Woodside, the mountain villa.
After Chen Qing and the others left, Simon dismissed Yulia Antonenko, who had been feeling out of place and self-conscious amidst the group of women. He patted the edge of the oversized lounging bed and called to the three women on the lawn, "Come over and nap with me."
Eva Herzigova and the other two women, who had initially missed out on a spot, laughed and jumped onto the bed together.
Including Simon, the large, bowl-shaped oval bed was now packed with eight people. After Yulia left, of the seven remaining women, six were Victoria's Secret Angels, leaving the last one feeling somewhat out of place.
On Simon's right side, Fernanda Lima, Tricia Helfer, and Karen Mulder didn't understand why Simon sent Antonenko away but kept the other one. However, that didn't stop them from tacitly pushing the woman named Melania to the far edge. Noticing that Simon didn't show any particular favoritism, they continued without guilt. Karen, who was next to Melania, even made a point of nudging her to remind her to keep her distance, showing a deliberate disdain.
Even though the women often competed for various resources, on this bed, the six Victoria's Secret Angels formed a tight-knit circle, unwilling to let an outsider steal the spotlight.
On the other side, Eva Herzigova, having pushed Heidi Klum to the edge, lay half on top of Daniela Pestova and looked at Simon, starting a conversation: "Simon, was that a Chinese song you were singing earlier? It sounded beautiful."
Simon, letting Daniela toy with the top button of his shirt, smiled and nodded, "Yes."
Fernanda Lima, on Simon's right, chimed in, "It sounded more like a poem. I didn't understand it, but it felt... hmm..." Searching for the right word, she switched to her native Portuguese, "A little melancholic."
Simon just smiled.
Eva, curious after hearing Fernanda switch languages, asked, "Simon, how many languages do you actually speak?"
"I've never counted, and I can only speak a bit of most of them."
Eva blinked, "What about Czech?"
Both she and Daniela were from the Czech Republic.
Simon shook his head, "That one I really don't know."
Czech evolved from Old Slavic, like many Eastern European languages. However, if the difference between Russian and Ukrainian is like that between Mandarin and the Tianjin dialect, the gap between Russian and Czech is more like the difference between Mandarin and Wenzhou dialect. Despite the vast knowledge Simon carried from multiple people's memories, Czech was just too niche to have picked up.
Eva, seeing Simon's admission, perked up and suggested, "Simon, why don't I teach you?"
Simon agreed, "Sure, let's start now."
Eva glanced around, then mischievously looked at Daniela beneath her, her green eyes gleaming. She nudged Daniela slightly, "How about we start with body parts?"
Simon saw her finger pointing at Daniela's nose and nodded, but then added, "Professor Eva, I'd like to start with below the neck."
"No problem."
Daniela, having been the subject of Eva's antics, finally protested with a laugh, squirming under her, "Stop it! I don't want to be your model."
"Then move over, I'll do it myself."
"Don't even think about it."
"Looks like I'll have to use force."
"Oh... Ah, ha ha ha, Simon, help me!"
After a playful tussle, with Daniela pinned again by Eva, the mood was light. Sensing that Simon was in a good mood, Eva switched gears and said, "Simon, there's been a lot of buzz about new tech investments here in Silicon Valley. Could you help us find some projects? You know, something like what Yasmin and the others did with IG."
The other women immediately quieted, perking up to hear Simon's response.
This had been pre-planned.
When they received the invitation to spend the weekend with Simon, flying from New York on a private jet, the women couldn't help but talk about the booming Silicon Valley and the retired Yasmin Ghahremani, who had invested in Instagram, making it hard not to feel envious.
While the six Victoria's Secret Angels were now at the pinnacle of the modeling industry, the reality behind their glamorous lives wasn't as easy as outsiders imagined. People saw them strut down the runway, seemingly earning massive amounts of money, but didn't realize that during fashion weeks, they sometimes had to work to the point of exhaustion, sleeping only three or four hours a day. And their income, while substantial, wasn't as high as most thought.
Meanwhile, Yasmin and the other models' investment in Instagram had become legendary in their circle.
A mere $200,000 investment had yielded hundreds of times that in returns, making them worth millions. Even if they parted ways with Simon Westeros, they would be set for life.
By comparison, while Eva and her peers were making good money, their expenses were equally large. If they didn't start managing their finances or find a wealthy husband to marry, they would face bleak futures when their fame faded—some even ending up destitute.
However, Simon's response was not what they hoped for. He shook his head, "If this was two or three years ago, there were plenty of opportunities. I could've helped you out then. But now, it's too late. Imagine a gold mine attracting thousands of strong men—what can you, with your delicate hands, accomplish in that crowd? You'd just end up wasting your time."
By this point, the tech industry was experiencing a surge comparable to the 1998 dot-com bubble in Simon's memory. A flood of hot money had poured in, with more professional institutions entering the scene. Even the slightest creative business idea was being fought over by venture capital firms. For the women around him, tossing in a few hundred thousand dollars now wouldn't even cause a ripple.
With this explanation, the women were understandably disappointed but didn't show it outwardly.
They hadn't had high hopes, to begin with.
Eva still asked, "So, Simon, if we were to buy some tech stocks now, could we still make money?"
"Yes, you could."
Eva's bright green eyes lit up as she probed, "When would be the best time to sell?"
Simon smiled and shook his head, "That, I don't know."
Given the current bubble-like state of tech stocks, poised to burst at any moment, Simon's simple "yes" could have been worth a fortune if overheard by the right people. None of the women on the bed were mere brainless beauties, and their reactions were suitably varied.
While Simon enjoyed his afternoon nap, surrounded by women, Yulia Antonenko wandered anxiously inside the mountain villa.
After Simon had chosen her some time ago, her life had changed dramatically. She had quickly been brought from Ukraine to London, where she was set up with another Yulia to help manage Simon's properties.
Most of her time was spent studying English.
Having gone from an ordinary life to what felt like paradise, Yulia had no desire to return to her former existence.
However, she soon realized that aside from her looks, she had no real skills to offer. The other Yulia, a trained ballet dancer, not only managed Simon's London properties with ease but also taught classes to the local girls. In contrast, Yulia barely knew any English.
She had dropped out of school early, with no real skills to speak of.
This soon left her feeling a growing sense of insecurity.
Thankfully, her younger sister had also been brought to London. After living together in Rovno for a year, her sister, who was both smarter and more resourceful, could offer plenty of advice.
There was also a point Yulia didn't like to dwell on but couldn't ignore.
Two sisters.
That would surely be more interesting for a man.
But this time, Simon hadn't gone to London, and instead, she was brought to San Francisco, from one unfamiliar city to another. Her sister wasn't allowed to come along. Seeing the other women around her, who were just as beautiful but far more capable, her sense of crisis deepened.
If things continued like this, the man might forget about her altogether.
What should she do?
Wandering absentmindedly through the villa, Yulia entered a living room and saw "A" Girl sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window, working on a laptop. Hesitant, Yulia eventually approached.
Hearing footsteps behind her, "A" Girl glanced back, then returned to her work, casually saying, "Refill my coffee, please."
The commanding tone didn't bother Yulia. In fact, she felt relieved to be useful and obediently poured more coffee before quietly sitting on a nearby sofa.
"A" Girl had no intention of starting a conversation, remaining cold as she focused on her work.
Soon, light footsteps approached.
Yulia looked up.
It was Nina, "A" Girl's daughter.
The four-year-old had inherited her mother's excellent genes, looking like a perfect little doll. Seeing the girl, Yulia couldn't help but think of her own daughter, Vera, who had been allowed to come to London with her. She hoped that as Vera grew up, she would become as lovely as Nina.
Ideally, she thought, Vera could also call him "Daddy" someday.
The little girl, dressed in a pretty light blue princess dress, entered the room and politely greeted Yulia, "Good afternoon, Aunt Antonenko."
Yulia smiled warmly, "Good afternoon, Nina."
After the greeting, Nina rushed to "A" Girl's side, completely unbothered by her cold demeanor. Having grown up with a mother
who often had a similarly cool attitude, Nina was unfazed and tugged at "A" Girl's outfit, "Aunt Allie, where's Daddy?"
"A" Girl, showing a bit more patience than usual, paused her work and pointed in the direction of the garden, "Daddy's outside napping."
Nina followed her gaze but couldn't see through the hedges. Still, she declared in a mature tone, "So lazy! I've already woken up from my nap, and Daddy's still sleeping."
"A" Girl encouraged her, "Why don't you go wake Daddy up?"
Nina confirmed her target's location, nodded, and ran off.
Yulia, seeing "A" Girl suggest that the girl disturb Simon, widened her eyes slightly but said nothing.
Her thoughts raced.
It wouldn't be so bad, she mused, if there was only one Yulia left in London.
Yes.
Her sister could help her, after all.
And her own daughter was growing up fast. Surely Vera would be able to win Simon's favor too.
As these thoughts bubbled up, Yulia bowed her head slightly, feeling a twinge of guilt. After all, the other Yulia had been quite kind to her since their time in London.
At that moment, the other Yulia appeared in the doorway, having changed out of her ballet practice outfit and now wearing a dark blue business suit similar to "A" Girl's.
Glancing around, she politely asked, "Yulia, Ms. A, have you seen Nina?"
Yulia instinctively looked to "A" Girl, unsure whether to respond.
"A" Girl didn't hide anything and gestured slightly in a certain direction. The other Yulia immediately understood and hurried off.
But it was already too late.
When she reached the lawn, Nina had already climbed onto the large lounging bed, pinching the nose of the man pretending to be asleep, trying to wake her lazy father. The women around them watched in surprise and amusement, marveling at how bold the little girl was and how much she was obviously adored.
If this was allowed, the women thought, maybe they wouldn't mind calling him "Daddy" either.
The other Yulia rushed over, nearly tripping in her haste, and without regard for decorum, snatched her daughter off the bed. Seeing Simon, with a slightly red nose, open his eyes, and her daughter proudly exclaiming, "Bad Daddy, you were pretending to sleep!" Yulia trembled slightly and apologized, "I'm so sorry, sir. I..."
Simon waved it off, "Just take the little rascal away and don't let her come within five meters of me."
Obeying immediately, Yulia turned to leave, though Nina continued protesting in her mother's arms, calling back to Simon, "Daddy, if you don't wake up soon, the sun will go down!"
Simon, pretending to be angry, raised his voice, "Ten meters!"
Yulia quickened her pace, feeling the urge to cover her face.
Still, deep down, she felt a touch of warmth.
Her daughter was such a little angel. Surely that was the only reason the man was so fond of her.
Returning to the villa, Yulia sternly warned her daughter not to disturb Simon again. Seeing her mother was genuinely upset, Nina obediently promised, then ran off to find "A" Girl, forcing Yulia to chase after her to make sure she didn't interrupt "A" Girl's work.
Inside the living room, "A" Girl had just received a demo track from New York.
Without commenting on the earlier incident, she picked up the little girl and placed her on the table. "I've got a new song for you, Nina. Want to listen?"
"Did Daddy write it?"
"Of course."
Nina leaned closer to the laptop, "Then I'll learn it and sing it for Daddy tonight."
"That's a great idea."
Smiling, "A" Girl pressed play.
This was a demo of a theme song Simon had recently chosen for American Idol at the request of Shane Derrick, the show's producer.
Simon had a vast mental catalog of suitable songs. After some consideration, needing something inspirational and appropriate for multiple contestants to perform together, he settled on a song from his memory: Dream It Possible, which had once been used in a Huawei commercial.
The music soon filled the room.
I will run, I will climb, I will soar...
Never give up.
Break the chains, play the strings, the passing days don't mean tomorrow.
We keep chasing dreams until they come true.
Look at the stars shining in the sky...
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