"The problem is that Fernanda doesn't seem like a woman of this world."
"She grew up in a dim city a thousand kilometers from the sea, where, on nights haunted by phantoms, you could hear the governor's four-wheeled carriage rumbling over the cobblestone streets."
"Every evening at six, the thirty-two bell towers of the city toll a mournful sound. In the manor, a house built of tombstone-like slabs never sees sunlight. The cypress trees in the courtyard, the dripping tuberose arches in the garden, and the faded curtains in the bedroom all exude a sense of death."
In the serene hills of Woodside, at a luxurious mountain estate in San Francisco, the assistant has been feeling particularly sleepy lately, often napping for a few hours each afternoon.
With Simon visiting, he has taken on a new role: reading to the little one growing inside her for prenatal education.
The assistant's approach to prenatal education is quite unique. She selects various world classics to read to her baby. Today, Simon is reading from *One Hundred Years of Solitude* by Gabriel García Márquez, in the original Spanish. Yesterday, he had attempted a passage from the Russian original of *War and Peace*, but the assistant thought his halting Russian might be a bad influence, so they switched to today's book.
Under the eaves of the estate's rear veranda, a wide lounge chair is set up.
As Simon reads aloud, the assistant cuddles beside him, resting her head on his chest, eyes half-closed in contentment.
In front of them lies a garden that the assistant has tended herself recently, filled with common flowers that are still pleasing to the eye. The air is filled with a soothing fragrance, and slightly further away, wisteria in full bloom climbs the fence. Beyond the courtyard, tall redwoods and low shrubs of heather form a natural barrier, enclosing the estate in deep tranquility.
Simon's gentle reading continues for over two hours. As the sun begins to dip, casting fragmented shadows through the trees, the assistant shows no sign of waking, still nestled like a contented cat. Simon keeps reading softly, gradually immersing himself in the surreal world described in *One Hundred Years of Solitude*.
Soft footsteps approach. A woman in a white blouse and black fitted pants comes over, carefully greeting Simon before placing a fresh pot of tea on the low table beside him.
Simon glances at the woman, Doris Fletcher, and his brow furrows slightly but imperceptibly. He instructs her, "Bring a blanket."
Doris nods, pours a cup of tea for Simon, then, seeing no further instructions, quietly leaves.
The assistant stirs restlessly in Simon's arms, prompting him to resume reading.
It isn't until the sunlight is entirely blocked by the ridge to the west that the assistant finally speaks, "Tonight, you have to cook for us."
Simon smiles and nods, "Alright."
After cuddling a bit longer in his arms, the assistant finally sits up, still leaning against him. She gently touches her rounded belly, "I think the baby kicked me."
Four months into her pregnancy, the baby's movements are starting to be felt.
Simon places his large hand over hers, sharing the sensation for a moment before saying, "Maybe he didn't like today's story. We'll read a different one tomorrow."
Jennifer nods in agreement, "Okay."
After chatting a bit more, Simon helps her up, and they go into the house to prepare dinner together.
Apart from Simon and Jennifer, there are two others at the estate: Doris Fletcher, whom Simon just interacted with, a member of the housekeeping team assigned to assist Jennifer, and a thirty-something female bodyguard named Sarah Henderson. Sarah was recruited directly from the U.S. Secret Service, where she had provided security for the women of the White House. Although her official title is 'Security Affairs Assistant,' indicating her role is more extensive than that of a typical bodyguard, as she manages an eight-person security team dedicated to Jennifer.
Jennifer's mother, Carol Rebold, is also in San Francisco.
Since Simon's arrival, Carol has given the couple their space.
The Rebolds are very career-oriented. Carol couldn't always be around Jennifer, so Simon arranged for her to take on the role of legal advisor at Eaglet Corporation.
While preparing dinner, Simon gives Doris the evening off, suggesting she return the next morning. The staff at the Westeros estate enjoy good working conditions, including separate accommodations nearby.
Jennifer, noticing Simon's arrangements, wonders why only Doris is being sent away, but she doesn't ask further.
After their simple dinner, the couple relaxes in the home theater to watch *Superman*.
Due to her pregnancy, Jennifer hasn't been going out much lately.
Later, around ten at night, after a careful and gentle moment of intimacy, Simon hears a light knock at the door. Quietly, he slips out of bed.
Outside the bedroom stands Sarah Henderson in a professional outfit, still evidently in work mode.
Once Simon closes the door behind him, Sarah says, "Mr. Bennett called earlier. Around 9:30, Doris was spotted at a park in Emerald Hills..."
Sarah begins to detail the situation, but Simon cuts her off, "Just stay here and keep watch."
Sarah nods, understanding the instruction.
At the front of the estate, a black car is waiting. Simon gets in, and the driver, needing no direction, starts the engine.
The car winds along the roads through the Woodside hills, heading north to the adjacent Emerald Hills area, finally arriving at a quiet park at the foot of the hills.
Without streetlights, the car's headlights are turned off as they enter the park. The ambient light from the city is enough for Simon to see around them.
After a moment, the car stops.
Straight ahead, near a road leading into the western hills, a conspicuous white car is parked with several figures standing nearby.
Simon walks towards them, with Neal Bennett meeting him halfway while the others disperse.
Approaching the white car, Simon peers through the open window to see a man and a woman inside. The woman in the passenger seat is Doris Fletcher. The man beside her, appearing to be in his forties, is Rod McKenna, a former paparazzo who once worked for the *Los Angeles Herald Examiner*.
The *Los Angeles Herald Examiner* was a tabloid owned by the Hearst Corporation that had gone bankrupt last year. Despite its name, it was known for its sensationalism.
The car still faintly smells of a sedative. Simon doesn't linger long, turning his attention to the items laid out on the hood.
Neal Bennett points out a briefcase full of money, "One million dollars."
Simon merely nods, then shifts his focus to the array of photo and listening devices, including a stack of developed photographs.
Seeing Simon's interest, Neal explains, "Everything is here, including the two backups Doris had hidden. We've ensured nothing is missing."
Simon finally nods.
One million dollars is a substantial amount, enough to tempt even those who are already well-compensated. While Simon finds this act incredibly foolish, he knows that greed is a powerful motivator, and perhaps Doris thought she could get away with it.
Without dwelling on the maid's motives, Simon glances at the two unconscious people in the car, then instructs Neal, "Send both of Martin Dinham's teams to New York. They have one week to find something useful, or they shouldn't bother coming back."
"Understood."
Neal responds promptly.
Their task is to retaliate in kind.
In this world, the higher up the pyramid you go, the more secrets there are to uncover.
Simon fiddles with a stack of cash from the briefcase, then adds, "Have Frank Blaze's team go as well. Send whatever they find directly to the Hearst family's mansion."
Neal hesitates briefly but then agrees.
Frank Blaze's group consists of former KGB operatives whom the Westeros family took in two years ago. After the Soviet collapse, they became rootless, and careful vetting and control measures were implemented before they were incorporated into the family's network.
Even so, Simon and Janet use them sparingly.
Neal understands the gravity. Using former KGB agents means the situation is serious. Simon is not as calm as he appears on the surface.
These operatives are meant for dirty work.
The kind that often involves life and death.
After a moment of silence, Neal gestures towards the car, asking softly, "What about them?"
Simon looks at them and recalls the earlier reading from *One Hundred Years of Solitude*, remembering Jennifer's desire to visit Latin America someday. He says, "The southernmost tip of Latin America... that would be Tierra del Fuego, right?"
Neal considers, "I think so."
"Take them there," Simon instructs.
Neal nods, "Got it."
Simon eyes the white Toyota again and adds, "Take the car with them too."
Neal is taken aback, "That will require sea transport and might take a week."
"A week is just right," Simon says, looking at the unconscious pair again. "Keep them asleep for the trip. When they wake up, leave them a phone number for Hearst III to pick them up."
Simon's directive to send them to the remote Tierra del Fuego is more of a warning than a death sentence. It's not worth going to extremes over this incident.
After giving his orders, Simon heads back to his car, with Neal opening the door for him.
Before getting in, Simon looks at Neal, his eyes cold and sharp, "If anyone dares to spy on us again, send their entire family to Tierra del Fuego."
As Simon's car drives off, the scattered team members reconvene around Neal, who begins organizing the tasks
Simon had set.
Transporting two people to Tierra del Fuego is straightforward with a private jet in under 24 hours. But including a car complicates things, requiring shipping by sea, which could take about a week.
Of course, with enough money, nothing is truly complicated.
Neal imagines the terror the pair will feel waking up thousands of miles away in the same car they were in when they lost consciousness. It's a chilling scenario, almost as terrifying as being stuffed into a bag and thrown into the ocean.
Despite the boss's severity, Neal has no objections. Even if Simon had ordered them to be thrown into the sea, Neal would comply without hesitation.
Coming from the Johnston family, Neal Bennett has witnessed and been involved in conflicts far darker than this.
Wealth is always underpinned by power and influence, explicit or hidden. Without these, even vast fortunes can quickly disappear. This is a world where the weak are preyed upon; there is no safe haven for a child holding gold without the means to protect themselves.
Before leaving San Francisco the next day, Simon replaces Doris Fletcher with Deborah Lippman from the D-team.
A, B, C, and D are considered the most trustworthy maids in the Westeros household. Unfortunately, Claire has left, Allison serves as Simon's assistant, and Becky's recent business proposal caught Janet's interest, leaving only Deborah, who likely won't stay in this role for long either.
The recent issues all seem to arise from the batch of maids associated with the housekeeper, Alice. Compared to A, B, C, and D, this group's selection and training have not been as stringent.
It appears to be time to cultivate a new batch of attendants.
This time, they should be more professionally prepared and not easily let go.
After leaving San Francisco, Simon reunites with Janet in Los Angeles, and the couple flies to Melbourne, Australia together.
In North America, the week of June 11th to June 17th quickly passes.
Following its record-breaking debut, *Superman* saw a 46% drop in its second week, grossing another $60.82 million.
In two weeks, the superhero blockbuster amassed a total of $173.43 million, surpassing *Home Alone 2: Lost in New York* from the Easter season to become the top-grossing film of the year. It's expected to cross the $200 million mark next week.
The 46% drop is viewed by the media as more of a consequence of *Superman*'s excessive first-week performance.
This is because the four new films released on June 11th all underperformed at the box office.
Paramount Pictures' highly anticipated *Addams Family Values* opened on 2,577 screens but only grossed $19.58 million in its first week, far below Paramount's $35 million expectation. With an average of $7,600 per screen, it fell short of the $10,000 blockbuster benchmark.
With a disappointing opening and mediocre reviews, *Addams Family Values* is likely to gross between $40 million and $50 million domestically.
Considering its $37 million production cost, it might break even after international sales and other revenue streams, but it's still a failure by Paramount's standards.
Despite its relative underperformance, *Addams Family Values* wasn't the biggest flop. Fox's animated *Once Upon a Forest*, on 1,487 screens, managed only $3.52 million in its first week and is expected to be pulled from theaters next week, with a total gross unlikely to exceed $5 million.
MGM's *Hard Target*, grossed $13.49 million in its first week. It didn't break out as a dark horse but didn't disappoint either, performing moderately well.
With a first-week gross of $13.49 million, the film is expected to earn around $30 million domestically.
*Hard Target* had a production budget of $15 million. With the projected $30 million domestic box office, it would recoup its production costs in North America alone. A decent international performance will push the project into profitability.
Furthermore, the most significant takeaway from *Hard Target* might be the attention it brought to Asian director John Woo in Hollywood.
Following Simon's suggestion, as soon as *Hard Target*'s first weekend box office results were in, MGM began negotiations with Woo for future collaborations, and his response was very positive.
Artisan Entertainment's *Orlando*, showing on 367 screens, grossed $5.53 million in its first week, outperforming *Once Upon a Forest* by $3 million.
Given the disparity in release scale, *Orlando*'s per-screen average of $15,000 is a greater success. With the steady performance typical of art films, *Orlando*'s total domestic gross could reach $20 million.
For a film acquired for $3 million for all North American rights and with a total investment of $5 million including marketing, *Orlando*'s potential $20 million domestic gross alone will yield double returns for Artisan, with more profits expected from home video and TV sales.
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