Hunting in Hollywood

"Good morning, Simon."

"Good morning, Uncle Simon."

"Morning, Gemma, and Danny."

It was early morning.

Under Sophia's supervision, the two little ones who had woken up early and even done some homework walked into the dining room, where Simon was already sitting at the table reading the newspaper.

After saying good morning, Sophia seated the two little ones at the table and then went into the kitchen to help serve the food.

Soon, everyone was seated.

In addition to Simon and Sophia's family of three, the table also hosted the housekeeper Alice Ferguson and ladies C and D. The other maids who had been busy at last night's birthday party did not share this privilege and were accommodated in other residences outside the manor.

Alice and the two ladies were responsible for breakfast.

The ladies selected to be by Simon's side, including the housekeeper, had all undergone culinary training during their free time, so the food on the table was rich and delicious.

Gemma, spoon in hand, was meticulously picking red beans from her porridge bowl. Noticing her mother's glance, she stuck out her little tongue playfully and her sparkling eyes surveyed the other people at the table, then suddenly said, "Mom, are you going back to Europe today?"

Sophia was about to lecture her daughter on not being picky with food but paused at the question, nodding, "Yes, mommy still has work to do."

As she spoke, she looked at the men and children on either side of her, feeling somewhat reluctant to leave.

However, Sophia knew very well that this nearly familial atmosphere could never fully belong to her.

Having left that rundown little fishing village years ago with dreams of making lots of money, living a prosperous life, and marrying a formidable man, most of her dreams had come true. Yet sitting in this humble dining room, she realized that having such a family would be better than anything else.

Despite these thoughts, Sophia had no regrets or unreal expectations.

No one's life is perfect.

The man from her past, Gemma and Daniel's father, had simple expectations. If he had only remembered to come home amid his busy social life, that would have been enough.

However, that man still left her.

Years of life experience taught Sophia not to hold out hope for certain things anymore.

At the moment, sitting at the table with the man she admired and her cherished children, she could enjoy a sense of home. Wanting more might even be something not even God would agree to.

Sophia loved her children dearly but did not spoil them. She traveled to North America every couple of weeks, always checking her little ones' homework as her first order of business, with their grandparents' loving care to boot. Gemma didn't rely much on her mother, probably having asked similar questions before and received the same answers.

After Sophia replied, Gemma changed the subject, leaning forward to look at Simon, "Simon, Lydia said last night that she could act in your movie. Can I get a role too?"

Simon recalled last night's conversation, realizing he hadn't quite agreed to that.

Still, without correcting her, Simon gently asked, "What do you want to play?"

Under Sophia's careful guardianship, Gemma lacked the extensive 'viewing experience' of a little witch and was only exposed to suitable content.

The little girl thought for a moment and asked, "Can I play a penguin?"

Simon laughed, "That might be a bit difficult. The penguins you saw last night were real."

"I know that," Gemma leaned slightly over the table, giving Simon a somewhat scornful look and seriously said, "I'm not trying to become a real penguin. In our school play, someone even played a little pig, so of course, I can play a penguin."

Simon was momentarily stumped, finding no argument against the girl's logic.

Fortunately, Sophia quickly diverted her daughter's attention elsewhere. Gemma was merely momentarily enthusiastic, not as persistent as the little witch from last night.

After breakfast, Sophia personally drove the two little ones to school.

The private school they attended was located in the northeast part of Greenwich downtown, not far from Simon's manor, and they arrived within minutes.

After parking in the school lot and saying goodbye to Gemma, they saw Lydia Hurst alighting from her family car on the other side. Gemma excitedly ran over and left with the little witch.

Lydia Hurst had also been driven by her mother, Patty Hurst, who took the opportunity to chat briefly with Sophia.

Once Patty Hurst drove away, Sophia turned to her son who had remained by her side.

Noticing Daniel's hesitant look, Sophia knelt down, adjusted his collar, and smilingly asked, "Honey, is there something you want to tell mommy?"

Daniel nodded, hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Mom, um, do you like Uncle Simon?"

Sophia paused, then nodded

 slightly, "Yes, I do."

"Does he like you?"

Sophia didn't hesitate this time, replying affirmatively, "Of course, he does."

Seeing the look in Sophia's eyes, Daniel didn't press further. He stepped forward and hugged his mother, saying, "Grandma said you've had a tough few years. I, um, I just hope mommy can be happy too."

Being three years older than Gemma, Daniel was more perceptive than his sister. Despite being somewhat reserved, he was more mature than his peers and was quite aware of many things.

Hearing her son open up, Sophia suddenly felt that all her struggles and efforts over the years were worth it.

She hugged him tightly, whispering near his cheek, "Baby, mommy is very happy, truly happy."

Daniel patted his mother on the back gently, allowing her to hold him for a moment before playfully saying, "Mom, I'm almost out of breath."

Sophia quickly let go of her son, pushing him gently towards the school building, "Go on, mommy might not be able to come next week, take good care of your sister, and grandma and grandpa."

Daniel solemnly promised, waved goodbye to Sophia, and headed into the school.

Watching her son's figure disappear into the building, Sophia wiped the corner of her eye before getting into her car.

Having already said goodbye to Simon, she headed directly back to her downtown apartment, planning to bid farewell to her parents before returning to Europe.

She had originally planned to take the Concorde back, a supersonic plane that would cut the travel time from the East Coast to Europe to just three hours, half the duration compared to a regular subsonic flight.

However, hearing about this, Simon had discouraged her from flying on such planes, citing safety concerns and noise among other reasons, and had instead lent her his Boeing 767 for the trip, planning to return to the West Coast on his Gulfstream IV.

This was likely a one-time convenience.

Aware of Simon's territorial sentiment about his personal belongings, it was indeed rare for him to lend out his vehicle. This is why Sophia had answered her son's second question so straightforwardly.

Compared to the supersonic plane, taking the Boeing 767 back to Europe would take about seven to eight hours, but Sophia didn't mind.

Whether on a medium-sized jet like the Boeing 767 or a Gulfstream IV, the experience was almost like being on the ground, allowing for work and rest without wasting time.

Moreover, the private plane could land directly in Florence, where Gucci's headquarters were located, rather than having to transfer through Paris or Rome, saving quite a bit of time.

Back at the manor in Greenwich.

After Sophia left with the children, Simon did not depart immediately but soon welcomed a visitor.

Joseph Schlap.

The head of Schlap Consulting, which managed Simon's political investments under the Westeros corporation.

Schlap Consulting was also based in Greenwich, making meetings convenient.

Joseph Schlap was a lean, white middle-aged man in his fifties or sixties, not very tall, somewhat balding, with a well-groomed white beard on his chin and dressed in a dark gray suit. He carried an air of easy trustworthiness and approachability.

Not surprisingly, one couldn't manage such work without being adept at social interactions.

In their more than two years of collaboration, Joseph had managed efforts to help New York's mayor, David Dinkins, win his campaign and had assisted in two major acquisitions that helped Westeros navigate political waters, both to Simon's great satisfaction.

Simon had fully recognized him as the face of Westeros's political lobbying efforts.

Their meeting that morning was not a routine visit but centered on a significant matter.

In the villa's drawing room.

After the housekeeper served them water and left, Joseph, sitting on a sofa next to Simon, pulled out a stack of documents from his briefcase and began, "Based on data collected over the past few months, AT&T, Southwestern Bell, Pacific Bell, Sprint, and Bell Atlantic are all pushing, to varying degrees, for the federal government to reopen regulation of the telecommunications industry. However, Simon, take a look at this document first; it's a lobbying proposal from Motorola. They not only hope to continue the regulation that prevents operators from entering the telecommunications equipment manufacturing sector but also want to include the newly emerging internet sector under this umbrella, clearly targeting Cisco."

Simon opened the document.

Joseph took a sip of water and continued, "However, Simon, we don't need to worry. Motorola isn't currently involved in network equipment manufacturing. Besides, it's a nascent industry; the federal government won't set restrictive regulations too early as that wouldn't benefit the development of emerging industries. I'm showing you this document just to let you know it exists."

Simon nodded slightly, reassured by Joseph's approach.

If Joseph were like some career lobbyists who aim to extract more money from their employers, he

 would undoubtedly emphasize the threat Motorola's bill posed to the Westeros system to secure more lobbying funds.

It's important to note that if the network equipment manufacturing sector were also included under the telecommunications regulations of the past, Simon might retain his stakes in Cisco but would have to relinquish control, which would be detrimental to Westeros's internet industry plans.

Simon, who was generous in his political investments, would not allow anyone to treat him as a mere cash source.

Apart from Schlap Consulting, Westeros employed other political advisors to specifically assess Schlap's performance. If Joseph intended to deceive him, the consequences would extend beyond just losing Simon as a major employer.

Joseph patiently waited for Simon to finish reading the document, then handed him a few more, "Simon, you can look through these at your leisure. Let me briefly explain our lobbying strategy."

Simon nodded again, casually picking up another document that outlined current telecommunications regulations.

Knowing Simon was multitasking, Joseph continued, "Since our initial lobbying goal is to have the federal government relax the restrictions on operators entering the telecommunications equipment sector, we have many potential allies, especially AT&T. They have been wanting to re-enter the equipment manufacturing sector for years. Regional operators like Bell Atlantic are also potential collaborators, providing sufficient data to support the legislation. Our biggest opponents will be telecommunications equipment manufacturers like Motorola."

The 1984 AT&T divestiture not only split the telecom giant into eight companies but also introduced several regulatory measures, including preventing long-distance and local operators from entering each other's businesses, barring telecom operators from the cable TV sector, and keeping them out of telecommunications equipment manufacturing, among others.

Undoubtedly, these regulations helped diversify the U.S. telecommunications industry, significantly benefiting internet service providers like America Online.

However, the breakup and corresponding regulations didn't wholly serve to enhance competition and industry development.

Because services were fragmented, operators were restricted in scaling efficiencies.

To maintain profit margins, major operators often chose to raise prices, thereby significantly increasing consumer costs.

Reintegrating various telecommunications sectors under federal regulation was Simon's, and broadly speaking, the industry's ultimate lobbying goal.

Yet, achieving this wouldn't happen overnight. In the short term, Westeros would focus on lobbying for the removal of restrictions preventing operators from manufacturing telecommunications equipment.

The digital era of mobile communications was on the horizon.

To expedite federal approval of Westeros's acquisition of Bell Atlantic, Simon had pledged that Nokia, wholly owned by Westeros, would not operate in North America.

This was clearly a temporary measure.

As the world's largest economy, Simon could not possibly allow Nokia to forego the U.S. market entirely.

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