began filming.

• Cruella de Vil approached Kitty, but Henry warned her that Kitty and her fur were not for sale.
• Charlize started preparations for the shoot and told Cruella to negotiate Kitty's pay with Henry.
• Henry asked J.J. Harris to arrange a temporary contract and let her set the rate for Kitty's work.
• Cruella sent Jasper Baden to handle the negotiations while she discussed outfits and shots with the director.
• Cruella took charge on set and directed the noisy shoot as Henry anxiously watched Kitty.

On the eve of the premiere of Escape from Devil Island, Charlize Theron tried on a green gown from Cruella de Vil while Henry was sent next door to fit his suit. The fitting left Charlize preparing for the premiere and Henry impressed by Cruella’s precision and tailoring.

• Charlize Theron tried on Cruella de Vil’s green gown, and Henry questioned its understated design.
• Cruella defended her choice as appropriate for Charlize’s premiere and ordered Henry out of the fitting room.
• Henry joined Jasper Baden and Horace Baden next door, where they teased him about Cruella tolerating him during her work.
• Henry tried on a dark gray suit and found that Cruella had tailored it to fit him perfectly while allowing him to move freely.

At the Escape from Devil Island premiere, Charlize Theron received unexpected attention because of her Tiger-filled GG campaign, while Sean Connery helped her handle the press and promoted her as a promising actress. At the reception, Henry Brown reunited with Charlize and joked with Connery and Nicolas Cage about his supposed pet Tiger.

• Sean Connery accompanied Charlize Theron down the red carpet and supported her as reporters asked about her role in Cruella de Vil's GG campaign.
• Charlize explained that the grasslands were composited with Stark Studios technology but that the Tiger was real and belonged to her boyfriend, Henry Brown.
• Charlize kept redirecting reporters toward the film, while Sean Connery asked questions that let her discuss her work and guided her through the press line.
• Sean Connery led Charlize to Henry Brown at the reception and quietly asked whether Henry really kept a Tiger; Henry called it a five- or six-hundred-pound Tabby Cat.
• Nicolas Cage greeted Henry, joked about visiting his Tiger, and praised Charlize's performance before leaving.

After the premiere, Henry and Charlize discussed her possible participation in Cruella de Vil's runway show with Kitty. Charlize wondered whether she could succeed without Henry's help, and he reassured her before she insisted he stay by her side.

• Henry drove Charlize home after the premiere, and she told him not to tear the gown she had borrowed from Cruella de Vil.
• Henry explained that Kitty would only join Cruella de Vil's runway show if Charlize participated, and Charlize said she would discuss it with Jen.
• Henry asked Charlize how she felt about attending the premiere, and she said she felt little because she had not starred in the film.
• Charlize asked whether she was useless without Henry's help, and Henry encouraged her by saying she could build a brilliant life on her own.
• Charlize accused Henry of planning to leave and told him he had to stay by her side, and Henry agreed.

James Cameron visited Stark Studios to seek computational support for Titanic after 20th Century Fox refused to provide more funding. After touring Hollywood Kid, he asked Henry Brown to establish a software department to create realistic simulations for the film.

• Henry greeted James Cameron at Stark Studios and learned that Cameron was seeking new funding for Titanic.
• Henry showed Cameron Hollywood Kid, its digital restoration and editing services, and the teams developing film-grade digital imaging technology.
• Cameron asked Henry to establish a software department to simulate natural forces and physical effects for Titanic.
• Cameron explained that he wanted lifelike visuals beyond what Steve Jobs' Pixar Animation Studios could produce.

James Cameron asked Henry to have Stark Studios develop realistic computer-generated effects for Titanic and sought investment after Fox ran out of money. Henry considered the proposal as Cameron estimated the film needed another sixty million Dao to finish shooting.

• James Cameron explained his plans for realistic sinking effects and asked Stark Studios to collaborate with Digital Domain.
• Henry said the effects were possible but would require substantial resources, and Cameron admitted he could not fund the work himself.
• James Cameron revealed that Fox had agreed to seek outside investment and offered Stark Studios the film's computer-generated effects work.
• James Cameron offered Charlize a small cameo, and Henry declined to seek a larger role for her.
• James Cameron said Fox had spent about 135 million Dao and estimated that another sixty million Dao would let Titanic finish filming.

Henry secured Tony Stark’s approval to invest in James Cameron’s Titanic, with the funding conditional on 20th Century Fox granting Stark Studios North American distribution rights. The chapter ended with Henry asking Cameron who at Fox he should contact to negotiate.

• Henry told James Cameron that investment beyond Stark Studios’ budget required Tony Stark’s approval, then called Tony with Cameron listening.
• Henry explained that Cameron needed sixty million dollars to complete Titanic and argued that Stark Studios should invest in exchange for distribution and other rights.
• Tony approved sixty-five million dollars in funding, counting Sony’s ten-million-dollar compensation payment toward the investment, and demanded North American distribution rights from Fox.
• Tony and Henry traded insults before Tony ended the call.
• Henry told Cameron they had handled the main obstacle and asked whom he should contact at 20th Century Fox.

Henry worked on plans for his concealed Undersea Laboratory and considered how it could support research into alien technology. When Cruella reported that Jasper had gone missing after being sent to Los Angeles, Henry set out to investigate while Charlize stayed to hear updates.

• Henry planned to cool off beneath the full moon and continued considering the construction and power supply for his Undersea Laboratory.
• Henry reflected that the Undersea Laboratory could provide a secure place to study Kree and Skrull technology once it was ready.
• Charlize told Henry that Cruella had asked whether he had seen Jasper, who had gone missing while delivering invitations in Los Angeles.
• Henry grew concerned that Jasper might have been targeted because of Henry's troubles and promised to ask his street connections for information.
• Charlize asked to stay with Henry while he investigated, and Henry changed clothes and grabbed his car keys.

Black Super searched Los Angeles for Jasper Baden and found him badly injured after a Vampire attack, alongside Blade, who had slaughtered the Vampires. Black Super paid Blade to try to save Jasper, then vanished, leaving Blade to take Jasper to his secret base.

• Black Super flew to downtown Los Angeles and searched for Jasper Baden using his Super Senses.
• Black Super found Blade killing Vampires in an alley, with Jasper lying nearby after being bitten.
• Blade attacked Black Super with a silver stake, but it bounced off his Kevlar suit and Kryptonian skin.
• Black Super offered Blade a Continental Hotel Gold Coin and one hundred thousand dollars to save Jasper.
• Blade agreed to help Jasper and carried him to his Dodge Charger, while Black Super disappeared.

Black Super brought the bitten Jasper Baden to Blade and Abraham Whistler’s secret base, paid them to treat him, and proved he was not a vampire. After injecting Jasper with garlic extract, Black Super monitored the treatment and discovered that the Vampire Virus barely mutated.

• Black Super brought the unconscious Jasper Baden to Blade and Abraham Whistler’s base and offered them a hundred thousand dollars to save him.
• Blade and Abraham Whistler questioned Black Super, who demonstrated that a silver spike could not pierce his hand and said he had scores to settle with vampires.
• Abraham Whistler warned that garlic extract might only delay Jasper’s transformation, and Black Super drew a blood sample before injecting the extract into Jasper’s neck.
• Jasper convulsed from the injection as Black Super monitored the damage to infected cells and determined that the garlic extract might fail if any virus or transformed cells survived.
• Black Super observed that the Vampire Virus reproduced with almost no variation, unlike influenza.

Black Super left Blade and Abraham Whistler to make a serum that might save Jasper Baden from becoming a vampire. After he returned to his laboratory, the hunters discovered that he had hacked their computer, leaving a message on their monitor.

• Black Super explained why he wanted to make the serum and told Blade and Abraham Whistler to watch Jasper Baden while he worked.
• Black Super returned at super speed to the Sheep Cave Valley Laboratory, and Abraham Whistler and Blade discussed his identity and how to handle Jasper.
• Abraham Whistler decided to tie up the wounded man and move their base because too many people knew its location.
• Blade and Abraham Whistler found a message from Black Super on their computer monitor and realized he had hacked their system.

Black Super returned to Blade's base and used his homemade serum to treat Jasper Baden, then offered Blade and Abraham Whistler a deal to fund their Vampire hunt. Blade agreed to cooperate, while Black Super offered to develop a separate treatment for Blade's Bloodlust Syndrome in exchange for more Vampire kills.

• Black Super and Abraham Whistler examined Jasper Baden's worsening bite wound and discussed Vampire weaknesses and possible weapons.
• Black Super injected Jasper Baden with his serum, and Jasper convulsed before showing signs of improvement.
• Black Super gave Abraham Whistler the remaining serum and its recipe, then revealed that he was Henry Brown, CEO of Stark Studios.
• Black Super explained that Vampires were targeting him as a way to get to Stark Industries and Tony Stark, and offered money, serum, weapons, and surveillance systems for help killing Vampires.
• Blade accepted Black Super's offer, and Black Super proposed developing a serum for Blade's Bloodlust Syndrome if Blade helped test it by killing more Vampires.