As Simon entered the Christie's auction hall, a distinct stir rippled through the crowd.
Simon, Sophia, and the Agnelli couple took seats toward the back. Gianni Agnelli felt a rare pang of envy—or perhaps jealousy. The Agnelli family had long been regarded as the "royalty" of Italy, and despite their second-place rank in wealth after Berlusconi, their near-century-long heritage granted them an influence far beyond that of Berlusconi, a new-money upstart. Typically, in any gathering, attention would naturally gravitate toward Gianni. This time, however, he was nearly invisible, an afterthought beside Simon.
What made it worse was the stark realization that he could do nothing to change the situation. Compared to his own $2.7 billion fortune, the young man beside him commanded a wealth that was simply overwhelming. Simon's recent moves only deepened that sense of awe: his widely-publicized trip to China had attracted global investment interest, while the so-called "Westeros effect" wreaked havoc on Asian markets, sinking stocks in Japan and South Korea.
And then came his current European tour.
Britain, Finland, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, and now back to Italy. Although the media didn't report it, government officials and local powers across Europe had been closely monitoring Simon's every move. Adding to the shock, today's New York Times article humiliated the French government, leaving them scrambling to manage the fallout.
In short, the Agnelli family's influence—even within the confines of Italy—paled in comparison. Just as the entire room was now centered on Simon, Gianni could only sit back and observe.
Fortunately, the auction began quickly.
Holding a finely bound catalog, Gianni briefly entertained thoughts of competing with the young man beside him, only to dismiss them as quickly as they came. Melisandre, Sophia's company, held an indirect and direct control of 62% of Christie's voting rights. Although Melisandre had brought in some Italian capital in the acquisition, including a symbolic 7.5% investment from the Agnelli family, Berlusconi held even more with 10%. In essence, Christie's belonged to the young man sitting beside him.
As he scanned the items in the catalog, Gianni noted that the highlight of the auction was a batch of rare wines from Château Latour.
Château Latour, one of France's five major estates, was under Melisandre, which, of course, was also Simon's.
So, buying wines from the young man's auction house, produced by the young man's winery, and attempting to compete with him in the process? It would be a self-inflicted humiliation.
After decades at the top, Gianni soon found his calm again and turned to Simon, asking, "Simon, I haven't had a chance to look through the catalog yet. Anything worth recommending tonight?"
Simon, who had been whispering with Sophia, turned to Gianni and said with a smile, "The best would, of course, be Château Latour's 1982 vintage. Many wineries are promoting Bordeaux's '82 vintage, but in reality, only the Pauillac region, home to Latour, Lafite, and Mouton, achieved a top rating of 98. Other areas, like Margaux and Graves, didn't even reach 90. Latour is auctioning their 1982 cellared wines for the first time as they near 15 years in the cellar, which makes them ideal for both collectors and drinkers alike. Then, there's also the 1978 vintage from Château Beaucastel in the Rhône Valley, another rare 98-point wine, with exceptional quality. And from Italy, there's a batch from Marchesi di Barolo, also a 1978 vintage, rated 97, though it still needs about five years of cellaring to mature fully."
Listening to Simon's confident explanation, Gianni felt another pang of envy.
He'd originally been inclined to test Simon's knowledge, only to find that few people in Italy, much less Berlusconi, would have been able to rattle off such detailed information.
Simon hadn't committed the details to memory by chance; Sophia had discussed it with him beforehand. Due to her past marriage, Sophia had long taken an interest in the wine business. Aside from Château Latour, Melisandre had acquired or developed vineyards across France, Italy, Spain, and even Australia, producing over 500,000 cases of wine annually.
The auction formally began on stage.
Christie's auctions didn't focus solely on items from Melisandre's brands, with only a small portion being directly related. In this case, besides the grand finale featuring Château Latour's 1982 vintage, most of the other wines came from various other brands.
With Simon present, the auction was lively from the start. Guests frequently raised their paddles, seemingly hoping to attract his attention, leading to prices that soared above expectations.
Gianni gave up competing altogether and instead resumed his conversation with Simon on recent events.
After all, opportunities to speak with Simon were rare, and missing out would have been a waste.
About ten minutes later, while Simon was discussing details of the U.S. election with Gianni, he felt a sudden cool sensation on the back of his neck, as if something had slipped down his collar. Instinctively reaching behind, he pulled out a pearl earring.
A woman leaned in slightly from behind and murmured apologetically, "Oh, I'm so sorry, Mr. Westeros. I accidentally dropped my earring."
Gianni glanced over his shoulder.
The woman had black hair and enchanting crescent-shaped eyes, and with her perfect features, she exuded an alluring charm.
He didn't even bother to sigh.
Once a notorious playboy himself, Gianni could immediately see through her intentions.
And there was something familiar about her face.
Probably an actress.
But tonight, this beauty wouldn't be sparing a second glance for him.
Simon, who hadn't paid much attention at first, returned the earring to her, then recognized her face.
Alessandra Martines.
She'd starred in La Grotta della Rosa d'Oro (The Cave of the Golden Rose), a movie he remembered well.
The Princess of La Grotta della Rosa d'Oro.
Now wasn't the time for introductions, so Simon merely offered a polite smile before turning back to his conversation with Gianni. Sophia had also noticed the exchange, glanced back at the woman, and then shot Simon a knowing look.
The auction lasted about an hour.
Simon didn't bid on anything, as Sophia would set aside the best wines for their own use. Gianni, however, purchased all ten cases of Château Latour's 1982 vintage on offer.
Sophia, visibly excited, whispered to Simon at the end that the auction had exceeded expectations, with the wine fetching 30% more than they'd anticipated due to his presence.
Simon joked that he should attend more often.
But with a commission, of course.
After the auction came a reception.
Having waited for over an hour, and noticing that Simon wasn't leaving immediately, several guests eagerly approached him for introductions and conversation.
Alessandra Martines was quick to reappear, again apologizing profusely. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Westeros. Dropping my earring was so embarrassing."
"It's no problem," Simon said, holding a glass of red wine and extending a hand. "But, perhaps you could introduce yourself?"
"Oh, of course," she said, shaking his hand with an alluring smile. "I'm Alessandra Martines."
Sophia, seeing the interaction, tactfully made an excuse to greet other guests, leaving them alone. Simon felt her hand subtly tracing his palm as they shook hands, but he didn't react, only smiling as he let go. "Let me guess. May I call you Alessandra, or Allie?"
"Of course, Simon," she replied.
"You're a ballet dancer, aren't you?"
The woman blinked and shook her head. "You're close, Simon. I'm a classical dancer, though I'm also an actress now."
"I'm surprised I haven't seen you on the big screen. That's a shame."
Blushing slightly, Alessandra shook her head. "In your presence, I'm afraid my work hardly qualifies as 'cinema.'"
"Don't sell yourself short. You're stunning and talented. If it were up to me, I'd put you in one of my most promising films."
Hearing Simon's praise, she gazed at him with wide, flirtatious eyes. "Simon, are you serious?"
Simon smirked. "Well, perhaps I was just kidding."
She pouted playfully but caught the teasing gleam in his eye. "You're terrible."
Simon changed the subject. "Allie, do you live in Milan?"
She shook her head. "I spent a few years in Rome, but I'm mostly based in France now. I'm here for a brand event."
Milan was Europe's second-largest fashion capital after Paris, with frequent shows and launches year-round, not just during fashion weeks.
Simon nodded. From the way she'd phrased it, he gathered it wasn't a Melisandre event; they wouldn't typically invite a relatively unknown actress to their events unless she found her way in on her own.
After a pause, she started up again. "Simon, by the way, I saw Mission Impossible 2 this weekend. It was incredible!"
Thanks to the Westeros Group's presence in Italy, the film had been released simultaneously with North America, something still uncommon in France and Germany.
Simon corrected her with a smile, "Technically, Paramount handled the project."
"But it was your vision, wasn't it?"
"Well
, yes."
She laughed lightly. "With the momentum it's building, the global box office should easily reach $500 million, right?"
Since it was Monday and Simon hadn't yet seen the weekend box office numbers, he replied, "I'm not entirely sure, but we'll see how it does in its first week globally."
Though he didn't know the exact figures, Simon was confident based on the feedback from advance screenings and the film's Friday opening numbers.
Mission Impossible 2 seemed well on track to reach $500 million globally.
With the film's success, John Woo, who had already done three projects with Westeros, was gearing up for his next Hollywood hit, Face/Off.
Unfortunately, with Nicolas Cage already leading the Mission Impossible series, he couldn't star in Face/Off, given the thematic similarities and the recent release of MI2.
In the original film, the lead pairing of Cage and John Travolta had been crucial to its success. The film even inspired the later Hong Kong classic Infernal Affairs, which itself inspired Hollywood's The Departed.
Now that Cage was unavailable, finding another actor to pair with Travolta could prove challenging. Simon just hoped the film's legacy wouldn't be disrupted.
Alessandra, oblivious to his thoughts, nodded enthusiastically. "It will definitely hit $500 million. By the way, Simon, you haven't released a new film in a while. Was The Man from Earth your last one? That was a masterpiece. I can't wait for your next one!"
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]