After admiring the adorable sleeping face of the little girl for a moment, Simon put down the children's book, quietly got up, and left the bedroom. Yulia Shurikhina and Ivanna Antonenko, who had been waiting nearby, quickly followed him out.
Once outside, Simon casually asked Ivanna, "How have Yulia and the others been lately?"
This "Yulia" wasn't the Shurikhina beside him but Ivanna's sister, Yulia Antonenko. After some past events, the girl and two others had been sent to study in London. Hearing Simon's question, Ivanna quickly moved closer, her tone cautious and respectful: "They're doing well, sir. Yulia misses you very much."
Simon didn't comment on Ivanna mimicking Shurikhina's way of addressing him and simply smiled, "Don't you miss me?"
Ivanna blushed slightly, avoiding his gaze, but quickly nodded, "I do."
After Simon finished speaking with Ivanna, Shurikhina softly interjected, "Sir, would you like to rest now, or perhaps have something to eat?"
"Prepare some food, and also, get the underground pool ready with hot water. I'll take a bath."
The three of them reached the staircase and headed downstairs. Shurikhina agreed and asked, "What would you like to eat, sir?"
"Whatever you think is best."
"Then, sir, please rest for a moment," Shurikhina said as they reached the living room. She turned to Ivanna, who was still following them, and said, "Ivanna, go prepare the bathwater. I'll head to the kitchen."
Hearing Shurikhina's instructions, Ivanna hesitated for a moment, watching as Simon sat down on the sofa, but eventually turned and left.
Shurikhina stayed behind, not in a hurry. She turned on the TV for Simon, fetched a bottle of soda water from the fridge in the corner of the room—remembering his preferences—and handed it to him. She then called over another maid to keep watch before heading to the kitchen.
About ten minutes later, Shurikhina reappeared, this time with Ivanna in tow, indicating that the late-night snack and the pool were ready.
Simon got up and left the living room, glancing at the two women. "Tell Natalia to join me too. If she keeps hiding, I'll take her back to Ukraine."
"Of course."
Shurikhina responded softly but looked at Ivanna. Ivanna hesitated for a moment, but after a brief standoff, she finally gave in and walked away.
Thanks to the comfort of his private jet and a well-planned schedule, jet lag was never an issue for Simon.
After enjoying a bath, having a late-night snack, and indulging in some "dessert" with the three women, Simon slept soundly until morning.
Early the next day.
In a bedroom on the second floor of the Kensington Gardens mansion, Shurikhina, who had been up early handling various tasks, finally entered her daughter's room as breakfast approached. The little girl was still sound asleep, having stayed up too late the previous night. Normally, Shurikhina would let her sleep in, but today was different.
Feeling her mother gently calling her, the five-year-old girl opened her eyes, blinked a few times, and then remembered something. She sat up without any hesitation, looking around. "Mommy, where's Daddy?"
"Daddy's downstairs."
Shurikhina said as she brought over her daughter's clothes and began helping her dress, speaking softly, "Sweetie, what's the first thing you should say when you see Daddy later?"
"Good morning," the little girl obediently raised her arms to put on her clothes, then pouted slightly. "Mommy, you've said this so many times. Nina won't forget."
"And what else?"
The little girl replied, "I can act spoiled in front of Daddy, but I also need to be sensible. If Daddy has work to do, I can't be clingy, or else Daddy won't want me anymore."
Shurikhina nodded, continuing to help her daughter dress, then asked, "And what else?"
"Nina is a secret. I can never mention Daddy's name in front of outsiders, or else Daddy won't want me anymore. Mommy, you've said this so many times too. Nina is smart and has never told anyone."
"Good girl."
After this now-familiar routine of gentle persuasion, Shurikhina finished dressing her daughter, helped her wash up, and then they headed downstairs.
It was a little past 7 AM.
The little girl, following her mother's cue, ran into the dining room, only to find Ivanna already there with Vera, sitting across from Simon and chatting.
The girl, innocent and without any ulterior motives, politely said good morning and then rushed over to Simon, quickly being lifted onto his lap. She looked at Vera, who, though also doll-like, seemed listless and pitiful in Ivanna's arms, and said candidly, "Auntie Ivanna, Vera looks so sleepy."
Ivanna Antonenko smiled somewhat awkwardly and replied, "Yes, but Vera is almost four now. She needs to be like Nina and not sleep in anymore."
The little girl nodded in agreement, then looked up at Simon behind her. "Daddy definitely doesn't like kids who sleep in. Nina never sleeps in."
Simon rested his chin on the girl's head. "Nina is such a good girl."
Ivanna watched the intimate interaction between the two, wishing she could pinch her own listless daughter. She had finally managed to get Vera up and bring her to Simon, but the girl had started crying at the sight of a stranger. After much coaxing, she still refused to speak to Simon, acting like a little mute.
Not to mention calling him… that.
Without Simon's permission, she didn't dare teach her daughter to do so.
Shurikhina watched her daughter and Simon chatting with a soft gaze. After a moment, she said, "Alright, sweetie, it's time for breakfast. You can't stay in Daddy's lap."
The little girl obediently nodded, remembering her mother's teachings. Though she really, really didn't want to leave her father's embrace, she didn't want to risk him abandoning her and her mother. She reluctantly got up and sat in the chair next to Simon.
Shurikhina was pleased with her daughter's reaction and then looked at Ivanna across the table. "Ivanna, maybe Vera should go back to sleep for a while."
Ivanna wanted to say no, but under Shurikhina's seemingly calm yet firm gaze, she only held out for a moment before giving in. She picked up her daughter and stood, trying to get Vera to say goodbye to Simon. After a few attempts, the girl remained silent, looking like she might cry again, so Ivanna gave up.
Simon seemed oblivious to the subtle tension between the women. After Ivanna left with her daughter, he casually said to Shurikhina, "You can bring Nina to the USA more often in the future."
Before her mother could respond, the little girl was already excited and about to jump into Simon's arms again.
As she grew older, the girl had come to understand that Simon lived in the USA. However, her mother had always emphasized that Daddy was very busy with work, and they couldn't visit him often to avoid disturbing him. They had to wait for him to come to them. After waiting so long, she had even whispered to her cat three times, almost deciding to stop loving Daddy.
Now that Daddy had said this, maybe she could go to the USA more often, right?
After a moment of realization, the girl looked at her mother again.
Shurikhina nodded slightly and gave her a warning look. "Say thank you to Daddy."
"Thank you, Daddy."
Shurikhina watched as her daughter once again climbed into Simon's lap. Seeing that Simon didn't object, she didn't say anything more and headed to the kitchen, soon returning with Carmen Kass, A-Girl, and a few others to serve breakfast.
It was April 11th, a Friday.
For the next two days, Simon's schedule was packed with work.
Mostly related to the various businesses of the Westeros system in the UK.
Daenerys Entertainment's UK branch, Egret's UK branch, Westeros Company's UK division, and the increasing number of private properties Simon owned in the country. He also made a trip to Cambridge to visit ARM's headquarters. The company had been fully acquired by Tingkebell, and the upcoming iPad-10, set to release this fall, would use ARM's latest processor architecture.
By Saturday evening, it was time for the most important meeting of Simon's UK trip.
The location was the Royal Opera House, not far from the Thames, west of Kensington Gardens.
The National Arts Troupe had chosen this as the first stop of their tour after New York. Starting in March, they had scheduled 12 performances here, compared to the 9 in New York, with shows every Wednesday and Saturday.
Thanks to the buzz generated during their New York performances, tickets in London were also in high demand.
Of course, this so-called "high demand" didn't apply to certain social strata.
The meeting was arranged by Murdoch, who had come to London specifically for this. That evening's performance was booked in a private box, with only three people present: Simon, Murdoch, and Labour Party leader and Prime Ministerial candidate Anthony Blair.
In the original timeline, Blair was the first Labour Prime Minister after 18 years of Conservative rule. However, behind the scenes, his rise to power was largely orchestrated by Murdoch, leading to a deep connection between the two.
Unfortunately, this relationship came to an abrupt end when Blair's affair with a certain remarkable woman was exposed.
As Simon chatted with the two men in the box while watching the performance, he recalled this incident.
If not for his presence, Murdoch might have already met that remarkable woman. But this time, it seemed fate would disappoint them both. Finding her would be like searching for a needle in a haystack, and even if Simon wanted to help Murdoch—and Blair—rekindle their "special" relationships, it wouldn't be easy.
Simon was very familiar with Murdoch, but this was his first meeting with Blair, so the conversation remained light and informal.
However, Simon understood one thing: compared to the Conservatives, even though Labour's political stance was somewhat similar to the Democrats in the USA, leaning toward the working class, Blair was, in fact, a staunch establishment figure.
This made things easier to manage.
Although the UK's influence on the international political stage was waning, this time, with the Westeros system firmly rooted in the USA, the UK naturally became the system's ally in Europe.
It even served as a kind of bridgehead.
The Westeros system's operations in the UK over the past few years had been low-key but widespread, with significant investments in entertainment, technology, fashion, and more.
Therefore, it was essential to maintain good relations with the authorities.
The performance lasted over an hour, but none of the three were particularly focused on the stage. Blair clearly wanted to build a good relationship with Simon, and by the end, he even brought up a serious matter, hinting that he would help Simon resolve the issue with Perkins Engines.
The Carlyle Group's acquisition of Perkins Engines had been completed.
However, when Carlyle recently announced plans to close some UK factories and shift production to Asia, it immediately sparked widespread attention and backlash. After all, factory closures meant mass layoffs, and workers meant votes, not to mention the influence of labor unions.
In short, it was a tangled mess.
The question now was whether the UK government would intervene. If they did, it would be a major headache, especially since it involved technology transfer. A ban from Downing Street could bring everything to a halt. If they turned a blind eye, things could proceed, and the workers would likely protest for a while but ultimately wouldn't cause too much trouble.
Blair's promise was a clear indication that if he came to power, he would turn a blind eye to the matter.
Simon appreciated the gesture.
Relationships were built on this kind of give-and-take.
Thus, the meeting ended on a positive note for all parties.
As the performance concluded, Blair tactfully excused himself, leaving Simon and Murdoch some time to talk privately.
After all, this meeting was also a favor from Murdoch.
Murdoch didn't hold back, bringing up The Mummy 2 and expressing his hope that the project would move forward quickly, unlike the delayed Mission: Impossible series at Paramount.
Simon had no intention of making things difficult and casually agreed.
After seeing Murdoch off, Simon didn't leave immediately. Instead, he waited for the performance to end and quietly met with a certain Ms. Liu, then headed to another private residence by the Thames.
It wasn't too late.
After bringing the woman back to the residence, a little girl named Miumiu was still awake and seemed quite happy to see Simon.
Due to the tour, Ms. Liu had to travel with the troupe. Miumiu could have stayed in Long Island to continue her studies, as there were plenty of people to take care of her. However, the girl had told Simon she wanted to stay with her mother, which was essentially her way of saying she didn't want to go to school. Simon had agreed, and Ms. Liu didn't object.
After some greetings, they sat down on the living room sofa. Simon gestured for Miumiu to come over, and the girl naturally climbed into his lap.
Ms. Liu could sense that Simon's way of holding her daughter wasn't exactly paternal—it was more like holding a cat. But over time, she had grown used to it and chose to ignore it.
"So, have you been behaving lately?"
"Daddy, that's such a childish question."
Simon chuckled. "Alright, then let's talk about something less childish. How does it feel to drop out of school?"
Hearing this, Miumiu immediately looked embarrassed. After all, not going to school was something every kid would love. But even a child knew it wasn't the right thing to do.
Ms. Liu, who had prepared coffee for them, chimed in, "I've been thinking of sending Miumiu back to the USA. I hired a tutor for her, but she doesn't study at all. All she does is play."
The little girl in Simon's arms immediately protested, clinging to his neck and whining, "Daddy, I don't want to go back."
Simon held the slender little girl and smiled. "If you don't want to, then don't. There's an old Chinese saying, 'A woman without talent is virtuous.' Miumiu can just learn some music and dancing in the future."
The girl quickly nodded.
Ms. Liu watched as Simon casually made the decision and then leaned down to whisper affectionately to her daughter. Realizing this was final, she didn't argue. After all, everything she had now was thanks to him, and she had no intention of giving up her luxurious lifestyle. She knew she had no real say in front of him.
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