Chasing Stars in Hollywood

At the party, after discussing USA Network and the film collaborations between Paramount and Daenerys Entertainment, Martin Davis glanced around before lowering his voice to ask, "Simon, do you think the pound can hold out this time?"

This past week, George Soros' Quantum Fund officially launched an attack on the European Monetary System.

In just three days, the Italian lira had already capitulated, opting for devaluation.

Emboldened by this initial success, international speculative capital turned its sights on the pound.

On September 17th and 18th, the two sides engaged in several rounds of battle.

To thwart the forex speculation, the British government raised the short-term borrowing rate for the pound to a staggering 15% and injected nearly £10 billion in foreign exchange reserves to support the pound in the forex market, barely maintaining the exchange rate.

However, the international speculators were clearly not backing down.

Earlier today, the German government, considering the bigger picture, finally agreed to make a minor concession by lowering the bank rate by 0.5 percentage points, attempting to ease the pressure on its allies in the international currency market.

But this minor concession was far from sufficient to resolve the larger issue.

The entire world was now watching the final battle next week between the British government and international speculative capital. If this currency defense battle was lost, the European Community's attempt to establish a European Monetary System to rival the dollar would collapse.

Noting the probing look in Martin Davis's eyes, Simon shook his head, his tone carrying evident regret. "Martin, Cersei Capital is not involved in the operations in the European market this time."

Martin Davis was initially skeptical, but as a shrewd businessman with years of experience, he quickly realized Simon wasn't lying and understood the reasoning behind it.

Cersei Capital wasn't like the more straightforward hedge funds; it was intricately linked with the entire Westeros system.

If Cersei Capital participated in this attack on the European Monetary System, the European countries would undoubtedly target other companies within the Westeros system.

However, from Simon's tone and demeanor, Martin also got the answer to his question.

Simon believed the pound couldn't hold out.

The young man's meteoric rise in just six years had made American wealthy circles keen on financial investments in recent years, and Martin Davis was no exception. He had invested $20 million in a Wall Street hedge fund for this joint assault on the European Monetary System, a significant portion of his assets.

With more and more capital eyeing Paramount Communications, Martin Davis anticipated that his company might change hands within the next few years, at which point he would retire.

As a professional manager, Martin Davis didn't have the vast wealth Simon did. This $20 million investment directly impacted his post-retirement quality of life.

Although the Italian lira had already fallen last week, Martin Davis had been concerned about the pound, which hadn't been forced to devalue in hundreds of years.

Simon's offhand remark gave Martin Davis a sense of reassurance.

With no conflicts of interest between them, Martin Davis trusted that Simon wouldn't deliberately mislead him.

This young man's judgment seemed more reliable than the analyses of Wall Street's finest analysts.

Of course, the bet had already been placed, and if Simon had said the international speculators would be defeated, Martin Davis couldn't do much to change his strategy now.

Feeling more relaxed, Martin Davis chatted with Simon for a while longer before excusing himself.

Just as Simon was about to stand up, a small figure approached him: Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played Julie Mayer, the daughter of Susan Mayer, in "Desperate Housewives."

The girl, wearing a light blue dress full of youthful charm, looked up with a few hints of excitement in her tone and greeted, "Hi, Simon, good evening."

Simon looked at the girl and smiled. "Good evening, Sarah, you look very pretty tonight."

Sarah Michelle Gellar beamed at Simon's compliment, her expression becoming more reserved. "Thank you."

She then moved closer, making the height difference between them more apparent.

Simon stepped back and sat back down on the sofa.

Noticing his empty glass, Sarah quickly grabbed a champagne glass from a passing waiter and handed it to Simon before sitting beside him. "Simon, did you watch my performance?"

Simon nodded. "Of course, it was very good."

Sarah knew her role in the series was minor, but she was still happy to hear Simon's praise. Feeling bolder, she scooted closer, her small body inching towards him as she chatted.

Simon noticed her little moves but found the precocious girl amusing.

After chatting for a while, Simon stood up. "Well, Sarah, I need to greet some other guests."

Sarah quickly stood up and hesitated before saying softly, "Simon, you... you said you'd take me to Europe, remember?"

Seeing the girl's pretend aggrieved look, Simon smirked. "But you should know, you can't always trust what men say."

"But," the girl looked at him pitifully, "you're Simon Westeros. How could you lie!"

Simon didn't respond, simply patting her on the head. "Go enjoy yourself. Don't drink, and go home early."

Though his pat didn't hurt, Sarah's expression became even more pitiful.

However, realizing it was time to leave, she didn't follow him.

For some reason, maybe because of John Peters' earlier advances being noticed, Shera Ward avoided a certain someone for the rest of the party.

But she couldn't help noticing him.

It was almost ten o'clock when she went to the restroom to touch up her makeup, planning to leave soon. Upon returning to the hall, she saw him chatting with a couple, Kris Jenner and Bruce Jenner, from USA's "The Real Housewives of New York."

Noticing Simon also saw her, she knew she couldn't avoid it and approached them.

After brief introductions, the couple tactfully left.

Was it just her imagination? Or maybe it was a woman's instinct, but she noticed that woman sneak a flirty glance at him.

What a playboy!

"Enjoying the evening?"

"Not at all."

She blurted out before realizing she had said it aloud, especially in front of the host.

Feeling embarrassed, she wanted to leave.

Simon just smiled. "You're so charming. It must be because too many men are bothering you, right?"

Right!

There's one right here.

She was careful not to say this out loud.

However, since he complimented her charm, should she thank him?

But having a young man praise her felt odd.

Her eyes darted around before she found a topic. "Your wife didn't come tonight?"

"She's in New York."

"…"

She regretted asking that.

So dumb.

"If you're not enjoying yourself, why don't we leave early? We can go back to Seattle. How about that?"

There he goes again.

Just like last time.

So matter-of-factly.

Annoying.

Thinking quickly, she made an excuse. "Why don't you take that young girl to Seattle? She'd probably love it."

"How do you know she'd love it?"

How do I know?

I'm not blind; it's obvious.

She didn't answer.

She just rolled her eyes at him.

"You look beautiful rolling your eyes; it has a special charm."

"If you're so good at flattering women, why don't you find someone else? At least half the women here would love it."

"Which half do you belong to?"

"The unwilling half."

"Perfect, I prefer the unwilling half."

"You're really too overbearing."

"How about I drive you home? It's late, and you're not happy."

Could there be a worse excuse?

She wanted to roll her eyes again, but remembering his earlier comment, she refrained from giving him the satisfaction.

Then she saw him instruct someone to prepare the car.

Quickly, she said, "I drove myself."

"Even worse, you've been drinking. You can't drive after drinking."

"I only had a few glasses of champagne. It's fine."

"You're a big star now. If you get caught, it's a scandal, and 'Desperate Housewives' would be affected. Come on, I'll drive you home."

He made a gesture to follow, and she hesitated, looking around for a reason.

Okay.

She just didn't want to embarrass him.

So she walked out.

Then got into the car.

Then felt a bit out of control.

The villa on the island in Seattle was really nice. Early the next morning, standing on the bedroom balcony, she couldn't help but think about when she could afford such a place.

She hadn't dared to dream before.

Now, with "Desperate Housewives" only one episode in and the rising popularity of the main cast, things looked promising.

While the pay for the show wasn't high, advertisers were already contacting her for endorsements.

However, affording a villa like this still seemed far off.

Maybe marrying a wealthy man would be a good option.

At her age, she should be married.

She had never considered it before, enjoying her freedom without the constraints of marriage.

But at a certain moment, held tightly by a strong arm, she couldn't help but think it might be time.

As a beautiful woman, she had no shortage of suitors.

But not planning to marry meant her relationships were never long.

Now, with a stable career, the thought came naturally.

A young man hugged her from behind, and she didn't resist, finding a more comfortable position in his arms.

This rascal was really strong.

She felt her face flush, thinking about wearing just his shirt.

Her clothes from last night were all torn apart by him.

Of course, she had to pretend to resist.

He promised to compensate with 100 pieces.

So she gave up 'resisting.'

Resistance wouldn't have helped anyway.

Thinking she shouldn't lose out, she said, "You better not go back on your word."

He seemed surprised, pretending to be scared. "Did

 I do something?"

Acting like he was trying to weasel out after a drunken night.

Rascal!

She bit her lip, wanting to bite him. "I mean the clothes."

He remembered and laughed. "Got it, 100 pieces."

Realizing even 1,000 pieces wouldn't matter to him.

He had $65 billion.

$65 billion, could that fill Lake Washington with cash?

"What are you thinking?"

Quickly dispelling the silly thought, she said, "Marriage."

"…"

Rolling her eyes lightly, she asked, "Why did you marry so early?"

"I thought I found the right person, so I married."

Hugging another woman, he said this so matter-of-factly, she teased, "Then why are you bothering me?"

"Yes, I'm not a good man."

Just admitting it like that?!

No chance for a retort?

"Want me to argue so you can mock me?"

"Yes."

Feeling like he could do anything to her, especially as a strong, energetic man.

So he carried her back to the bedroom.

She remembered finally biting him hard, on the shoulder.

The morning in Seattle was sunny, but it started raining again by noon.

Autumn rain, chilly and lazy, making her reluctant to leave the island villa.

But "Desperate Housewives" was shot while airing, and though they started two months in advance, she couldn't make the crew wait for her.

Though with the young man beside her, she felt it might be possible.

But she wasn't a willful girl anymore.

At 36, it was unbecoming to be capricious.

As night fell, they flew back to LA on his luxury Boeing 767.

She couldn't help but fantasize.

How wonderful it would be to go anywhere at will.

But it was just a fantasy.

She could afford to fly but not own a private jet.

The young man, perceptive as ever, offered his private jet.

She quickly refused.

She didn't plan to be his mistress.

Though tempting, she thought of her age.

If she were that young girl, she might be willing. She had time even if he lost interest later.

Now, she couldn't waste time.

Marrying a man was safest.

So she seriously discussed it with him, mentioning a few good suitors.

Subtext: stop bothering me.

Understanding, he agreed.

But recalling the flirty looks at the party, she felt his promise was unreliable.

Men's words couldn't be trusted.

So she stopped thinking about it.

A new week, back to work, thinking she had put it behind her, someone delivered 100 outfits.

Not 100 pieces, 100 outfits.

Casual wear, dresses, suits—everything.

Of course, since it was from that young man, nothing was cheap, especially the high-end custom dresses. Her "Desperate Housewives" season pay couldn't cover any one of them.

At one point, she felt a romantic sentiment.

Quickly dismissed.

Finding an excuse.

Sending lingerie was really too much.

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