After a chaotic half-hour of waiting, Ines was finally told she could leave. She followed a maid out of the waiting room, passing through the villa to the seaside area. Along the way, she noticed a girl being led away, likely someone who hadn't passed the health check. Strangely, this comparison gave Ines a sense of superiority.
By the time she stepped outside again, it was already past 10 a.m.
The autumn sunlight was perfect.
Standing on the slightly elevated steps of the villa, Ines gazed out at the azure sea in the distance. Since this area was a narrow V-shaped strip between Long Island and Connecticut, she could faintly see the opposite shore. Closer in, there was a private beach about two to three hundred meters wide, followed by a lawn and a private pool. The edges of the estate were lined with dense, three-meter-high holly hedges, interspersed with tall trees whose leaves were a mix of red and yellow.
This must be what Eden looked like.
Ines fantasized about owning such an estate as she followed the maid to a guesthouse next to the villa for a quick shower and a change into a swimsuit. Finally, the group made their way to the poolside, where people were already gathered.
The south side of the oversized pool, basking in the sun, was lined with lounge chairs. Unlike the usual setup with chairs spaced apart, these were arranged in a continuous row. Ines quickly noticed the man lying in the center of the row.
After all, there were no other men around.
On either side of him were a group of glamorous women. Lyudmila Bessonovskaya, who had arrived earlier, was sprawled on top of him, acting very affectionate.
As Ines approached, the other women naturally blended into the crowd. Some went up to greet the man, others headed to the buffet table for drinks, and a few jumped straight into the pool to swim.
Ines wasn't as familiar with the routine as they were. It wasn't until she was almost in front of the man that she suddenly realized her mistake and quickly veered off. She looked around and spotted her sister, Melania, lying two seats to the man's right. Melania was wearing a white sheer cover-up over her swimsuit and a large pair of sunglasses, looking completely relaxed. Ines couldn't help but feel a bit envious of her sister's ease.
Walking over to her sister, Ines bent down and softly called her name.
Melania, seeing her sister, said something to Heidi Klum beside her. Since it wasn't a spot next to the man, Heidi was accommodating and shifted over with the other women, politely greeting Ines.
Ines, feeling a bit out of place, responded to the greetings from these famous women in the industry. She then moved to the front of the lounge chair and carefully climbed onto it, mimicking her sister's relaxed posture.
"Simon's talking to someone right now. We'll go say hello later," Melania whispered to her.
Although Ines had seen other girls approach the man earlier, she nodded quickly at her sister's advice.
Lying back and gazing at the blue sky dotted with white clouds, Ines felt so comfortable she could almost fall asleep. The only downside was the sunlight was a bit too bright. She glanced sideways, wondering where her sister had gotten those sunglasses.
Noticing her sister's subtle movement, Melania turned her head slightly and waved over a maid, giving her a quick instruction. Moments later, the maid returned with a pair of sunglasses.
Ines was about to casually put them on when she noticed the Van Cleef & Arpels logo on the frames. Having spent years in the fashion industry, she recognized the brand immediately and couldn't help but think how expensive they must be. She carefully put them on.
Lying back again, she took a cautious deep breath.
Bliss.
Looking around at her surroundings, she felt like there was nothing left in life to strive for.
As she settled in, Ines realized she could overhear Simon Westeros's conversation, mainly because of a chattering young girl.
Unfortunately, the girl was speaking Russian. The Cofanes sisters' homeland, Slovenia, had been part of the Yugoslav Federation, which followed a non-aligned policy and wasn't particularly close to either the Soviet Union or the USA. Unlike former Warsaw Pact countries, they hadn't grown up learning Russian. Even though they came from a well-educated middle-class family, aside from their native language, they only knew some basic Italian and English.
So, they couldn't understand a word.
Feeling a bit regretful, Ines still couldn't help but eavesdrop.
Lyudmila Bessonovskaya, confident that the other women around her likely didn't understand Russian, deliberately chattered in the man's ear: "…Simon, you're so biased. Why can Belkovska and Gmorova's fathers run for parliament, but mine can't? My dad is the hardest worker at the military theme park. He's always the first to arrive and even drags my brother along to make sure he doesn't slack off."
Simon, with his arm around the girl's waist, enjoying the warmth of her body and the autumn sun, felt like dozing off. He lazily replied, "If your dad's so tired, why would you want him to take on another job?"
"He could quit the theme park and focus on being a parliament member. That's a big deal!"
"How about we make him president instead?"
"…" Lyudmila, seeing the man half-asleep, raised her hand as if to pinch his nose but didn't dare. She withdrew her hand and changed the subject, "Simon, when are you going to Ukraine next?"
"Don't know."
"Hmph, if you keep brushing me off, I won't love you anymore."
"Okay."
Lyudmila, frustrated, suddenly remembered something and propped herself up slightly, "Oh, Simon, you gave my sister a fund to manage. I think I could handle one too, you know?"
"What would you buy with the fund?"
"A private jet," Lyudmila blurted out, then realized she'd been tricked. She leaned over and playfully pretended to bite his lip, her tone turning coquettish, "I want my own private jet, Simon. You'll buy me one, right? It doesn't have to be a Boeing 767, a Gulfstream V would do."
"Isn't there one in Ukraine already?"
"That's for everyone to share! And my sister never lets me use it. I think she must be adopted, treating her own sister like this."
"I think so too."
"Simon, can I have one or not?"
"I've decided not to love you for the next minute." Despite her words, Lyudmila snuggled closer to the man's chest, even pulling off her bra and lying flat against him. She then added, "Simon, is there really no Victoria's Secret show this year?"
"Nope."
"But you promised I could walk in the show once I turned 18."
"Oh."
"I'll bite you."
"…"
"Simon, I heard they might bring back the show for the millennium. When they do, I want to open it, okay?"
"Sure."
"You promised! No taking it back this time."
"Stop talking. Let me sleep, or I might forget things."
"Okay, okay," Lyudmila nodded, then pecked his lips and whispered seductively, "Simon, how about we go back to the villa to sleep?"
"I think I'm about to forget something."
"Fine, I'll shut up."
Simon didn't sleep for long, waking up about an hour later with a warm, soft body still pressed against him.
He lifted the girl slightly to see who it was—Angela Lindvall.
The young "Little Fox" wasn't asleep. Seeing the man wake up and look at her, she explained with a hint of nervousness, "You pulled me up here earlier."
Clearly, the little vixen didn't have the patience to stay still while he slept. Simon remembered that Angela had been sitting next to him before he dozed off. He smiled and gently pushed her, sitting up with her. "Get me a juice, will you?"
Angela nodded obediently and got up to fetch the drink.
Nearby, Ines, who had been waiting, saw that the man had finally woken up and wasn't being swarmed by others. She nudged her sister, who had also been dozing. Melania, waking up groggily, listened to her sister's whispered words and reluctantly sat up. She led Ines over to Simon.
Compared to the favored girls like Gisele Bündchen, Melania could clearly feel her own middling status and was always cautious around the man. In just a few steps, she had composed herself.
Angela, who had been lying next to Simon after he pulled her onto him in his sleep, had taken up the spot next to him. Melania naturally sat down and introduced, "Simon, this is my sister, Ines."
Simon looked up.
He didn't recall Melania having a sister, but now that he saw her, the two looked about the same age. Though they didn't resemble each other, Ines was equally beautiful, with a look reminiscent of a Hollywood actress.
"Hello, Mr. Westeros."
Ines, after her sister's introduction, quickly greeted him and instinctively reached out her hand. She immediately realized the awkwardness of her position, standing above him, but the man didn't seem to mind and shook her hand.
Then came the awkwardness.
The spot to the man's left was already taken by her sister, and to his right, a girl was sprawled out, clearly not planning to make room.
She couldn't just stand there and talk to him, could she?
Fortunately, Simon solved her dilemma by patting the space in front of him. "Come here. Let me take a look. You remind me of someone."
Ines, confused but instinctively obedient, bent down, expecting the man to scoot back and make room for her at the edge of the lounge chair. When he didn't, and she couldn't just squat there, she naturally ended up kneeling in front of the chair.
Given that this was Simon Westeros, Ines didn't mind the position, though the hard ground was uncomfortable.
Her knees hurt.
But she endured it.
The power dynamic had shifted, with the man now looking down at her.
Angela returned with a glass of juice, but Simon didn't take it, gesturing for her to give it to Melania instead. He reached out and cupped Ines's face, studying her for a moment before smiling. "Jennifer Esposito."
The man's slightly rough fingertips brushed her cheek, making Ines's heart race. Remembering the health checks she'd undergone earlier, she stammered, "Wh-what did you say?"
"I just remembered," Simon withdrew his hand and turned to Melania. "Your sister looks like a Hollywood actress, Jennifer Esposito."
Melania, holding the glass of juice, didn't recognize the name of the relatively obscure actress but didn't react to her sister's position or the man's touch. She simply smiled and said, "My sister is very beautiful."
As she spoke, she was secretly calculating.
If both sisters were involved, maybe the man would support them more.
Melania was a smart woman. She knew that if things continued as they were, she might leave with a decent nest egg, but maintaining her current lavish lifestyle would be impossible. As for marrying another wealthy man, not only were such opportunities rare in the modeling world, but who could compare to Simon Westeros in terms of wealth?
Returning to her homeland, a country of only two million people, wasn't an option either.
So, she needed to climb higher.
Either get closer to the man—having a child would be ideal—or advance her career, building a solid foundation like the top models had.
Simon, oblivious to Melania's scheming, turned back to Ines. "Stay tonight."
Then he got up.
Ines, still processing what Simon's words meant, saw the man was barefoot and instinctively grabbed a pair of slippers nearby, placing them at his feet. She looked up at him with an unconscious air of讨好 (flattery).
Simon's hand brushed her face. "Thanks, but no need."
He then walked to the pool and dove in, causing a splash and a chorus of laughter and screams from the women in the water.
As the man left, the women who had been pretending to sleep on the lounge chairs also got up and headed for the pool.
Ines, seeing the spot to Simon's left vacated by Roberta Chilko, finally remembered to stand. She sat next to her sister, glancing at Melania and then at the pool, silently asking if they should join.
Melania wasn't in a hurry. She took a sip of the juice and said softly, "Simon just said you should stay tonight."
Ines wasn't stupid and had already figured out what that meant. Her face flushed slightly, and after a pause, she replied, "I know."
Seeing her sister wasn't resisting, Melania nodded slightly and added in a low voice, "You've always wanted to start your own brand. Maybe Simon can help us."
"Actually…" Ines hesitated, then said, "I'm not sure if I can succeed."
If she hadn't struggled for years in Milan without success, she wouldn't have come to her sister for help.
"As long as we can set up a company and have Simon's resources, we can hire better designers," Melania, aware of her sister's limitations, said this and then added, "I'll bring it up with Simon when the time's right. If he's willing to invest, after his share, I want half of the remainin equity."
Ines blinked, then understood.
Her sister was saying that even sisters should keep accounts clear.
She instinctively resisted.
Her sister hadn't been so calculating in the past.
But then she realized they weren't kids anymore. After a moment of hesitation, Ines silently nodded.
Melania, seeing her sister agree, didn't say more. She set down the barely touched glass of juice, stood up, and removed her sheer cover-up, heading for the pool. Ines watched her sister dive in and suddenly felt a competitive urge, deciding she shouldn't lose to her sister. She stood up and followed.
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