Though it was late at night, Simon wasn't feeling sleepy due to the time difference. He glanced at Natalia and Marta briefly before turning to Eve with instructions. "I'm going to take a bath. Prepare some fresh clothes for me."
With Ludmila still clinging to him, Simon headed down the western hallway to the indoor hot spring pool.
Once he left, Eve instinctively looked toward Alison, who had accompanied Simon. Alison, uninterested in joining in, simply said, "I'm exhausted. I'll go rest. You all take care of the boss."
Seeing Alison head toward the stairs, Eve turned to the others and said, "It's late. You should all go to bed as well."
Her intention was clear.
After speaking, Eve's cheeks flushed slightly. She was never as bold as her sister, and the idea of monopolizing Simon with her sister brought a blush of embarrassment.
Though some of the attendants seemed disappointed, they left promptly. Natalia Banchikova, who had been flustered under Simon's gaze earlier, almost fled, while Marta Becknatz lingered and said confidently, "Eve, I'll help you."
If it had been Ludmila, she would never have given Marta the chance. Eve, however, wasn't as assertive and, as long as it wasn't a matter of principle, was usually easygoing.
So, after a brief hesitation, Eve nodded. "All right."
The two women went upstairs to the wardrobe, selected a full set of clothes for Simon, and even prepared an extra set for Ludmila.
When they entered the steamy hot spring room, Ludmila's voice echoed playfully from the water. "No, Simon… pfft… this water tastes terrible… pfft… let my sister try next. She's a national-level athlete and has great lung capacity; she'll definitely last longer."
Following the sound of her voice, they saw Simon sitting at the edge of the Japanese-style bath, his long, muscular arms resting on the edge. The water was deep, reaching his shoulders. Ludmila's head and slender neck were all that was visible as she playfully blew bubbles and babbled nonsense.
This sight was a little overwhelming.
Despite being 24, Marta was still quite innocent, and Eve wasn't much different. But women often have an intuition for certain matters, even if they don't fully understand.
Great lung capacity?
Blushing furiously, Eve thought about why she couldn't, like her father, discipline her carefree sister more strictly.
Noticing the new arrivals, Ludmila quickly saw Marta off with little regard for subtlety. Although Eve wanted to leave too, she was held back by her sister—or rather, didn't resist as strongly, finding it easier to accept this time.
The next morning, Eve uncharacteristically didn't rise early, feeling too embarrassed to face anyone.
Surprisingly, the usually late-rising Ludmila was up early, staying by Simon's side until he left around nine, staking her claim on him with a clinginess she wore proudly. She had hoped to go with him, though he had other plans.
It was Saturday, July 20, local time in Ukraine.
That morning at nine, six hours after Simon had left, the opening ceremony of the 26th Summer Olympics began in Atlanta, Georgia, hosted by President Bill Clinton.
This Olympics marked the centennial of the event, with 26 major sports, 41 disciplines, and 271 events. A record-breaking 197 nations participated, with a total of 10,788 athletes, setting new records for the number of participating teams, athletes, and events.
Simon had never had much interest in sports. Since his rise, people had often suggested he buy a basketball or football team, but he'd never felt compelled.
However, he had a keen interest in this Olympics.
Mainly from a media perspective.
As he rode to the UFMS base, he reviewed briefings from Daenerys Entertainment and Egret Company on their Olympic media plans.
Though Daenerys Entertainment, having acquired ABC only last year, didn't secure broadcast rights for this Olympics, the Westeros system had not ignored such a major event, especially one on American soil. Without the broadcast rights, Daenerys and Egret still dispatched large media teams to Atlanta. Egret, in particular, utilized its internet platforms, which offered greater immediacy and data capacity, to capture Olympic buzz months in advance.
From yesterday, Olympic content had surged across Egret's web portal, Facebook, and YouTube. On Google, Olympics-related searches were among the hottest topics.
Comparative data indicated that online Olympic coverage was edging out traditional media. YouTube's content on the Atlanta Olympics skyrocketed, boosted by iRec's popularity.
Even though Egret kept much of its data under wraps, Simon believed that this Olympics would starkly reveal the strong impact of internet media to traditional outlets.
This momentum was unstoppable.
While the world's attention focused on the Olympics, Simon's work in Ukraine continued as usual.
Despite being a Saturday, Simon spent the entire day at the UFMS base, personally reviewing the latest batch of UFMS recruits, mostly sixteen or seventeen-year-olds. Until they turned eighteen, these young recruits would receive academic training at UFMS's cadet school, with an emphasis on foreign languages.
Though Simon valued elite talent, when it came to selecting recruits for UFMS, intelligence wasn't a primary criterion. In fact, less intelligent candidates were often more desirable.
For his purposes, Simon required soldiers who would follow orders without question. Those with sharper minds tended to have their own ideas, making them less reliable in high-risk situations. It was like choosing a police dog; the most intelligent border collies often weren't suitable because their intelligence made them more likely to hesitate in dangerous situations.
Simon remained at the UFMS base until nightfall, then headed to the spa resort for an evening performance.
This time, it wasn't a ballet performance arranged by Andrei Vodmyrka and Alexander Nagiev, but a small concert by the Saint Maiden Trio.
Personally selected by Simon, the Saint Maiden Trio had recently released their first Russian-language album in Ukraine.
Simon himself produced their lead single, a track familiar to many due to Jolin Tsai's later cover titled "Love 100%." The English title was "Stop! Stop! Stop!," and the Russian version kept the title, just in Russian words.
Although Eastern Europe was in turmoil, people's appetite for entertainment was as robust as ever.
It was similar to China in the 1990s. Though the economy was just beginning to grow, it was a golden age for the Chinese music industry—a golden age that would vanish with the dawn of the new century.
Eastern Europe had a similar environment.
Three beautiful women with high appeal, paired with the catchy song "Stop! Stop! Stop!," quickly made the Saint Maiden Trio famous. Their debut album would soon be available in Russia and other former Soviet states.
Given Eastern Europe's chaos, if anyone else had formed a popular girl group, they'd likely have fallen prey to various powerful figures, including criminal underground forces, often with disastrous consequences.
The original Saint Maiden Trio's constant lineup changes hinted at this chaos.
Now, however, with the protection of the Rovno gang, and having been personally introduced to Simon, the trio was widely seen as a private ensemble of Simon's, free from unwanted attention and able to focus on their careers.
This concert at the spa was a legitimate public performance, with the resort paying the full fee.
This event was part of Andrei Vodmyrka's effort to establish a Las Vegas-like entertainment setup, where big-name performers held regular shows. Although major stars weren't feasible, offering special weekend events was within reach.
And, though newly famous, the trio's fees were still reasonable.
Inviting artists was only one part of Andrei's vision.
Andrei had been recruiting various performance troupes. After securing agreements with other shareholders of the military theme park, the three resort areas were beginning to merge. With profits from recent months, the resort had started building larger vacation accommodations and a dedicated theater.
A casino project was also in the works.
Step by step, the comprehensive resort area around 30 kilometers north of Rivne, though lacking natural scenic beauty, was becoming more attractive to visitors.
Inside the resort's bar, after watching the Saint Maiden Trio's performance, Simon and Andrei moved to a booth, with the trio joining them. Though Simon had never explicitly shown any interest beyond the initial playful acts they'd performed for him in the U.S., the trio had naturally come to see themselves as part of his entourage.
After all, he was Simon Westeros.
To be associated with him, even distantly, was something many women dreamed of.
Sitting in a booth, Simon, with his arms around the trio, discussed the future of the resort area with Andrei and Alexander, who took the opposite side.
Holding a cocktail and an arm around one of the young women, Simon said, "You're on the right track. Just remember, marketing must keep pace. And for returning guests, especially those bringing new visitors, you should offer substantial discounts. Rivne has no advantage over many European tourist cities, so you'll need to pay close attention to every detail."
Andrei nodded. "Alexander and I have been in contact with some Western European travel agencies. We're hoping to establish partnerships."
"It's a bit early, but I'll leave that to your judgment. Just deliver results," Simon replied, neither endorsing nor dismissing the idea. "Another thing you must prepare for is winter. You haven't forgotten about that, have you?"
Though not as far north as Russia, Ukraine's winters were still long and cold, especially in Rivne Oblast, which was landlocked and northwestern.
Paris Disneyland was a cautionary tale here. Its developers overlooked Paris's distinct seasons, causing visitor numbers
to plummet every winter.
Andrei and Alexander had clearly considered this.
"Boss," Alexander said, "we expect business at the military theme park to be bleak during winter, so we're considering developing indoor shooting ranges. The spa resort should fare better, as the hot springs make it appealing in colder months. Additionally, we're planning winter hunting activities. If everything goes as planned, we should maintain steady business through the winter."
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