After the weekend, Simon arranged for Veronica to handle the upcoming financial audit of Egret on the West Coast and once again left Los Angeles. This time, it was likely another global trip, with New York as the first stop.
Manhattan.
At the Rebold family's mansion in the Upper West Side, it was the evening of April 9th.
A small, exclusive social gathering was taking place, attended by some of the most influential figures in the Big Apple.
"Simon, it seems Nasdaq has been struggling lately. If you need any financial support, just say the word," said a tall, round-faced, gray-haired man in his fifties named Thomas Luney, the CEO of New York Bank.
Simon raised his glass with a smile. "Of course, Tom. I won't hesitate if I need to."
The camaraderie between the two stemmed from a recent event.
After the turmoil in February, New York Bank's takeover and merger with Mellon Financial Group had gone smoothly. The Nasdaq crash in March further devastated the financial markets, leaving Mellon Financial with no leverage to resist. The two parties had now essentially agreed on a merger price.
$12 billion.
This was mainly because, after news spread of New York Bank's takeover of Mellon Financial and a series of positive developments, Mellon's stock price rebounded from its low of $8.6 billion to over $10 billion.
Even so, New York Bank had secured a massive bargain.
Last year, when New York Bank had considered acquiring Mellon Financial, the budget, including premiums, had been as high as $20 billion. Now, they had saved $8 billion out of thin air, which was certainly cause for celebration.
More importantly, through this collaboration, New York Bank had also connected with the Westeros system.
Shareholders, investors, and the board of directors had all responded enthusiastically to this positive development.
Previously, with assets of just over $70 billion, New York Bank hadn't even ranked among the top 10 banks in the USA. Now, after merging with Mellon Financial, which had assets exceeding $40 billion, New York Bank's total assets had surpassed $100 billion, reaching international first-tier bank status and jumping to seventh place among American banks.
With the anticipated future collaborations with the Westeros system, New York Bank had the potential to climb even higher in the global banking hierarchy.
After chatting with Thomas Luney for a while, Simon mingled with other guests before returning to James Rebold's side.
The topic was still New York Bank.
"After the merger, the new bank will be named New York Mellon Bank. Simon, you're okay with that, right?"
"Of course," Simon replied with a smile, shaking his head. He hadn't expected James to bring up such a trivial matter, though it was likely that New York Bank was being overly cautious, worried that Simon might have deep-seated issues with the Mellon family and that retaining the "Mellon" prefix might displease him.
Simon was a pragmatist and didn't care about such superficial matters.
In any case, after the merger, the Mellon family would lose all influence over the new New York Mellon Bank.
James had expected as much and simply smiled. "Also, after the merger, the new bank's board will expand from seven to eleven members. I've discussed it with Thomas, and we'll get two seats. Simon, do you have any plans for them?"
Both New York Bank and Mellon Financial were widely held private companies with no majority shareholder.
In such companies, while the shareholders collectively owned the business, control effectively lay with the board of directors.
For example, before this, the Mellon family collectively owned only 7% of Mellon Financial but controlled five of the eight board seats, allowing them to maintain absolute control over the old bank.
Simon had long understood this hidden power dynamic in many American corporate giants. While maintaining absolute control over the core companies of the Westeros system, he had been steadily securing board seats in other companies, either directly or indirectly, through the system's various enterprises.
This was essentially a quiet effort to gain control over the American economy.
The Westeros system had facilitated New York Bank's takeover of Mellon Financial, and of course, they wouldn't do it for free.
Even without significant stakes in either company, they had negotiated for board seats in the new bank. Building a loyal financial arm required not just future collaborations but also direct control.
With the new bank's board expanding to eleven members, securing two seats meant 18% of the voting power—a significant influence.
Understanding the importance of this power, Simon, despite his trust in James, didn't casually delegate the authority to appoint these seats. Instead, he said, "I'll think about it and get back to you with the candidates soon."
This wasn't the first time they'd discussed such matters, and James simply nodded with a smile, saying nothing more. If it were him, he wouldn't easily relinquish such authority either, much like how kings in ancient times rarely allowed their ministers to appoint officials.
Leaving the Rebold family's gathering, Simon returned to his Fifth Avenue apartment around 10 PM.
After entering, he quickly found the two women in a small sitting room next to the master bedroom on the third floor: Grace Crape, six months pregnant, and Bryce Levinson, who had once again tagged along with Grace.
Seeing Grace still awake, watching TV while waiting for him, while the other woman was sound asleep with her head on Grace's lap, Simon walked over, picked Bryce up, and gently placed her on the carpet before taking her warm spot on the couch.
Bryce Levinson groggily opened her eyes, realized her situation, and kicked Simon's leg a couple of times in protest before crawling back up and curling up on the remaining space on the couch, resting her head on Simon's lap to continue sleeping.
This time, Simon didn't push her away. Instead, he stroked her smooth cheek, letting her bite his finger, and asked Grace, "How are you feeling tonight? Has the little one been active?"
Before Grace could answer, Bryce spat out Simon's finger and interjected, "Very active. I even got kicked. That's why Grace is still awake—not because she's waiting for you."
Grace chuckled and explained, "She was listening to the baby's movements with her ear on my belly and got kicked."
Bryce added, "He's going to be just like his dad—a troublemaker."
Simon simply used his finger to silence Bryce again, letting her mumble as he chatted with Grace for a while. Then, remembering the discussion at the gathering, he asked Grace, "Do you know about the New York Bank and Mellon Financial merger?"
"Yes, you orchestrated it, right?"
"Exactly. We've secured two board seats. How about I give one to you?"
Grace immediately shook her head. "That wouldn't work. I don't know anything about banking."
Bryce, freeing herself from Simon's grip, chimed in, "You don't need to know anything about banking for this. Grace, he just needs you to be a puppet—someone who'll do as he says."
Grace looked at Simon, and if that were the case, she wouldn't mind—in fact, she'd be happy to be his puppet.
Simon nodded. "Actually, many large corporations appoint independent directors who aren't industry experts, like scholars, retired politicians, or athletes. In my case, I do need someone I can trust because you'll have voting power."
Grace was about to agree but then glanced down at her belly. "But I'm pregnant. I'm barely managing Elite as it is."
"That's fine. The full merger will take some time. You can just have your name listed for now. By the time the baby's born, the bank might not even be fully operational yet."
Bryce, still resting on Simon's lap, added, "I could do it too, Simon. Let me earn some pocket money, huh?"
Board members of major corporations were considered top executives, with generous salaries and benefits, so many people were eager to serve as puppets.
However, Simon trusted Grace and believed she'd take the role seriously, which was why he offered her a seat. As for Bryce, she was a pampered socialite who'd never done a day of real work in her life. Letting her serve as a bank director would be reckless. Simon planned to choose a more professional candidate for the second seat.
Looking down at Bryce's more delicate and well-maintained face compared to Grace's, Simon shook his head. "Such demanding work isn't for you. If you want pocket money, I'll give you $100 million later."
Bryce was momentarily stunned until Grace laughed and lightly tapped Simon's shoulder. Realizing she'd been teased, Bryce tried to rebel but was quickly subdued, her mouth once again silenced.
Since Simon was leaving the next day, Grace, despite her fatigue, didn't want to sleep, hoping to spend more time talking with him. She brought up another topic: "This year's Elite Model Competition has already launched in various regions. My former assistant, Michelle—you've met her—is handling it, and I'll keep an eye on things too. But if you have any specific needs, you can talk to her directly."
Simon simply nodded.
"Also, Angela Lindvall and last year's Michelle Alves—you haven't touched them yet. Why not take them to Europe this time? Fashion Week just ended, so they're free."
Bryce couldn't take it anymore and broke free from Simon's grip. "Grace, you're his mistress, not a madam. Why are you always finding women for him?"
Grace ignored Bryce's sharp tongue, leaning gently against Simon's shoulder, content.
She didn't care what she was to him.
As long as she was something to him, that was enough.
Her hopeless devotion only frustrated Bryce more—or perhaps she didn't even know if she was frustrated or something else. When Grace reached over to silence her like Simon had, Bryce tried to bite her hand but quickly stopped when Simon gave her a warning glance.
Sigh.
Was she just as hopeless?
The next day, April 10th, was a Thursday.
After breakfast, Simon bid farewell to Grace and Bryce and boarded a flight to London, his next destination.
He didn't take the two "trophies" Grace had mentioned the night before. Europe had plenty of those, and he didn't have the time anyway—this trip was mostly about business.
The UK was holding its next Prime Minister election on May 1st.
As the Westeros system grew larger, it became increasingly affected by national macroeconomic policies, so Simon had to devote more time to this area.
This stop in London was specifically to meet with some political candidates in advance.
Building a network of connections wasn't as mysterious or complicated as some imagined. Simply meeting at parties or gatherings, even if the conversations were superficial, established a connection. Maintaining it, however, required substantive collaborations, preferably mutually beneficial ones.
After the UK, the next stop was Finland.
Since he was in Europe, a visit to Nokia's headquarters was a must.
Then came Italy.
Several of Melisandre's core brands originated in Italy, and as the fashion giant continued to grow, the Westeros system's presence in Italy naturally expanded, increasing its influence in the country.
The final European stop was, of course, Ukraine.
The schedule had been arranged well in advance. During Simon's visit, the Rivne Free Trade Zone would officially be established, and President Kuchma had confirmed his attendance at the official ceremony where the zone would sign free trade agreements with representatives from 17 countries. Simon, the mastermind behind the scenes, didn't plan to make a public appearance but would meet with Kuchma privately.
After last year's Scherban assassination, Kuchma had gradually realized that his Prime Minister, Lazarenko, was becoming increasingly unruly and a threat to his power. Kuchma had decided to remove him.
However, although both belonged to the Petrovsk faction, Lazarenko had already established his own power base and couldn't be easily ousted. The two sides were now locked in a power struggle.
Simon and the Westeros system's representatives in Ukraine, the Rovno faction, were staying out of it—at least on the surface.
Of course, this "staying out" itself signaled Simon's stance. He didn't want Ukraine's political situation to stabilize too much. If Kyiv became stable, they might start viewing the independent Rovno faction as a growing problem.
As the saying goes, idle hands are the devil's workshop.
Inside the cabin of the Boeing 767, Simon was in the study, flipping through Anthony Blair's resume while casually scribbling on a notepad.
Two names had already been written and crossed out on the notepad.
Spice Girls.
Harry Potter.
In established capitalist countries like the UK, the political system had strong continuity, so even Simon, with his influence, hadn't affected Anthony Blair's candidacy for Prime Minister. According to UK polls, Blair was likely to become the next Prime Minister.
However, the Spice Girls, who should have debuted last year, and the Harry Potter series, which had once made a struggling writer wealthier than the Queen, had both been "butterflied" away.
Neither outcome surprised Simon.
The Spice Girls should have formed last year, but after the success of American Idol, the UK quickly launched British Idol, which also became a sensation. As a result, the music industry's attention was largely captured by British Idol, and the emerging artists were signed by Daenerys Records, which had expanded to the UK.
With the music industry in decline, resources were limited, and British Idol had taken up most of them, so the Spice Girls' disappearance wasn't surprising.
As for Harry Potter, its origin story was similar to My Fair Princess, which Simon had recently handed over to Ren Jingxi. J.K. Rowling had reportedly been inspired by a boy with glasses she saw on a train, sparking the idea for the series.
This time, J.K. Rowling was unlikely to have the same experience.
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