As the clock struck midnight, signaling the arrival of 1995, the Greenwich estate was filled with cheers, kisses, dancing, and fireworks. The New Year's Eve party continued until 1 AM, leaving guests and hosts alike in high spirits.
However, for the executives and shareholders of Levison Group, the night turned into a chaotic ordeal. After receiving a sudden ultimatum from a slightly inebriated Simon Westeros, Francis Levison had to rush back to his Manhattan Upper East Side residence to convene an emergency conference call with the company's key figures, most of whom were on vacation. As a result, many spent the night wide awake.
Francis Levison regretted approaching Simon Westeros that night. His family had controlled Levison Group for four generations, spanning a century. In some deep, private moments, he would rather see the company collapse than hand it over to someone else.
Of course, these were just fleeting thoughts.
Accustomed to a life of luxury, Francis couldn't imagine how he would cope if the family business went bankrupt. While he might retain a portion of his wealth—enough to last a lifetime for an average person—the days of private jets, vacation islands, and luxury yachts would be over.
The thought alone was hard to bear.
Throughout the night, the emergency meeting revealed significant divisions among Levison Group's leadership and shareholders. Some advocated accepting Simon's investment, arguing that his terms weren't excessively harsh and that they were far better than the vultures circling in anticipation of Levison Group's demise. The $1.5 billion investment would not only alleviate the company's financial pressure but also allow them to repay some of their most pressing debts.
But there was considerable opposition as well.
Francis Levison's uncle, Brody Levison, who managed the family trust and served as vice chairman of the board, was staunchly against Simon's offer. He viewed it as exploitation and, at the core, didn't want the Levison family to lose control of the company.
Though he wasn't involved in the day-to-day management, Brody Levison had strong ties with many of the company's shareholders and had placed several of his own trusted executives in key positions.
After much debate, many sided with Brody.
However, the opposition didn't want to see the company go bankrupt either. They proposed leveraging Simon Westeros's interest to attract other investors. After all, if Simon Westeros saw value in the company, securing funding should be easy. The fact that Simon had only given them one night to decide suggested he feared they would do exactly that.
As dawn broke, no consensus was reached.
The final decision was to reject Westeros's investment.
Simon had given Francis Levison until 9 AM the next morning.
On the first morning of the new year, Simon had barely finished breakfast when he received a call from James Leibold, who had already gotten wind of Levison Group's decision. The information had leaked when one of the executives in favor of Simon's investment informed one of the company's creditors after the overnight conference call, and the creditor had reached out to James indirectly.
Simon wasn't surprised by Levison Group's attempt to use the Westeros name to secure other investments.
But he wasn't going to allow it.
If he did, it would set a bad precedent for future negotiations.
When Celia Miller arrived at the Greenwich estate at 9 AM, Simon had already made several calls. Having prepared in advance, his countermeasures were simple and targeted Levison Group's weakest point—their massive debt.
Most of Levison Group's debt was held by Wall Street creditors.
Due to the company's precarious financial state over the past few years, many creditors were already worried about the safety of their investments.
On paper, Levison Group's $7 billion in assets seemed sufficient to cover their $5.3 billion in liabilities. But that was only in an ideal scenario where the company continued to operate smoothly. If Levison Group's cash flow dried up and the company went bankrupt, the resulting liquidation would significantly devalue those assets.
At that point, they would be lucky to recover half of the $7 billion.
If the Westeros system invested, Simon Westeros's name alone would be enough to elevate Levison Group's junk bonds to a stable AAA rating.
However, without consulting their creditors, Levison Group had recklessly turned down the opportunity to partner with Simon, putting their creditors' investments back in jeopardy.
This was intolerable.
Simon didn't need to push too hard. Before Levison Group's leadership had a chance to use the Westeros name to attract new investors, many infuriated creditors were already at their doorstep, demanding explanations and, in some cases, immediate repayment.
Celia Miller had been enjoying a few cups of coffee with Janet while waiting for Simon to finish his calls. At 10 AM, A-girl came to inform Celia that Simon was ready.
When Celia entered the study, she found Simon sitting leisurely in the seating area, legs crossed.
After a brief greeting, Simon handed her a document. "Take a look at this first."
Celia took the document and began to read.
Her eyes quickly narrowed.
The document was more of a memorandum, a very particular one, listing the various misdeeds of the family members of Yuri Miloslav, the governor of Rivne Oblast in Ukraine. The incidents spanned from September of last year until the end of the year, filling three pages.
Yuri Miloslav had three sons and two daughters: Malcolm, Oliver, Gary, Sabina, and Kitty. The memorandum also mentioned an especially active nephew named Igor.
As for the content, it could be summarized in four words: **bribery, extortion, and corruption.**
Gary Miloslav, who was studying in London, had demanded £100,000 to buy a sports car for his 18th birthday.
Oliver Miloslav, who ran a construction materials company, demanded a contract to supply materials for UFMS, pricing his products 60% higher than the market rate for a $1.2 million deal.
A shell company under Igor's name tried to claim a 10% stake in a natural gas company being acquired by Oldek in Rivne Oblast, valued at $700,000.
Sabina and her husband wanted to move to Kyiv and asked Oldek to sponsor $300,000 for a house.
And the list went on.
At the end of the document, Celia noted that Yuri Miloslav's second son was trying to secure a contract for his newly registered shell company to supply all food, clothing, and training materials for the UFMS base, which made Celia break out in a cold sweat.
These people were asking for trouble.
Having been deeply involved in Ukrainian affairs, Celia knew that Miloslav had retained his governorship after Kuchma took office largely due to the efforts of the Westeros system. Now, the Miloslav family was treating Rivne Oblast like their private estate and the Westeros system like a bottomless ATM.
After finishing the document, Celia looked up but remained silent.
She had a good idea of what her boss intended, but it was a complicated situation.
Unlike in the U.S., governors in Ukraine weren't elected but appointed by the president. When the Westeros system had maneuvered to keep Yuri Miloslav as governor after Leon Kuchma became president, it had been a smooth process. But removing him could lead to unpredictable consequences.
No government likes foreign interference in its domestic affairs.
Simon could see the hesitation in Celia's eyes and understood the sensitivity of his decision, but he was resolute.
The Westeros system had invested heavily in Ukraine over the past year, and many Ukrainians had benefited from it. If all they did was invest and give without making any demands or showing any firmness, they would indeed be seen as a sheep ripe for shearing.
This was Simon's way of showing that the Westeros system would not be trifled with.
While Simon valued the system's presence in Ukraine, even if their entire investment there was lost, it wouldn't significantly impact the system.
If things became untenable, it would be better to withdraw entirely.
Dragging things out would only lead to greater losses.
With this in mind, Simon told Celia, "I'm a generous person. According to the Westeros system's plans, if Yuri Miloslav had focused on his responsibilities, the Miloslav family could have become one of the most powerful political and business dynasties in Ukraine within ten years. Unfortunately, they were too shortsighted. If we want to establish a foothold in Rivne Oblast, we need to remove this obstacle."
Celia nodded slightly, then added, "But Simon, this could provoke a backlash from Kuchma. We're talking about a governor here."
Simon replied, "That's your mission, Celia. I want you to leave for Ukraine tomorrow and convince Leon Kuchma to remove Yuri Miloslav and give us full control of Rivne Oblast."
Celia felt the weight of the task. "Simon, this won't be easy. I can't guarantee anything. And what about our leverage?"
Simon looked at her and smiled. "I have faith in your abilities, Celia. As for leverage, I'm not a sucker—the Westeros system has already provided plenty. Of course, you can dangle some carrots. The Westeros system has the power to help revive Ukraine's economy. If the public's standard of living improves, Kuchma can stay in power for ten or twenty years, and we'll fully support him, including lobbying the U.S. government. Oh, and the EU—Ukraine's economic integration into the EU would also depend on us. But all of this hinges on us having a clean business environment."
Celia had already been considering how to approach Kuchma, and Simon's thoughts aligned with hers.
The
Westeros system had invested heavily in Ukraine, especially in the arms trade network directly linked to Kuchma's family. To protect that interest alone, Kyiv was likely to make concessions. Moreover, the Westeros system was not just a business empire but a powerful force with significant influence in Washington, something Kuchma would have to take seriously.
With this in mind, Celia nodded, then asked, "Simon, are you really planning to help Ukraine join the EU? That doesn't align with our interests."
If Ukraine joined the EU, European pressure might force Kyiv to shut down organizations like UFMS, a private military contractor central to the Westeros system's operations in Ukraine.
Simon shook his head. "Of course not, and Kuchma won't be allowed to stay in power for more than ten years. A chaotic Ukraine suits our needs better."
Celia was momentarily stunned.
Having spent years navigating the treacherous waters of Washington, she was no stranger to deceit and ruthlessness. But in this moment, she realized she wasn't nearly as 'decisive' as her boss.
After a moment's thought, Celia asked, "Simon, once we remove Miloslav, how do we deal with him and his family? And do you have someone in mind for the new governor?"
Simon nodded. "I don't want the Miloslav family to cause us any trouble after they fall, so they all need to be taken down. That's why I need you to leave for Ukraine tomorrow. Since it's just after the New Year, they're all in Rivne, and this time, none of them will be leaving. The new governor will be Andrei Smirnov—he's a politician with shallow roots and has been cooperative with us over the past few months."
Andrei Smirnov was the mayor of Rivne, and Celia had met him several times. Thinking it over, she agreed that he was a good fit. If the plan to 'kill the chicken to scare the monkey' went smoothly, Andrei Smirnov would have no choice but to fully align himself with the Westeros system once he took office.
Celia agreed, though her thoughts lingered on the Miloslav family's fate.
Taking down the entire family seemed a bit extreme.
But after recalling the document she had just read, she realized none of them were innocent. If they weren't completely eradicated, who knew what trouble they might cause in the future?
Simon's decision was influenced by one woman—Yulia Tymoshenko.
In Simon's memory, Tymoshenko had been nearly ousted by Kuchma in the late 1990s, but Kuchma had hesitated, allowing her to make a comeback. The unrest in Ukraine after the turn of the century was largely due to seeds sown by this 'princess' of Ukrainian politics.
If you don't pull weeds out by the roots, they'll grow back in the spring.
This was a lesson from the past.
So, Simon wouldn't just remove Yuri Miloslav from power. The 60-year-old politician would spend the rest of his life behind bars.
The two discussed further details, and Simon revealed that the Miloslav family wasn't the only target in a broader purge. Ken Dixon, another of Simon's trusted aides, would be flying to Ukraine with Celia tomorrow to help carry out the plan. Simon himself would visit Ukraine at an appropriate time to oversee the operation.
By the time their meeting ended, it was almost noon.
Celia left to prepare for her trip to Ukraine, and Simon turned his attention to reviewing and summarizing the two-month-long "Information Age" marketing campaign.
_________________________
[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]