The evening sunlight filtered through Manhattan's towering steel structures, spilling into the bedroom. Grace Spurl opened her eyes. The man was no longer beside her. After getting up and looking around, she found him on the rooftop terrace.
Walking up behind him, she leaned over, resting her cheek on his shoulder in an affectionate nuzzle, and glanced at the book in his hand. "What's this?"
Simon reached out, pulled the woman into his arms, and showed her the book. "One Hundred Years of Solitude."
Held like a little girl in Simon's embrace, Grace felt a bit uncomfortable but didn't want to leave. She subtly shifted to a side-sitting position and glanced at the book again. It was the original Spanish version. She could speak a bit of Spanish, but reading it was a struggle. "I've read the English version, but I didn't understand it, so I never finished."
Simon didn't bother explaining the book, setting it aside on a nearby round table, and caressed Grace's waist as he asked, "So what do you like?"
The late autumn evening had grown quite chilly, but with Simon's touch, Grace's cheeks flushed again. She had no defense against him. "I don't know. I started working very early, then got married and had kids. You know, life in Manhattan is stressful. It feels like time just slipped by," she said, then looked into Simon's eyes. "Am I a failure?"
Simon kissed her lips lightly and reassured her. "Most people are like this. You've already done incredibly well."
"It's all thanks to you," Grace leaned in to kiss Simon. After they separated, she gazed at his youthful face, suddenly feeling a bit shy. "I… you should probably date more young women."
Simon, sensing her warmth, smiled. "But I enjoy teasing you. What should I do?"
Grace avoided Simon's playful gaze and smirk, thinking to herself, You can tease me however you like, but she didn't say it aloud. Instead, she pointed towards the towering structure in the distance. "When will that building be finished?"
Simon followed her gaze. The main structure of the Westeros Tower had already surpassed 500 meters. Stretched out horizontally, it might not seem that remarkable, but compared to the other buildings in the Upper East Side, most of which were under 100 meters, it stood out significantly. "The topping-off will take about another year. I plan to build another home at the top, along with a helipad. The construction standards are high, so with finishing and decor, I might be able to move in around the year 2000."
The building's design had already been publicized by the media, and Grace had seen it.
Hearing Simon's timeline, she eagerly said, "I really hope I get to see it when it's done."
Simon chuckled. "Of course. I'll definitely bring you up there to tease you."
Grace shot him a playful look but seemed a bit anxious. "I'm afraid you might forget about me by then."
"Of course not. You know I'm quite sentimental."
Grace countered, "Bryce said last week that you've already forgotten about her."
"Who's Bryce?"
Grace immediately rolled her eyes.
Simon laughed and gave her a playful pinch. "When we had dinner the other night, she was complaining that your daughter is a bad influence on her son. She even accused you of encouraging it. What's going on?"
Though Simon's words were lighthearted, Grace's mind tangled with confused thoughts.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Grace muttered softly, "She wants her son to go to Yale, but that means he'd have to leave New Haven. He's decided to stay in New York and attend Columbia. It's not Rita's fault, though. Bryce is too domineering and raised her son to have no opinions of his own. How can she blame others?"
Seeing that Grace didn't want to talk about it, Simon didn't press further. He changed the subject. "There's a Time Warner party tonight. Want to come with me?"
Grace shook her head. "Not tonight. It's Friday, and I promised the kids we'd have dinner together. I've already booked the restaurant." As she spoke, she seemed to worry Simon might be upset, so she added, "But I can have Chrissy and Lima come over. If you want, you can invite more. They've all been looking forward to seeing you."
Simon didn't agree immediately and instead said, "I've told you before, it's not a good idea to keep pushing girls towards me."
"I don't care," Grace replied firmly. "That way, you'll remember me longer. Besides, even if something happens, you'll protect me, right?"
Simon lifted her chin and studied her face. "Aren't you afraid I'll throw you under the bus?"
Grace met his gaze, her eyes full of adoration. "I know you wouldn't do that. But if it came to it, I'd willingly take the fall for you."
Simon released her, chuckling. "I think I just figured out why your daughter managed to steal Bryce's little sweetheart."
Grace leaned in and whispered in Simon's ear. "If you like, I could have Rita call you 'Daddy' too."
Simon nearly dropped her at that.
Seeing his surprised expression, Grace smiled and explained, "I know Jerry well. We're in the same circle."
Simon waved it off. "Forget it. Let's not corrupt the kids."
Grace grinned, then leaned over to whisper something else. Noticing his reaction, she giggled and wriggled a bit in his lap. After a few playful moments, she brought up something serious. "Simon, I heard Instagram is looking for another round of financing?"
Simon nodded. "Thinking of joining?"
"I can't afford it," Grace said, explaining, "I'm asking for someone else. A fund manager I met in Europe recently heard about it and called me to see if they could invest. She also knows about Elite's collaboration with Instagram."
Simon pretended to be suspicious. "Are you sure it's a 'she' and not a 'he'?"
Grace responded seriously, "I promise, you're the only man in my life now. I don't even let my husband touch me. If you find out I'm seeing someone else, you can strangle me and bury me secretly."
"Um, no need to be so harsh on yourself."
Grace leaned in closer. "I've even thought about it before, hoping you'd strangle me and bury me under the lawn of that estate in Greenwich."
"Sounds like the start of a horror movie."
Grace rolled her eyes playfully. "So, is it possible?"
Simon nodded. "Sure, but the shares are limited. Instagram is only releasing 10% this time, priced at $200 million, no negotiations. Most of the shares are for people within the Westeros system. But since you asked, I can allocate 2%, no more."
"2% is plenty. That's $40 million. Actually, the fund manager controls some European print media. I figured more exposure for Elite clients and potential support for you could be helpful."
"Hmm, we can arrange a meeting."
"She'd be thrilled. Let me know when you're free."
Simon playfully asked, "Is she pretty?"
"Very. She's married, younger than me, and has three kids. Oh, and she has noble blood."
"Hmm, I'm just a nouveau riche trying to improve my social standing by meeting some aristocrats."
"Bad boy."
They chatted for a while longer before the sunset completely vanished behind the Manhattan skyline, and Grace reluctantly took her leave.
That evening's Time Warner party was to celebrate the finalization of the merger agreement between General Electric and Time Warner.
Earlier that morning, while Simon was at the Lexington Avenue Armory watching rehearsals for the Victoria's Secret show, the two companies officially announced the deal at a press conference.
Both sides had made some concessions, and the final price was set at $27.5 billion. Including Time Warner's roughly $8.6 billion in debt, the total value of the transaction was $36.1 billion. With news leaking in advance, by the close of business the previous day, Time Warner's market value had reached $23.9 billion, meaning GE had only paid a 13% premium.
If the deal went through successfully, GE would not only remain an industrial giant but would also become North America's second-largest media conglomerate.
However, unlike the market's enthusiasm for the Daenerys Entertainment and Metropolis-ABC merger, GE's acquisition of Time Warner was controversial. A clear indication was that GE's stock fell 4.3% throughout the day, while Time Warner's stock only rose 5.1%.
Critics argued that GE's move into media was misguided...
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