"Good morning, Simon."
"Good morning, Uncle Simon."
"Morning, Gemma, and Danny."
It was early morning.
Under Sophia's supervision, the two little ones who had risen early and finished some homework entered the dining room, where Simon was already seated at the table reading the newspaper.
After greeting him and settling the children at the table, Sophia headed to the kitchen to help serve breakfast.
A short while later, everyone was seated.
In addition to Simon and Sophia's family of three, the housekeeper Alice Ferguson and the two women C and D were also present. The other maids who had worked the birthday party the previous night did not enjoy this privilege and had been assigned to other accommodations outside the estate.
Breakfast was prepared by Alice and her two colleagues.
The women selected to work closely with Simon including the housekeeper had all received culinary training in their spare time. As a result, the meal on the table was both generous and delicious.
Little Gemma picked out the red beans in her porridge one by one with her spoon. Noticing her mother's gaze, she stuck out her tongue playfully. Her sparkling eyes scanned the others at the table as she suddenly asked, "Mommy, are you going back to Europe today?"
Sophia had been about to lecture her daughter about not being picky when she paused, then nodded. "Yes, Mommy still has work to do."
As she spoke, she glanced at the man and children beside her, feeling an unexpected reluctance to leave.
However, Sophia understood clearly that this almost family-like atmosphere could never truly belong to her.
When she had left that rundown little fishing village years ago, her dreams had been to earn a lot of money, live comfortably, and marry a capable man. Most of those dreams had come true. Yet sitting in this modest dining room, she suddenly realized that having a home like this might be better than anything else.
Even so, Sophia felt neither regret nor unrealistic longing.
No life could ever be perfect.
As for the man from back then the father of Gemma and Daniel, she hadn't demanded much from him. As long as he came home after his socializing and indiscretions, it would have been enough.
But that man had still left her.
After experiencing so much over the years, Sophia no longer held expectations for certain things.
At this moment, with the man she admired on one side and her two precious children on the other, she could enjoy the feeling of home. Wanting anything more would probably be too much even for God.
Although Sophia loved her children dearly, she did not spoil them. She visited North America every couple of weeks, and her first priority was always checking their schoolwork. With their grandparents' attentive care, little Gemma wasn't overly attached to her mother.
Moreover, she had likely asked similar questions before and received the same answer.
After Sophia replied, the little girl quickly changed the subject. She leaned forward, looking past her mother at Simon. "Simon, Lydia said last night that she can be in your movie. Can I get a role too?"
Simon recalled the events of the previous night. He didn't remember making quite that promise to the little witch.
Still, he didn't correct her and replied gently, "What part would you like to play?"
Under Sophia's careful supervision, little Gemma clearly didn't share the little witch's extensive movie knowledge and only watched appropriate content.
The little girl tilted her head thoughtfully. "Can I play a penguin?"
Simon chuckled. "That might be a little difficult. The penguins you saw last night were all real ones."
"Of course I know that," Gemma said, leaning over the table with a trace of disdain in her bright eyes as she looked at Simon earnestly. "I'm not trying to become a real penguin. In school plays, people act as little pigs, so of course I can be a penguin too."
Simon was momentarily at a loss for words. To his surprise, he found the little girl's logic impossible to refute.
Fortunately, Sophia quickly intervened and shifted her daughter's attention elsewhere. Gemma had only brought it up on a whim and lacked the persistence of the little witch from the night before.
After breakfast, Sophia personally drove the children to school.
The private school they attended was located in the northeastern part of Greenwich, not far from Simon's estate. They arrived in just a few minutes.
After parking in the school lot and saying goodbye to Gemma, Sophia watched as the little girl spotted Lydia Hurst getting out of another car nearby and ran over excitedly to join her.
Lydia Hurst had also been dropped off by her mother. Noticing Sophia, Patty Hurst came over to chat briefly.
Once Patty had driven away, Sophia turned to her son, who had been waiting quietly beside her.
Seeing the hesitant look on Daniel's face, Sophia crouched down, straightened his collar, and smiled. "Sweetheart, is there something you want to tell Mommy?"
Daniel nodded. After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Mommy… do you like Uncle Simon?"
Sophia was slightly startled but quickly nodded. "Yes, I do."
"Does he like you too?"
This time Sophia answered without hesitation. "Of course he does."
Daniel gazed at his mother. Hearing her response, he didn't press further. Instead, he stepped forward and hugged her tightly. "Mommy, Grandma says these years have been really hard for you. I… I just want you to be happy."
Daniel was three years older than Gemma. Sophia knew her son was actually smarter than his sister. Though usually quiet, he was more mature than his peers and understood far more than he let on.
Hearing her son open his heart like this, Sophia felt that all her years of struggle and sacrifice had been worthwhile. She had no regrets left.
She pulled him closer, pressing her cheek against his, and whispered, "Sweetheart, Mommy is happy. Very happy."
Daniel patted his mother's back like a little adult. After letting her hold him for a moment, he finally said, "Mommy, I can hardly breathe."
Sophia quickly released him and gently pushed him toward the school building. "Go on then. Mommy might not be able to come next week, so take good care of your sister and your grandparents."
Daniel nodded solemnly. He waved goodbye one last time before turning and walking toward the school entrance.
Sophia watched her son's figure until he disappeared into the building. Only then did she wipe the corners of her eyes, get back in the car, and drive away.
She had already said her goodbyes to Simon earlier. This time she headed straight to her parents' apartment in the city center to bid them farewell before returning to Europe.
She had originally planned to take the Concorde. The supersonic jet could fly from the East Coast to Europe in just three hours more than cutting the travel time in half compared to regular flights.
The roughly six-thousand-kilometer journey took only three hours, roughly the same as many young professionals in major cities commuting from distant suburbs.
However, after learning about it, the little man had forbidden her from taking that plane, citing safety concerns and excessive noise. This time he had lent her his Boeing 767 instead, while he would fly back to the West Coast on a Gulfstream IV.
She would probably get to use it often in the future.
She understood the little man's strong sense of territory when it came to his personal possessions. The fact that he was willing to lend out his private jet was extremely rare. That was also why she had answered her son's second question so decisively earlier.
Compared to the Concorde, the Boeing 767 flight to Europe would take seven or eight hours, but Sophia hadn't minded at all.
A mid-sized jet like the Boeing 767 felt almost no different from being on the ground, let alone the Gulfstream IV from the Westeros fleet.
The seven or eight hours could be used for work or rest without any waste.
Moreover, the private jet could land directly in Florence, where Gucci's headquarters was located, rather than requiring connections through Paris or Rome. That saved considerable time as well.
Back at the estate on the outskirts of Greenwich.
After Sophia and the children left, Simon did not depart immediately. Instead, he soon welcomed a visitor.
Joseph Schlapp.
The head of Schlapp Consulting, the firm under Westeros Company responsible for managing Simon's political investments and lobbying efforts.
Schlapp Consulting was also headquartered in Greenwich, making meetings convenient.
Joseph Schlapp was a lean white man in his fifties or sixties. He was of average height, slightly balding, with a neatly groomed salt-and-pepper beard. Dressed in a dark gray suit, he exuded an approachable and trustworthy demeanor.
This was not surprising. Someone lacking interpersonal skills could hardly succeed in this line of work.
Over their more than two years of cooperation, Joseph Schlapp had successfully helped New York Mayor David Dinkins win his election and assisted Westeros Company in clearing political obstacles for two major acquisitions. Both results had greatly satisfied Simon.
In his heart, Simon had fully accepted the man as the representative for Westeros's political donation and lobbying operations.
Their morning meeting was not a routine visit but concerned a very important matter.
In the villa's reception room.
After the housekeeper served two glasses of water and left, Joseph Schlapp, seated on the single sofa beside Simon, pulled a stack of documents from his briefcase. "Based on the information we've collected over the past few months, AT&T, Southwestern Bell, Pacific Bell, Sprint, and Bell Atlantic have all been pushing to varying degrees for the federal government to relax telecommunications regulations. However, Simon, please take a look at this document first. It's a lobbying proposal I obtained from Motorola. Not only do they want to maintain the restrictions preventing operators from entering telecommunications equipment manufacturing, but they also hope to bring the emerging internet sector under the same regulations. The target is quite obvious, it appears aimed at Cisco."
Simon accepted the file and opened it.
Joseph Schlapp took a sip of water and waited a moment before continuing. "That said, Simon, we don't need to be overly concerned. Motorola isn't involved in network equipment manufacturing at the moment. Moreover, since this is still an emerging industry, the federal government is unlikely to impose restrictive regulations too early, as that would hinder its development. I only wanted to make you aware of this development."
Simon nodded slightly, mentally giving Joseph Schlapp another point of credit.
A professional lobbyist solely interested in extracting more fees would have exaggerated the threat of Motorola's proposal to squeeze additional funds out of their employer.
If network equipment manufacturing were brought under the old telecommunications regulatory framework, Simon might retain his shares in Cisco but would likely lose control of the company. That would be highly detrimental to Westeros's strategy in the internet sector.
Simon was generous with his political investments, but he would never allow himself to be treated as a cash cow.
In addition to Schlapp Consulting, Westeros employed other political advisors specifically tasked with evaluating their work. If Joseph Schlapp ever tried to deceive him, the consequences would be far more severe than simply losing a major client.
Joseph Schlapp waited patiently for Simon to finish reading before handing over several more documents. "Simon, you can review these at your convenience. Let me briefly outline our lobbying strategy."
Simon nodded but casually picked up one of the summaries on current telecommunications regulations.
Knowing Simon was perfectly capable of multitasking, Joseph Schlapp continued, "Since our first-phase lobbying goal is to persuade the federal government to lift the restrictions preventing operators from entering equipment manufacturing, we have many potential allies especially AT&T. AT&T has been eager to re-enter the telecommunications equipment sector in recent years. Regional operators like Bell Atlantic are also natural partners. These companies can provide substantial data to support the bill. Our primary opponents will be equipment manufacturers such as Motorola."
The 1984 AT&T breakup had not only divided the former monopoly into eight companies but also established numerous regulatory measures. These included bans on long-distance and local carriers entering each other's markets, operators entering cable television, and operators entering equipment manufacturing.
There was no question that these regulations had fostered significant competition and a "hundred flowers blooming" in the U.S. telecommunications industry. Internet service providers like America Online had benefited greatly from them.
However, the breakup and its restrictions had not been entirely positive for promoting competition and industry growth.
Because services had been fragmented, operators' economies of scale were limited.
To maintain profit margins, major carriers often raised prices, substantially increasing costs for consumers.
Convincing the federal government to relax restrictions across telecommunications sectors and allow greater integration was the ultimate lobbying goal for Simon and the entire industry.
That said, this could not happen overnight. In the short term, Westeros would focus on lobbying to lift the prohibition on operators entering equipment manufacturing.
The digital age of mobile communications was fast approaching.
To expedite federal approval for Westeros Company's acquisition of Bell Atlantic, Simon had promised that Nokia, which Westeros owned outright, would not operate in North America.
This was naturally only a temporary concession.
As the world's largest economy, Simon could never allow Nokia to completely abandon the American market.