Chasing Stars in Hollywood

Simon did not want the news of his contact with the Hearst family to leak out, so the scheduled lunch was not arranged in the high-level restaurant inside the studio but in a lounge in Building One of the administrative area.

The lunch appointment was set for noon.

Patti Hearst and Lydia Hearst arrived at 11:30, and Simon didn't make them wait long, arriving five minutes early.

Patti Hearst was clearly well-dressed, wearing a black short-sleeve long dress that accentuated her figure. At forty years old, Patti, having grown up in a wealthy family and apart from her past misfortune, had never experienced the ravages of time or hardship. Her appearance and figure were comparable to that of a woman in her thirties.

During the handshake greeting, she felt Simon's invasive gaze unabashedly scrutinizing her. Despite this man pushing her family to the brink of collapse, Patti couldn't muster much hatred. Instead, as his powerful hand held hers, she couldn't help but take a soft breath, her heartbeat quickening slightly, and her eyes avoiding his gaze.

When her hand was finally released, Patti even felt a slight sense of loss.

Simon greeted Patti briefly before turning to the growing girl beside her, "Hi, Liddy, do you remember me?"

Besides her increased height, Lydia Hearst still gave Simon the impression of the little witch he first met at Sophia's daughter Gemma Ferris's birthday party: a delicate face, short lips, and a pair of expressive green eyes.

Unlike her mother, Lydia showed no restraint in front of Simon. Ignoring her mother and grandfather's prior instructions, she nodded her little head but suddenly asked with some accusation, "Simon, do you want to ruin our family?"

Simon was a bit surprised by the girl's use of the word "Finished," but he smiled and nodded, "The key is that your family wanted to ruin me first."

Lydia pouted, her short lips stretching, showing signs of transforming into a little witch. Her gaze at Simon was filled with unmasked reproach, portraying him as a villain.

Patti Hearst didn't expect her daughter to offend Simon immediately upon meeting him. She was stunned for a moment before hurriedly saying, "Mr. Westeros, Liddy didn't mean it. Please don't mind."

Simon smiled at the girl, "Liddy, did you mean it?"

Lydia, ignoring her mother's hints, nodded, "Yes."

Patti Hearst angrily tugged at her daughter and scolded, "Liddy, apologize to Mr. Westeros."

Feeling her mother's rare sternness, Lydia showed a strong look of grievance, on the verge of tears, yet stubbornly refused to apologize to Simon.

Simon had no intention of arguing with the little girl. He just shrugged and gestured for them to sit, saying, "Let's sit."

The three sat at the dining table as an A-girl personally pushed in a dining cart and served several dishes.

Simon noticed Patti Hearst's curious expression at the smell of the food and explained with a smile, "We're having Chinese food today."

As part of increasing employee benefits, Daenerys Studios and Universal Studios in Burbank had upgraded their restaurants to include various international cuisines and invited top chefs. The chef at Daenerys Studios' Chinese restaurant had been specially hired from across the ocean, making very authentic Chinese food.

This was also Simon's personal preference.

For years, Simon hadn't been too particular about food because, as an Oriental at heart, he could never fully adapt to Western cuisine.

Of course, not everyone enjoyed these benefits.

Simon adhered to a consistent principle within the Westeros system: the more you give, the more you get.

Likewise, in the Westeros system, one's position determined their treatment. General employees still ate standard cafeteria food, with different dining subsidies based on their level. Senior managers could use separate high-level restaurants, and core executives could even have their favorite dishes specially prepared by the chefs.

The upcoming upgrades to medical, educational, and other benefits in the Westeros system would also be clearly tiered.

Simon made no effort to conceal this deliberate creation of a hierarchical system. If anyone couldn't tolerate this inequality, they could either work hard to climb higher or leave the Westeros system to find their own fairness.

Through years of continuous improvement of this hierarchical system, Simon's ultimate goal was to create a stable pyramid-like "Westerosian" system, independent of the existing social structure.

At the dining table in the lounge.

Very authentic Chinese food: three dishes and a soup. Familiar to Westerners, Kung Pao Chicken, crispy roast duck, tomato beef, and a simple vegetable soup. The soup and dishes were already divided into three portions. The A-girl lastly placed down three baskets of shumai before quietly leaving.

Simon noticed Patti Hearst's curiosity at the smell of the food and explained with a smile, "We're having Chinese food today."

For a moment, Lydia fought with the chopsticks, her small hands struggling to control the two sticks. When she noticed her mother using them well, she angrily put down the chopsticks and glared at the adults, intending to protest by refusing to eat.

Patti Hearst felt Simon must like her daughter's spirited nature and didn't bother to restrain her, quietly eating her food, ignoring Lydia's defiance.

Simon, sensing the girl's cat-like glare, smiled, put down his chopsticks, and picked up a knife and fork, saying, "Okay, we'll use these, and let your mom use those strange sticks."

Only then did Lydia pick up her knife and fork, carefully tasting the food on her plate and muttering, "Weird, not tasty at all."

Simon seemed very patient, "You can try the shumai."

Despite the unusual taste, it wasn't bad. But hearing Simon's suggestion, Lydia, out of defiance, deliberately avoided the shumai, focusing on the food in front of her, occasionally making faces to show her dislike.

However, half an hour later, when the meal ended, the girl unknowingly had cleaned her plate and even finished the three beef shumai.

Simon called in the A-girl to clear the table and told the girl, "If you want Chinese food in the future, you can come to Los Angeles."

Lydia disdainfully said, "Mr. Westeros, we're also rich and can afford our own."

Simon nodded casually, "Then, to make sure you come to Los Angeles often, I'll have to make it so you can't afford Chinese food anymore."

Patti Hearst's heart tightened hearing his words.

The 10-year-old girl, not entirely naive, turned to Simon with anger.

Simon stood up, "Let's go to my office to talk."

The mother and daughter got up and followed him. Outside the lounge, Simon had the A-girl look after Lydia while he took Patti into his office.

About twenty minutes later, Patti Hearst came out and left with her daughter.

Once in the family car outside the building, Lydia abruptly asked her mother, "Mom, did you sleep with Simon Westeros?"

Patti Hearst snapped out of her daze and glared at her daughter, "Who taught you that?"

Lydia pouted and scrutinized her mother, "So, is our family's trouble over?"

Patti's voice trembled slightly, "Don't ask such nonsense, or I'll send you to boarding school."

Lydia indifferently said, "If mom doesn't handle that guy, we might not even afford boarding school soon."

Patti fell silent, recalling the scene in Simon's office.

After entering, Simon gestured for her to sit while he returned to his desk and began working. After waiting patiently for five or six minutes, she had to speak first, expressing her father's wish for reconciliation. Simon glanced at her, smiled wickedly, and asked if a few words were enough for reconciliation.

Then, remembering his preferences and her father's strict instructions, she hesitated only briefly before approaching him.

It seemed her inner resistance wasn't strong, even hoping for some forcefulness from him.

However, after she took the initiative, Simon didn't do anything but gave her a one-dollar coin to give her father, asking what it could buy and saying they had only one chance.

She left with the coin, pondering its significance.

Back in Bel Air, she handed the coin to Randolph Hearst and relayed Simon's message.

What can one dollar buy?

Literally, the prestigious Hearst family members didn't quite understand.

But Randolph Hearst soon grasped Simon's intention. 

Given the conflict, sending a woman or even a mother-daughter pair wouldn't suffice. Real reconciliation required substantial compensation.

Simon offering one dollar signified making it a formal transaction.

The Hearst family had to decide which assets to sell to Simon for one dollar and what conditions to demand in return.

This caused severe internal disagreements.

Given their recent antagonism with Simon, substantial compensation was expected, likely not far below the $370 million total claims from the lawsuits controlled by the Westeros system. But with the assets already severely devalued from recent turmoil, easily ceding a large portion was unacceptable to many family members.

Further complicating matters, Simon only allowed one chance to bid, leaving no room for negotiation.

This led to a contentious debate.

Meanwhile, the outside world didn't pause its assault on the Hearst Group.

Each day brought bad news. By May 11, several high-ranking executives, unable to withstand the pressure and the family's lack of leadership, resigned collectively.

The beleaguered Hearst Group saw many mid-level managers and regular employees also fleeing, worsening the situation.

On May 13, more bad news arrived as the New York law firm defending the Hearst Group against the Westeros system lawsuits announced its withdrawal. Without strong legal support, the Hearst Group became increasingly passive in the litigation.

The once-m

ighty Hearst Group now teetered on collapse within two weeks of the Doris Fetcher scandal breaking out in early May.

Yet, not everyone stood against the Hearst Group.

Initially, numerous newspaper industry unions, enraged, supported the collective lawsuit by the 1,100 employees of the three closed newspapers. Realizing the worsening situation, they could no longer remain calm.

The Hearst Group's fate impacted the livelihoods of over 20,000 employees.

Should the group disintegrate or go bankrupt, the Hearst family might avoid immediate poverty, but those employees would lose their jobs.

In the broader context of traditional print media declining under the internet's rise, finding similar work would be difficult for these employees.

Unable to openly support the disgraced Hearst family, some major unions still coordinated and submitted a petition to the White House, hoping the President would intervene to prevent tens of thousands of families from facing unemployment due to the Hearst family's downfall.

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