The crisp autumn morning at Jerry Hall's apartment made Simon feel like going on vacation. After discussing it with Janet, they decided to fly to Austria together once Simon wrapped up a week of work on the East Coast.
The Austrian Alps were at their most beautiful in the fall.
Simon owned a vacation villa on the southern slopes of the Alps in western Austria, a location with breathtaking views. This wasn't an existing property but one built from scratch over the past few years according to Simon's preferences, much like his mountain retreat in Yangshuo, China. The villa was perched halfway up a mountainside, backed by snow-capped peaks and surrounded by dense forests, accessible only by a winding mountain road. At the foot of the mountain lay a small Eastern European town next to a lake, its surrounding rolling hills dotted with natural pastures and stands of white birch trees.
In autumn, the birch trees, ablaze with fiery colors, the serene, dark lake, the green carpet-like pastures, and the tranquil, secluded town painted a picture of paradise.
The couple arrived over the weekend and immediately felt like never leaving.
Originally, this trip was meant to include the whole family.
However, Jennifer had to stay behind to care for the two little ones. Melbourne had already started school, and there were two ducklings to look after as well. A weekend trip of just two days wasn't feasible. Moreover, their two older children—one, wide-eyed and curious about everything in the world, and the other, eager to test out their budding teeth on everything—weren't easy to travel with, and neither Simon nor Janet wanted to bring them along.
So, the trip became a rare getaway for just the two of them.
It was a chance to relax.
For the two days of the weekend, they completely disconnected from everything, spending their time at the mountain villa reading, sleeping, painting, listening to music, enjoying good food, and doing things they loved.
After the weekend, they still didn't want to leave.
They planned to return to North America by October 6th, in time for Egret's IPO.
October was a critical month for Daenerys Entertainment. Following last year's fiscal calendar adjustment, this month would see the company report its first full-year financial results since going public. This task wouldn't be delayed by the suspension of trading due to the merger with ABC Metropolis. Timely release of the financial report would help boost the stock price when the two companies resumed trading next month.
Simon was very focused on financial auditing, but fortunately, he didn't need to oversee it himself.
As Daenerys' special financial advisor, who was also appointed as a board director after the company went public last year, Veronica would travel to North America to assist with the annual audit until it was completed.
However, plans often change unexpectedly.
On Tuesday, October 3rd, a call from Sophia interrupted the couple's peaceful time on the lake. Simon and Janet, who had been preparing to sail in a small boat, quickly flew to Milan—or more accurately, Janet excitedly dragged Simon to Milan.
Something had happened—not too big, but not too small either.
Fashion Week, which started in mid-September, was currently in the Paris stage, with Milan's events set for the following week.
Even though the Gucci brand was no longer under the control of the Gucci family, many of its events still invited family members to attend.
This year's Fashion Week was no exception.
Maurizio Gucci, the third-generation member of the Gucci family, had recently returned from Greece to participate in next week's Gucci show and related activities. However, he was almost murdered.
The mastermind behind the attempt was none other than his ex-wife.
Sophia's call jogged Simon's memory. He recalled that, in the original timeline, one of the biggest scandals in the fashion world this year was the murder of Maurizio Gucci by his ex-wife, an event that rivaled Gianni Versace's assassination two years later in terms of its impact. The Gucci brand had nearly collapsed as a result.
Simon had already altered many events as the "butterfly" in this timeline, but some things still happened as before.
Fortunately, the murder attempt had failed.
Maurizio Gucci's ex-wife, Patrizia Reggiani, had hired hitmen, reaching out to the Ukrainian mafia that had just established a presence in Milan over the past year, likely in an effort to keep the plot as secret as possible.
But that's where things unraveled.
As one of the most important components of Simon's plan to infiltrate Europe's underground forces through the Ukrainian mafia, the Italian operation had been deeply embedded, especially in Milan. The local mafia leader was a former Soviet KGB elite who had established a foothold in Italy within a year, thanks in part to support from the Westeros system. Naturally, they acted in the interests of the Westeros group.
While the Gucci family no longer managed the brand, anyone with half a brain knew that if a scandal involving a wife murdering her husband erupted, it would seriously damage the Gucci brand's reputation. Competitors who had struggled under Melisandre's dominance for years would pounce on the opportunity to exploit the scandal.
Sophia had been alerted to the plot immediately.
And she took action.
Although the murder attempt failed, it couldn't be allowed to go public, so it was dealt with discreetly.
When Simon and Janet arrived in Milan, Maurizio Gucci and his ex-wife were being confronted by Sophia. According to her, when her people first approached Patrizia Reggiani, the woman had almost fled out the back door, thinking the police had come for her.
The root of the issue was Patrizia's dissatisfaction with the division of assets during their divorce. After more than ten years of marriage and two daughters, Patrizia believed she was entitled to half of Maurizio's fortune but had only received a monthly alimony payment.
When Sophia's people found her, Patrizia assumed they were the police and immediately confessed everything, even shifting the blame onto a friend who had allegedly encouraged the murder plot. Once Maurizio was dead, his assets would pass to his two daughters, who were still minors, effectively putting the fortune under Patrizia's control.
To prevent further trouble, Sophia arranged for the couple to confront each other in a police interrogation room borrowed from a station in Milan's eastern district.
Simon, Janet, and Sophia watched through a one-way glass as Maurizio and Patrizia alternated between hysterics and tearful outbursts. Simon wasn't particularly interested in this kind of drama. Seeing that their conversation was winding down, he nudged Janet, who was hanging onto his arm, and teased, "Am I here to be the monkey watching the chicken being slaughtered?"
Janet finally tore her gaze away, glanced at Simon with a smile, and said, "I'd never hire someone else to kill you."
Simon feigned horror. "So, you'd do it yourself?"
"Of course. I'd do it while you're sleeping, so you wouldn't feel too much pain," Janet replied, her small hand pressing over his heart, as if marking the spot. She gave him a mock-threatening look. "Scared?"
Simon nodded decisively. "Terrified."
Janet laughed smugly, then turned her attention back to the interrogation room. Inside, Maurizio had agreed to pay his ex-wife a settlement, officially severing ties with her, and it seemed he no longer intended to care for their two daughters either.
Simon thought that Maurizio would probably never return to Italy again. After all, how could he feel safe in a place where someone wanted him dead?
Once everything was wrapped up, Simon told Sophia they were leaving, then dragged Janet, who was still not quite satisfied with the spectacle, out of the police station.
After dealing with the situation, they had lunch with Sophia. She still had work in the afternoon, so Simon and Janet headed to a villa on the slopes of Lake Como to continue their vacation.
This region was technically still part of the Alps, though the scenery, while beautiful, lacked the stunning oil-painting quality of the western Austrian Alps due to differences in climate.
They found another boat to complete the lakeside sailing they had planned in Austria, only this time it was on the larger Lake Como.
As the yacht drifted on Lake Como, Janet, worried about getting a tan, wore a snug pink leisure suit. Lying on the deck next to Simon, she curled up like a cat, nuzzling against him. After a while, she whispered in his ear, "Darling, I'm not going to kill you."
Simon chuckled. "Why not?"
"Because I know you'd never leave me," Janet replied, then playfully bit Simon's shoulder. "You're such a pervert, you bad guy. No way you'd ever dump me."
"Uh…"
Janet giggled, then rolled over on top of him before sliding to the other side and wrapping herself around him again. "Actually, I just wanted to remind you to watch out for other women. You might think that giving them lots of things means you owe them nothing, but they might not see it that way. Women are greedy, you know."
Simon pulled her closer and reassured her, "The women around me are all great, and they're smart. No one's a black widow."
Janet shook her head. "That has nothing to do with being smart. Besides, there's already a dangerous potential black widow right next to you."
"You mean yourself?"
"Of course not," Janet said, shaking her head before calling into the cabin. "A."
Allison quickly appeared and respectfully asked, "Ma'am?"
Janet gestured toward Allison. "See, I think A is the most likely to kill you someday," she said with a mischievous grin, then turned to Allison and asked, "A, do you want to kill Simon?"
Allison shook her head gently. "No, ma
'am."
"It's obvious," Janet insisted, but then suddenly gasped and sat up on Simon's lap. She stared at Allison and exclaimed, "I get it—you want to kill me instead!"
Allison shook her head again. "No, ma'am."
Janet flopped back onto Simon. "Darling, A wants to kill me. I'm so scared. You have to protect me."
Simon held the playful Janet close and glanced at Allison. He asked with a smile, "A, would you hurt Janet?"
After a brief pause, Allison shook her head again, as if giving a solemn assurance. "No, sir."
"Alright then," Simon said, dismissing Allison. "See? She said no."
Janet watched as Allison disappeared into the cabin, still pouting. "She only said that because you ordered her not to kill me."
"A wouldn't do it without my orders anyway. Now, let's not talk about this anymore. How about a kiss?"
"Mmm…"
Janet, clearly not a psychologist and unable to monitor Allison's every move, had picked up on something unusual about her but couldn't quite figure out what. Inevitably, her thoughts wandered. Simon wasn't about to explain the more private aspects of Allison's behavior to Janet.
In any case, when it came to people he could trust, Allison was definitely one of them.
The Gucci family's murder plot, having been intercepted, helped Melisandre avert a crisis before their upcoming fall fashion show, but for Simon, it was just a minor incident.
However, it did show that Simon's quiet efforts in Italy hadn't been in vain.
Not only this incident, but also the fact that the Westeros system wanted to deepen its roots in Italy meant it could never fully distance itself from these underground forces.
That was simply the reality in Italy.
If not for the European Union's efforts to promote continental integration, ensuring that Italy didn't descend into chaos, the country might have become the Mexico of Europe.
Simon's crackdown last year had made Italian underground forces hesitant to interfere with the Westeros system, but beyond the covert operation in the southern city of Reggio, there was no overt cooperation with these groups. That's why a loyal faction was needed.
Following this latest incident, Simon didn't personally engage with anyone but instead requested a report from the Ukrainian mafia on the state of their operations across Western Europe.
Though the network was still in its infancy, a basic framework was beginning to take shape.
Due to the local resistance to outsiders and language barriers, the Ukrainian mafia's operations were mainly concentrated in major cities like Milan and Rome. Even so, the fight for territory wasn't as smooth as one might imagine. In just one year, more than 60 members of the Ukrainian mafia had been killed in various turf wars across Europe.
Despite the challenges, the group was expanding, largely thanks to support from the Westeros system.
Simon had no interest in profiting directly from these underground forces—it wasn't worth it. But he kept a tight grip on their activities.
Controlling these groups wasn't as difficult as one might think.
Many underground organizations around the world are backed by larger powers. In modern society, simply being tough and willing to fight won't get you far.
For the Ukrainian mafia to grow beyond their borders, they needed resources and support from home, and they needed a way to launder their gains through secretive channels. If they couldn't do that, they would remain little more than petty thugs.
But if they succeeded, they would have to choose their allegiances wisely.
Of course, while Simon didn't care about these groups, the same couldn't be said for the Westeros system's representatives in Ukraine.
However, these individuals were more dependent on the Westeros system.
If they ever developed ambitions of independence, the Westeros system might lose most of its interests in Ukraine, but Simon wouldn't care. What mattered was that he could strip everything from the traitors—a price they wouldn't be able to bear.
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