She dreamt of her childhood, which seemed like it was ages ago.
She had always been taller than her peers, inevitably standing out and often being teased as a "big kid." This left her without friends, and some teachers even suspected she might have developmental issues, wondering why she was so tall but still in the lower grades. In response, she quietly worked hard, earning good grades, which were then taken for granted by everyone.
Once, her brother fought a classmate who teased her. As a result, their parents were called in, and her father apologized to the teacher and the classmate's parents. After the ordeal, her brother was whipped so badly by their father that he couldn't get out of bed.
As a result, she became more withdrawn, learning to cope with many things through silence.
At the age of eight, she finally found her direction in life: basketball.
Her parents had been worried about her rapid growth, but one day during a gym class, she demonstrated a natural talent for basketball. Her gym teacher personally visited her parents to explain the potential for her to play basketball, compete, and even join the national team to serve the country. Her father immediately took this seriously, believing it was a good path for her, and he spared no effort in providing her with every opportunity.
At 18, she finally achieved her dream of joining the national basketball team.
The greatest relief for her family, however, was that she stopped growing after reaching 188 cm. Any taller, and she might have struggled to find a boyfriend.
Then came the severe social upheaval.
Former dreams and honors suddenly became things of the past. Her father lost his job, her brother retired, her sister dropped out of school, and she herself was left with nothing. Even her mother's job became unstable, with months of unpaid wages. The family struggled to survive, sometimes even going hungry.
Until last year.
A former team official contacted her, saying that someone was looking to hire a group of female bodyguards. Having been unable to find a job, she agreed without hesitation, only to discover that securing the job was not easy. Some former teammates also applied, but she was the only one to pass the initial test.
But that was just the beginning.
There were three more months of intensive training, during which she learned that she might end up serving the Westeros family.
Yes.
That Simon Westeros.
To say nothing else, the $200 monthly stipend during the three months of training convinced her that she had to secure the job at any cost. The $200 not only eased her family's financial difficulties but also allowed her parents to help out other relatives.
The 60 women selected for training from over a thousand applicants all had similar motivations.
When they learned that only half of them would be kept, some tried to use other means. Two women who slept with instructors were expelled along with the instructors themselves. One instructor was even arrested and sentenced to ten years in prison. Although the women faced no additional punishment, they clearly lost the most important opportunity of their lives.
After three months of training, only 23 women remained, with 37 being eliminated.
When the results were announced, many cried on the spot, and one woman fainted. She didn't cry, but after celebrating at home that night, she lay awake all night in bed.
Soon, she was assigned to protect six girls at a villa in the southern part of Rivne.
They were all said to be Simon Westeros' girls.
In textbooks, he was the textbook example of a corrupt, degenerate capitalist.
Someone who should be overthrown.
But the $1,000 monthly salary? As one colleague said, even President Kuchma's bodyguards might not earn that much. With that kind of money, if Simon Westeros asked her to overthrow someone, she would.
Deep down, she felt the same way.
So, the first time she saw him and he told her to wash up and wait for him in bed, she did as she was told.
She was mentally prepared for this.
An evil capitalist naturally behaved this way.
Then, he did nothing that time, and her salary was increased from $1,000 per month to $200,000 per year.
Now, she didn't even know how to spend so much money.
She just felt like she had completely sold herself to him. Even though that A-Girl who intimidated her a bit said she could leave freely after a year, she hadn't thought about leaving. It wasn't the $200,000 a year that she was after; it was just that she instinctively felt like she had sold herself.
And she had to keep her word.
Her unconscious dreams slowly transitioned into half-awake, disjointed thoughts. Finally, she opened her eyes, and memories of last night quickly flooded her mind. On the soft bed, she lay on her side, her chin resting on his shoulder, hugging his arm intimately.
She also felt a new sensation in her body after their first time.
Afraid to wake him, she stayed perfectly still, only daring to sneak a glance at his face, her breathing cautious.
This was her man.
No, she was just one of many women this evil capitalist had, and he might forget about her in less than a year.
This thought made her inexplicably sad.
She thought back to last night.
After returning from the party, he saw her and naturally told her to go upstairs and run him a bath. Knowing nothing, she stiffly complied, trying not to make a sound for fear of disturbing him.
Later.
He called her "little blockhead."
Yes.
Definitely not "big blockhead."
She could tell that the nickname was very different from the "big kid" she was teased with as a child. It had a meaning she couldn't quite understand. In any case, she found it somewhat sweet.
She wondered if he might have forgotten about it after waking up.
Her thoughts were chaotic, and she didn't know how long she had been looking at him. The dim morning light seeped through the window, and his body shifted, indicating he was waking up. She quickly closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.
He gently pulled his arm away, then leaned over and kissed her cheek.
His lips were warm.
And she felt her heart warming too.
Realizing he was getting dressed, she pretended to wake up, carefully sitting up. After hesitating for a moment, she decided not to pull the blanket over her body to hide it. He glanced at her, then smiled in a way that made her feel comfortable. "Good morning."
She quickly responded, "Good morning."
She then moved closer, her voice small. "I'll help you."
"No need," Simon said, admiring Eve's flushed cheeks and smiling as he refused. "You can keep sleeping. Get up whenever you like. You don't need to work for the next few days, so rest well."
As he spoke, he reached over and gently pressed her shoulder. She obediently lay back down, though her eyes still followed him secretly. When he noticed, she quickly looked away. It wasn't until he had washed up and left the master bedroom that she finally relaxed and went back to sleep.
It was January 28th, a Saturday in Ukraine.
Seven o'clock in the morning.
Simon went downstairs to find that the maids in the villa had already risen and were busying themselves.
He headed to the gym, where he had been running on the treadmill for less than ten minutes when Celia Miller, dressed in women's athletic wear, entered. The two exchanged greetings, and Celia started up the treadmill next to his, jogging alongside him as she said, "What did you think of Tymoshenko's proposal last night?"
Simon shook his head. "Not interested. If possible, avoid dealing with those two in the future."
Last night, at the party hosted by Sergey Komorov, Yulia Tymoshenko, who had come to Rivne Oblast with Ukrainian Energy Minister Lazarenko, proposed that the Westeros system invest in her family's reorganized energy company, United Energy Systems of Ukraine.
In Simon's memory, Tymoshenko used this company, with Lazarenko's support, to monopolize Ukraine's natural gas supply in the following years, earning enormous profits.
A single company monopolizing a country's natural gas supply is bound to be short-lived. Lazarenko quickly fell from power in 1997, and Tymoshenko's family business was seized by the Ukrainian government, largely due to this monopoly.
From the information Simon had, Tymoshenko was an extremely formidable woman. Unlike the endlessly greedy Lazarenko, she probably knew that a monopoly couldn't last forever, which is why she tried to bring Simon on board.
Moreover, although United Energy Systems of Ukraine appeared to control Ukraine's entire natural gas supply, it still needed to import gas from Russia.
This company simply didn't have the financial resources to support its expansion.
Historically, Tymoshenko repeatedly engaged in "intimate" negotiations with Russian energy oligarchs, trying to extend the payment deadlines for United Energy Systems' massive debt.
During last night's party, Tymoshenko had even slipped Simon a business card with her private number.
Some things were self-explanatory.
With the Westeros system, a world-class financial powerhouse, backing her, not only would United Energy Systems of Ukraine's financial problems be solved, but Simon, who wielded significant influence even over the U.S. government, would be a far more powerful ally than Pavlo Lazarenko.
Simon had a liking for capable, assertive women.
Except for the Black Widow.
A woman like Tymoshenko, who swayed between being pro-Russian and pro-American without a firm stance, wasn't someone Simon wanted to get too involved with, even if he understood it was a survival tactic for small players in a big game.
As for getting involved with her company, that was out of the question.
Simon's initial
strategy for Ukraine was to avoid sensitive energy sectors as much as possible. Attempting to monopolize a country's natural gas supply would make the Westeros system a target for powerful Ukrainian factions coveting that resource. In that case, it wouldn't matter how long such a monopoly could last or how much profit could be made. The certainty was that the Westeros system's other plans in Ukraine would face constant disruption.
Celia had been present when Tymoshenko approached Simon last night.
Hearing Simon's straightforward rejection now, she was a bit surprised. She had even considered the idea privately. After a moment, she said, "Simon, even if we don't take a stake in Tymoshenko's company, we could still invest more in natural gas. It's a lucrative business in Ukraine."
Ukraine, with its harsh winter weather and strategic location on the pipeline route from Russia to Europe, consumes a large amount of natural gas annually.
It's a business with naturally high profits.
Simon replied, "Sergey is already working on it. At the end of last year, he acquired a natural gas company, and in the next few years, we expect to control the natural gas supply in Rivne Oblast. That's enough. Celia, our foundation in Ukraine isn't very strong. For now, we should avoid getting involved in things that could offend most of the local powers. Natural gas is precisely one of those things we should stay away from."
Celia nodded, noticing another implication in Simon's tone. "Simon, what about in the future?"
Simon shrugged slightly. "We'll deal with the future when it comes. Besides, as I've told you, I don't plan to extract much economic benefit from this country. I just want to ensure there's a private military force here solely under the Westeros system's control. To achieve that, the more unstable and weak this country is, the better it is for us."
Celia acknowledged this, then remembered something. "Simon, Washington is planning a secret military operation. I don't know the specifics, but Phillip informed me they want to deploy a UFMS unit to Serbia. I told him I'd need to check with you first."
The region between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, where Yugoslavia disintegrated in 1992, is a sensitive area due to the land-based oil route from the Middle East to Europe. To maintain its dominance over the petrodollar, the U.S. has made many strategic moves in this region.
The Westeros system's private military company MCSS in North America began collaborating with the U.S. Department of Defense last year, earning it a protective shield from the U.S. government. In the future, this shield could be used to deflect many troubles with the phrase "national security."
This time, the Defense Department's request to pull troops from UFMS in Ukraine suggests they're planning some covert operations not directly involving Washington.
Given the benefits of cooperation with Washington, assisting them is only natural.
After a brief consideration, Simon said, "I'll need to see the detailed plans and the appropriate backing."
While he was willing to "serve the nation," Simon had no intention of "taking the fall" for it. If things went wrong, Simon needed to ensure Washington wouldn't scapegoat UFMS.
Celia understood what Simon meant and nodded. "I'll take care of it, Boss."
The two continued jogging for another half-hour before Simon went to shower and change. He then headed down to the dining room.
Today was another busy day.
In the morning, he was scheduled to visit the UFMS military base. As the ultimate overseer of this private military force, it was essential for him to make regular appearances. In the afternoon, he would meet with Rivne Oblast officials to discuss a series of projects, including the "Nokia factory" and the "Military-themed park." The evening would conclude with a dinner for the key members of the Westeros system in Ukraine.
After breakfast, Simon left the southern villa and headed to the UFMS military base north of Rivne, receiving reports from A-Girl on various matters within the Westeros system during the drive.
On Friday afternoon, on the East Coast of the United States, Congress finally voted to lift the "Media Consolidation Ban," and the bill was already on its way to the White House.
No surprises were expected; Clinton would sign the bill next week.
To Simon, the repeal of this law, which had prevented mergers between film and television companies in the U.S., was effectively putting the traditional Big Three television networks—ABC, CBS, and NBC—on the market.
Historically, the Big Three networks merged with major Hollywood studios in the coming years, forming even larger media conglomerates.
This time, history had already taken many different turns.
With the remaining Hollywood majors significantly weakened by Danerys Entertainment, they no longer had the strength to acquire the Big Three networks. On the other hand, it would be just as challenging for the Big Three networks to acquire a major Hollywood studio because the seven major film companies all had strong backing and wouldn't be sold anytime soon.
The biggest benefit of this situation was that it reduced the obstacles Danerys Entertainment would face in acquiring one of the Big Three networks.
The likelihood of competition in such a purchase would be minimal.
After all, excluding FOX, which was not for sale, there were still three networks available.
If the Westeros system targeted one of them, even if someone else wanted to acquire a network, it was unlikely they'd compete with Danerys Entertainment for the same one.
On the flip side, given the overwhelming strength of Danerys Entertainment, any further expansion would face significant antitrust scrutiny.
However, none of this would affect Simon's plans.
After hearing A-Girl mention this, Simon immediately used the satellite phone in the car to call Amy Pascal in Los Angeles, instructing her to start preparing for the acquisition.
_________________________
[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]