Karen Mulder pushed open the door to Grace's office. Seeing Simon Westeros there, she rushed forward without thinking, speaking quickly: "Mr. Westeros, I'm Karen. I'm truly sorry, but I think there's been some misunderstanding. Could I have a moment to explain?"
Standing in front of the desk, she hesitated to get too close to Simon but looked at him hopefully from across the desk.
Before Simon could respond, Cindy Crawford spoke up bluntly: "Karen, don't you think this is a bit rude? I think you should leave."
Karen ignored Cindy's sharp tone and continued looking at Simon with pleading eyes.
Simon didn't seem angry. He took a moment to glance at Karen, who, after recent cosmetic surgery, appeared much more appealing. He nudged his foot, indicating for her to move to the other side of the desk. "Come over here."
Seeing that Simon wasn't sending her away, Karen's hope grew. She obediently walked around the desk to Simon's left side, mimicking Cindy's posture by leaning against the desk. She had been nervously clutching her handbag, but noticing Simon's gaze, she quickly set it aside and straightened her posture slightly.
Simon was admiring the pop-art style, long-sleeved, low-cut dress Karen was wearing, a knee-length design that caught his eye. After a moment, he asked, "This dress has a great design. Which brand is it?"
Karen, a bit disappointed to realize his focus was on her dress, quickly replied, "It's from Chloé, their latest spring-summer collection."
Simon nodded. "It's beautiful."
Cindy, her hand still resting on Simon's leg, jumped in: "Simon, if you like it, now might be a good time to acquire Chloé. I've heard they've been struggling for a few years now, and they posted a loss last year. But Chloé's design style is indeed fantastic, and Karl Lagerfeld is still their creative director."
Simon lifted his left leg and pressed it down on Cindy's hand to stop her teasing, smiling. "If I bought every company that makes clothes I like, I'd never stop."
Cindy teased, "You've got $600 billion. You can buy anything you want, just like… Elite."
Simon gave no response.
Encouraged, Cindy continued, "I'm serious, Simon. Chloé is perfect. It has a unique style that wouldn't conflict with Melisandre's existing brands. Gucci is bold, Versace is glamorous, CK is avant-garde, Burberry is classic, and Chloé is rebellious, just like the dress Karen is wearing. Plus, Chloé is currently in a slump, just like Gucci and CK were a few years ago. Now's the perfect time to swoop in."
Simon raised an eyebrow. He was tempted to ask Cindy if she understood why brands like Chloé had been struggling in recent years, but he held back.
This was part of a strategy he and Sophia had discussed privately for Melisandre's growth.
It boiled down to a simple concept: dominance through expansion.
Having acquired multiple brands, Melisandre's "battleship" model was fully operational. The next step was to continuously expand, squeezing out other first- and second-tier luxury brands and eventually eliminating as many competitors as possible.
Simon wasn't deeply familiar with Chloé, but since it wasn't under Melisandre, it was a competitor.
Cindy mentioned Karl Lagerfeld being the creative director, but even he hadn't been able to stop the brand's decline. This could be attributed to strategic missteps within the company, but it was also undoubtedly influenced by Melisandre's increasing market dominance.
In fact, Simon was using the same approach in Hollywood.
Currently, his focus was on Columbia, Disney, and Paramount—three major studios that happened to be owned by foreign companies.
In previous years, Simon would have collaborated with these studios to avoid pushing them into direct competition with Daenerys Entertainment. Recently, however, none of his upcoming projects involved these three studios.
The reason was clear.
His strategy was to weaken them until they were forced to sell, possibly back into American hands. But by then, they would be so diminished that they could no longer compete with Daenerys or other top-tier studios.
There were things Simon couldn't share with Cindy, so he playfully said, "I didn't know you were thinking about these things. Are you planning to start your own fashion brand?"
Cindy saw the change in topic and decided to play along. "I've thought about it, but I know I'd probably mess it up, so I won't."
"Very self-aware," Simon chuckled. "How's your movie, Fair Game?"
At the mention of her film, Cindy's mood darkened. "Warner Bros. has scheduled it for release on October 13th."
"That's a graveyard slot."
In the North American film market, January and February, along with September and October, were known as "movie graveyards." Although there were occasional breakout hits, most films released during these times were not expected to do well.
Fair Game, a Cold War-era spy thriller starring Cindy, was something Simon vaguely remembered. It had been Cindy's first, and last, leading role in Hollywood. With a hefty $50 million budget, the film had bombed at the box office, leading Cindy to retreat from acting and focus on family life.
Simon had advised her against taking the role, and from Warner's release date, it was clear the movie still wasn't shaping up well.
Hollywood was a superstitious place. Even if the failure wasn't the actor's fault, other studios would avoid casting anyone associated with a flop.
Cindy had seen the rough cut of Fair Game and wasn't optimistic about its chances. Hearing Simon call the release slot a "graveyard," she looked even more dejected. She began running her hand over Simon's leg again, using the moment to ask: "Simon, I'd like to renew my Victoria's Secret contract for another three years. What do you think?"
Simon wasn't swayed by her gestures or puppy-dog eyes. He shook his head firmly. "I have other plans for that. If I remember correctly, you were born in 1966, which means you'll be 30 next year. Have you thought about doing something else?"
Cindy's hand froze for a moment. Then, she quickly responded, "I have, but I already failed. Please, Simon, I'm willing to take the same salary as the other girls, even if it's just for two more years. What do you think?"
Simon, realizing that her failed film was still on her mind, shook his head again. "That wouldn't be fair to you. Also, even if you step down as a spokesperson, you can still walk the Victoria's Secret runway."
A runway show didn't compare to the resources that came with being an official Victoria's Secret Angel.
Seeing Cindy ready to plead further, Simon raised his hand. "There's no room for negotiation on this, Cindy. Yasmin is also stepping down this year. She's been with the brand for five years, but she's insisted on leaving to pursue other opportunities. You should follow her example."
Cindy's tone turned bitter. "If I had $100 million, I'd retire right now. Simon, why don't you recommend some good internet investments for me, something like Instagram?"
"There are plenty of opportunities in the next year or two, like Ygritte. It's about to go public, along with Tinkerbell and Melisandre. If you're interested, I can help you buy some stock."
Cindy frowned. "I read in the papers that the IPO valuations for these companies are too high, and they don't have much room for growth."
Simon's voice was steady. "They do."
Cindy hesitated. She was one of the more financially savvy supermodels, and she'd accumulated a decent fortune over the years. Investing a few hundred thousand or even a couple million in a startup like Instagram was one thing, but buying stock in Ygritte or similar companies seemed like a much riskier bet.
Many in the media believed that the tech bubble was nearing its peak and could burst at any time. Even risking a portion of her savings would hurt if the bubble popped.
She'd rather invest in real estate.
Seeing her hesitation, Simon didn't push further. By now, Cisco's stock had soared to a market capitalization of over $200 billion, and other companies like AOL and Microsoft had hit the trillion-dollar mark. Many believed these valuations were bubble-driven, and they weren't entirely wrong.
Still, in Simon's view, the tech bubble hadn't reached its peak yet.
As for Cindy, Simon had already given her some valuable advice, like when he told her not to take on Fair Game. Since they weren't too closely connected, he wasn't going to press the issue if she didn't listen.
Just then, Fernanda Lima walked over with a cup of coffee, looking a little embarrassed. "Sorry, Mr. Westeros, all I could find was a disposable cup."
Simon nodded, pulling his feet off the desk as he sat up. Out of instinctive cleanliness, he avoided putting his feet on the floor and instead glanced around for his shoes.
Noticing Simon's movement, Karen Mulder suddenly knelt down, picking up his shoes. Sensing that kneeling was still too high, she settled into a seated position on the floor, like an obedient maid, and began helping him put his shoes on.
Simon didn't object, swiveling slightly in his chair. One foot rested in Karen's hands while the other was placed on her firm thigh. Noticing Cindy's hesitation, Simon smiled and said, "Too proud to help me put
my shoes on?"
Cindy rolled her eyes. "I'm not your maid."
"Oh, wanting to be my maid isn't that easy. Aside from being beautiful, you don't quite meet the standards."
Cindy remembered Alice Ferguson, Sophia Fisse, and others. Maybe he had a point.
Once both shoes were on, Simon patted his knee. Karen, understanding the gesture, didn't get up but instead leaned forward, resting submissively on his lap.
Taking the cup from Fernanda, Simon sipped the coffee and finally turned his attention to Karen. "So, what's your story? Didn't Grace sign you? With her in charge of Elite now, things should be better for you."
Karen hesitated, unsure how to respond. Cindy, unable to stand her groveling, spoke up: "Last week, when Grace fell out with John, all of Tricia's girls stood by Grace, except Karen, who couldn't wait to switch back to John."
Karen shot Cindy a resentful look before turning back to Simon, her mind racing. Instead of denying it, she pitifully said, "Simon, I made a mistake. Could you talk to Grace for me? Please, just this once. I promise it won't happen again."
"This sounds serious." Simon leaned back, tilting Karen's chin with his hand. "But since you've been so good today, I'll talk to Grace and let this one slide."
"Oh, thank you, Simon! I'm so grateful. I'm sorry for getting emotional. I just… I'm so sorry."
Karen had no doubt about Simon's influence over Grace. Thinking she had been on the verge of ruin, she was overwhelmed with relief when Simon forgave her, tears spilling from her eyes. Since learning about the changes at Elite that morning, Karen had been on the verge of collapse, fully understanding the gravity of her situation.
Watching the young woman, who alternated between tears and laughter at his feet, Simon felt no disdain.
Karen, only 25 years old, had been in the industry for a decade. She had climbed her way to the top through numerous hardships and now understood how difficult it was to stay there. With that understanding came an increasing fear of losing it all.
In the original timeline, Karen Mulder's career had faltered in the late 1990s, leading her into depression. She became obsessed with cosmetic surgery and frequently had emotional breakdowns.
At its core, it all came down to an inability to let go of fame and fortune.
Most people in this world were like that.
Whether in the fashion industry or Hollywood.
Take Robert Downey Jr., for example. Many only saw his later success as the face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but few knew that before Iron Man saved his career, Downey had long struggled with addiction and often broke down in private, tearfully lamenting to friends about why he wasn't getting the same opportunities as Leonardo DiCaprio or Johnny Depp.
Born into a Hollywood family, Downey had a head start that many aspiring actors didn't. He had been getting roles since he was seven years old and received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in his twenties. That early taste of success only made the later downturns in his career all the more painful.
The more success you've had, the harder it is to let go.
That's why so many people in the industry seem incomprehensible to outsiders. They already have more than enough money to retire, so why do they keep pushing themselves? Why do they risk their careers, reputations, or even their health?
The answer is simple.
Even Simon, who once considered himself detached and indifferent, knew deep down that this detachment was only possible because he had already achieved so much. Knowing that what he had was secure, he could afford to be calm.
But if Simon were to suddenly lose everything, he might very well lose his mind.
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