In just a few short meetings, both Simon and Janet could tell that Sophia's daughter, little Gemma, was the kind of clever, sparkling little girl who was incredibly endearing.
Having transferred from Switzerland to the East Coast of America, in just over half a year the little girl had already made a large group of friends at school.
The private school Sophia had chosen for Gemma had only a dozen or so children per class. Originally, the birthday party invitations had mainly been for these kids.
However, the socially outgoing Gemma had personally added many more names to the guest list. In the end, the number of children alone reached more than thirty. Adding the accompanying parents, the total quickly approached one hundred people. This was also why Sophia had to borrow Simon and Janet's estate for the birthday party.
As the sky darkened, the estate in northern Greenwich was transformed into a dreamlike children's wonderland with colorful lights, toys, plush dolls, and balloons. Even the maid team led by Alice had changed into warm-toned cartoon costumes.
The party had the same theme as the documentary that would be screened tonight: "Ice World." Every decoration around the venue was related to this theme.
On the lawn outside the main villa, a large movie screen had been set up to play the documentary that Janet had promised Gemma as her birthday gift.
As more children arrived, the estate grew increasingly lively.
As one of the most famous wealthy districts on the East Coast, Greenwich was home to countless rich businessmen, politicians, and socialites. These top-tier figures, who usually commuted to Manhattan during the workweek, naturally had even more sensitive information channels.
Sophia was a senior executive in the Westeros system, in charge of Melisandre, one of the "four women" of Westeros Company. The estate hosting the birthday party belonged to the Westeros family, and a certain young man had been on the East Coast for the past few days.
Therefore, for the carefree children, this party was purely for fun. But for the children's parents, it was clearly a rare opportunity to get close to the Westeros family.
Patiently playing and laughing with a group of mothers alongside the children, Sophia occasionally looked up and saw Simon entertaining the men on the other side. A feeling of deep satisfaction rose in her heart again.
After tonight, everyone would probably know that she was Simon Westeros's lover.
And a real lover, not some fleeting affair that lasted only a few nights.
But so what?
Lovers came in different ranks.
In this world, how many people could shine as brightly as him?
And how many women could find a lover willing to appear publicly at their child's birthday party like the man of the house?
Perhaps some of the elegant ladies who were smiling at her right now would gossip behind her back.
But from the occasional glances they cast toward the young man, filled with barely concealed ripples, these refined women who for the most part were merely appendages to men of power felt far more envy and jealousy in their hearts.
These thoughts only flickered through her mind occasionally. Sophia quickly turned her attention back to the children.
The two children were the most important thing to her.
Games, playtime, blowing out candles, singing happy birthday, eating delicious food, and finally the screening of Ice World. Because of tonight's party theme, the large group of little ones was clearly very excited about it.
To match the children's patience, the ninety-minute theatrical version had been cut down to fifty minutes, with more focus on the penguins that the kids loved.
When the lights in the courtyard dimmed, the group of children sitting on the lawn in their mothers' arms all turned their attention to the big screen.
The men had been socializing for over an hour and now stood or sat around the edges. Some even walked over to sit with their wives and children.
When Morgan Freeman's voice, carrying that calming quality, began, the surroundings fell completely silent.
At a dining table on the edge of the crowd, seeing Sophia approach, the several gentlemen who had been chatting with Simon tactfully excused themselves.
Watching Sophia sit down beside him, Simon smiled and scanned the crowd. "Why aren't you staying with the kids?"
"They're watching the movie. They don't need constant supervision."
Sophia's tone was gentle.
As she spoke, she shifted closer to Simon, showing no intention of hiding their closeness.
Simon simply smiled. Breathing in the pleasant scent of the woman beside him, he picked up the juice in front of him and took a sip, turning his attention to the big screen as well.
Sophia did not deliberately look for topics. She simply sat with the man, watching the screen. Occasionally she would ask a question like little Gemma would, and Simon would answer casually.
However, this warm atmosphere did not last long.
Someone from the crowd walked over. It was a mother and daughter.
When they got closer, Simon looked at the little girl whose bright eyes were fixed on him and smiled at the woman holding her hand. "Ms. Hearst, is there something I can help with?"
When Sophia had invited guests, she had done so with a child's innocence. However, she had prepared a guest list for tonight in advance and given it to Simon.
With Simon's current status and wealth, he naturally did not need to deliberately seek out connections. Still, since this was Greenwich, there were quite a few people worth getting to know.
When he had seen the guest list earlier, Simon had noticed a very familiar name: Lydia Hearst.
Just the surname told him everything.
The last time, during the ESPN equity matter, Simon had had some friction with the Hearst family. However, he would not hold it against a child.
Moreover, Simon knew that the current power in the Hearst family lay with the branch of William Hearst's second son.
Lydia Hearst's grandfather was Randolph Hearst, the fourth of William Hearst's six children. Although the Randolph Hearst branch also held a large amount of shares in the Hearst Corporation and was extremely wealthy, it had very little actual power within the entire Hearst media empire.
Patty Hearst pulled her daughter over and sat down on Simon's other side. Hearing her words, she said, "Lydia wanted to meet you, Simon. She admires you very much."
"Oh, that's truly an honor," Simon said, extending his hand toward the beautiful little girl who looked like a doll. "Hello, Miss Hearst."
Technically, Lydia Hearst should have taken her father's surname.
However, because of the Hearst family's prominent status and the fact that the husband Patty Hearst had married after the incident in the 1970s was relatively unknown, he had not even appeared at tonight's party. The little girl had therefore continued to use her mother's family name.
Lydia Hearst, who was only seven or eight years old now, already showed signs of the beauty she would become in Simon's memory.
The little girl was not shy either. Her pretty eyes curiously studied Simon as she politely said, "Mr. Westeros, can I act in one of your movies?"
Simon did not answer directly. Instead he asked, "Have you seen my movies?"
The little girl nodded. "Yes. Um, Run Lola Run, Final Destination, and… um, Pulp Fiction."
Simon could not help glancing at the woman behind the little girl.
Those movies probably weren't suitable for seven- or eight-year-old children, right?
Noticing Simon's gaze, Lydia Hearst also turned to look at her mother, then turned back to Simon. "Mom is a fan of yours too."
Hearing her daughter suddenly mention her, and seeing the young man look over, Patty Hearst's face seemed to flash with a trace of embarrassment. However, she did not deny it and nodded slightly. "I particularly like Pulp Fiction."
Simon could not help thinking again about the woman's past experiences.
In the 1970s, Patty Hearst had been kidnapped by a terrorist organization, causing a nationwide sensation in America.
What caused an even bigger sensation was that after some time in captivity, this heiress of the Hearst family had suddenly released a videotape announcing that she had joined the terrorist group.
She had then "put it into practice," participating in several armed robberies.
After several twists and turns, she was arrested. Following a long trial, Patty Hearst was sentenced to thirty-five years in prison.
Even though the Randolph Hearst branch did not hold much real power within the family, a Hearst heiress could not actually serve thirty-five years.
After only a short time in prison, President Carter, who was known for his fairness and integrity, made an exception and signed a pardon for Patty Hearst. She was quickly released on bail.
To avoid moral condemnation from public opinion, the Hearst family had even orchestrated a media campaign that helped establish the once-controversial psychological phenomenon known as Stockholm syndrome as a well-known phenomenon.
Now, hearing Patty Hearst say she liked Pulp Fiction, Simon felt that the crazy genes deep in this woman's bones were probably deeply rooted.
"Mr. Westeros?"
The clear childish voice interrupted Simon's thoughts.
Noticing that Lydia was still looking at him, clearly waiting for an answer to her earlier question, Simon stopped thinking about the woman who might still have some "restless" tendencies deep inside. He smiled at the little girl and said, "Lydia, you can call me Simon."
"Then, Simon, can I act in one of your movies?"
Simon shook his head with a smile. "Not right now. I won't be directing any films myself for a very long time."
The little girl immediately looked disappointed. She gave her mother a pitiful glance, then turned the same pitiful look toward Simon.
Alright.
That little look was far too lethal.
Moreover, for some reason, Simon had the feeling that the little girl's expression might be deliberately put on.
Recalling what she looked like as an adult and comparing it to now, if he had to describe her, Simon felt one word was particularly fitting: little witch.
Because when the little girl wasn't speaking, her mouth looked very small. Combined with those big eyes, she was absolutely the kind of doll-like beauty that made people want to reach out and pinch. However, once she opened her mouth, especially when smiling, her mouth would stretch into a straight line, teeth showing, giving her an extremely mischievous and slightly wicked appearance.
Moreover, Simon was certain this was not an illusion.
From his fragmented memories, he remembered that after growing up, Lydia Hearst would often take on roles in very heavy, B-grade films for fun, frequently playing characters who died horribly.
There was one movie in particular, whose name he couldn't remember, about something like a biochemical crisis where infected people would rot and become walking corpses. Lydia Hearst had played one of the zombies. She was hacked in the head with an axe, her whole body in a gruesome state, yet she continued relentlessly chasing the male lead while muttering.
Thinking about it now and glancing again at Patty Hearst, Simon inexplicably felt a strong "like mother, like daughter" vibe.
Right now, after putting on such a pitiful act and still having Simon Westeros refuse to make movies, how could that be acceptable?
The little girl felt she should try a little harder. She reached out her small hand, grabbed Simon's large one, and shook it gently in a practiced display of coquettishness.
However, Simon, who had just shifted his full attention to Lydia Hearst, sharply caught the flash of cunning in the little girl's eyes.
"Then," Simon said with a smile, "although I don't have any plans to direct films right now, my company does have many films that could offer you roles. Would you like to act?"
The little girl blinked. "What kind of movie?"
Simon thought for a moment. "How about the sequel to Home Alone?"
The little girl immediately showed disinterest. The pitiful look vanished without a trace as she shook her little head. "Too boring. That's something for little kids to watch."
Hearing the little girl's words, all three adults could not help laughing.
Simon smiled. "The problem is, Lydia, you are still a little kid."
The little girl did not argue. She nodded. "Yes, but I'm not like those other little kids."
"Alright then. Tell me, what kind of movie do you want to act in?"
The little girl answered without hesitation. "Pulp Fiction."
"…"
It seemed that the unreliable woman had really let her daughter watch a lot of inappropriate content.
Before Simon could respond, the little girl added, "The one with the taxi driver auntie. Mom said she's your wife. Simon, can I play a role like that too?"
Simon raised an eyebrow slightly. "Why do you like that character?"
The little girl gestured with her hands. "That one… I think that auntie looks like she could go crazy at any moment and pull out a knife to stab the guy in the back seat to death. That's so cool."
This…
For a moment, Simon was at a loss for words.
The taxi driver role Janet had played back then had few lines and limited screen time, yet it had left a deep impression on many people.
During that grueling all-day shoot, Simon had made her redo scenes repeatedly, pushing Janet to the brink of collapse. After filming ended, the woman had been so exhausted she nearly fainted and had even bitten Simon hard in a complete outburst.
The result, however, had been far more stunning than the original version.
Anyone who had seen the film could probably sense a strong feeling of danger from Janet's performance.
Simon simply had not expected that a little girl who was only seven or eight years old would feel the same resonance with that scene in the film.
Moreover.
She thought it was cool and wanted to imitate it.
Looking again at the "doll" in front of him, Simon almost blurted out: Hey, little girl, can we talk about something appropriate for a seven- or eight-year-old?
For example, your parents' approach to raising children has some serious issues.
However, noticing the little girl quickly switching back to a pitiful, expectant expression, Simon did not voice the thought in his mind.
Seeing that Patty Hearst showed no objection whatsoever, he nodded. "Alright. I can find some similar roles for you. However, if you don't perform well, I will definitely replace you."