Lunch lasted half an hour. At the end, the maid Shirley watched as Mia Kirshner gently held onto her man's arm as they stood up together, thinking things had gone well. But, it turned out, the boss only escorted Mia to the restaurant door, gave her a hug, and said goodbye.
He even smiled at Shirley, reminding her to take good care of the girl.
Naturally, she agreed quickly.
As they headed to the parking lot and got into the car, Shirley glanced back at Mia in the rear seat before finally asking, "Boss… he doesn't have time tonight?"
Mia looked both a bit pleased and obviously disappointed, nodding, "He has to go to New York this afternoon."
Shirley instinctively asked, "For what?"
Mia rolled her eyes, "How would I know?"
Realizing she'd overstepped, Shirley chuckled, started the car, and drove out of the parking lot. As they moved along, she couldn't help but ask, "So, did you set a time for another date with the boss?"
Mia shook her head again, "I hinted at it. He said he'd get in touch when he has time."
If this hadn't involved her boss, Shirley would have blurted out how dismissive that sounded, equivalent to not saying anything at all. But she held back, feeling a bit sorry for Mia—after all, being closer to the boss would create opportunities for her as well. So she pried a bit more, "So, what did you and the boss talk about over lunch?"
Mia's lips curved in a small smile, clearly savoring the past half hour. "Lots of things—my daily life, movies, travel, food, music… Simon is knowledgeable and funny. He's the kind of man you can't help but want to be around."
Shirley looked at Mia, whose eyes sparkled with excitement, feeling a twinge of envy.
During lunch, Shirley had sat nearby with Queen A. Queen A! She was the only one among the four women—A, B, C, D—who remained by the boss's side. Over time, everyone began to see Allison Knowles as a true queen: cold, elegant, and commanding. There was no mistake in her nickname. Shirley could only imagine the kind of pressure it was, sitting so close to her.
If only she could work her way up to Queen A's position someday.
After dropping Mia off, Simon soon left Malibu Studios and headed for Los Angeles International Airport.
Boarding his Boeing 767, he used the four-hour flight to New York productively, watching a sample of Boogie Nights, a new film by one of his favorite Hollywood indie directors, Paul Thomas Anderson. Based on Anderson's own experience growing up near an adult film studio, the film had a budget of $15 million.
The original Boogie Nights was quite famous, especially for Heather Graham's character, the "Rollergirl."
This time, due to Simon's influence, the film had changed significantly, especially in casting. The lead role originally played by Mark Wahlberg was now Ben Affleck.
Affleck had completed this project before shooting Good Will Hunting, which was still in post-production, while Boogie Nights was already finished.
Compared to the older-looking Wahlberg, who was still a Hollywood favorite, Affleck, tall and fresh-faced, seemed even more appealing to certain Hollywood power players and was indeed a better fit for the role.
Heather Graham still played the female lead, but Julianne Moore, who had since gained fame in the Conjuring series, was not included this time.
The cast also featured several notable indie actors from the '90s. Simon remembered that future Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman, a young Don Cheadle, and William H. Macy, who would later play the incorrigible father in Shameless, all had roles in the film.
At this point, these actors were still unknown, and no one would have guessed they'd become so successful. Hollywood is fascinating that way.
As for Boogie Nights itself, with so much potential talent involved, the film was clearly a hit. Simon gave the sample a solid nine out of ten. Plus, with its unique appeal, he anticipated it would also perform well at the box office.
Four hours later, having finished the sample, Simon spent the remaining two hours reviewing a report from the Westeros family's private intelligence team on migration routes into France.
Ever since certain plans had been set in motion, Simon had been personally monitoring them, even if he wasn't in a rush.
In this report, Simon focused primarily on the costs.
In many cases, it all came down to cost.
For instance, space exploration—if not for cost constraints, humanity could have reached Mars by now.
According to Ulrich Sandman's report, whether coming from the Middle East or North Africa, the cost to smuggle into France was about $2,000. Asian routes, on the other hand, cost significantly more at around $5,000 due to the longer distance.
Initially, Simon was interested only in the Middle Eastern and North African routes. He had no intention of contributing even a single hardworking but conflict-averse Asian immigrant to France, especially considering the cultural influences that shaped the entire Greater China region to be peaceful and law-abiding.
In hindsight, Western countries, which later displayed both caution and hostility toward Chinese immigrants while welcoming migrants from the Middle East and Africa, had practically shot themselves in the foot.
Asian immigrants, on the whole, are ideal candidates.
Western societies often resisted Asian immigrants not out of fear of a threat but more due to jealousy. Asians, despite being limited in reaching the upper echelons of society, often managed to surpass the living standards of the average middle-class Westerner through hard work and intelligence.
The problem arose as follows:
How could they, newcomers, have a better life than "us locals"?
As a result, various anti-discrimination movements often saw minimal participation from Asians. Besides the naturally peaceful nature of Asian communities, there was another, less spoken-of reason: in many Western countries, Asians were not part of the discriminated group, nor the underclass. Quite the opposite—they were often viewed with envy.
A clear example is seen in the disproportionate representation of Asian students in prestigious Western universities.
So, having read the report on migration routes into France, Simon now prepared to implement his plans.
Despite France's more recent reputation, both the Mitterrand and Chirac administrations had strict controls on immigration, especially illegal immigration. France had even removed the birthright citizenship that the United States continues to uphold.
At the moment, France was far from an attractive destination for illegal migrants. According to official data, the annual number of illegal immigrants in France was about 60,000 to 70,000.
Obviously, the numbers were underestimated.
But even if the real numbers were double that, it still wasn't much. So, Simon intended to give things a push.
Simon's goal was to "selectively" add 100,000 of the most problematic illegal immigrants to France every year.
Coincidentally, with Paul Kagame's recent visit to the United States, another major African conflict was soon set to begin.
If events followed the same trajectory, this would become the Second African World War, which ultimately engulfed much of Africa into the 2000s, with casualties beyond count.
This time, Simon had no interest in playing the hero.
But in a way, he'd still act as one.
By rescuing a selected group of fertile African refugees and sending them all to France, he hoped to see the "Greater Paris area" exceed 60% in black demographics as early as possible. Or better yet, why settle for 60%? Wouldn't 90% be ideal?
At a subsidy rate of $2,000 per migrant, Simon's 100,000-per-year goal would only cost $2 million.
Actually, he estimated that with a partial subsidy, smuggler networks would be more than incentivized to operate at maximum capacity.
Ten years and one million immigrants might not seem overwhelming, but considering Germany's fate after welcoming one million refugees, it was clear that 10 years and a million immigrants could wreak significant havoc.
Arriving in New York, it was already past seven in the evening on the East Coast. Dusk was falling. After disembarking, Simon rushed to Manhattan, where Irene Lande promptly led him to an elite old-money party in the Upper East Side.
The relationship between Simon and this Lande family heiress was now semi-public.
When people grow accustomed to certain things, they eventually become accepted as the norm.
Especially if it involves Simon Westeros.
This young man, now an untouchable figure in terms of power and wealth, showed no sign of slowing down.
If it had been anyone else, traditional American power players would have united to take them down.
But when people finally noticed Simon Westeros, his influence had grown to a level where resistance seemed futile, especially since his $1 trillion wealth dwarfed everyone else's.
Additionally, Simon's rise was built on an entirely new industry without encroaching on established ones, so he hadn't made many enemies along the way.
As such, integration and cooperation were the best paths forward.
After the party, they returned to Simon's Fifth Avenue apartment in the Upper East Side. Unable to contain her excitement, Irene Lande clung to him, and they didn't sleep until one in the morning.
The next morning, as Simon felt her warm, soft presence still curled around him like a koala, he quietly murmured to himself: "Women are like tigers. You see them; you must avoid them. Just avoid, avoid…"
Irene opened her eyes, "What are you saying?"
"Just a Chinese nursery rhyme."
"What kind of nursery rhyme?
Sing it for me?"
She leaned on his chest, her head propped on her hand, and though she wasn't classically beautiful, her unique charm was hard to resist. After a night together, she looked even more radiant.
With Irene's catlike gaze on him, Simon finally gave in and sang a little rhyme about "two tigers falling in love."
Irene listened, intrigued, and with a twinkle in her eye, she asked, "It sounds nice. What does it mean?"
"It's just a silly song about two tigers becoming friends," Simon said mischievously, pulling her closer, "Here, let me teach you how to sing it."
By breakfast, she could hum the tune quite well, delighting the housekeeper Angra Davis, who was serving them with a curious smile.
After all, Angra was a perceptive and intelligent woman who had picked up some Chinese in her time managing the Long Island National Dance Troupe. And while her grasp of the language was limited, the nursery rhyme was simple enough for her to understand.
Watching Irene's cheerful singing, and her boss's completely innocent expression, Angra could only pretend to be oblivious. Only in the privacy of the kitchen did she allow herself a smile.
Poor girl.
Who knows how she'll react when she finally understands the true meaning of that "nursery rhyme."
But Irene was still in her happy bubble as they enjoyed breakfast together, asking, "What's your schedule for the morning?"
"The theme for this year's Victoria's Secret show is finalized, and I'm going to take a look," Simon replied, noticing the pout already forming on her lips. He smiled and asked, "Want to come along?"
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