While Simon was having dinner with several executives, on the other side of the Bay Area, Grace Spurt, who had flown in from New York the previous day, was also dining with Deborah Lippman, one of her top models.
It wasn't just the two of them. In this Italian restaurant, located not far from Instagram's headquarters, there was a lively gathering of tall and beautiful young women. Among them were some well-known faces like the "waist goddess" Yasmin Garry and the "leg goddess" Nadja Orman, who were seated with Grace and Deborah. Their presence drew the attention of other diners, some of whom were bold enough to approach for autographs or to hand out business cards.
Apart from the two prominent models, the other girls were all Grace's clients. This included the three models who had recently gained fame after signing with Victoria's Secret, as well as Karen Mud, whom Grace had reluctantly taken on under pressure from Elite's CEO, John Casablancas.
The upcoming "Information Age" marketing campaign was opening many doors in the fashion world.
Grace had come to the Bay Area to discuss future collaborations with Simon's company, bringing all of her models with her to make connections in Silicon Valley. No one knows what the future holds, but it's clear that staying in step with the latest tech trends is a good move.
As the Vice President of Elite's U.S. division, Grace might seem a bit selfish for only bringing her own girls to San Francisco. However, she knows the fashion industry's resources are not as plentiful as those in Hollywood or the music industry. She won't hesitate to collaborate with other agents in the company when necessary, but she'll always prioritize securing the best opportunities for her clients.
These girls are her foundation, as they directly generate commissions for her as a modeling agent. Even though the rapidly growing new media department is promising, it doesn't offer the same sense of security as a stable of top models. If she were to leave Elite now, she couldn't take the new media department with her, but these girls could follow her and help her start her own agency.
By the time dinner was over, it was already eight o'clock in the evening.
Grace said goodbye to Deborah and the others, then left with her group of girls, taking several cars from Palo Alto to the Los Altos Hills, another luxury residential area in the South Bay, connected to other affluent neighborhoods like Woodside, Portola Valley, and Palo Alto Hills, similar to the layout of Hollywood Hills, Beverly Hills, Bel Air, and Brentwood in Los Angeles.
Instead of staying in a hotel after arriving in San Francisco, they had settled in a mansion in Los Altos Hills, which sits on over two acres of land.
This property belongs to Simon.
Grace had arranged this trip with Simon while she was still in New York. When she mentioned bringing some of her clients to San Francisco, Simon had offered her the use of this mansion. Over the phone, he had even shared his peculiar logic, saying that fairies (meaning beautiful women) need to be raised in luxury. Once they develop a taste for the finer things, they become more driven and less susceptible to temptation.
It sounded quite reasonable.
If Simon had directly given her a mansion, which he often does, Grace would have refused due to her own principles. But since he was merely lending it to her to house her clients, she accepted without hesitation.
After all, she knew it was no big deal for him.
Simon even has a peculiar hobby of keeping beauties in his properties.
With a mansion that boasts eight bedrooms, Grace decided to bring all the girls under her care who didn't currently have work, not just the three Victoria's Secret models. After the hectic fashion season, where they had been working non-stop for over a month, this was a good opportunity to let them rest a bit—a sort of perk.
However, rest wasn't really on the agenda.
Thanks to her connections, Grace quickly lined up a lot of work for the girls.
Amazon's online store, which had recently begun diversifying its operations, needed a vast number of photos for their clothing and cosmetics pages, requiring many models. Other websites in Silicon Valley also had an increasing demand for models.
Because of this demand, Elite wasn't the only agency expanding its presence in San Francisco—other major modeling agencies in North America had also increased their focus on the city, which traditionally had not been a significant market for the fashion industry.
So, despite arriving only yesterday, the girls had already started various assignments.
This was another one of Simon's peculiar theories: women can be pampered, but they should never be idle.
Idleness leads to trouble.
It's true.
Just think about the Graloff family, who probably caused trouble out of sheer boredom—Simon seems to know this from personal experience.
When they returned to the mansion in Los Altos Hills, the girls bustled inside, and Grace clapped her hands to get their attention. "Okay, everyone, go take a shower and get some rest. There's work tomorrow. If anyone's late, they can sleep on the street."
Shana Zadrick, who bears a striking resemblance to Cindy Crawford, immediately claimed a spot on the sofa, looking exhausted. "Grace, I'm so tired. Can we at least rest on the weekend?"
"You can," Grace nodded, then smiled. "But don't complain. There are plenty of girls who would love to have as much work as you do. The West Coast modeling agencies are probably cursing you for coming all the way from the East Coast to steal their jobs. If I'd had the opportunities you have now, I wouldn't be an agent today. Now, no lying around on the sofa. Go upstairs, shower, and sleep. And don't forget your skincare routine before bed."
As Grace spoke, she walked over to Angela Lindvall and snatched the business card from her hand, quickly tearing it up and throwing it in the trash. Angela, who had received the card from someone who approached her at the restaurant, was only 15 years old and not ready to consider such things.
Angela stuck out her tongue when Grace glared at her, then grabbed a friend's hand and led the way upstairs, followed by the other girls.
Once the living room was quiet, Grace finally sat down on the sofa.
Her assistant, Michelle, brought her a cup of coffee. Grace took a sip just as her phone rang. After a brief conversation, she hung up.
Michelle, who had overheard part of the conversation, asked, "Grace, are you going out?"
Grace nodded, her expression unchanged, and stood up to give Michelle some instructions. "Keep an eye on them. No sneaking out to have fun."
Michelle nodded, suspecting what was going on but not daring to ask more.
Her boss wasn't easy to deal with.
After giving a few more instructions, Grace grabbed her purse and headed out. Michelle followed her to the door and saw a black Rolls-Royce parked outside. Given the strict security in this area, it was impossible for a stranger to be waiting outside a mansion without permission.
Michelle's earlier suspicions were now confirmed, though she pretended not to notice anything.
Just a few days ago, Grace had all her assistants sign new confidentiality agreements. Michelle, being smart, understood exactly what those agreements were really about.
She secretly envied her boss's situation.
After all, this was Simon Westeros.
The driver opened the door for Grace, who got in, but was slightly disappointed not to see Simon immediately.
After asking the driver, she learned that he was still at a business meeting and that the car was taking her to his residence for the night.
The Rolls-Royce left Los Altos Hills, winding along mountain roads for about ten minutes before arriving at a secluded estate in Portola Valley, which borders Woodside. The estate, which occupies an entire hilltop, is surrounded by dense forests. The main building is a three-story country-style mansion with stone walls and a slate roof, covering over half an acre—far grander than the mansion in Los Altos Hills.
The driver parked at the entrance of the main mansion and gestured for Grace to go inside on her own.
Feeling both nervous and excited, Grace climbed the steps and entered the brightly lit hall. She was greeted by the familiar figure of Zoe Parks, a doll-faced girl she had met a few times at Simon's estate in Greenwich.
Seeing someone she knew, Grace relaxed a little, though she still felt a bit embarrassed.
After all, this was an affair.
Zoe showed no sign of discomfort, warmly hugging Grace and then leading her upstairs to a living room with a terrace.
Unlike the first floor, where several maids were busy, the second floor was quiet.
After serving Grace a cup of coffee, Zoe said, "The boss might take a while to get back. If you need anything, just let me know."
Zoe pointed to a crystal ball on the side table.
Grace nodded, knowing it was a servant call device. She had two maids at home but never needed such a thing. However, in a mansion with dozens of rooms like this, it was necessary. Otherwise, the owner would have to shout to get someone to help.
After a moment's thought, Grace called out to Zoe, who was about to leave. "I just got back from outside. I'd like to take a bath first."
"Of course. Please follow me."
Zoe led Grace to the master bedroom on the third floor, helped her prepare a bathrobe, and filled the bathtub before leaving.
Grace waited until Zoe had left before undressing and stepping into the oversized marble bathtub.
She had been soaking for less than ten minutes when she heard a noise outside.
"Zoe, is that you?" Grace called out cautiously, looking towards the bathroom door.
There was no response.
The door suddenly opened, revealing Simon's tall figure.
When Grace woke up in the morning, she
could tell it was already late from the sunlight streaming through the curtains.
It was her first time spending the night with Simon, and she had indulged a bit too much, leaving her feeling weak. She hesitated but decided not to get up. There was no need to call anyone—Michelle could handle things in her absence.
She couldn't help but admire Simon's energy.
After traveling halfway around the world, he still had the stamina to wear her out last night and was already up and working early this morning.
She just couldn't keep up.
She closed her eyes and dozed off again until she heard a knock at the door around noon.
It was Zoe.
This time, Grace felt even more embarrassed.
However, noticing the hint of envy in Zoe's respectful demeanor, her embarrassment began to fade.
Zoe didn't stay long. She only brought a tray into the room and reminded Grace that Simon would be back for lunch, noting that it was already 11:30.
After Zoe left, Grace sat up in bed and glanced at the tray on the bedside table. There was a glass of water and a few pills on a plate. She knew what they were. For a moment, she hesitated, but then she reached out, drank the water, and took the pills before getting up to get dressed and wash up.
When she went downstairs, Simon had just returned.
It seemed the other maids had been sent away, leaving only Zoe to serve them lunch. After serving the meal, Zoe disappeared.
Sitting at the table, Grace felt Simon's gaze on her and couldn't help feeling a bit self-conscious. She worried he might tease her for being too weak last night, so she pretended to be calm as she picked up her utensils and brought up a topic. "Before you left last time, I mentioned the possibility of another 'Westeros Effect.' I didn't expect you to really crash the Japanese stock market again."
Simon gave her a playful smile, "Yeah, sometimes I think I'm too good at this. I can't seem to help it, and someone ends up suffering."
Sensing the lighthearted tone in his voice, Grace relaxed. She even rolled her eyes playfully before recalling something and asking curiously, "You must have made a lot of money with the Mexican currency crash this time, right?"
This was a sensitive question, and Grace clearly hadn't fully thought it through before asking.
Simon, however, didn't avoid the topic. He shook his head and said, "Mexico didn't have much to offer. The real gains came from the rest of Latin America. Countries like Brazil, Argentina, and Chile have economies similar to Mexico's. When Mexico's financial crisis hit, it was like the first domino falling, bringing down the rest of Latin America with it."
After a brief period of prosperity in the 1970s, Latin American countries had mostly been in decline due to failed economic reforms. On top of that, the U.S. continued to export debt to the region and suppress these economies, making it even harder for them to recover. Apart from a few isolated countries like Cuba and Venezuela, most of Latin America, including Brazil, had effectively become a backyard for the U.S.
Simon didn't participate in the European currency crisis two years ago, but he wasn't going to hold back this time with Latin America.
Of course, he wouldn't be too blatant about it either.
As before, Soros was the public face, while Simon's Westeros system quietly moved behind the scenes. The connection Simon had established with British businessman Joseph Lewis earlier proved useful this time. Simon had agreed to collaborate with Lewis in the first place as part of his strategy for the Latin American market.
Michael Lewis had been involved in the previous European currency crisis. This time, working with Simon's Westeros system, Lewis's Tavistock Group had even more capital at its disposal, allowing Simon to remain in the background.
Since the Mexican financial crisis began last week, the Westeros system's short positions in the stock and bond markets of Latin American countries, including Mexico, had already netted over $800 million in paper profits. By the end of the year, when the positions were fully realized, the overall gains were expected to exceed $1.5 billion.
Simon didn't plan to repatriate these funds. Instead, he intended to reinvest them in the Latin American market, taking advantage of the economic downturn to acquire assets at bargain prices.
_________________________
[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]