While Simon was chatting with Bryce Levison, Janet came bouncing over, leaping into Simon's arms, pouting playfully as she lifted a sandy foot. "It hurts, it hurts, something poked me."
Simon paused his conversation with Bryce, carefully cradled Janet's body with one arm, and inspected her foot with the other. There were no wounds, just a slightly reddened spot on her heel where she had probably stepped on something hard. Smiling warmly, he massaged the spot a bit and said, "All better."
Watching this display of affection, Bryce felt a mix of envy and jealousy as she saw the man pampering another woman. She also harbored some doubt—was this really the Janet Westeros, the mastermind behind Cersei Capital? She seemed more like a playful young girl. But Bryce quickly realized her mistake. After all, she had met Janet briefly at the New Year's Eve party just over a month ago, where she had been perfectly poised and graceful.
However, Bryce soon saw Janet's true nature.
After a round of playful affection in Simon's arms, Janet suddenly seemed to notice Bryce's presence. With an air of nonchalance, she looked Bryce over and then, like a mistress of the house, issued a direct command, "I want to take a bath in the pool. Go prepare my bathwater."
Bryce was stunned for a moment.
Was she being treated like a servant?
It felt oddly surreal.
And what about her appearance suggested she was a maid?
Realizing that Janet was deliberately making things difficult for her, Bryce opened her mouth to explain, "Mrs. Westeros, I'm not…"
But Janet, now extending her foot for Zoe to clean the sand off, didn't even glance her way, cutting her off with a casual tone, "You're not Bryce Levison?"
Bryce hesitated for a second and reflexively responded, "I… I am."
Janet replied, "Then go prepare my bathwater."
So, this really was deliberate.
Bryce felt a surge of anger. She had never been asked to prepare bathwater for anyone, not even for her own husband. Yet, she didn't argue back and instead looked to Simon for support.
Simon gently patted Janet, calming her, and said to Bryce, "You should head back. This is our private time, and it's not a good time for visitors."
Before Bryce could take this excuse to leave gracefully, Janet turned her head and, with the petulance of a spoiled child, sternly warned Bryce, "You can leave, but don't ever show up in front of Simon again. Otherwise, you can try and see what happens."
Bryce froze, uncertain.
Having recently experienced the perks of being Simon's lover, she wasn't ready to give it all up so quickly. But to be ordered around like a servant was unbearable.
Janet, however, didn't give her time to hesitate. She gestured to Isabel and said, "Isa, take her up."
Isabel, following her mistress's command, approached Bryce and motioned for her to follow. Bryce looked back at Simon, who gave her a helpless look, and though she wanted to storm off, her feet disobeyed her, and she found herself reluctantly following Isabel up the steps by the cliff.
Once they were out of sight, Simon turned to Janet and asked, "Why are you giving her such a hard time?"
Janet shifted around in his arms to find a more comfortable position, waving off Zoe's attempt to put her shoes back on. "I told you, it's our private time, and she just barges in. I'm already being nice by not hitting her."
Simon hadn't invited Bryce to visit, and the estate wasn't a place where anyone could just walk in. He realized that Bryce must have called ahead, and Janet had allowed her to come. Understanding this, he smiled wryly and said, "If you didn't want her here, you could have just refused."
Janet leaned in and playfully nipped at his chin. "I wanted to tease a little vixen. Otherwise, they'll think I don't exist."
Simon glanced around at their silent audience, then rubbed Janet's cheek affectionately and teased, "Who would dare ignore you? I'm terrified already."
Janet grumbled a few more times, then quickly changed her tone. She sat up straight and, looking over at Christina Aguilera, who was quietly standing by like one of the maids, said, "Tina, that was a good performance. Let's do it again."
Christina, still awestruck by her sudden summons to Miami by the powerful Simon Westeros, quickly responded, "Yes, Mrs. Westeros."
This time, Janet and Simon played together on the piano, and soon the beach was once again filled with the haunting melody of Young and Beautiful.
After they finished, Janet, feeling inspired, pulled Simon to film more scenes with a camera, focusing on a specific line from the song.
They continued shooting until 11 p.m. before finally leaving the beach.
Bryce Levison felt as though she had endured more humiliation in one day than in her entire life. Not only had she prepared a full bath for Janet Westeros, but she had also been excluded from lunch, standing with the maids instead. She spent the entire afternoon plucking rose petals for perfume, her hands pricked countless times by the thorns. It was beyond miserable.
What made it worse was that Simon had avoided her all afternoon, using various excuses to leave her at Janet's mercy.
Although she could have left at any point, by the end of the day, Bryce found herself thinking that she had put up with so much that she had to cling to him now. Otherwise, it would all be for nothing.
Two days later, a Gulfstream V private jet touched down at Burbank Airport in Los Angeles. Christina Aguilera and her mother, Shelly Kearns, were driven home to their apartment in Glendale in a luxurious car. As the car drove off, the mother and daughter stood at the door, feeling as though they had just stepped out of a dream, suddenly plunged back into reality, like Cinderella after midnight when the carriage and crystal shoes disappear.
The petite Christina turned to her equally dazed mother and asked, "Mom, can I see the check?"
It was a check for $100,000.
Having lived a life of constant moving and instability, with her mother having once been a bar singer, Christina had started performing at age eight and competed in every talent show they could find. Two years ago, she had auditioned for Disney's Mickey Mouse Club, where her exceptional singing abilities had earned her a spot, despite being younger than their usual age requirement.
She had finally found some stability, earning $1,500 a week, and had begun to hope that she might one day become a star.
Unfortunately, that stability didn't last.
Just a year later, after Disney was acquired by the French Vivendi Group, the Mickey Mouse Club was disbanded.
Christina had thought she'd have to start from scratch again, chasing opportunities, until Daneris Entertainment contacted them, offering to sign Christina and groom her into a future star.
It was Daneris Entertainment, after all. There was no hesitation.
But at only 15, under the company's rules, she wouldn't be able to release a single until she turned 16, and a full debut would have to wait until she was 18. In the meantime, she wouldn't receive any salary. Instead, the company claimed they were investing in their "trainees," spending over $100,000 a year on each one, which meant the kids were essentially in debt to the company before even starting their careers.
Some MMC actors, whose families were better off, had opted not to sign such long-term contracts. But Christina didn't have much of a choice. She knew how rare this opportunity was. Her mother, once a bar singer who had always dreamed of being signed by even the smallest record label, had never gotten her big break. Now, all her hopes were pinned on Christina.
Christina had resigned herself to a quiet few years of training, never expecting the whirlwind of the past few days—a glimpse into the lives of those at the top of the pyramid, a life she had never imagined. But it had been fleeting, and now she was just a temporary guest in that world.
Shelly Kearns, hearing her daughter's request to see the check, instinctively glanced around.
Glendale was near Burbank, and while it wasn't the worst neighborhood, it wasn't the safest either. If anyone found out they suddenly had $100,000, they might be in trouble tonight.
Pulling herself out of the dreamlike memories of the past few days, Shelly led her daughter into their small, cluttered apartment and, once inside, whispered, "Tina, don't talk about this outside, especially not about the check. It could bring us trouble, okay?"
Christina nodded obediently.
She knew.
Before flying to Florida, both she and her mother had signed confidentiality agreements. During the return trip, a lawyer from the Westeros family had gone over the list of things they couldn't talk about. Most important was keeping the trip—and the song—a secret.
The $100,000 was her payment for the trip and for recording Young and Beautiful. Even Christina, who had been exposed to music from a young age, knew that the song was one of the best she had ever heard. That she had the honor of singing it was incredible.
The only downside was that she wouldn't be credited as the songwriter.
But $100,000 was more than enough to support her family until she made her debut. She had a younger sister, Rachel, who was currently living with her grandmother. With
this money, they could bring Rachel home, something her mother had always wanted but couldn't afford.
Compared to the naive Britney Spears, Christina was much more mature for her age.
Having been immersed in the industry since she was eight, Christina had learned all the ins and outs of the business and had experienced a lot firsthand.
This time was no different. Without needing her mother's guidance, Christina knew to keep quiet about certain things.
If word got out that she had caught Simon Westeros's attention, other artists within Daneris Records, especially her potential rivals, might try to sabotage her. If that happened, she might never get the chance to debut.
Satisfied with her daughter's understanding, Shelly pulled a wallet from her knockoff Gucci purse and handed it to the eager Christina. "Here, but be careful not to crease it. If we can't cash it, we'll be stuck living here for years. I need to make a call."
The mother and daughter had always been close, and Shelly had long stopped treating Christina like a child. This brought Christina's thoughts back to Britney. She had visited Britney's home before, and that family was a complete mess.
Taking the wallet, Christina found the check and carefully ran her fingers over it. As her mother dialed the phone, she remembered something and asked, "Mom, are we really moving?"
Shelly nodded, "Of course. I also want to bring your sister home. What do you think?"
"No problem. We can even bring Grandma, too. I think I'll be able to make enough money to support everyone soon."
"Oh, you're making your mom so proud, my sweet girl."
"Hehe."
Christina smiled and, worried about wrinkling the check, carefully put it back in the wallet. She curled up on the couch, grabbed the TV remote, and turned it on, though her mind was still filled with memories of the past few days.
She hadn't told her mother that she had privately tried to flirt with him.
Him.
Of course, it was Simon Westeros.
But when her little hand had reached for his thigh, he had only tapped her forehead and laughed, saying she wasn't his type—too small and young, not enough to satisfy him. Emboldened, she had replied that small and young was the best, only to be tapped on the forehead again.
She could tell that he didn't dislike her.
Maybe next time, it would work.
Having been immersed in this world from a young age, Christina had come to understand something that perhaps a girl her age shouldn't. In the entertainment industry, her vocal talent was actually worthless. Her body, however, was a chip she could use to climb the ladder.
Since she had encountered an opportunity to maximize that chip, she didn't hesitate.
As these thoughts ran through her mind, a news report on the television caught Christina's attention.
It was a segment from a local California news station.
The host was excitedly discussing the newly launched Egret company's employee stock ownership plan.
"Twenty-five percent of the company's shares."
"Valued at $25 billion."
Christina's eyes widened as she listened to these shocking numbers, suddenly making the $100,000 check in her wallet feel insignificant.
$25 billion.
That was an unimaginable amount of money.
It was equivalent to… well, an incalculable number of the $100,000 check she had.
If only… if only she could have even one percent, no, just one thousandth of that amount. Christina felt she'd never have to work again in her life.
And that man was giving away this massive fortune to all of Egret's employees?!
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