"Ten million dollars? That's incredibly extravagant. My father founded Motorola in 1928, and after sixty years, the Galvin family has accumulated a modest fortune. But I still find it hard to imagine how a single party could cost ten million dollars. It's as absurd as Westeros earning over a billion dollars in just a few months. I believe the Brady Commission should first investigate Simon Westeros and clarify this matter. Then, we might understand the cause of last year's stock market crash".
"Mr. Galvin, all of Westeros's transaction records from last year have been made public, and no one has found any irregularities".
"Jim, do you really believe the figures in the media?"
"I can only say, Mr. Galvin, that I haven't seen any other completely different relevant information released. Involving such a huge sum of over a billion dollars, I believe federal investigative agencies must have conducted a very detailed audit of Westeros. If Westeros's transactions last year were indeed suspected of irregularities, he might be spending his 20th birthday in prison right now".
"I still don't believe he's innocent. Otherwise, this can only be described as the saddest event in federal financial history. So many people work diligently their entire lives, and generations may not accumulate much wealth. Yet that young man did it in just five months. Can you imagine? Five months, 1.6 billion dollars".
On the TV screen, Motorola Chairman Robert Galvin's voice grew increasingly agitated, waving his hands wildly as he said, "Then he started acting recklessly, like a scoundrel who suddenly inherited a large fortune, wantonly buying planes and mansions, and even spending ten million dollars on a birthday party".
"Mr. Galvin, compared to many other celebrities, Westeros is still very low-key. Besides, a 20th birthday should be worth celebrating, shouldn't it?"
"Westeros could do something more meaningful. He's an orphan; everyone knows that. He grew up with the support of the federal social welfare system. But now, no one sees him trying to give back to this country, to those who pay taxes to provide him with food, lodging, and education. I hear many charities have tried to contact him, but none have received a response. His indifference to charity is truly disheartening".
"Mr. Galvin, may I assume that you are simply resentful because Westeros sold Motorola stock? To my knowledge, before Simon Westeros sold, Motorola's stock price was over 75 dollars, but in recent months, that figure has hovered around 60 dollars. Correspondingly, the stock prices of many companies held by Westeros's company have continued to rise. Moreover, I've heard that you've been attacked by the Motorola board of directors and may resign soon".
"No, no, those are certainly not true. Motorola's stock price was indeed affected by Westeros's selling, but this did not affect our company's performance. For the full year last year, Motorola's net profit exceeded 300 million dollars. In my opinion, stock price is only temporary; being able to create profit for shareholders is the fundamental purpose of a company. Furthermore, regarding myself, I am already 66 years old this year, and I have been considering retirement for several years now. This has nothing to do with Westeros's company's selling".
"…"
"…"
Inside the Malibu mansion, it was already noon the next day.
Janette walked into Simon's study, listened to a few sentences of Motorola Chairman Robert Galvin's interview on the television, and once Simon, who was on the phone, hung up, she picked up the remote control and turned off the TV, saying, "You really enjoy listening to people talk about you to your face, don't you?"
Since this morning, both mainstream media and tabloids had been using various eye-catching headlines to sensationalize and discuss Simon's birthday party last night.
Pat Kingsley called in the morning to report on some media developments Simon needed to be aware of, and finally joked that she would be busy for a long time to come specifically dealing with the fallout from this party.
Simon sat behind his desk, writing something in a notebook, and said, "Knowing that there are people in this world who hate you can still be very motivating. Has your brother arrived?"
Janette leaned forward, resting her arms on the desk, and said, "In a few minutes. I came to see if you were done with your call".
"It's done", Simon nodded, casually explaining, "Amy called. The Writers Guild of America publicly initiated a strike vote this morning. This year's strike is definitely unavoidable".
Today was February 23rd, and the date of the writers' strike in Simon's memory was March 7th. However, a WGA strike could not simply be decided by the WGA leadership; it required a member vote. Since WGA members, distributed across North America and even overseas, needed to mail in their ballots, this process typically took two weeks.
Janette listened with obvious disinterest. When Simon stood up and was about to leave the study, holding the man's arm, she pointed to the TV and said, "Although you don't care about that old man's remarks, I think you should also set up some charity foundations or something, even if it's just for show. These things are always unavoidable, otherwise, more people will definitely use this to attack you in the future".
Because of some things in his memory, Simon was indeed very indifferent to charity. However, he didn't object to Janette's suggestion, saying, "Alright, let's call it the Simon & Janette Foundation. You can manage it for me".
Janette shook her head and said, "No, it should be the Simon & Janette-Westeros Foundation".
"Hmm, a longer name, so people will notice it".
"Hehe, that's not what I meant at all".
Joking, they arrived at the villa kitchen. As soon as they had served the prepared lunch into the dining room, the doorbell rang.
The two went out together to greet him. Although they hadn't felt anything special beforehand, when they actually met Janette's family, Simon inevitably felt a little reserved.
Anthony Johnston looked a bit older than his actual age. He wore a crisp grey suit, was about Simon's height, had a short beard on his face, and some features in his brows clearly showed he was related to Janette.
After hugging Janette, Anthony Johnston shook Simon's hand with a gentle tone and also presented a gift, expressing his congratulations for Simon's 20th birthday: "I could have made it yesterday, but a business partner in London unexpectedly changed their mind on a deal, so I had to postpone until now. Happy birthday, Simon".
"Thank you, Tony. Let's go inside, lunch is ready".
The three walked into the villa together. Janette, however, unceremoniously snatched the gift box from Simon's hand, opening it as she walked. She took out a watch from the box, examined it carefully, and then said with satisfaction, "Not bad, Dad's collection. I thought you'd just pick up a gift at the airport".
Anthony Johnston listened to his sister's teasing, but said to Simon, "You must often get headaches dealing with Janette, she loves pranks too much".
Simon smiled and said, "It's alright".
Janette, however, was somewhat dissatisfied with Simon's ambiguous answer, saying, "What do you mean 'it's alright'?"
"It means, occasionally a headache, but not that frequently".
Janette grabbed Simon's arm: "If you want, I'll give you a headache every day from now on".
Although the Johnston family had already received a lot of information about Simon and the progress of Simon and Janette's relationship through Neil Bennett and Ken Dixon, Anthony Johnston truly felt relieved when he noticed the unconscious intimacy between his sister and the young man at this moment.
After a brief rest, the three sat down in the dining room.
The atmosphere at lunch was very relaxed, and everyone just chatted casually about various trivial matters.
After lunch, it was already one o'clock in the afternoon. Janette, unusually domestic, volunteered to clear the dishes. Anthony Johnston suggested they talk alone, so the two went to the cliffside terrace overlooking the sea.
The mansion was located west of Point Dume State Preserve. Standing by the terrace railing and looking out, besides the breathtaking beauty of the sea and sky, there was also a somewhat abrupt, pointed landmass not far to the left.
Anthony Johnston looked at the pointed cliff and said, "A very suitable location for building a mansion".
Simon concisely said, "State park".
Anthony Johnston shook his head and said, "Simon, for us, there's nothing we can't get".
Simon hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, I'll find a way to acquire it. It's indeed very suitable for building an estate. Pointed Estate, hmm, that name doesn't seem quite right. Since it's Point Dume State Preserve, let's call it Point Dume Estate in the future".
Anthony Johnston glanced at Simon and smiled, "You've had your eye on that land for a long time, haven't you?"
Simon nodded: "Of course, many people hope to acquire that land".
Anthony Johnston smiled and stopped talking about it, then somewhat abruptly changed the subject: "Simon, do you still remember information about your parents?"
Simon paused, then shook his head, saying, "I don't remember".
Anthony Johnston hesitated, but quickly said, "I don't know why, but the first time I saw your photo, I had a certain feeling. Now that I've met you in person, that feeling is even clearer. However, I can't articulate what that feeling is. It's as if we've met before, but that's certainly impossible. You should have been in San Francisco until you were 18, but I've only been to San Francisco three times in my entire life".
"This should just be a feeling of déjà vu. Many people experience this, feeling a sense of familiarity with some people and events for no apparent reason".
"Perhaps," Anthony nodded and said, "Actually, I specifically hired a detective agency to investigate information about your parents, I mean, possible information. I didn't mean any harm, and I hope you don't mind. However, these investigations yielded no results. You were found by a police officer on the side of the road when you were five and then sent to an orphanage. But before you were five, there are no records of your personal identity. Do you remember anything from before that?"
Simon actually didn't mind much; he was also very curious about his past. If the Johnston family could find something out, then he wouldn't have to waste his own energy.
At this moment, hearing Anthony's question, Simon shook his head and said, "No, or rather, it's very vague. I can't remember anything at all".
"Well then, I hear people have always claimed to be your parents trying to reunite, but you haven't responded. I guess you don't have any intention of looking for your parents," Anthony said, then suddenly looked at Simon again and asked, "Do you hate them?"
Simon shook his head with a calm expression: "I don't even know them, how could I hate them?"
"Then, I'm very curious, what drove you to become who you are today?" Anthony asked another question: "You know, without sufficient resolve, it's very difficult for someone living at the bottom of society to achieve what you have. Most would likely just drift along, or become worse".
"I haven't thought about that question carefully, Tony", Simon shook his head and said, "If you really want an answer, perhaps it's just that I wanted to live a little better, better than most people".
"That's not quite logical", Anthony said, "However, since you don't want to explain, I won't ask further. Actually, the only thing I'm concerned about today is when you plan to marry my sister. Of course, this is also what my parents are most concerned about. They don't want two old maids in our family who can't get married".
Simon asked in confusion, "Two?"
Anthony Johnston paused, then smiled and said, "I… I also have an aunt, my grandfather's daughter, my father's sister. It's just that she was born much later, a bit younger than me. You should know, right?"
Simon nodded and said, "She, um, Janette mentioned her to me. Has she not married?"
"Since Janette mentioned her to you, she must have also revealed some things to you. My great-aunt has never married, and even, well, you'll know when you meet her later. My father always feels that Janette might have also been influenced by my great-aunt, which is why she's been unwilling to have a boyfriend." Anthony said, and then asked again, "So, when do you plan to marry Janette?"
Simon didn't hesitate and said, "Whenever Janette is willing, it can be any time. I'm not too resistant to the idea of marriage".
"Then try to get it done within two years", Anthony said, not being polite, and continued to urge, "You know, Janette is 28 this year, and Mom and Dad hope she can get married before she's 30".
Simon agreed, "Alright".
Anthony scrutinized Simon for a moment, then smiled and said, "Actually, you're only twenty this year, and in two years, you'll only be twenty-two, still very young. Young people are always a bit playful, just don't overindulge, and more importantly, try to stay out of the media's spotlight".
Simon smiled speechlessly; he, of course, knew what Anthony was referring to.
Anthony didn't stop the topic, continuing, "Janette is actually very stubborn, or rather, extremely stubborn, just like my great-aunt. So, since she chose you, she definitely won't change her mind. I hope you don't let her down. Moreover, with her personality, she probably won't rush you to get married; you have to take the initiative on this".
Simon nodded again and said, "I will".