It was already late by the time Simon returned to the spa estate. Unlike the previous night, the villa was quiet, though the bright lights throughout suggested that the girls hadn't gone to bed.
Simon hadn't brought back the three singers from the Saint Maiden Trio, though they had hoped he would. Instead, he arranged a special service team for each, assigning two attendants—a maid and a guard—to each of the women, formally marking them as his personal possessions. Whether or not he would eventually indulge in them didn't matter; after all, as a collector, he didn't need to experience each piece personally. Often, the pleasure was in simply owning it.
Upon entering, Simon was greeted by Eve and a few others. Ludmila wasn't among them this time, so as Eve helped him remove his coat, he asked, "Where's Mira?"
"She went home," Eve replied, briefly meeting his gaze before looking away, recalling the events of the previous night and adding, almost unnecessarily, "to visit our parents."
Simon noticed the hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth and couldn't tell if he had guessed the reason or if she wanted him to. Ludmila had been sent home by her sister, not so much because of last night but because she was too clingy. From the moment Simon had arrived at the estate until he left that morning, Ludmila hadn't let him out of her sight, and only her sister had been willing to share his time.
Eve was perceptive, and though she loved her sister, she knew Ludmila's tendency to overstep. She had strong instincts about what behaviors might backfire, so when Simon left in the morning, she sent her sister back to the city to stay with their parents.
Walking with him through the hall, Eve asked softly, "Boss, would you like a bath?"
Simon nodded. After a long day, a soak in the hot spring was the perfect way to relax.
As Simon headed back toward the western hallway, A Girl followed suit, just as she had the night before, going upstairs without a word. Eve, followed by Marta and several other attendants, led the way to the bath. Natalia Banchikova walked in with the others, watching as Eve naturally began unbuttoning Simon's shirt, and Marta knelt down without hesitation to remove his shoes and socks before reaching for his belt. Two other attendants stood ready to receive his clothing.
Natalia hesitated, unsure of her role. She wasn't unwilling, but nobody had told her what to do. When Simon's gaze drifted toward her, she felt a surge of nervousness and took a step forward instinctively.
Eve, noticing her unease, handed Natalia a bathrobe to bring over, and she hurried to fetch one, relieved. When she returned, Simon was already in the water.
Marta, unlike the previous night, was allowed to stay. She leaned over and offered, "Boss, would you like a massage?"
Simon shook his head. He had never liked being touched, even by familiar faces.
Marta's question had come with a genuine intent. She had taken the time to learn proper massage techniques for relaxation, though she now realized her efforts had been unnecessary. Undeterred, she offered quickly, "Would you like something to drink? I'll prepare it."
"Bring a pot of green tea," he replied, stretching his arms comfortably along the edge of the rock-lined bath.
Marta nodded and left to fulfill his request. Simon, meanwhile, glanced at the other attendants and directed his gaze toward Natalia, instructing, "Bring Galina and Eva to join me. The rest of you can go and rest."
Natalia was startled for a moment, realizing he was referring to her daughters. Nodding, she gave a quick glance at Simon's muscular arms, feeling her pulse quicken slightly before quickly leaving to fetch her daughters. The others also filed out, with Eve staying behind just long enough to arrange Simon's slippers neatly by the poolside. "Shall I come back later?" she asked softly.
"No, go to bed," he replied.
Eve hesitated briefly but left without saying more.
To her, Simon was her man, and everything he did felt justified.
Natalia soon returned with her two daughters, while Marta followed with the green tea. By the time Eve had sent all the girls waiting in the villa off to bed, no one had left the hot spring room.
The next day, Simon was back to his packed schedule.
He returned to Rivne in the morning for back-to-back meetings with Oldek Company, Rivne Media, and the newly-formed Rivne Chemical Group. To accommodate his schedule, all three teams met him at the same office building in northern Rivne, each getting an hour from nine to twelve. Once one meeting ended, the next group took its place.
The Oldek Company meeting began with a review of recent operations, after which Sergey Komarov introduced a new idea inspired by Simon: a "light industry consortium" in Rivne Oblast focused on creating a comprehensive network of industries in clothing, furniture, and food production. Though Sergey's idea was still in its infancy, the ambitious concept hinted at the potential to reshape Ukraine's industrial landscape.
To implement such a plan would mobilize resources from both the Westeros system and the Ukrainian government, setting a chain reaction that would pull in considerable support.
For Oldek, the first step would be internal streamlining, shedding any assets unrelated to the light industry consortium and refocusing on core production. If successful, Rivne could one day rival Kyiv in importance.
The discussion about this concept took up most of the hour, and though the detailed planning would take months, Simon was optimistic. If Komarov could establish the consortium step-by-step, Simon would have no qualms about tapping into the resources of the Westeros system to support it.
Ukraine had a strong foundation to support such a plan.
Take labor resources: due to prolonged turmoil after the Soviet Union's collapse, Ukraine had lost close to 10 million people from its early 1990s population of over 50 million, with much of this loss representing its best labor resources. Had they stayed, and if Ukraine's economy had been stable and growth-oriented, these workers could have generated immense wealth, potentially making Ukraine one of the richest nations in Europe.
Instead, they became cheap labor in Western Europe—a case of good cards played poorly.
Simon, however, was focused not on Ukraine's national future but on creating an economic miracle in Westeros's territory within Rivne Oblast. Ironically, the more chaotic Ukraine's overall situation was, the easier it became for Simon to operate in Rivne unimpeded. The more powerful the local economy became, the stronger Westeros's influence over the country would grow.
In the modern world, economic power often outweighed military might in the struggle between nations. Control a nation's economy, and you control the nation itself; undermine its economy, and the nation crumbles, as demonstrated by the collapse of the Soviet Union.
After the Oldek meeting, Rivne Media's agenda centered on expanding media control across Ukraine.
Alexander Lyudayev planned to acquire a national television network and several newspapers. Though the Westeros system's core interests in Ukraine were concentrated in Rivne Oblast, its media network needed to expand nationwide. With Leonid Kuchma's administration now more stable, this agenda could proceed more openly.
Given Ukraine's relatively small size, a national television network required far less investment than something like ABC in the United States, so Simon approved the plan without hesitation.
The final meeting was with Rivne Chemical Group, primarily concerning the recent acquisition of a large fertilizer plant in Odessa and further consolidation efforts. Simon's goal of controlling half of Ukraine's fertilizer production to gain leverage over its agriculture was progressing well.
With the Odessa plant, Rivne Chemical Group's annual fertilizer production reached 900,000 tons, nearly a third of Ukraine's current output of 3 million tons. While this seemed close to the 50% target, it fell short of Soviet-era production levels of nearly 7 million tons.
Given Ukraine's status as Europe's breadbasket, it was striking that current fertilizer usage was so low. During Soviet times, most of the fertilizer produced in Ukraine was used domestically. Now, the country's annual consumption was less than 500,000 tons, a stark decline that had led to a dramatic drop in crop yields. In 1995, grain production fell to 25 million tons, down from 27 million the previous year.
The root cause was the collapse of Ukraine's modern agricultural system. Without fertilizer, even Ukraine's fertile soil couldn't produce sufficient crops.
This was evident within Rivne Chemical Group, whose 900,000-ton annual output couldn't be absorbed domestically. Expanding exports was the only option, leading Ukraine, once a major grain exporter, to become an exporter of fertilizer instead.
It wasn't that Ukrainian farmers didn't want fertilizer—they simply couldn't afford it. For most, growing enough to eat was the priority, and if they fell short, they simply had to cope.
Despite high global demand for fertilizer, Ukraine's scattered industry and limited export channels left it with little bargaining power, forced to accept low prices.
Simon refused to let this happen with Rivne Chemical Group, instead opening up U.S. export channels through the Westeros network. While Ukrainian fertilizer had primarily been exported to nearby European countries, now it was reaching the U.S., where agricultural demand for fertilizer was enormous. Despite transportation costs, Ukraine's low production costs kept its fertilizer competitive in the U.S. market.
With this new market secured, Rivne Chemical Group's expansion could proceed smoothly. Most Ukrainian fertilizer companies were struggling financially, and even at bargain prices, Rivne's acquisitions were considered fortunate by factory owners who would otherwise face closure. As long as the factories kept running and workers kept their jobs, Rivne Chemical Group's
dominance in the market would only grow stronger.
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