Elizabeth, hearing Paris's remark, didn't feel the slightest bit guilty. Instead, she responded confidently, "Of course. You can also ask your dad to buy them for your mom."
She even tilted her chin up proudly.
Paris Hilton glanced around at the other girls, most of whom didn't seem bothered and some even looked envious. She could only feel frustrated.
The fact that Elizabeth's mother was Simon Westeros's mistress was no secret in their circle. As the man's wealth and power grew, fewer and fewer people saw it as a problem for him to have multiple mistresses. In fact, it would have been strange if he didn't.
Seeing Paris's deflated expression, Elizabeth grew even more pleased with herself. She walked over to a row of storage cabinets against the wall, carefully took out a shiny silver handbag from a locked compartment, and said, "Look at this. Simon gave it to my mom for her birthday last month. It's a custom Gucci bag with platinum straps and clasps, and it's studded with 1,001 diamonds. It's worth over a million dollars."
She even slung it over her shoulder and struck a pose, making the other girls' eyes sparkle with envy.
Paris couldn't help but interject, "Hermès bags are the best. Gucci is just average."
Before Elizabeth could respond, Kim Kardashian chimed in, "Someone's jealous."
The girls burst into laughter, making Paris blush with embarrassment. She felt like tearing the place apart.
Elizabeth only briefly showcased the bag, not letting her curious friends even touch it, and quickly returned it to the cabinet. She then turned to Paris Hilton. "Paris, Simon has already agreed to lend us the 767 for our trip to China. But since you've talked back to me twice today, I've decided not to take you."
Paris's eyes widened, and she felt her nose tingling with the threat of tears. She forced herself to retort, "Even if you don't take me, I can still go with my parents."
"Then go ahead," Elizabeth said, grinning like a mischievous little witch. "But too bad your family will have to fly commercial. It won't be as convenient. Simon, on the other hand, has a private jet and properties all over China. We can go wherever we want, eat whatever we want, and buy whatever we want. Just thinking about it makes me excited."
Paris wanted to scratch Elizabeth's face, but she only stomped her foot, holding back her tears as she stormed out. On her way, she grabbed a pair of high heels from a shoe rack and threw them on the ground.
"Wow, throwing things? Don't expect to be invited back to my house again," Elizabeth called after her, though she didn't seem too upset. She just gave a look, and Kim Kardashian quickly picked up the shoes, checked them, and placed them back on the rack, saying to Elizabeth, "No harm done."
Elizabeth nodded in satisfaction, scanning the room with the air of a little queen, as if daring anyone to challenge her.
Even girls like Ivanka, whose family wealth far surpassed Elizabeth's, didn't show any signs of wanting to compete for the top spot. Not only did they also want to go to China, but they also understood the significance of Elizabeth's mother's position as Simon Westeros's mistress. Combined with Hall's savvy social maneuvering, it carried a lot of weight.
As for her own family's situation, Ivanka knew all too well.
Compared to the ever-expanding Levison Group controlled by the Verstov system, her father had been completely sidelined from the real estate business and was now just a minor shareholder living off dividends. Even when he ventured into media, he had to rely on the Verstov system's resources and connections.
There was no comparison.
Seeing no one challenge her authority, Elizabeth was pleased. She even turned to the newly acquainted Delevigne sisters. "Chloe, Poppy, if you can get your Chinese visas sorted soon, you can come too."
After all, it was her father footing the bill, so why not extend the invitation?
The Delevigne sisters' eyes lit up with excitement, though they also looked a bit worried. Chinese visas weren't easy to get.
After touring her mother's closet, Elizabeth led her friends to a private family entertainment room in the apartment. She took out expensive bottles of alcohol from the mini-bar and shared them with the group. When she realized there was no ice in the fridge, she naturally ordered Kim to go fetch some from the main hall.
Kim obediently left.
The sprawling 700-square-meter apartment was quite large, and Kim got a bit lost on her way. Just as she was about to turn back, she spotted her mother, Kris Jenner, sneaking out from the other end of the hallway and slipping into a room.
Kim couldn't help but feel curious.
Was her mom... trying to steal something? If she got caught, it would be so embarrassing.
After a moment's hesitation, she tiptoed over and pressed her ear against the door. The room was soundproof, so she couldn't hear anything. She gently turned the handle, and the door, which wasn't locked, opened a crack. Finally, she could hear voices, though they were faint.
"...I'm not afraid. He doesn't even want to be a man anymore. He's secretly taking estrogen and flipping through brochures about sex-change surgeries, as if I don't know..."
That was her mother's voice.
Estrogen? Sex change? What was going on? Was she talking about her stepfather? Kim thought about it and realized that her stepfather's behavior had been a bit odd over the past couple of years.
But she quickly decided to keep listening.
"...Kylie is already three months old. She's such a beautiful baby. You were the one who told me to have her, and you even named her. Do you want to see her..."
She was talking about Kylie Jenner, who had been born in May.
Originally, after Kendall, Kris hadn't planned to have more children, as she wanted to focus on her TV career. But last year, she had unexpectedly gotten pregnant again.
There was clearly more to the story.
Kim was so engrossed in her thoughts that she forgot she was leaning against the door. As she shifted her weight, the door creaked open wider. By the time she realized what was happening, it was too late.
A male voice called out, "Who's there?"
The voice... sounded familiar.
Kim froze, then stepped into view, looking into the room.
It was a small sitting room.
But that wasn't important.
What mattered was the two people inside.
Her mother.
And... Simon Westeros.
The man was lounging casually on the sofa, a glass of red wine in his hand. Her mother, however, was kneeling at his feet, helping him take off his shoes.
Why was she taking off his shoes?
Wait, that wasn't the point.
The real issue was... Simon Westeros and her mother.
Kim's mouth fell open, and her eyes widened. She wasn't stupid. She quickly realized she had stumbled upon something huge. As the realization sank in, instead of feeling anger, shame, or embarrassment, she felt... a strange sense of joy.
Hmm.
Then she quickly snapped out of it.
She should leave immediately and pretend she hadn't seen anything.
Just as she was about to do that, she heard the man gesture to her and say, "You come here too."
Come over?
What for?
Her mind was buzzing, but the sheer presence of the man compelled her to obey. She glanced at her mother, who averted her eyes but didn't seem to object.
Elizabeth waited for a long time but didn't see Kim return with the ice. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she joked with her friends that Kim must have fallen into the toilet. She then sent Kim's sisters, Kourtney and Khloé, to fetch the ice. This time, since the two went together, they didn't mysteriously disappear.
After sampling the expensive alcohol from the mini-bar, the girls either played pool, browsed through Hall's collection of vintage vinyl records, or danced to the music. Time flew by.
When Paris, who had stormed out earlier, came back to fetch her sister, she found the girls all flushed and a bit tipsy. Nikki even declared that she wasn't leaving tonight, and with Elizabeth backing her up, Paris stormed out again.
She went to tattle.
However, even though the legal drinking age in the U.S. was 21, no one really cared about that in private. The adults didn't seem to mind.
Just then, Simon, who had seemingly disappeared for a while, reappeared.
The Hiltons approached to say goodbye. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Simon noticed Paris's sullen expression and asked with a smile, "Paris, what's wrong? If our guests aren't having a good time, that's our fault."
Kathy Hilton quickly interjected, "It's nothing, Simon. Just kids being kids."
But Paris, seeing Simon, had a sudden inspiration. Ignoring her mother's hint, she put on an even more pitiful expression. "We were all supposed to go to China together, but just now... Liz said she's not taking me."
Simon smiled and said, "Don't worry. You can come. I'll talk to Liz later."
Paris immediately perked up. "Thank you, Simon."
Kathy Hilton, however, looked a bit embarrassed. "We're causing you trouble again, Simon."
"It's no trouble."
Kathy then turned to Jerry Hall, who was standing beside Simon. "Jerry, if Nikki misbehaves, you can call me, and I'll send someone to pick her up."
After saying their goodbyes, the Hiltons left with their eldest daughter.
As the guests began to leave, the party wound down.
Elizabeth, now with the newly recruited Delevigne sisters and her other friends, returned to the main hall. As they passed the hallway entrance, she spotted Kim, who hadn't been drinking but whose face was oddly flushed. Elizabeth teased, "Everyone said you were taken by Dorothy. When did you get back?"
Kim instinctively acted submissive, but then she glanced at the man not far away and quickly composed herself. "Mom wanted to talk to me about something."
Elizabeth didn't press further, as Kim had always been a dutiful follower. She just gave Kim a look and then led the Delevigne sisters over to Simon.
She brought up the idea of adding two more people to the China trip.
Just then, the Delevigne parents, seeing their daughters, also approached. Hearing Elizabeth's suggestion, they were delighted at the prospect of their daughters getting closer to Simon's inner circle. However, Charles Delevigne quickly pointed out, "Getting visas for China might be difficult. Even tourist visas could take too long."
The Delevigne sisters looked disappointed again.
Elizabeth instinctively turned to Simon. When in doubt, ask Dad.
Simon casually said, "That's not a problem. I'll have A take care of it."
Hearing this, the girls felt it was only natural for Simon to handle such matters. The adults, however, were reminded of the young tycoon's grand visit to China the previous year. Given his strong connections there, this was indeed just a small favor.
With the issue resolved, the Delevigne parents also took the opportunity to say their goodbyes. Elizabeth, however, invited the Delevigne sisters to stay the night, a tactic she often used to win people over. The Delevigne parents had no objections and happily agreed.
By 11 p.m., most of the guests had left, except for the friends Elizabeth had convinced to stay.
The apartment grew quiet.
The maids were quietly cleaning up the mess. Elizabeth led her friends to her room, while Simon and Jerry Hall sat together on a sofa by the window, each holding a glass of wine, gazing out at the neon-lit Manhattan skyline.
As for Simon's disappearance during the party, the guests assumed he simply didn't enjoy socializing and had slipped away. Given his status, it was only natural for him to avoid such small gatherings. Hall, however, had a pretty good idea of what had happened.
She didn't mind.
In fact, she had even helped cover for him.
She was quite skilled at this, having dealt with Mick Jagger's infidelities in the past. Of course, compared to Simon, Mick was nowhere near in terms of status, wealth, or power. Even though Mick knew about her current relationship and that her daughter called another man "Dad," he had never said a word.
As they chatted casually, Hall, sensing Simon's good mood, cautiously broached a topic. "Simon, what do you think about me having another child?"
Simon, who had been gazing out the window, turned to her, his hand resting on her waist. He smiled and asked, "Aren't Liz and the other two enough?"
Hall leaned closer, meeting his gaze. "I mean, I want to have a child with you."
In truth, she had been hearing rumors.
If other women could do it, why not her?
Simon shook his head. "Let's not. Just the thought of more kids makes my head spin."
It was true.
So many little ones.
But the real reason was that Hall wasn't Simon's ideal choice for a mother.
Even though six new children had been born this year, even Uliya's unexpected pregnancy had only been allowed to continue because Simon had approved it.
Hall, unaware of these details, didn't push further. She couldn't help feeling disappointed.
Simon, noticing her expression, smiled and said, "I've told you before, you're all free. If you ever want to leave, just let me know."
Hall thought about the luxurious life she had enjoyed over the past few years and the envy she had seen in Elle Macpherson's eyes tonight. How could she ever leave? She couldn't survive without this life. Misinterpreting Simon's words as a warning after her suggestion about having a child, she set down her wine glass and eagerly wrapped herself around him.
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