Simon returned to Dume Point Manor, and Johnston and his son had arrived early.
The Indian girl greeted Simon at the door of Shell Villa. When she saw Simon entering, she stepped forward and whispered a few words, and raised her hand to indicate the direction of the curtain wall. Without Aaliyah's guidance, Simon had already seen the two people standing in front of the glass curtain wall with the best view of the villa.
Simon walked straight over, and Anthony Johnston noticed his return and took the initiative to greet him.
Raymond Johnston did not move. He seemed to be looking at the sea outside the curtain wall in some trance. Even though his head was gray, his thin and tall figure still carried the energy and majesty accumulated from a lifetime of fighting in the shopping mall. There was no trace of 75. The feeling of twilight that a year-old man should have is more like an old cowboy who can still mount a horse and raise a gun at any time.
After retracting his gaze from looking at the old man's back, Simon and Anthony hugged each other, and then noticed that his uncle's still gentle smile was also mixed with many other emotions, including scrutiny, surprise, embarrassment, and relief.
After the hug, Anthony patted Simon on the shoulder, but did not explain the doubts he had obviously had. Instead, he gestured to the old man who still had his back to the two of them.
Simon walked forward and greeted proactively: "Lei."
The old man did not turn around, but suddenly asked: "Simon, what does the surname 'Westeros' mean?"
Simon thought for a while and said: "Actually, it's nothing special. If I have to explain it, Westeros is probably people from the West."
With that said, Simon came to the old man's side and looked at the sea and sky outside the curtain wall together.
Anthony Johnston did not follow her, but sat down on the sofa next to him. Seeing the inquiring eyes of the Indian girl not far away, he probably understood Aaliyah's intention, but he just waved his hand to indicate that she didn't need anything. Prepare.
Beside the glass curtain wall, the old man was silent for a moment after hearing Simon's explanation, and then asked again somewhat abruptly: "Are you willing to change your surname back to 'Johnston', Simon Johnston?"
Simon was stunned.
The old man finally turned his head and looked at him, but there was no complex emotion in Anthony's eyes just now, and he was calm and relieved. Over the years, as the husband of his most cherished daughter, who was also so outstanding, dazzling and talented, Raymond Johnston had quietly examined Simon too many times and knew the young man's temperament well.
Needless to say personal career.
For the family, for Janet, even if it is somewhat absurd in private, the old man can be sure that Simon cherishes his daughter from the bottom of his heart, and this is enough. After reading all about the world, he has seen too many people who are kind and friendly on the outside but hypocritical and selfish on the inside.
Raymond Johnston just never thought that the young man he had always regarded as Chenglong Kuai's son-in-law actually had another identity.
When he first heard the news, Raymond Johnston was also wary.
But some ideas were quickly dismissed.
After knowing each other for so many years, Raymond Johnston can be 100% sure that Simon has no hostility towards the Johnston family, but more of a natural sense of identification. He once thought that this sense of identity was because Simon was an orphan and finally found a family.
Now it seems that this is not a 'find' but a 'return'.
Feeling Simon's surprise and astonishment, Raymond Johnston did not sell out and said: "Winnie confessed your matter to me yesterday."
Simon finally came to his senses and quickly regained his composure.
Veronica really exposed too many flaws in her daily life. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, this day would happen sooner or later.
But Simon didn't answer the old man's question just now.
Seeing Simon's silence, Raymond Johnston continued: "Actually, my family knew about your existence back then. My father only had two children, Winnie and me, and Winnie was the daughter he only got in his later years. How could it be possible? I don’t care. When I first got the news, I flew to the UK in person.”
Simon still didn't respond, just listened quietly.
He himself is not interested in these old events, but the other soul that has always remained in his bones will probably want to know these.
Raymond Johnston said, and looked at Simon again, and said: "You were already born at that time. I discussed it with my father and wanted to take you back. The Johnston family has always been underpopulated, so there is one more person like you." The child is actually good. As for other things, our family does not have the bad rules of the shabby nobles to save face. However, your mother probably didn’t think so. She was only 16 years old at the time and was very confused. Maybe she felt that she had embarrassed the family. , I tried my best not to let the matter be exposed, so I quietly found a foster family to send you out."
At this point, the old man paused, turned to look at Simon and asked, "Do you want to know who your father is?"
Simon shook his head almost without much hesitation.
The old man smiled, showing his still neat and white teeth, but there was a bit of scornfulness in his smile that should not exist at his age, and said: "It's okay if you don't want to know, that's a bastard with no sense of responsibility at all, just He knows how to lie to women everywhere based on his bullshit background. I checked at the time and found out that your mother told him about the pregnancy. In order to get rid of the responsibility, that person ran to another city and never showed his face again until you were born. "
Some curiosity arose in Simon's mind, but it was only fleeting.
But the old man felt it keenly and did not hide anything. He said: "I stayed quietly in England for a month and watched Winnie arrange you. There was also a damn guy who died."
Simon only felt his heart beat faster for a moment, and he quickly exhaled softly and looked up at the blue sea outside the curtain wall.
"Since Winnie secretly fostered you to Mr. and Mrs. Levinson, who has a good family background and has no children yet, my father and I have given up the idea of taking you back. After all, even if our family doesn't care, Winnie still has to Married. I just didn't expect that the Levinsons took you on a trip and disappeared completely. Your mother has looked for you, and your family has also looked for you quietly, but to no avail." The old man said this and looked at you again. Simon, with doubt in his eyes: "You were 5 years old at the time, you should have remembered it, right?"
Simon hesitated for a moment and nodded slightly.
The old man asked: "So, back then?"
Simon lowered his head slightly, and after a moment, he spat out a word that was exactly the same as the old man's just now: "Dead."
This time it was Raymond Johnston's turn to be stunned for a moment, and then asked keenly: "Did that couple treat you badly back then?"
Simon's head hung lower, but the gloomy coldness emanating from him at a certain moment was clearly felt by Raymond Johnston. It even reminded him of a hunting dog in Kenya, Africa many years ago. The shuddering feeling of a shot and dying lion rushing towards you.
"Jenny often says that you are very strong," the old man said with emotion after a moment, and suddenly showed the slightly naughty smile just now, raised his hand and patted Simon on the shoulder hard: "So, even if you don't want to Even with the last name changed, you are completely a descendant of our Johnston family."
Thinking about what his daughter told him when he returned to Melbourne, Raymond Johnston felt that more than that, this child was even more lawless than the eclectic Johnston family.
Simon was shaken by the old man's pat, and finally remembered something and asked: "Lei, does Jenny know?"
The old man shook his head: "No, you should tell her yourself about this matter."
Simon thought about it. With Janet's character, if she already knew about this, she would definitely fight back with the old man. How could she still stay in Australia with peace of mind.
Raymond Johnston suddenly realized this too.
This little bastard actually married Jenny even though he already knew his identity.
but.
If you think about it carefully, this is actually good.
Then he thought of the little girl that Janet secretly held for her two days ago.
The little guy who is less than five months old can actually shout 'Grandpa' softly with just a little teaching. He is a complete little fairy. Initially she was a little angry about this, but after shouting 'Grandpa', the little girl became somewhat less depressed. Now that I think about it, the little girl can be considered a bloodline of the Johnston family.
Now Simon was standing beside him. Even though the joy in his heart about having just recognized this nephew had not dissipated, Raymond Johnston became angry again and said with an unhappy face: "Even if you don't plan to change the last name, the three children They all have to add the middle name 'Johnston', and that's non-negotiable."
Simon didn't expect that the old man would mention this angrily in a blink of an eye.
However, when the old man said "three children", he obviously recognized Seattle. Naturally, Simon would not object. Just add "Johnston" as a middle name. Anyway, Westerners tend to have longer and more popular names.
It seems that the female assistant also said this inadvertently. The Raybould family also hopes that the child will have their own surname.
When Jennifer comes back, I can add more if I want.
seattle raybould johnston westeros.
How nice.
As an atheist, Simon had no intention of baptizing his children into Christianity, otherwise there would be one more Christian name, which would be even longer.
Seeing Simon nodding, Raymond Johnston calmed down his expression again, looked left and right, pointed in the direction of the open-air swimming pool to the west, and said: "Let's talk about your recent affairs. How was the assassination investigation? "
The old man said, walking towards the west.
Simon raised his heels and said: "There are many clues, and the results should be available soon."
The old man nodded: "I have read the information. This is a very unprofessional killer. In fact, he is more like someone who was instigated to cause trouble, so you don't need to be too nervous. As time goes by, you will know that we are like this It’s actually very common for families to encounter similar incidents.”
Simon shook his head and said, "You know, Lei, my current situation is different from everyone else's."
The old man expressed his understanding.
It is indeed very different. The key point is that the wealth Simon now possesses is too huge, so huge that it can already affect a country's economy. Under normal circumstances, a state machine with entangled interests is obviously not willing to be controlled by a certain person, which will inevitably lead to contradictions, big contradictions.
Raymond Johnston used to be more amazed by this, but now he can't help but feel proud.
Even if Simon is unwilling to change his surname, there is no denying the fact that this child is a member of the Johnston family, and everything now can be regarded as the glory of the Johnston family.
Unfortunately, this matter is not suitable for publicity.
However, now that it has been recognized, this matter will gradually no longer be a secret in a small interpersonal circle.
As they spoke, the two of them walked out of the side door of the villa and came to the open-air swimming pool by the cliff. Anthony followed, but still did not get close. Instead, he sat down on the lounge chair by the pool and watched personally to prevent others from approaching and disturbing Simon and the other two. conversation.
"Everything happens for a clear reason, and there are often signs beforehand. For example, for those presidential officials who were assassinated, the public will always derive various conspiracy theories. The real reason is often very simple, and there are many situations. Everyone can guess the truth." Standing by the guardrail near the sea, looking at the sea view more intuitively, the old man said: "All you need to be wary of in the future are only those people or forces that may really threaten you. .As for emergencies similar to the last time, there will definitely be many more, but as long as we take good protection, they will not pose any threat."
Simon listened patiently and asked: "Lei, what do you mean, you don't want me to do that?"
Of course the old man knew what Simon was referring to, and shook his head: "No, this is a very good idea. With the current scale of the Westeros system, if you want not to be coveted by others, you do need a very strong deterrent. However, this I will personally take charge of the matter, so you and Jenny should not interfere. After all, your roots in the United States are not deep enough, and it will be very troublesome if you are discovered."
Simon nodded without insisting.
The current Johnston family, if the overall wealth is calculated, can easily become the richest man in Australia. Coupled with the deep-rooted business in Australia for generations, if it is completely run by the Johnston family, even if the purchase of nuclear warheads from Ukraine is discovered , it won’t be too difficult to suppress it, and even if you can’t suppress it, the consequences won’t be too serious.
The big deal is just dedicating it to the country.
No country lacks the ambition to become a great power, and the same is true for Australia. If it can actually possess nuclear weapons, most countries will not refuse.
What's more, Simon does not plan to place the purchased nuclear weapons in Australia or the United States, which further avoids most risks.
Just as he was thinking this, the old man also talked about Simon's plan: "However, your idea of establishing a territory in Africa to store those things is really terrible."
Simon did not refute and waited patiently for the old man's explanation.
Raymond Johnston said: "According to your idea, if you organize an elite force of 10,000 people, if you talk about military strength alone, you can indeed easily defeat those local monkeys and rule in Africa. However, in fact, this is not the case. It’s executable, do you know why?”
Simon thought for a while and said: "The international community will intervene."
"That's just one point," the old man said: "However, there is another reason. You completely underestimated the degree of chaos in that land. Moreover, if you really do this, take a large territory in the African circle and establish a puppet regime, In fact, the gains outweigh the losses.”
Simon said: "Lei, I just want a territory to store those things, and I don't care about the cost."
The old man shook his head and said, "You still don't understand what I mean."
"Um?"
Raymond Johnston patiently explained: “For us, Africa is a jungle full of fighting and plundering beasts. If you want fur, teeth, and fresh meat, the best way is to give it a little bit. Let the beasts who have been killing each other for a long time offer some benefits with their own hands instead of going into battle and acting as hunters to hunt."
Simon felt that the old man was off topic: "Lei, I'm not interested in fur, teeth, and meat. I just want the territory of the beasts."
"This is actually the most difficult thing," Raymond Johnston said: "Do you think you can occupy the territory of the wild beasts with the shotgun in your hand? No, this is even more unrealistic. Those warlords in Africa are better than you It is much smarter to imagine, and they are completely unrestricted. In order to control their territory, they will not hesitate to use any bloody means, whether it is against their own kind or outsiders trying to invade. The most worthless thing there is Human lives, that’s why I say, Africa is a jungle of beasts. Not only that, if the beasts find that your weapons are too powerful and your hunting team is too large, they will immediately turn themselves into victims and cry out for help, seeking protection. At this time, those "animal protection organizations" who sit back and watch millions of wild beasts killing each other indifferently will immediately jump out. The fighting between animals, even if hundreds of thousands of animals die, will be regarded as animal competition by these people. The natural law of natural selection, but if you, a hunter, go to hunt in person, even with the idea of getting rid of those ferocious beasts to avoid more killings, you will be accused by the 'animal protection organization' of destroying the ecological balance. If they If you don't stop under pressure and accusations, these 'animal protection organizations' will also use various rules that you have to abide by in the civilized world to punish you. Simon, this is the reality. So, you want to get fur from Africa It's easier to have fresh teeth and flesh, but if you want to clearly occupy a territory, unfortunately, this is no longer the colonial era. At least on the surface, everyone is civilized and must follow the rules."