Chapter Summaries

Irene met Lin Campbell, a twelve-year-old heart patient who had spent three years in the hospital, and decided she needed to help her beyond giving her a gift. Meanwhile, Britney was moved by visiting a sixteen-year-old fan with ALS, and reporters began asking her about the visit.

• Irene found Lin Campbell watching the hospital celebration from a sixth-floor window and invited her downstairs to choose a gift.
• The director told Irene that Lin had congenital heart disease, had lost both parents in an accident, and could no longer afford her expensive medication.
• Irene watched Lin happily select a Barbie doll and resolved to help her in a lasting way.
• Irene saw Shelly return with Britney, who explained that visiting her sixteen-year-old fan with ALS had moved her deeply.
• Reporters crowded around Britney and asked how she became interested in people with ALS and whether the hospital visit had been planned.

Britney and Irene shared the patients’ stories and outlined plans to support young people with ALS, while Irene also promised to cover Lin’s treatment costs as she waited for a donor heart. After arranging positive coverage of the charity event, Irene returned to the studio and called Chen Shiyu, who praised the footage.

• Britney explained that letters from fans with ALS, including a sixteen-year-old boy, had inspired her to visit and support them.
• Irene described plans to donate rehabilitation equipment, help cover treatment costs for ten young patients, and share patients’ stories to raise awareness.
• Britney promised to visit the patients regularly, stay in touch with the boy, and encourage other artists to help.
• Shelly told Irene that the boy was a real patient who had written letters to Britney, and Britney comforted him by touching his hand and stroking his head.
• Irene promised Lin that she would cover her treatment costs while they waited for a suitable donor heart.
• Irene instructed Shelly to spread positive coverage of the event, then called Chen Shiyu, who praised the footage.

Irene and Chen Shiyu planned to launch Facebook nationwide despite a server shortfall and more than $10 million in funding needs. Irene refused to delay or seek investors, and her financial adviser Jean Williams recommended a bank loan secured by Irene’s expected box office revenue.

• Chen Shiyu told Irene that Facebook’s core features had passed testing, but its servers could support only 300,000 users and the launch would require at least $10 million.
• Irene said she would raise the money within a week and ordered Chen Shiyu to launch nationwide at the end of the month with only the essential features.
• Chen Shiyu agreed to cut unnecessary features, optimize the core product, and seek a temporary server expansion.
• Irene contacted Jean Williams, who reviewed her finances and found she had about $100,000 in liquid funds and $4.2 million in publicly traded shares.
• Jean Williams advised Irene to get a bank loan, using the expected box office revenue from My Big Fat Greek Wedding as repayment security.

Irene realized she could raise money by selling the sequel development rights to three of her films, while also arranging a bank loan as backup. After telling Chen Shiyu the funding would arrive within a week, she asked Shelly about the rights, but he strongly opposed selling them.

• Irene and Qin discussed her finances, and Qin suggested licensing the sequel rights to Irene's films instead of relying only on a loan.
• Irene decided to offer Fox first refusal on the sequel rights to Legally Blonde, Mean Girls, and Stealing the Heavens and Changing the Day, while preparing a loan as backup.
• Irene texted Chen Shiyu that the funding problem was resolved and the project would still launch at the end of the month.
• Irene summoned Shelly and asked whether studios had approached him about sequel rights to her films.
• Shelly said he had turned down past inquiries and urged Irene not to sell the rights, arguing that the films could remain profitable long-term assets.

Irene decided to sell the sequel rights to three hit movies to quickly fund Facebook’s nationwide launch, despite Shelly’s concerns. Fox, Warner Bros., and Paramount reacted to the sale, and Adelaide called Irene to argue that Fox deserved the rights to the films it had helped make successful.

• Irene explained to Shelly that she needed to sell the sequel rights to Legally Blonde, Mean Girls, and Stealing the Heavens and Changing the Day to cover Facebook’s urgent funding gap.
• Shelly agreed to contact Fox, Universal, and Warner Bros. while Irene and Qin pursued a bank loan as a backup.
• Warner Bros. expressed interest but chose to wait for other studios to make offers, while Paramount asked Shelly to submit an offer for Stealing the Heavens and Changing the Day.
• Adelaide called Irene after hearing about the sale and reproached her for not giving Fox a personal warning.
• Adelaide reminded Irene that Fox had co-produced Stealing the Heavens and Changing the Day and Mean Girls, and argued that Fox had helped build both films’ success.

Irene considered competing offers for the sequel rights to three hit films and chose to sell them to Fox for $40 million, prioritizing her longstanding relationship with Adelaide over a higher price. The deal won her goodwill across Hollywood and brought new companies seeking to work with her.

• Adelaide urged Irene to sell Fox the sequel rights to all three films, promising a quick valuation, payment, and respect for her original vision.
• Irene told Shelly she would accept Fox's offer if it was no more than 10% below other offers, and required payment within a week and protections for the stories and characters.
• Shelly told Irene that Paramount had offered nearly $45 million for the rights, but Irene said she valued Fox's reliability and her relationship with Adelaide.
• Fox bought the sequel rights to Legally Blonde, Mean Girls, and Stealing the Heavens and Changing the Day for a $40 million package deal.
• Hollywood studios and media reacted to Irene's decision, while companies approached her studio and Sherry Lansing sent a message expressing Paramount's respect and interest in future collaboration.

After Fox paid $40 million for Pirates of the Caribbean, Irene allocated funds to Facebook and contacted a property manager about buying a home in Los Angeles. Martha Perez showed Irene, Vivian, and Britney a private Beverly Hills house, and Irene began assessing whether it suited her.

• Adelaide told Irene that Fox had paid the full $40 million for Pirates of the Caribbean, and Irene asked Qin to transfer $10 million to Chen Shiyu's company for Facebook's operations and expansion.
• Irene asked Qin for a reliable property manager, then told Martha Perez she wanted a modern, sunny, private home near the studio for under $10 million.
• Martha arranged to show Irene two properties, and Irene agreed to meet her at the studio the following afternoon.
• Martha took Irene, Vivian, and Britney to a Beverly Hills house with a garden, pool, and round-the-clock street security.
• Martha showed them the home's open-plan living room and floor-to-ceiling windows, pointing out its garden views and adjoining shrubland.

Irene toured a Beverly Hills villa that suited her needs but asked to see another option before discussing a contract. At the Santa Monica hillside property, its ocean views and spacious layout impressed her and her friends, leaving Irene with another house to consider.

• Martha showed Irene, Britney, and Vivian the Beverly Hills villa, and Irene decided she liked it but wanted to see the ocean-view property before negotiating.
• Martha drove them to Santa Monica and showed them the hillside villa’s garden and deck overlooking the beach and pier.
• Martha toured the group through the bright, open interior and ocean-facing kitchen of the Santa Monica house.
• Britney praised the house’s sea-breeze balcony, while Vivian admired the guest rooms and suggested they vacation there.

Irene chose the Santa Monica house for its ocean views and signed a contract to buy it after negotiating the price down to $9.48 million. She left undecided about whether to hold the complimentary housewarming party and looked ahead to her new home and upcoming projects.

• Irene compared the Santa Monica and Beverly Hills houses, and Vivian and Britney offered differing recommendations.
• Irene chose the Santa Monica house and asked for time to decide whether to hold the complimentary housewarming party.
• Martha negotiated the price with the owner, and Irene agreed to pay in full and discussed adding a walk-in closet.
• After returning to the villa, Irene reviewed and signed the contract to buy the house for $9.48 million.
• Irene left Santa Monica anticipating her new home, Facebook's upcoming launch, and the film's continued progress.

Irene agreed to host a small housewarming party after Shelly explained how it could strengthen her Hollywood connections and support her business goals. The next morning, Irene and Vera arrived at Universal Studios to visit the set of Hulk, where production manager Mark Davis was waiting.

• Shelly persuaded Irene to hold a housewarming party as a chance to build industry relationships.
• Irene asked Shelly to manage the guest list and told Martha to arrange a simple party for no more than fifty people.
• Martha agreed to prepare a decorations and catering proposal within three days.
• Shelly told Irene that she could visit Ang Lee's Hulk set at Universal Studios that week.
• Irene and Vera arrived at Universal Studios the next morning, where Mark Davis met them at the entrance.

Irene toured Universal Studios and watched Ang Lee direct a Hulk scene, then spoke with him about balancing effects with story and the film’s production. After meeting the cast and crew and hearing how Marvel oversaw the project, Irene left considering whether she might work with Universal in the future.

• Mark welcomed Irene and Vera to Universal Studios, described its effects resources, and expressed interest in collaborating with Irene on a future film.
• Irene and Vera watched Ang Lee direct a Hulk fight scene on soundstage 3, and Ang Lee greeted Irene after filming wrapped.
• Irene and Ang Lee discussed his approach to effects filmmaking and the importance of the Hulk’s emotions and character growth.
• Ang Lee introduced Irene to Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, and other cast and crew members, then explained Marvel’s role in overseeing the film’s development and rough cuts.
• Ang Lee returned to filming, and Mark showed Irene Universal’s special-effects production center before Irene left with Vera and considered a future collaboration.

Irene prepared her Santa Monica housewarming party as a chance to promote Facebook to influential Hollywood guests, arranging wine, scarves, perfume, and registration cards as favors. The party began with guests arriving, and Britney entered with three friends.

• Irene invited Britney to stay with her and agreed that Britney could bring friends to the party.
• Irene and Shelly planned Facebook registration cards for the party favors, pairing winery red wine for men with scarves and perfume for women.
• Irene asked her father to send wine from his winery, and Shelly and her team prepared the gifts and signed cards before the party.
• The housewarming party began, and Reese Witherspoon, Matt Damon, Adelaide, Hilary Swank, Johnny Depp, Vivian, and Hope Leslie arrived with gifts.
• Reese asked Irene whether Matt might help her with a movie audition, and Irene encouraged her to approach him.
• Britney arrived with three stylishly dressed friends and admired Irene's new home.

At Irene’s housewarming party, Britney brought Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Kim Kardashian, whose interest in Facebook promised valuable publicity. Henry Cavill arrived with Keira Knightley and expressed his wish to work with Irene again, while Keira encouraged him to approach her.

• Britney introduced Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Kim Kardashian to Irene, who welcomed them and considered them promising early Facebook users.
• Shelly gave the three women gift bags with Facebook invitations, and they eagerly agreed to register and recommend the platform.
• Henry Cavill arrived with Keira Knightley, gave Irene handmade leather bookmarks, and discussed working with her again.
• Keira told Irene that Henry often praised her work, and Henry confirmed he hoped to collaborate with her on a future project.
• Johnny Depp asked Irene to dance, and Henry stayed behind as Keira urged him to talk with Irene after the party.

At her housewarming party, Rachel advised Rachel McAdams to turn down a lead role in Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven, warning that its likely poor reception could make her the one blamed. Rachel McAdams remained uncertain after hearing Rachel’s reasoning.

• Rachel McAdams praised Rachel’s new home and asked her for advice about a historical movie role.
• Rachel McAdams described the flawed script and revealed that the movie was Kingdom of Heaven, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Orlando Bloom, with Edward Norton in talks.
• Rachel reacted with surprise and urged Rachel McAdams to turn down the role, then quietly asked whether she trusted her.
• Rachel McAdams questioned why Rachel doubted the film, and Rachel explained that its length and historical context could hurt its reception.
• Rachel warned that if the movie failed, audiences might blame Rachel McAdams after ruling out Ridley Scott’s direction and the other actors’ performances.

Irene persuaded Rachel to turn down Fox’s controversial Kingdom of Heaven and discussed the future of Pirates of the Caribbean with Adelaide Griffin. Adelaide agreed the series had sequel potential, but Irene said Fox should wait until The Curse of the Black Pearl was released and consider filming the second and third movies together.

• Rachel accepted Irene’s advice and decided to call her agent the next day to turn down the movie.
• Adelaide offered to help Rachel find a suitable script, but Rachel left before revealing that she was considering Kingdom of Heaven.
• Adelaide told Irene that Matt Damon’s success in The Bourne Identity had made Fox eager to build a competing film series around Pirates of the Caribbean.
• Irene assured Adelaide that Pirates of the Caribbean would become a series and suggested expanding its sequel with new antagonists and fantasy elements.
• Irene asked Adelaide to wait until after The Curse of the Black Pearl came out before developing the sequel and proposed filming the second and third movies together.

Irene and Adelaide agreed on a Facebook promotion for Pirates of the Caribbean, while Irene advised Britney to be cautious with her new celebrity friends. The next morning, Shelly told Irene that the press had distorted her private warning to Rachel McAdams about Kingdom of Heaven into a public attack on Ridley Scott.

• Irene and Adelaide planned official Pirates of the Caribbean accounts, cast Q&As, and merchandise giveaways on Facebook.
• Irene warned Britney to avoid alcohol and drugs while spending time with Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Kim Kardashian.
• Britney invited Irene to Paris’s private yacht party, but Irene declined and reminded Britney about the challenge she had mentioned.
• Shelly called Irene the next morning to report that the media had sensationalized Irene’s advice to Rachel McAdams about turning down Kingdom of Heaven.

Irene responded calmly to a smear campaign claiming she had interfered in Rachel’s casting choices, while asking Shelly to investigate who leaked their private conversation. Shelly traced the leak to two Fox producers acting on Mel Gibson’s orders, and Irene learned the campaign stemmed from his lingering grudge over their films competing at the box office.

• Irene told Shelly to issue a restrained response denying that she had questioned Director Ridley’s abilities and asked him to identify two Fox producers who had been near her and Rachel.
• Irene read newspapers portraying her as arrogant and interfering in casting, while Britney condemned the media’s distortion of their private conversation.
• Irene and Britney suspected the two Fox producers had overheard them, and Irene told Britney that Shelly was investigating.
• Shelly reported that the two Fox producers had leaked and embellished the conversation, then revealed that Mel Gibson had arranged the smear campaign.
• Shelly explained that Mel Gibson held a grudge because Mean Girls and The Patriot had competed at the box office and he had been exposed for racism, while Irene dismissed his motive as petty.

Irene dismissed Mel Gibson’s smear campaign and advised Adelaide to withdraw Fox from Kingdom of Heaven or secure Ridley Scott’s final cut, warning that the film would fail. She left Adelaide to decide whether to heed her warning and went shopping with Britney.

• Irene told Shelly to quietly hint to reliable media that Mel Gibson was behind the attacks and warned two producers to stay away from her.
• Irene and Britney went shopping, where Adelaide called to ask whether Irene believed Kingdom of Heaven was in trouble.
• Irene told Adelaide she expected the $150 million film to fail and advised him to pull Fox out or give Ridley Scott complete final cut.
• Adelaide asked for evidence, but Irene said her warning came from instinct and market judgment before ending the call.
• Irene bought Britney a sapphire necklace and said she hoped Adelaide would make the right choice.

Adelaide reconsidered Fox’s planned investment in Kingdom of Heaven after Irene warned him it would fail. A divided market review left him weighing whether to cancel the project or proceed with safeguards.

• Adelaide called an urgent meeting to reassess Kingdom of Heaven’s prospects and requested current market research.
• Tom argued that the success of Gladiator and The Lord of the Rings made epic films promising and that Ridley Scott could deliver a hit.
• Lena warned that expensive epics could suffer catastrophic losses and argued that Kingdom of Heaven’s slow, serious story might alienate audiences.
• Bob reported that recent films longer than three hours had performed poorly, with long runtimes reducing audience interest and screening numbers.
• Adelaide considered Irene’s warning and struggled to choose between withdrawing from the project, trusting Ridley Scott, or giving him final cut.

Adelaide decided Fox would abandon Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven after Lena confirmed its high risk of losing money. He planned to leak the talks to entice another studio to take the project, hoping to leave Fox blameless and trap a rival in a costly gamble.

• Adelaide suspended the signing process and asked Lena to stay after the meeting.
• Lena estimated that the film had over a sixty percent chance of losing money and warned that its budget and style made profitability unlikely.
• Adelaide decided Fox would abandon Kingdom of Heaven and asked Lena how to withdraw without offending Ridley Scott or damaging Fox’s reputation.
• Lena proposed that Fox discreetly tell other studios about the project so one might offer Ridley Scott better terms and draw him away from Fox.
• Adelaide considered luring Sony into the deal and secretly asked an associate to find companies willing to invest heavily in Ridley Scott’s project.