During the summer, as one of New York's most famous vacation spots, the mornings in East Hampton, Long Island, were cool and pleasant.
It was already past nine in the morning, and in a seaside estate in southwestern East Hampton, Andre Davis was personally knocking on the doors of the bedrooms on the second and third floors, waking up the girls who had partied until the early hours of the morning.
The villa had housed more than sixty guests last night.
Fortunately, there was plenty of space.
This estate, covering 15 acres, had a main villa with over 3,300 square meters of space in a country vacation style. The three-story building had nearly 10,000 square meters of floor space, with 26 bedrooms, each equipped with its own bathroom.
The developer had originally built this estate with the idea of creating a top-tier party venue, aimed at renting it to the rich and famous from around the world. However, due to years of global economic downturn, the business failed, and it was put up for sale, quickly being purchased by the Westeros family.
This was just one of Simon's three properties in East Hampton. Over the years, Simon had acquired a total of eleven properties in luxury areas such as East Hampton and Southampton on Long Island.
Sometimes, Andre, who managed these properties, felt that her boss might have a compulsion for buying homes, much like the way some of the women she used to serve had a habit of buying endless shoes and bags. Of course, this kind of "buying houses like handbags" compulsion was something only Simon Westeros could afford.
It was just too extravagant.
After knocking on another bedroom door, it was soon opened by a sleepy-eyed girl. Her tousled, light-brown hair and amber eyes, along with her slightly parted lips, gave her a unique look. Her youthful face had a soft, doll-like charm but with an air of high-end fashion elegance.
A standard supermodel in the making.
Although she never flaunted it in front of the homeowners, Andre had an excellent memory. Plus, this girl stood out as the only one among the crowd of beauties last night, so Andre remembered her name—Fernanda Lima. The housekeeper even recalled some basic details about her.
Andre had been responsible for organizing the party at Simon's request.
Whenever her boss came up with these last-minute ideas, it meant several days of work for her. Unlike the casual parties organized by small-time celebrities and models, the girls who attended these events had to go through several layers of selection. First, they had to be at least 18 years old and sign confidentiality agreements to avoid legal and media issues.
The final list was sent to Simon for approval, and once it came back, the girls still had to pass a medical check.
This was yet another one of Simon's compulsions.
With her extensive experience, Andre sometimes compared Simon to the legendary billionaire Howard Hughes, who, due to childhood trauma, lived his life in constant fear of illness, becoming a recluse in his later years.
However, the two men had significant differences. Andre knew that her boss was actually quite bold, but his peculiar habits were more about protecting those around him.
He cared deeply for the people in his life, a rare quality Andre had observed in Simon.
Having worked in this field for many years, Andre had met many truly cold-hearted individuals.
Her boss could be cold and indifferent, too, as seen in how he dealt with the first family she served. But Andre felt Simon's detachment was more like the aloofness of a deity watching over mortals—strangely charismatic and dangerously attractive to women. It was easy for them to fall for him without realizing it.
At times, Andre herself couldn't help but entertain strange thoughts when she was around Simon. She would deliberately turn her back on him, pretending to be busy, secretly holding her breath, hoping that he would suddenly reach out and grab her, as he often did with the women who left his place with hickeys all over their bodies.
Having observed people for so long, Andre was confident in her judgments.
One day, she thought, Simon would give in to temptation.
Seeing Andre at the door, Fernanda Lima quickly perked up and smiled. "Good morning, Mrs. Davis."
"Good morning," Andre replied politely. "It's already past nine, Miss. I think it's time to wake up. Breakfast is ready."
Fernanda nodded and, seeing Andre move on to the next bedroom, returned to her room.
On the bed, two other girls with equally stunning figures were snuggled together. The perfect temperature made it unnecessary for them to cover themselves, and even the bikinis they had worn to bed had somehow ended up elsewhere, leaving little to the imagination. Fernanda walked over and nudged them. "Pepper, Ellie, wake up."
One of the girls instinctively pushed Fernanda's hand away, grabbed a pillow, and covered both their heads, mumbling in her sleep, "No, don't wake me up. I haven't slept this well in so long. Let me sleep more."
Fernanda tried to rouse them again but, seeing that the two were determined to stay in bed, gave up and headed to the bathroom. After washing up, she realized she was still wearing last night's bikini, with her clothes and shoes stored in the downstairs changing room.
After a brief hesitation, she decided not to wear the CK bathrobe from the bathroom.
Fernanda was confident in her figure. Perhaps, when she went downstairs, she could once again catch Simon Westeros' attention.
As she left, she called out to the two girls again, but when they didn't respond, she stopped trying.
Most of the girls here were up-and-coming models, and many of them usually lived in company-provided dorms in the city's lower neighborhoods, with some even crammed into basements. Fernanda, being from Brazil and with a better family background, was able to rent an apartment, though her rundown East Village place couldn't compare to this seaside mansion.
It wasn't just the estate. The food and drinks at yesterday's party were things she had never tasted before.
If only she could stay here forever.
The thought made her feel a bit down.
Yesterday, she had tried very hard to get Simon's attention. The man had even been a little special toward her, knowing her name and complimenting her on her unique lips, saying they would be perfect for a witch role. But that was it—nothing more came of it. The three girls had gone to bed hoping that Simon might pay them a visit during the night, which could potentially be a huge break for them.
At the very least, Simon was known to be generous.
Unfortunately, by the time they fell asleep, the man they admired, feared, and longed for had not shown up.
When Fernanda left the room, she noticed other girls were coming out of their rooms as well.
Whether intentional or not, all the girls were still dressed in their swimwear from the day before.
They greeted each other politely and headed downstairs together. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, they were met by a female staff member from the Westeros household, who guided them to a temporary dressing room on the first floor.
It was dazzling.
That was the first impression the girls had as they stepped inside.
The room, over 200 square meters in size, was filled with racks of brand-name clothes, shoes, bags, and unopened makeup products. Some girls were already excitedly selecting items, while others sat at temporary dressing tables applying makeup, like backstage at a high-fashion show.
The difference was that at those fashion shows, they were only coat hangers for the clothes, leaving empty-handed after walking the runway. Here, according to the female attendant, they could take these luxury items home.
The day before, they had been allowed to bring nothing but a single dress to the party, not even handbags, and before boarding the helicopter in Manhattan, they had gone through a quick security check.
The girls understood that this was to prevent anyone from secretly bringing recording devices, as higher-end parties often had these kinds of rules. Simon Westeros taking such precautions made perfect sense to them.
Some of the girls had even thought it might be an S-themed party.
However, it turned out to be just pure entertainment—music, wine, food, dancing, games, and fun. Many of the girls had tried to cozy up to Simon Westeros, but by the end of the night, none had succeeded. No one knew which, if any, of the lucky girls he had spent the night with.
Now, it seemed that Simon Westeros really was as generous as rumored.
Most of the girls in the industry had been to all kinds of parties, but at those events, men were only interested in taking advantage of them. Few were willing to offer anything in return.
Noticing one of the girls from earlier heading toward a rack of handbags, selecting a Hermès bag, Fernanda couldn't resist and started picking too.
Her first choice was also an Hermès bag.
After all, Hermès was called the "king of bags" for a reason. Compared to other brands, Hermès bags retained their value well. Even a basic model could be sold for a decent amount of money if she was ever in a pinch.
She then went on to pick out an entire outfit.
A Gucci shirt, CK jeans, Carine Gilson lingerie, a Chanel belt, Manolo Blahnik heels, and finally a set of Lancôme makeup and a bottle of Dior perfume. As she sat at the dressing table to start her makeup, she thought of the two lazy girls still sleeping upstairs.
There were plenty of clothes, shoes, and bags here, but the styles were all different, and most items were one-offs, meaning they were sure to miss out on the best stuff.
After nearly an hour of primping, Fernanda, now carrying her favorite pink Hermès bag, was led by a servant to the villa's dining room. It was already past ten o'clock.
She couldn't help but secretly calculate that her entire outfit must be worth at least ten thousand dollars.
If every girl in the villa was treated like this...
Wow.
She was already looking forward to the next party.
The long dining table in the villa could seat up to thirty people, and there was just enough room for Fernanda to find a seat. A servant handed her an elegant menu with several breakfast options. Fernanda chose one at random, and while waiting, she couldn't help but wonder: Where had Simon Westeros gone?
Looking around, she noticed one of the female staff members and gave her a questioning look.
After a moment of hesitation, Fernanda asked, "Excuse me, do you know where Mr. Westeros is?"
The entire dining room fell silent at her question.
The staff member simply smiled and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Miss, I don't know. But the boss has probably already left."
A wave of disappointed sighs swept through the room.
Fernanda felt the same way.
With the man gone, there was no longer any reason to linger. After lunch, as a Black Hawk helicopter returned to pick up another group of girls, Fernanda boarded with several others, heading back to Manhattan.
They arrived at the East River helipad, where cars were waiting to take them to their next destinations.
By noon, she finally returned to her rented apartment in the East Village.
Standing at the entrance of her small apartment, she was overwhelmed by the sense of loss, as if her magical carriage had turned back into a pumpkin and her glass slippers had disappeared. Just then, her roommate came out of her room, about to say something, but noticed Fernanda's new outfit and curiously asked about it. Remembering the confidentiality agreement she had signed and the stern warnings from her agent, Fernanda simply brushed it off, saying her family had given her some money.
Her roommate clearly didn't believe her, but since Fernanda wouldn't say more, she didn't press the issue. Instead, she mentioned that their agent, Grace Spurlt, had asked Fernanda to call her as soon as she got back.
Fernanda nodded, acknowledging the message. She didn't make the call in the living room but went into her bedroom instead. Picking up the phone, she dialed the number.
Fernanda had switched to Grace Spurlt at Elite Models earlier that year after leaving Ford Models. Her potential had caught Grace's attention, and Ford had tried to retain her. In the fashion and Hollywood circles, Grace Spurlt had gained considerable influence in recent years, and there were even rumors that she knew Simon Westeros, which had helped Fernanda make her decision.
The rapid rise of models like Tress Gough had convinced everyone that Grace had connections. The rumors about Simon, though, had been harder to believe—until last night's party.
Fernanda was born on June 25, 1977, just a week shy of her 18th birthday.
Ordinarily, given the strict 18+ rule for Simon's parties, she would have been disqualified in the first round of selection.
At first, she was disappointed to have missed out on an event that could potentially change her career. But then, her agent suddenly informed her that she could attend after all. After signing a confidentiality agreement, she learned that it was Simon Westeros' party, making her even more grateful she had insisted on leaving Ford.
Otherwise, she might never have had this opportunity until her career was over.
In her room, Fernanda finally got through to Grace's phone after a long wait. Her agent's voice sounded a bit strange, but she only told her to come to the office in the afternoon before quickly hanging up.
On the Upper East Side of Manhattan,
In Simon's apartment on East 68th Street, Grace wrapped herself in a bedsheet after hanging up the phone. She turned back to the young man in bed, playfully scolding, "I wanted to have lunch with you, but here you are, fooling around with me at midday. Wasn't last night enough for you?"
Simon smiled, pulling her into his arms. "I didn't do anything last night, though."
Grace gave him a look as if to say, "You're not fooling anyone."
Simon kissed her smooth shoulder and explained, "Honestly, I wasn't feeling it, so I just left and slept alone last night."
Thinking about the last half hour, Grace believed him. Hearing Simon say this made her feel inexplicably sweet inside.
He wasn't interested in those young girls.
But with her, it was clearly different.
She didn't bother questioning the reason for this difference. Just knowing it was enough. Feeling satisfied, she snuggled into his embrace and soon asked, "When are you heading back to Los Angeles?"
"I'll stay here for a few more days. I've got some things to handle."
Grace didn't care much about what Simon had to take care of, but she was glad to hear he'd be staying longer. Out of curiosity, she asked, "What kind of things?"
Simon replied, "I just closed the deal to acquire ABC. The announcement will be tomorrow morning. I need to stay here and keep an eye on things in case of backlash from the other networks."
Grace knew about Daenerys Entertainment's plans to acquire a television network, and she was surprised. "ABC? So, it's not CBS?"
"Yeah, CBS was just a smokescreen."
"In that case, Larry Tisch is probably going to be furious with you. CBS's stock has gone up a lot recently, and now that you've suddenly turned to ABC, CBS's stock will drop. And NBC too—there were rumors that you were interested in buying that network as well. Was that fake too?"
Simon nodded with a smile. "Exactly. That's why I need to stay here and keep an eye on things."
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