On the east coast of the United States, in a manor on Martha's Vineyard at the eastern end of Long Island, Celia, who had returned to North America, met Simon again on Friday, November 15th.
In just a few days, in the face of strong attention from international public opinion, the task force dispatched by the Kiev authorities to Donetsk quickly solved the Shcherban assassination case.
At a press conference summarizing the case, the Ukrainian side stated that one of the five arrested murderers had a grudge because he was laid off after his factory was acquired by a company owned by Shcherban, and contacted several other accomplices to initiate the assassination.
This reason is bullshit.
Any bystander who knows a little bit about the inside story knows that the whole thing is a fierce struggle between two major forces in Ukraine to compete for the industrial assets of Eastern Ukraine. Moreover, considering the assassination attempt of Lazarenko a few months ago, both parties are not clean.
This kind of scandal is definitely not suitable for the public to know.
Even if you cover your ears and steal the bell.
Now that the case has been quickly solved, Leon Kuchma personally held a press conference to assure journalists from all over the world that Ukraine would strengthen the protection of overseas investors. In addition, Russia and the United States stopped doing so after making their voices heard. With no substantial follow-up, the matter is considered to have come to an end.
As for the surging and turmoil that continues privately, not just anyone can find out.
In the living room of a manor house near the sea on the southern tip of Martha's Vineyard.
Celia Miller held her cup of coffee and sipped it slowly, occasionally glancing at her boss who was sitting on the sofa next to him with Irene Lauder in his arms while he was looking through the casino development plan.
After more than ten minutes of this, after reading the information, Simon rubbed Eileen's waist in his arms, turned his head and kissed the girl's cheek and neck carefully, while asking: "How do you feel about this plan?"
Irene, who deliberately leaned into the man's arms to declare her sovereignty because of Celia's appearance, quickly turned rosy under Simon's actions. She held down one of his mischievous hands, shook her head and said, "I don't understand this, but Rivni I don’t know where it is specifically, but if I really invest a lot of money to build a casino, will it be able to attract tourists in the future?”
"Las Vegas was just a desert town before it became famous."
Seeing Simon speaking, Irene kissed the corner of her mouth again. She was really embarrassed to be so affectionate with outsiders, so she bit him in a pretentious manner and said, "Then you decide for yourself, it's all your money anyway."
Simon was not frightened by Irene's fake bite, and kissed the girl's earlobe again, and said: "How about the Lauder family also participates, leaving our little Noah to be the gambling king of Eastern Europe in the future, that sounds like That’s awesome, right?”
Irene was even more embarrassed: "I don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet. Besides, it's up to my father and others to decide on the investment, and I can't control it."
After saying that, Irene, who had been raised as a lady since she was a child, finally couldn't bear to be looked at by Celia so intimately. She broke away from Simon's arms and stood up and said, "Okay, I'm going to take a nap. Let's talk."
Simon reluctantly held the girl's arm until she stood up and pulled away a little bit, saying affectionately, "I know you can't sleep alone, so I'll be here to stay with you soon."
Irene rolled her eyes at Simon: "I like to sleep alone."
As he spoke, he saw that his little hand was still held by Simon, and the man turned his face sideways, so he could only step forward and kiss her before he was let go.
However, just as she was about to turn around and go out, Irene, who was not stupid after all, realized that a certain guy had just deliberately left in order to make her unable to bear it.
Finally, with an "I understand" look in her eyes and a polite nod to Celia, Irene walked out.
After Irene left, Simon glanced at Celia, who looked strange: "Are you envious?"
Simon did not deliberately hide certain things, and Celia naturally knew it. Although her heart was inevitably moved, the woman did not answer the question, but said: "Noah, a very good name."
"Yes, it's from Irene. We all hope it's a boy, and we'll call him Noah Lauder Westeros."
After all, it was the boss's private matter. Even though they had a close relationship, Celia still kept her position straight. She nodded without saying anything more and asked instead: "What does the boss think of this plan?"
Simon said: "If everything only requires 200 million US dollars, you can give it a try, but the money will definitely not be enough to really start it."
Celia agreed.
If you want to build a gambling city, infrastructure construction such as casinos and hotels is just the beginning. Putting 200 million US dollars in Ukraine can really spread the business.
The key is follow-up operations.
Just like Atlantic City, although it is not too failed, compared with the vigorous construction of the city in the first place, the current results are far lower than investors' expectations.
This is true for Atlantic City, which has many advantages. It is a casino city located in an unknown and remote state in Eastern Europe. It is definitely not that difficult to do it. At that time, once the operation of the casino is not ideal, this project is likely to be like an out-of-control movie project like "Future Water World" or "Titanic" which is currently being filmed. If you want to avoid the huge investment in the early stage If nothing happens, investors will have to bite the bullet and continue to burn money.
It's hard to say whether it will become a bottomless pit.
After thinking about it for a while, Celia said: "Judging from the management of hot spring resorts and military theme parks, Andre and Alexander have excellent abilities, and they are continuing to explore and learn. This is a very important positive factor. If If the passion between the two can last for five to ten years, or if the boss is willing to use the resources of the Westeros system to support it, I believe the probability of the success of this casino is over 70%."
Simon closed the document in his hand and said: "I'm going to find someone to evaluate it again. Celie, can you tell me about your trip to Ukraine a few days ago?"
Celia sorted out her thoughts and talked in detail about her contacts with Viktor Pinchuk, Viktor Yanukovych, and Yulia Tymoshenko, as well as some results of negotiations, as well as other Some of the agenda, even the Korkoshko family’s wish to come over to deliver gifts on Thanksgiving Day, was not forgotten.
Simon had already learned about some of these matters from the memo submitted by Celia. When he heard about Evegenia's wish to come over for Thanksgiving, he just smiled and said that Celia would just tell Janet directly.
In addition, I also have some emotions in my heart.
Yanukovych also appeared.
This politician who was born in the Donetsk Gang and once became the president of Ukraine can be said to have had the worst misfortune among the previous presidents of Ukraine. The root of the matter lies in the pro-Russian stance of the other party. It's a pity that Russia is no longer the former Soviet Union. I have to be suppressed and beaten by the United States, let alone support Yanukovych's rule. In the end, the only thing I can do is to give political protection to this young man in trouble and avoid it. The other party was taken back to Ukraine and thrown into prison.
After roughly talking about it, Celia finally couldn't hold it back and asked: "Boss, this crisis is an excellent opportunity for us to expand in Ukraine. Why should we give up? Everyone is regretful and confused about this? Just like Ji Moschenko, if the boss agrees to that woman’s surrender, we can directly control Ukraine’s natural gas supply.”
"If I want to invest in natural gas, I can go directly to Russia to buy oil and gas fields. This is the real energy business. Tymoshenko is just a second-tier dealer who relies on monopolizing distribution channels to make profits," Simon shrugged and said, "As for why not Take the opportunity to expand. Of course I know your thoughts. Take this opportunity to destroy the Lazarenko family, and at the same time march into Eastern Ukraine and annex the Donetsk gang. By then, we will basically control the entire Ukraine, right? ?”
Celia did not nod rashly, but asked: "Boss, is there any problem with this?"
"To be honest, I almost couldn't restrain this desire to expand. Fortunately, I finally kept this line," Simon said. Seeing that Celia was still confused, he added: "Celia, let me ask you a question. Question, why do you think the Westeros system has been able to grow and develop at an almost miraculous rate in the past ten years?”
This problem was too big. Celia thought about it and could only smile: "Because the boss is a genius."
Simon smiled and shook his head. He did not force Celia to answer. He took the initiative and said, "I don't deny that I have my own secrets. However, one of the key factors why the Westeros system has risen rapidly in the past ten years is that , I never compete with others in various traditional industries that have formed monopolies, so I have bypassed the competition obstacles that many entrepreneurs often encounter. Just like Daenerys Entertainment, from its establishment, in order to avoid the then-established Seven To suppress the pressure, I have been conducting external cooperation and giving away many benefits. Until now, this company still has cooperation projects with several other giants in Hollywood. Then there is the Internet field, which is even more typical. It is completely starting from scratch. emerging industries, so the Westeros system can develop rapidly in an environment with almost no competitors."
Celia if enlightened.
Simon looked at Celia's expression and continued: "My layout in Ukraine is the same. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the country's most valuable assets inherited from the former Soviet Union are in the east and south, but I did not go to the southeast. Instead, I set my sights on a border state in the northwest, which is the most impoverished and backward, and invested a large amount of money to develop it from scratch. In addition, I continued to give away profits to the local snakes in Ukraine, so that I did not arouse the covetousness and influence of the local forces in Ukraine. Bounce.”
Seeing Celia's involuntary nod, Simon still didn't stop: "People always like to get something for nothing. This is nature. However, things that are too easy to obtain are often difficult to hold in their hands for a long time, just like the Lazarenko series. In the fierce battle with the Donetsk Gang for the industrial assets of Eastern Ukraine, they all thought that this was something they could obtain without paying too much. As a result, Yev Shcherban even lost his life. There is also Tymoshenko. This natural gas princess seems to be very prosperous, but as long as the political situation in Ukraine changes, the monopolistic natural gas distribution channels she currently controls will be taken away almost immediately. This is also something that cannot be grasped. Compared with Come on, our layout in Rivne Oblast has taken shape in the past two years. Next, we just need to operate patiently and create a super Rivne consortium that is strong enough to easily control the Ukrainian economy. By then, this Eastern European country will naturally The control is in our hands. Just like Hollywood, with the current strength and size of Daenerys Entertainment, I say that I am the king of Hollywood. Do you think anyone would object?"
Celia nodded subconsciously, then quickly shook her head when she realized it. In the end, she didn't know whether to nod or shake her head, so she could only smile: "Boss, I understand."
Simon showed a satisfied expression, but took the initiative to change the subject: "However, I have actually been thinking about this issue in the past few days."
"Um?"
"We have made such a big noise. If we don't take the initiative to ask for something, it will make the local snakes in Ukraine uneasy and think that we are planning something bigger."
Celia suddenly felt the same way: "Boss, this is actually what I want to say."
Simon said: "So, next, Rivni can apply to the Kiev authorities to establish a free trade zone, which is the benefit we hope to get this time."
"Free trade zone?"
"Yes, you also know this matter. The Livni city government had already proposed it two years ago. However, the initial plan to imitate China's establishment of special economic zones will definitely not work. As long as Kiev is not crazy, it will not be possible again. To fully tilt resources towards Rivni, their own resources are not enough. Then take a step back and promote Rivni to establish a free trade zone with tariff exemptions. Without restrictions on trade categories and tariffs, it will not only attract more When investors enter Rivni, the 'light industrial complex' plan proposed by Sergey will also get a better development platform. Moreover, just after the storm of the Shcherban assassination, both the Kiev authorities and other forces have We will not jump out and oppose this plan."
Only then did Celia remember the proposal that Simon had temporarily suppressed.
After all, development plans such as casinos are only marginal. The core industry of Rivne Oblast is still light industrial products and OEM industries, and both of them are mainly exports. In this case, in order to promote the further development of Rivne Oblast, it is indeed best to turn Rivni into a free trade zone.
Moreover, under the current situation in Ukraine, the resistance to the free trade zone proposal being approved by Kyiv is also the lowest.
So she quickly got interested and discussed with her boss seriously for more than half an hour before Celia finally said goodbye and left, planning to contact Rovno immediately.
Simon personally sent Celia to the helicopter back to Greenwich. He watched the helicopter disappear into the clear blue sky in winter. Feeling the lack of green shade due to the withered leaves around him, he casually raised his arms to stretch his body. For a while, Then walked towards the villa.
This is actually a manor owned by the Lauder family.
After Irene became pregnant, Estee Lauder, the still-living founder of Estee Lauder and of course the girl's grandmother, personally made the decision to transfer the estate to the granddaughter's name, saying it was a gift to a little guy in Irene's belly.
Returning to the common villa with white walls and blue roofs in the United States, Simon heard the sound. He looked up and saw the girl who had woken up by the bedroom window on the second floor greeting him. He responded with a smile and made a gesture of waiting. Soon, Enter the villa and come to the bedroom on the second floor.
However, although she obediently allowed the man to pick her up from the sofa by the window and put her on his lap, Irene sniffed between Simon's collar and said dissatisfied: "We have been talking for so long and you still said you would accompany me. Where’s nap?”
"Would you like to sleep again?"
"How can I still sleep?" Irene raised her hand and hit the man's shoulder, then leaned over softly and said in a resentful tone: "Are you going to leave later?"
With this tone, even though he had been with the woman for two days when he arrived the afternoon before yesterday, Simon could only say: "Of course not, we will stay here tonight and tell you ghost stories."
Irene pouted, took Simon's big hand and put it to her mouth as a gesture to bite, but she didn't use any force. After letting go, she was still resentful: "You don't love me, you don't marry me, you only want to possess me, and you don't want to marry me." You got me pregnant, so you should spend more time with me now, right?"
Simon in turn put a small hand of the girl on his heart: "Feel it, I'm almost going to stop beating with guilt."
As expected, Eileen felt it for a while, then rolled her eyes and said, "Liar."
Simon lowered his head and kissed the girl on the lips again.
After a moment of tenderness, the two separated. Erin, who was a little more satisfied, did not release any more resentment magic, and tapped the thick stack of information on the coffee table next to her with her toes in thin socks. Simon brought these yesterday, and the girl couldn't help but flip through them out of curiosity: "They are all information about the Mellon family. Are you planning to do bad things again?"
Simon subconsciously joked: "Why do you say it again?"
Eileen obviously couldn't get it, so she just said: "The Mellon family is much stronger than the Hearst family. I advise you not to mess around."
Simon nodded, seeing concern and reminder in the girl's eyes, and smiled: "In order to avoid being messed with by others in the future, and even affecting our children, of course I will not mess around easily, and it must be within the rules. "
Eileen saw that Simon understood what she meant and said no more.
Simon glanced at the pile of information and was also filled with emotion.
Through the investigation of the Mellon family these days, Simon found that compared to the Hearst family, which trapped itself in the media field, the Mellon family's asset map and network were almost the same as what he had been subconsciously doing for the Westeros family. The ultimate goal template for spreading.
At this stage, the Mellon family's financial capital includes Mellon Financial Group, which controls a large number of local city banks; its mining capital includes Alcoa, which ranks among the top in global production capacity; its transportation capital includes GTI, which controls a large number of domestic railways; and its pharmaceutical capital is involved in In my memory, Warner Lambert was acquired by Ruihui with a huge investment of US$90 billion, and Energy Capital holds shares in the famous Chevron Company.
All of these listed companies have a market value of more than 10 billion US dollars, and their annual profits are quite generous and stable. They collectively form the current asset foundation of the Mellon family.
Over the past century, the Mellon family's shareholding in these companies has been very small, basically less than 10%. As for Warner Lambert or Chevrolet, it is less than 5%. However, through the entire family’s hundreds of family funds, trust funds, and philanthropic funds’ holdings in these companies, as well as the network of contacts built over a century, the Mellon family directly or indirectly controls a large number of board seats in these companies and related companies. Therefore, although they only hold a small amount of shares, the Mellon family still has considerable say in these companies.
Among them, the industrial transportation company GTI is still headed by Timothy Mellon as CEO and is directly controlled by the Mellon family.
This is the capital base of the entire Mellon family that can influence an industrial empire worth hundreds of billions of dollars, even though it has only a few billion dollars in assets.
With a small, broad and intricate capital structure, even if the Westeros system absolutely crushes the scale of the Mellon family's involvement in the industry, if Simon wants the Mellon family to decline in a short term like the Hearst family, , traditional suppression methods simply don’t work.
Because once Simon attacks the Mellon family, it will be equivalent to touching a huge capital system involving finance, medicine, energy, mining and other fields.
This is only at the capital level.
Through more than a century of continuous donations from dozens of various funds under the name of almost every family member, the Mellon family has created an even larger network of contacts in the political, economic, cultural and other fields.
Speaking of education, the Mellon family foundation has donated to almost all of Harvard, MIT, Yale, and even overseas, Cambridge, Imperial College, and most of the world's top universities. Once there is a conflict with the Mellon family, if the family background cannot compete with it, , maybe with just one word from the other party, you can shut your opponent out of the gates of a large number of prestigious schools.
This is truly deep-rooted.
If Simon wants to suppress old money like the Mellon family, within the rules, he can only extract the capital that the Mellon family relies on through long-term discussions, and then slowly cut off its network of contacts, and finally make the family completely lose influence on the federation.
As the foundation of the Westeros system is firmly established, it begins to expand into traditional industries that are still controlled by a large number of old money capital on a global scale. Conflict with the old money system in the United States and even the world is almost inevitable. Therefore, Simon did not intend to give up because he found that the Mellon family was too difficult to crack. Instead, he became more motivated and regarded it as a trial. As long as he could defeat the Mellon family, other old money would be able to win in Weiss. Tello's system will be vulnerable to a single blow.