December 6th, 1996
Under the deliberate restraint of the Westeros family's PR team, the news of the Westeros Tower's topping-off ceremony was kept low-key. While it couldn't be completely hidden, it made little impact in the media, and there were no reports of the previous day's ceremony.
Greenwich, Connecticut – The Westeros Estate
During breakfast, the family casually brought up the topic. Simon found himself recalling the so-called "Skyscraper Curse," a theory that had yet to be officially popularized. The premise was simple: the completion of major skyscrapers often coincided with significant economic downturns. For example:
In the 1930s, the completion of iconic New York skyscrapers like the Rockefeller Center was accompanied by the Great Depression. In the 1970s, the World Trade Center's Twin Towers were completed amid the collapse of the Bretton Woods system and the subsequent oil crisis.
Now, with the topping-off of the Westeros Tower, the tech bubble was at its peak and could burst at any moment.
After breakfast, with Janet's approval, an Indian woman who was a founding shareholder of Instagram took a helicopter to Manhattan to attend the company's IPO ceremony.
Simon, however, stayed home a bit longer.
Around 9 a.m., a black car arrived at the estate.
Informed by one of the maids, Janet cast a sideways glance at Simon, who was still lounging around, and stood up to head outside. Simon followed her, but Jennifer, who was with the children on the other side of the estate, didn't appear.
The car door opened, and out stepped Irene Lande.
Having spent the past few weeks on the East Coast, Janet had already met Grace and had visited Maria in Boston for a discussion. Irene was the last of the women she had yet to see. Feeling uneasy and guilt-ridden, Irene finally worked up the courage to request a visit and had chosen today.
As Irene stepped out of the car, she felt a mix of relief and nervousness upon seeing Simon and Janet approaching. She gave Simon a quick, slightly reproachful glance before smiling and greeting Janet.
"Good morning, Janet. I'm so happy to see you."
"Good morning, Irene. Oh, you look absolutely beautiful today."
"Thank you."
The two women exchanged a warm hug, chatting pleasantly as they headed toward the house. They seemed to instantly forget the man walking behind them.
Simon didn't mind.
As long as they didn't fight.
Smiling, he followed the two into the house and returned to the living room where they had been earlier. Janet and Irene sat down, and Janet asked, "Irene, would you like something to drink?"
Still feeling slightly nervous, Irene instinctively replied, "Coffee is fine."
"That's not a good idea," Janet said gently. "You're pregnant. It's best to avoid coffee. How about some orange juice?"
"Sure."
Janet instructed the housekeeper, Angre, and then turned her attention back to Irene with genuine concern. "So, how have you been feeling lately?"
"It's only been a little over two months," Irene said. "Aside from occasional morning sickness, I'm doing fine. Oh, I had a check-up last week, and the baby is doing well."
"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl yet?"
Irene hesitated for a moment, instinctively glancing at Simon, who was sitting nearby. Feeling a bit guilty, she admitted, "It's a boy."
Typically, determining the sex of a baby required waiting until the third or fourth month of pregnancy and conducting an ultrasound. However, for Irene, such waiting wasn't necessary.
What Irene felt guilty about was secretly conducting a DNA test two weeks ago to determine the baby's sex. She had planned to keep it to herself but, for some inexplicable reason, found herself blurting it out in front of Janet.
Unbeknownst to Irene, Simon already knew about the test. After all, the eight Westeros family guards assigned to her were not just for show. Since Irene hadn't mentioned it, Simon had pretended not to know.
Hearing her reveal it now, Simon showed an appropriately delighted expression. "A boy is great. You've always wanted to name him Noah, and now it's fitting."
Relieved by Simon's reaction, Irene relaxed a little.
Janet, however, shot Simon a sharp look. "You can go to work now. And take Evgenia with you; she's been here for a week. Send her back to Ukraine whenever you see fit."
Having stayed to ensure Irene felt comfortable, Simon didn't push back. Since Janet was urging him to leave, he stood up, hugged both women briefly, and left the living room. After calling for A-Girl, he found Evgenia Kolkoshko and boarded another helicopter to Manhattan.
In the Living Room
After Simon left, Irene, now feeling a bit more nervous, noticed that Janet's demeanor remained calm and friendly. Janet even spoke in a tone of shared grievance, saying, "Perhaps there's something you don't know."
Irene looked puzzled.
Janet raised her well-manicured hand and wiggled her fingers. "That little bastard got five women pregnant at the same time. You're just one of them."
Irene's eyes widened in shock.
She really didn't know.
To be fair, she had heard about Jennifer's pregnancy through certain channels. But as for the others—like Grace or the two Ukrainian women in Boston—while these matters weren't exactly secrets, Irene, focused on her own pregnancy, hadn't paid much attention.
Five women pregnant at the same time?
Her thoughts raced in circles, tangling into a mess, before she finally looked at Janet and asked, "Janet, aren't you angry?"
"Of course I'm angry," Janet replied. "But what can I do? I married a little bastard."
Though Janet said this, her tone lacked any real anger.
Irene could sense Janet's emotions—or lack thereof—and felt a bit confused. Then, she thought to herself, Fine, in some ways, this couple really is alike. Alike in the way Janet had just described Simon: little bastards.
Neither of them were good people.
Sigh, Irene lamented internally. I'm just a victim here.
She instinctively placed a hand on her belly, feeling a sense of bitterness. Poor me, and poor little Noah.
At this moment, the housekeeper returned with the orange juice. Janet took a sip from her glass, then glanced at Irene, who was still dazed. After a moment, she said, "Actually, Irene, if you're willing, you could give me the baby after he's born and leave that little bastard. You could start over and live your own life."
As a mother, Janet couldn't help but feel sensitive about certain issues.
Irene immediately became alert, turning to Janet with a defensive look. "Simon promised me—no, we even signed an agreement. You'd better not try to take my child."
Janet smirked. "Relax, Irene. It was just a suggestion. It would be a good choice for both you and the baby."
Irene bristled like a cat with its fur standing on end. "Don't even think about it."
Janet shrugged. "Fine, fine. I take it back. And honestly, it's not what you think. Even if you didn't want to raise this child yourself, I wouldn't bring him into Dume Point. There are already too many little annoyances there. I'd just have one of Simon's other women take care of him."
Janet's seemingly irresponsible words actually made Irene feel slightly relieved.
But Janet soon added, "Still, Irene, you need to think carefully. Once this child is born, if you choose to raise him yourself, you'll be permanently tied to the Westeros family. Simon may act indifferent, as if any of his women can leave at any time, but let's be honest, men are possessive—especially when it comes to the mother of their children. If you ever want to return to a normal life or marry someone else, it'll be very complicated."
Irene paused for a moment before softly replying, "Noah is mine."
"Of course. Even if you don't want to raise him yourself, neither Simon nor I would deny you access to the child."
Irene tensed again. "What are you trying to do?"
Janet blinked innocently. "It's simple. Instead of facing conflicts in the future, why not make a clean break now? As they say in Chinese, 'better a short pain than long-term agony.'"
Irene finally understood. She glared at Janet and suddenly found a way to turn the tables. "If you think he's such a bastard, why don't you leave him?"
"I'm his wife. With a certificate."
Irene scowled. "That doesn't mean anything after a divorce."
Janet looked incredulous. "Don't you think Simon and I are a perfect match? Divorce is impossible."
"…"
Irene felt like she was being dragged into a loop of confusion again. Something felt off.
After sorting through her thoughts, she realized the truth: Janet, despite appearing indifferent, ultimately wanted Irene to leave Simon.
That made sense.
If she were in Janet's position, she'd feel the same way.
With this understanding, Irene regained her resolve and confidently said, "Janet, I'm not leaving Simon—certainly not because you want me to. And if you're so bothered by the other women in his life, why don't you focus on getting rid of Jennifer Rebold instead of targeting me?"
Janet rolled her eyes.
"If I got rid of Jennifer, would you help me take care of the kids?"
Irene felt thrown off again. "You… accept Jennifer because she helps with the kids?"
"Why else? With five little troublemakers, I don't have the time."
Fine.
Irene was now certain that both Janet and Simon were cut from the same cloth.
Poor me.
Poor little Noah.
Janet seemed to read Irene's mind and nodded. "So, better a short pain than long-term agony."
"You wish!" Irene shot back instinctively. She grabbed her bag, feeling there was no point in continuing the conversation, and prepared to leave.
But Janet stopped her.
Switching gears, Janet smoothly shifted the conversation to a new topic: a stem cell research project funded by one of the many sub-foundations under the Westeros Family Foundation. The project, tied to a biology lab at NYU, would receive an initial grant of $50 million. Janet suggested that since Irene lived in Manhattan, she should personally oversee the fund's operations.
Moreover, the project was directly relevant to Irene's unborn child. After the baby was born, the lab would extract and store stem cells from his umbilical cord for potential future medical use.
Caught up in the new topic, Irene found herself agreeing before she even realized it.
Outside the Living Room
Jennifer had come over to greet Irene but stopped short when she overheard the conversation inside. She couldn't help but feel exasperated.
She too had been unlucky in love.
This couple—one radiated a magnetic pull that could induce a Stockholm Syndrome-like effect on women, and the other was deceptively sharp, always pulling people into their traps.
Take poor Irene. Convinced Janet wanted to drive her away, she had doubled down in defiance, only to inadvertently strengthen her ties to the family.
As for the sub-foundation, Jennifer understood what Janet was doing. If Irene were truly unwelcome, why would Janet assign her such an important task?
The NYU lab's stem cell research was one of Janet's top priorities within the family's charitable initiatives. Life sciences, particularly anti-aging research, had been a major focus for years. This lab was just one of many cutting-edge teams receiving support.
Poor Irene.
Unknowingly, she'd been roped into the family's long-term plans, and she'd probably feel thrilled about it later, thinking she was becoming even more integrated into the Westeros family.
Meanwhile, in Manhattan
Simon arrived and dropped off Evgenia before starting his workday.
There were plenty of pressing matters to address.
First and foremost was Instagram's IPO.
Simon didn't personally attend the listing ceremony at the NASDAQ, delegating A-Girl instead. After all, she was one of Instagram's founding shareholders. Joining her were B, C, and D-Girls, as well as several other high-profile Instagram influencers and celebrities.
Even without Simon, the event was a star-studded affair.
Launched in July 1994, Instagram had grown rapidly over the past two years and four months. With the full backing of the Westeros system, it now boasted 160 million global users, making it one of the largest single-purpose websites on the internet.
In Q3 of 1996, Instagram had generated $27 million in revenue and was on track to surpass $100 million for the year. While these numbers couldn't compare to Egret, they were impressive in an industry where most companies were still "selling stories."
After careful evaluation, Instagram's IPO valuation was set at approximately $6 billion.
Given the current fervor in the tech market, some considered this figure a significant undervaluation. With 160 million users, Instagram's valuation had tripled from its last funding round at $2 billion just a year earlier, but many thought it could be worth even more.
The calculated undervaluation was intentional.
A lower offering price ensured a dramatic market response on the first trading day. It wouldn't be surprising if the stock price doubled, pouring more fuel on the fire of the already overheated tech sector.
This strategy served two purposes:
Prolonging the inevitable burst of the tech bubble. Ensuring the success of other upcoming Westeros system initiatives, such as the $5 billion long-term bond issuance by Daenerys Entertainment and the high-stakes China Telecom IPO.
With one strategic move, Simon was effectively pouring a pot of boiling oil into the tech frenzy, reigniting the flames just when they seemed to be flickering.
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