Ever since last year, when Batman began filming in Melbourne, the city at the bottom of the world had been in the spotlight.
Simon and Janet's wedding made Melbourne the center of the world's attention all the more.
After all, no matter how many questions and doubts flooded the media, Simon's title as America's first super-billionaire had already been set in stone.
Melbourne's city government understood exactly what a wedding like this could mean. Beyond a massive surge in global visibility, the guest list alone top-tier figures from all over the world was a treasure trove. If the city could make the right connections, Melbourne stood to gain far more than headlines.
So it wasn't just the Johnston family preparing for the event. The entire city had been mobilized. On public security alone, the government temporarily pulled in a large number of police from across Victoria.
And beyond the wedding itinerary, the city government also took advantage of the momentum to arrange a series of business exchange events, hoping to pitch Australia's various industrial incentives to Hollywood, Wall Street, and European investors.
Of course, all of that would happen after the wedding.
The day before, Janet flew to Bali with a group of her closest girlfriends and spent the entire day there, not returning until late at night.
Simon's final day before the wedding, meanwhile, was spent busy entertaining the guests as they arrived one after another.
Deep down, Simon had always been the kind of person who never forgot old ties. So after his second chance at life, all along the way Dr. Chapman in Watsonville, the motel owner in Santa Monica, Jonathan at WMA, the three "name-only" producers from the making of Run Lola Run… and so on, and so on everyone who had ever helped him received an invitation this time.
Add in colleagues from work, business partners, the Johnston family's friends and old connections, and all the rest… and the wedding guest count topped eight hundred.
That was also why the ceremony was being held outdoors in Yarra Valley Park.
March 3rd, Saturday.
From early morning, the entire city of Melbourne seemed wrapped in festive cheer.
Simon had worried about the weather in the days leading up to it, but the sky played along a perfectly clear day.
The wedding was scheduled for five in the afternoon, but starting several days earlier, a strict lockdown had sealed off Yarra Valley Park, and reporters from around the world had been squatting outside in force.
Even though they couldn't enter the venue, snapping photos of the guests as they arrived at the entrance was more than enough to make front pages.
So as the time drew closer, the flashes outside the park never stopped. Some guests wanted to keep a low profile, but most didn't mind showing their faces to the cameras.
Inside the park, it was a sea of flowers like a dream.
Walls made entirely of blossoms divided the park into several different areas. The ceremony and the evening banquet would both take place within.
In a tent inside the grounds, Simon had already changed into his formalwear. He was chatting with four or five of the Johnston brothers, today's groomsmen along with Keanu Reeves and Adam Baldwin, when Sandra Bullock suddenly walked in from outside.
After greeting everyone, Sandra studied Simon with open curiosity.
With less than five minutes until the ceremony began, the others quickly took the hint and filed out of the tent, and a few nearby staff members left with knowing smiles.
Simon looked Sandra over as well. Today she was wearing a striking, fiery red gown that practically demanded attention. "Have fun yesterday?"
Even though the two of them were always a bit at odds, Janet had still invited Sandra to join the bachelorette party.
"Janet got what she wanted in the end, how could I be happy?" Sandra clasped her hands behind her back and rocked up onto her toes, then added in a puffed-up sulk, "I didn't even get to be a bridesmaid."
Simon laughed. "If it were me, I wouldn't let you be a bridesmaid either. What if you pulled a 'steal-the-groom' stunt at the wedding? That would be a spectacle."
Sandra shot him a look full of disdain. "As if I'd ever want to steal you."
Simon put on a wounded expression. "That's a pretty cruel thing to say."
As they spoke, a staff member leaned in at the tent entrance and reminded them, "Mr. Westeros, it's about time."
Simon nodded, then turned back to Sandra and opened his arms. "Come on. Give me a blessing hug."
Sandra wore a reluctant expression but stepped forward and hugged him anyway. In the end, she still couldn't help asking, "You're only twenty-two. Why are you in such a rush?"
"When you meet the right person," Simon said as he started walking out, "the sooner, the better."
Sandra followed alongside him. He asked, "And you? Met any guy riding a white donkey lately?"
Sandra rolled her eyes. "You're the one who should meet a guy riding a white donkey."
"Knew you wouldn't. That's why you should try finding a princess instead. A lily in full bloom is the most beautiful."
"Pah."
Sandra spat the word at him. Walking down the flower-lined aisle, she found herself, for no reason at all, thinking of that time he'd ridden a bike with her through the streets of Los Angeles.
Back then, her heart had moved.
It was just that she hadn't managed to hold on tightly enough.
Now, so many memories were destined to stay buried in her chest forever.
As that thought rose, she suddenly reached out and tugged at the sleeve of the man beside her. "Hey, Simon… will we still be friends after this?"
Simon stopped. He felt the hope in her gaze and nodded solemnly. "Of course. The best kind."
She wanted to hug him again but staff were moving back and forth through the flower corridor, so she forcibly smothered the impulse. No matter what, even though she'd had crazy thoughts like something out of a movie, sabotaging the wedding and all that, she would never actually do it.
Simon, however, didn't hesitate. He stepped forward and hugged Sandra again, then kissed her on the forehead.
And just like that… she felt oddly satisfied.
She pushed him away gently and backed up. "I'm going in first."
Simon stood at the end of the flower corridor, watching as Sandra entered the ceremony area and sat down on a bench.
After a short wait, the pastor, groomsmen, bridesmaids, and ring bearer filed into the flower canopy at the front of the guests. With a staff member's reminder, Simon also entered and took his place, waiting for the bride.
A grand wedding march began to play.
Under the gaze of hundreds of guests rising to their feet, Janet emerged from the opposite aisle, her arm linked with Raymond Johnston's. She wore a white wedding dress more magnificent than any princess's.
Amid applause, the bride stepped under the floral canopy. Raymond Johnston, his expression grave with ceremony, placed Janet's hand into Simon's.
Even though he'd known her for a long time, Simon had to admit it there was something about a woman in a wedding dress. This truly was the most beautiful moment of her life.
With Simon staring at her, even through the veil, a faint blush still bloomed on Janet's cheeks. Yet those expressive eyes of hers didn't shy away at all. They gazed back at him, tender and unwavering.
The two of them settled into place. The music stopped.
After the pastor delivered a solemn address, the most important moment arrived.
"Groom, do you take the woman before you to be your wife? Whether in wealth or poverty, in health or sickness, in joy or sorrow, in good times and bad, will you protect her, cherish her, and hold her as your everlasting treasure, for all your days?"
Simon kept his eyes on Janet, feeling the deep, fierce anticipation in her gaze. Without hesitation, he nodded. "I do!"
"Bride, do you take the man before you to be your husband? Whether in wealth or poverty, in health or sickness, in joy or sorrow, in good times and bad, will you respect him, stay by his side, and hold him as your eternal guardian, for all your days?"
Janet's eyes shimmered. She didn't hesitate either, answering softly, "I do!"
"Then, groom and bride, please exchange rings."
Simon took Janet's left hand gloved in white and slid the wedding band onto her ring finger. Then Janet placed a ring onto Simon's finger in turn.
The pastor smiled as they finished, then announced clearly, "Groom, you may now kiss your bride."
Simon leaned forward and gathered the woman in front of him into his arms.
Applause erupted again.
When the ceremony ended, the guests began moving to the banquet area. Simon and Janet went to the adjacent lawn to take wedding photos. After saying that one "I do," Janet didn't speak again, she simply nestled against Simon like a blissful kitten.
After more than half an hour of hustle, the shoot wrapped up. Janet went to the neighboring tent to change out of the lavish gown with a train several meters long.
Simon waited patiently. A short while later, she emerged in another wedding dress, simpler by comparison. Naturally, she looped her arm through his again, as if nothing else in the world existed.
They entered the reception area guest speeches, the first dance, and at seven o'clock the dinner began.
And so it continued until eight-thirty. Then, with Janet tossing the bouquet from her hands amid laughter and blessings, Simon and Janet left Yarra Valley Park together.
The reporters who had been camped outside the park all day finally caught a fleeting glimpse and managed to snap photos of them.
In the days that followed, coverage of the wedding was still everywhere, but Simon and Janet slipped into a state of willful isolation.
After spending a night in their little place outside Melbourne, they boarded a plane early the next morning and flew to Europe to begin their honeymoon.
Their first stop was Barcelona, Spain.
Not wanting to be disturbed, they brought only a small entourage this time, and after arriving in Europe, the conspicuous Boeing 767 was swapped for a Falcon business jet under the Gucci umbrella.
Basking in the bright scenery along the Mediterranean, they made a special trip to Casablanca, Morocco, which bordered Spain.
Janet still clearly remembered Simon's old joke about the movie Casablanca.
But that didn't stop them from falling in love with the North African city.
Following the warm Mediterranean coast, after Barcelona and Casablanca came Cannes in France, Rome in Italy, Athens in Greece, and finally, they settled on the Johnston family's private island in the Aegean Sea.
In that kind of travel, March slipped quietly away.
The earth never changes its course for any one person. During the month Simon and Janet vanished from the public eye, many things continued to move forward.
In Hollywood, the 62nd Academy Awards were held on March 26.
Driving Miss Daisy, produced by Highgate Pictures under Daenerys Entertainment, became the biggest winner of the night. With nine nominations, it took five major awards, including Best Picture and Best Director one more golden statuette than the original version.
Boosted by the Oscars, Driving Miss Daisy saw its box office jump up again during the awards week, rising forty-five percent and bringing in $6.04 million. In its sixteenth week of release, the film which had been almost silent for more than a month after opening had quietly accumulated $76.88 million.
Also produced by Highgate Pictures, My Left Foot won two statuettes: Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress.
Since release, My Left Foot had already surpassed $11 million in total box office. Riding the heat brought by the Oscars, this niche biographical film made for only $1.8 million had a very strong chance of reaching around $15 million in total North American box office over the next period.
In the second week after Simon and Janet's wedding March 9 to March 15 Batman, in its twelfth week, officially broke through the $400 million mark, becoming the first film in North America to cross $400 million during its initial theatrical run.
Aside from last year's holdovers, Daenerys Entertainment's Valentine's release this year, Pretty Woman, had rapidly crossed $130 million in cumulative box office by the Oscar week, after seven weeks in theaters. Though its weekly gross had already fallen below $6 million, with Easter season arriving next month, the industry predicted that this unexpectedly well-received Hollywood fairy-tale romance could reach between $170 million and $180 million in total North American box office.
A few years earlier, the projected North American total for Pretty Woman would almost have been enough to take the annual box office crown.
At the same time, the film's two leads Julia Roberts and Pierce Brosnan both vaulted into Hollywood's first tier overnight.
People began tallying it up: starting from Run Lola Run and onward, through films he personally directed, scripts he wrote himself, and projects produced by his company, Simon Westeros had, in just a few short years, propelled Sandra Bullock, Keanu Reeves, Adam Baldwin, Valeria Golino, and a whole wave of new-generation Hollywood stars into fame while also reigniting the careers of old-guard icons like Robert De Niro and John Travolta.
That kind of star-making power dwarfed even the old era of the major studios.
So as the DC film universe began casting, even with stricter selection criteria and harsher contracts this time, countless Hollywood actors hungry for fame still rushed in without hesitation.
On Wall Street.
Before the wedding, after more than a month of nonstop work, Janet had already finished building Cersei Capital's operations team, and during the time the two of them were away, the three subsidiaries all steadily moved onto the right track.
Just as predicted, once March arrived, Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait announced one after another that they would sharply increase crude oil production, and international oil prices immediately fell in response.
Because of Saddam's remarks at the Arab Cooperation Council member-state conference more than a month earlier, many hedge funds had been betting heavily that oil prices would surge. In the midst of that, Cersei Capital had quietly, without anyone noticing at first, built short positions of various oil futures contracts worth more than $10 billion across markets in London, New York, and elsewhere at roughly ten-to-one leverage.
Throughout the process, Cersei Capital did its best to keep things under wraps, but plenty of people still followed their trail in the shadows.
As a result, many insiders could feel the obvious volatility in the oil futures markets during this period, created by the hedging clash between capital holding opposing views.
After Apollo Management's team easily raised its first billion dollars, it began the planned vulture-investing operations.
BlackRock Asset Management, after expanding its capital scale to $6 billion, smoothly stepped into the ranks of Wall Street's first-line players.
On another front, the media frenzy sparked by the exposure of Simon's personal assets before the wedding gradually settled down over the course of the month.
Making tens of billions through shady backchannels was simply impossible in this world, and with most of it earned overseas, the media and certain factions within the federal government kicked up a fuss for a while only to realize it had no practical effect. In the end, they had no choice but to back off.
Ordinary people are always remarkably adaptable and remarkably forgetful. [TL/N: capped, i'm not forgetful.]
After being bombarded by dense waves of media coverage, most people gradually got used to Simon Westeros's identity as North America's first ten-billion-dollar man.
In fact, quite a few even felt a strange sense of pride about it.
After all, in recent years, with Japan's rise, the top spots on the Forbes rich list had long been dominated by Japanese names, which had dealt a real blow to the confidence of many in the West. Now, with personal assets breaking $10 billion, Simon Westeros had undeniably become the strongest contender for the position of the world's richest man.
[GodOfReader: America namba wan.]