Cindy Crawford, unaware that Simon would be attending today's rehearsal, arrived at the Lexington Avenue Armory just in time. After spending half an hour walking through the theme where she would open the show, she finally made her way to the stands. By now, Simon was already surrounded by a crowd of young women.
She glanced at the scene. On Simon's left was Fernanda Lima, on his right was Chrissy Gough, and behind him, on a higher tier, two other women sat closely, leaning on his shoulders. Even the space at Simon's feet hadn't been spared—one woman had squeezed in, kneeling with one leg between Simon's feet, her arm resting on his knee, her face turned up with a playful expression.
"Why not kneel with both legs for the full effect?" Cindy thought to herself, smiling as she quietly took in the scene. Her smile, however, was impeccable as she subtly edged out another woman to get closer. Ignoring the other's glare, she greeted Simon, "Hi, Simon."
As she approached, Cindy noticed that the woman in front of Simon had her palm open before him, and she quickly grasped what was happening.
Simon was casually reading the women's palms.
In a previous life, he had picked up some knowledge from a period drama, though his understanding was surface-level at best. Today, he was simply chatting and making light-hearted remarks to entertain the group. With a few hours to spare on a day of rehearsal, Simon was purely here to enjoy the view.
When Cindy greeted him, Simon responded with a smile, "Good morning."
Seeing the hand stretched out in front of Simon, Cindy asked, feigning curiosity, "What are you doing?"
Simon traced a line on the woman's palm and replied, "Obviously, reading palms."
Having come over to cozy up to Simon, Cindy quickly played along, her eyes lighting up. "Can you read mine too?" she asked, inching closer.
But Simon shook his head with a smile. "I can't. You can only do three readings a day, otherwise, it's not accurate."
No sooner had he said this than one of the women behind him interrupted, "Simon, counting Heidi, you've already done six today."
Simon leaned slightly toward the woman behind him, tapping her head lightly in mock rebuke as the surrounding women giggled. Unfazed, he explained, "Only three were actual readings. The others were for admiration. Look, Heidi's hands are beautiful."
The group of women joined in the banter.
"Mine are too, Simon. Look, I've even been a hand model."
"Yes, they're very nice."
"Thank you."
"And mine? How about mine, Simon?"
"80 points."
"Hey, that's a 90-point hand! Look again?"
"Fine, add 10 points."
"Hehe."
Cindy watched the playful exchange, feeling a bit strange. Was this man in front of her really a billionaire worth $700 billion? But she quickly realized the difference. Most billionaires were older men, far removed from Simon's youthful spirit. If they behaved like this with young women, it would indeed seem out of place.
Simon Westeros, despite being at the top of the world, was still only 27 years old—an age where many were just graduating or entering the workforce. Thinking back on her previous interactions with him, Cindy realized Simon was not the type to carry airs due to his status. His ease in dealing with people allowed him to get along with almost anyone.
Unfortunately, the competition for Simon's attention today was intense.
Just when Cindy thought she might not get a chance to speak with him alone, a Victoria's Secret team member came to remind Simon of the schedule, prompting him to start dismissing the women around him.
After all, work couldn't be neglected.
As the group dispersed, Cindy stepped forward and managed to take the spot Chrissy Gough had just vacated. Glancing at the other side, she noticed the woman Simon had been reading palms for was still there.
Seeing Cindy's expression, Simon introduced the other woman. "This is Heidi. She's also a client of Elite. You don't know her?"
Cindy shook her head but extended her hand. "Hello."
The woman introduced herself as they shook hands. "I'm Heidi Klum, from Germany." She then turned to Simon and added, "I've mostly been working in Europe these past few years and I'm still just a small fry. It's no surprise Cindy doesn't know me."
Feeling the warmth of Heidi's body pressing against him, Simon smiled and said, "You won't be for long. Maybe you'll even surpass Cindy one day."
Heidi Klum.
A name that would eventually become synonymous with Victoria's Secret. Fans affectionately called her "Mama Heidi."
However, thanks to Simon's butterfly effect, some things had changed. In his memory, Heidi Klum had won Elite's modeling competition in the early '90s. This time, if not for Grace sending Simon a list of promising models after she took over Elite, 23-year-old Heidi might have remained a mid-tier model at Elite's French branch, struggling to break through.
There was never a shortage of pretty faces in the modeling world.
In this industry, beauty and hard work only accounted for a small portion of success—luck played the biggest role.
In truth, Heidi wasn't entirely Simon's type. He had chosen her mainly because he remembered her later role as host of the fashion reality show Project Runway. That show had been a perfect fit for a U.S. network, running for nearly 20 seasons in Simon's previous world, proving its popularity.
However, while Simon had now "locked in" Heidi, he had no immediate plans to produce Project Runway.
Both the newly acquired ABC network under Daenerys Entertainment and the USA Network already had a lineup of highly popular TV shows. Launching too many new shows in the short term could dilute audience attention.
For instance, USA Network had been riding high with Sex and the City after its release, and with Desperate Housewives and the "Housewives" series also performing well, Simon's plan was to wait three years before launching another flagship show. There was also America's Next Top Model, hosted by Tyra Banks, another future hit Simon hadn't forgotten.
In the front lobby of the armory, Heidi's eyes lit up when Simon suggested she could surpass Cindy. She pressed a little closer and asked, "Simon, do you have time for lunch? I'd be honored if you joined me."
Simon shook his head. "I have lunch plans."
"What about dinner?"
"Sorry, I'm busy then too."
Undeterred, Heidi pressed on. "When will you be free?"
Simon smiled and said, "We'll see."
Taking his answer as a non-committal maybe, Heidi glanced at Cindy and then leaned closer to Simon's ear. "Simon, there's nothing much to see here. How about we head backstage and find a quiet place to talk?"
Simon didn't answer immediately, but instead lightly patted her waist. "Don't laze around. Go get busy. I don't like girls who slack off."
Realizing she'd been dismissed, Heidi had no choice but to get up and leave.
Simon's words were also directed at Cindy, but the supermodel remained seated. Noticing his gaze, Cindy explained, "I've already finished my rehearsal." She looked at Simon with a hint of reproach. "You only gave me a small opening. So stingy."
In the fashion world, opening or closing a show often indicated a model's status. This was true for both the Victoria's Secret show and high fashion shows.
Since Cindy had stepped down as a Victoria's Secret Angel, her status had naturally declined. Still, getting an opening in one of the themes was more than most models could hope for.
Simon ignored her complaint and casually asked, "What have you been busy with lately?"
This question seemed to touch a sore spot for Cindy. She subtly leaned closer to Simon, her tone laced with helplessness. "I'm practically unemployed."
Cindy wasn't exaggerating.
She had starred in Warner Bros.' Fair Game, which had been released on October 13th. Although the release date alone indicated Warner's lack of confidence in the film, as the lead actress, Cindy had spent the previous weeks promoting the film, even missing Fashion Week for it.
Unfortunately, Fair Game was a box office disaster. Opening in 1,949 theaters, it only grossed a pathetic $6.39 million in its first week, with a per-theater average of just over $3,000. To make matters worse, the second-week box office numbers, released this morning, showed a nearly 50% drop. The total gross after two weeks was a dismal $9.72 million.
With such poor performance, most theaters pulled Fair Game from their screens today, and it was expected to barely scrape together another million or two.
A total flop.
Cindy deeply regretted not listening to Simon's advice.
With her widespread popularity, Cindy had hoped to transition from fashion to Hollywood. Landing roles wasn't difficult for her. She had even garnered some praise for her cameo in the Batman series under Simon's arrangement. But all that had been undone by Fair Game.
If the film had managed even a modest $20 or $30 million at the box office, the blow wouldn't have been so severe.
But the failure of Fair Game was catastrophic.
With a $50 million production budget and only $10 million in box office revenue, it was essentially a total loss, as the box office earnings couldn't even cover the distribution costs.
Hollywood was a superstitious place.
Since Cindy was the main selling point of Fair Game, her failure
was seen as a personal one. Although many recognized that the film's failure wasn't entirely her fault, once branded as "box office poison," it was hard to get other roles.
Missing out on Fashion Week, starring in a major box office bomb, and stepping down as a Victoria's Secret Angel—if not for her upcoming appearance in the fourth Victoria's Secret Fashion Show next month, Cindy would have faded quickly from the spotlight in this highly competitive industry.
However, the Victoria's Secret show could only help maintain her popularity temporarily.
Cindy knew that to make a real comeback, she needed Simon's support.
Simon, however, remained unfazed by Cindy's pitiful look. "At your age, retiring wouldn't be a bad idea. You'd have time to focus on other things."
Other things?
Cindy immediately thought of a certain waist-queen who had announced her retirement after the Versace show not long ago. If she had a net worth in the hundreds of millions, retirement would be an option.
The problem was, she didn't.
Despite earning millions of dollars over the past few years and being relatively good with money, Cindy knew that unless she married into wealth, she didn't have enough saved to sustain the luxurious lifestyle she envisioned for the long term.
She still needed to work.
With that thought, Cindy didn't hesitate any longer. She wrapped her arms around Simon's and gave it a little shake. "Simon, won't you help me?"
Simon gestured toward the women rehearsing on the runway and said, "For the next few years, if you're still willing, you can continue with that. But honestly, there's not much I can do beyond that. Modeling is a career that isn't built for the long haul."
Cindy, still clinging to Simon, wasn't about to give up now that he had shown a bit of leniency. "Then can you give me some advice?"
Feeling the warmth of the woman beside him, Simon thought for a moment and said, "Actually, you've already figured it out."
"Yes," Cindy replied, recalling the recent failure of Fair Game. "But it didn't work out."
Simon said, "Then try other fields. Do you know the secret to public figures maintaining their popularity over the long term?"
Cindy looked at Simon with curiosity.
This supermodel still had her charms.
Simon, pretending to be overwhelmed by her gaze, playfully dodged and said, "The key is to have something people can always associate you with—something that becomes your signature, whether it's a movie, a TV show, or something else entirely. Think of Sean Connery. After all these years, when people hear his name, they still think of James Bond. The same goes the other way. That's why he's still able to maintain his popularity in Hollywood."
This was precisely why Victoria's Secret was such a coveted opportunity for models.
In Simon's memory, even after the Victoria's Secret show was canceled, many models who had once walked the runway continued to be recognized as "Victoria's Secret Angels" in various media outlets. The show's widespread fame essentially became a signature for many models, something that helped them remain in the public eye.
However, the Victoria's Secret show was ultimately a group event, and aside from a few top models the brand heavily promoted, most models didn't stand out in this grand fashion spectacle.
To truly maintain their popularity, they would have to branch out into other areas.
Cindy considered Simon's words for a moment before recalling the recent rise of Jerry Hall and her show Fashion Files. "Simon, do you mean something like Hall's Fashion Files?"
Fashion Files aired on Fashion TV, a relatively niche network. But due to its growing popularity, it had become Jerry Hall's signature project. The show's increasing visibility had also helped Hall shed the title of "Mick Jagger's wife" and stand on her own as a public figure.
Simon nodded. "Exactly. I remember you used to host a fashion program on MTV. Maybe you could try something like that again."
Cindy followed Simon's line of thinking, and the fog in her mind began to clear.
Yes, due to her age, her runway career wouldn't last much longer, and Hollywood had been a misstep. So perhaps, like Jerry Hall, transitioning into television could be her best path forward.
And conveniently, someone sitting beside her had just acquired Metropolis ABC Group—a connection worth holding onto tightly.
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