Last year, Sophia had just moved her parents and children to a new house, still close to Greenwich City Center. She felt safer in a populated area.
The incident happened around 9:30 PM.
It was a quiet night.
The covert guards assigned to protect the Fesey family noticed someone parking in front of the house via surveillance cameras. Sensing something was wrong, they immediately alerted the bodyguards inside the house. As they prepared to intercept the vehicle from a nearby apartment, the driver quickly dropped a package at the Fesey's doorstep and drove away.
Though it seemed like a harmless document bag, the bodyguards moved the Fesey family to a nearby apartment. One of the covert guards, with bomb disposal experience, put on protective gear and opened the bag.
It wasn't a bomb or any other dangerous item.
However, the bag contained an Italian newspaper, the "Corriere della Sera," stained with an unknown type of blood and four bullets.
Simon rushed over from his estate in the northern suburbs. The elders and children, who had been frightened, had already returned to the house. Seth Herman, the covert guard captain, handed Simon the newspaper and bullets, now sealed in a transparent evidence bag.
Just a glance at the blood-stained article, and Simon roughly understood the situation.
The article was titled, "Melisandre to Expand Further, Set to Acquire Versace," and featured a photo of Sophia and Gianni Versace chatting at a party.
Evidently, some people thought Melisandre intended to acquire their money-laundering front, hence the warning.
Sophia had discussed with Simon the information she had gathered about three companies. Although Simon had no qualms about acquiring Versace, as long as it was handled properly and he wasn't worried about the Mafia, Sophia had backed out, not wanting to get involved with the Italian underground, and had voluntarily abandoned the acquisition.
However, it seems that trouble had found them regardless.
Standing on the lawn in front of the Fesey's villa, Seth Herman watched his boss's stern expression and took the initiative. "I had someone follow the car. The target is heading towards New York. Boss, should we intercept them?"
Simon handed the evidence bag with the newspaper to Neil Bennett and shook his head. "Keep following. I want to know where they settle, who they contact, and…" Simon paused, his gaze sharpening as he looked at Seth Herman. "The Fesey's address shouldn't be known to just anyone. They must have conducted some investigation. So, what have you noticed these past few days?"
Seth Herman, feeling the young man's cold gaze, instinctively wanted to look away but held firm, speaking seriously. "Boss, I've been on duty this week. I can confirm that the Chrysler and the driver from earlier have appeared here for the first time in the past five days. I also haven't noticed any other anomalies in the areas we monitor. You can have someone check the surveillance footage from the past week."
Herman highlighted "within five days" because the newspaper's publication date was precisely five days ago.
As a former East German Stasi secret agent responsible for high-level government security, 46-year-old Seth Herman had the unique rigor of a German and confidence in his professional skills. He joined the Stasi at 27 and worked for 15 years until East and West Germany merged and the Stasi disbanded, without ever making a mistake.
That's why Sophia had placed this former Stasi major in charge of her family's security.
Knowing Herman's background, Simon's expression softened slightly but remained stern. "I'll investigate this matter. If there's any negligence on your part, I won't be lenient."
Herman nodded.
If that were the case, he would have no face to stay either.
Simon's anger was understandable.
This time, it was just a newspaper and a few bullets, a scare. However, if someone had directly targeted the Fesey family, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Thus, Simon was determined to find out how their location had been compromised.
He instructed Neil Bennett to personally take over the situation, made some arrangements, and then called Janet in Los Angeles, not hiding the incident from her.
The Dume Point estate was a more obvious target.
However, things were calm in Los Angeles, with no similar incidents—at least not yet.
Simon trusted Janet, gave a few instructions, then called Sophia. She said she would come as soon as possible, with no evident worry in her tone.
After hanging up, Simon entered the house, where two covert guards were seated in the downstairs living room.
Seeing Simon, they stood up, indicating the Fesey family was upstairs.
Simon went upstairs. Sophia's parents and the two children were in an upstairs living room watching TV, accompanied by three bodyguards—two men and one woman.
Simon dismissed the bodyguards, sat on the sofa, and smilingly explained that it was just a small thief causing trouble, possibly someone desperate due to drug addiction. Such incidents were common in the USA and not a big deal.
The experienced elderly couple didn't easily believe him but had no doubt about their daughter's little man's capabilities.
After some comforting, the elders pretended to accept the explanation and went to rest.
However, the two children were not so easily "deceived."
As soon as the grandparents left, 11-year-old Gemma, already blossoming into a young lady, clung to Simon's arm and asked, "Uncle Simon, what really happened?"
Simon gently flicked her forehead. "Nothing much. Go to bed now. Staying up late isn't good for a girl's skin."
Gemma immediately covered her forehead and protested, "That's not true. Beauty is hereditary. Mom stays up late often and is still so beautiful."
Simon replied, "That's because your mom makes up for lost sleep during the day."
Gemma expertly flipped her hair to cover her forehead, her attention diverted by Simon's comment. She mischievously asked, "How do you know?"
Simon didn't answer directly. Instead, he said, "Actually, your mom has another secret to her beauty."
Gemma fell for it, "What is it?"
Simon said, "She never chases after people with so many questions."
Gemma's beautiful blue eyes blinked a few times before she pouted, "Fine, you adults are always like this."
Simon put on a stern face. "Alright, go to bed."
Gemma, unafraid, reached out and pinched Simon's face, pulling it into a smile until Simon made a clownish grin, scaring her into jumping off the sofa with a laugh. "Okay, okay, I'm going to bed."
She ran to the door, clung to the door frame, and poked her head back in. "Uncle Simon, Mom will be here tomorrow, right?"
Simon nodded. "In the morning."
Satisfied, Gemma disappeared, carefully closing the door behind her.
After the girl left, Simon turned to look at Daniel Fesey, sitting in a single chair nearby.
Sophia's two children: Daniel was 13, and Gemma was 11.
It's often said that boys develop later, but Daniel was already over 1.75 meters tall and much stronger than his peers. He started playing basketball in elementary school and had a famous NBA coach training him one-on-one this summer. Unlike his sister, who remained innocent and carefree despite everyone's doting, Daniel had always shown a precocious side.
After Gemma left, Simon got up to pour coffee for the two of them. Daniel wanted to help but was stopped with a smile. Back on the sofa with two cups of coffee, Simon asked, "Is the training tough?"
Daniel replied, "It's alright."
Due to his maturity, Daniel had long understood the relationship between his mother and Simon. For some innate reason, unlike his sister, who was equally aware but very affectionate towards Simon, Daniel always carried a slight sense of detachment when facing Simon.
Simon didn't mind Daniel's aloofness. After sipping his coffee, he said, "Your mom told me your skills are impressive and that you could even make it to the NBA someday. But Daniel, have you ever thought about why you play basketball?"
Daniel was clearly taken aback, hesitated a bit, then said, "Mom likes me playing basketball."
Simon knew the unspoken part was likely, "So I work hard to show her."
Not just in basketball, Daniel excelled in other areas compared to his peers and was a heartthrob at school, always a source of pride for Sophia.
Daniel was precocious, sensible, and diligent, without the usual teenage rebellion, which made Simon a bit envious. As a father, he occasionally hoped his son Melbourne would be half as outstanding as Daniel when he grew up, which would make him very proud.
However, Simon didn't entirely agree with Sophia's parenting style.
She was somewhat overprotective of the two children.
The world wasn't as peaceful and quiet as children imagined, especially at their level, where deceit and intrigue were more prevalent. Being merely smart and diligent without facing hardships and knowing the world's dangers would only make them prey, grass-eaters among the carnivores striving to reach the top.
Simon couldn't bear to shatter Gemma's innocence.
But he had fewer reservations about Daniel.
His innate masculinity made Simon instinctively feel that boys should bear more burdens.
Caressing his coffee cup, Simon said, "You know, Daniel, it's not that your mom loves you playing basketball so much; it's because she thinks you love it and wants to create the best conditions for you, feeling proud of it. If tomorrow you suddenly said you didn't like basketball, your mom wouldn't force you because her pride lies in you, not in any external achievements."
Daniel paused, nodded, hesitated a bit more, then asked, "Simon, can I know what happened earlier?"
Simon nodded. "
Even if you didn't ask, I planned to tell you. I think you're old enough to take on some responsibilities. Learning about these things at 18 is too late in my view and would require more effort and cost. However, your mom doesn't want you to know too soon. So, this needs to be our secret. I can tell you, but you can't tell your mom, or she'll be mad at me. Understand?"
Daniel quickly promised, "I promise."
Simon didn't waste more words and went straight to the point. "To start, recently, Gianni Versace, the founder of Versace, approached your mom, hoping she would invest in his company. You probably know Versace. However, this matter isn't simple because Versace is actually a money-laundering tool for the Southern Italian Mafia, 'Ndrangheta. Gianni invited us to invest, hoping to use the Westeros system's power to escape Mafia control. Not wanting to get involved with the Mafia, your mom already refused. But it seems Versace hasn't given up, and the Italian media has jumped in, reporting that Melisandre is preparing to acquire Versace."
He paused to let Daniel process this before continuing. "Tonight, someone delivered a blood-stained newspaper featuring an article about Melisandre acquiring Versace, along with four bullets. It's clearly a warning to your mom to stay out of Versace."
Daniel listened and asked first, "Simon, will my mom be in danger?"
Simon paused his motion of bringing the cup to his lips, set it down, and looked at the boy with appreciation. "Don't worry. She's stronger than you think. And I will do anything to protect her."
Daniel was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Simon, starting tomorrow, I don't want to play basketball anymore."
Simon shook his head. "You don't need to do that. Otherwise, your mom will definitely notice something. Also, to become excellent, you must have ample energy. Regular exercise ensures this. Many top executives were athletic champions in school. Just don't take it too seriously. If you love it, you could buy a basketball team in the future. But don't make basketball your career. You're the Fesey heir and have more responsibilities."
Daniel looked at Simon. "Simon, I mean, I want to learn things that can protect myself and my family. I saw your boxing video from Melbourne."
Simon smiled. "You can't learn that. I don't know many fighting techniques; I'm just naturally strong. In the ring, the difference felt like an adult beating up a bunch of seven or eight-year-old kids."
Daniel wasn't discouraged. "But you're one of a kind. Learning fighting techniques wouldn't hurt, right?"
Simon nodded. "True. But starting now, you might get hurt. Professional fighters seem glorious when young but are full of hidden injuries and suffer greatly in middle age."
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