Chasing Stars in Hollywood

Everyone was extremely busy. The old man and Anthony stayed in the USA for just a weekend before leaving hastily. In two days, apart from flying to San Francisco on Saturday afternoon to attend Tinkobell's new generation iCam series launch event, the old man spent most of his time meeting key executives of the Westeros system, who had flown in from all over the US. Simon accompanied him, and afterwards, the old man provided feedback on many of these executives based on his impressions.

March 28th.

Another Monday.

After announcing the partnership with the New York Times Group and the confrontation with the Hearst family last Monday, things began to quiet down over the past week. Moreover, Eaglet Corporation's simultaneous negotiations with three other US print media groups led to a gradual cessation of the media frenzy that had, since the beginning of the month, been criticizing Simon for his excessive wealth and luxurious lifestyle. Many didn't want to entirely lose the chance to share in the lucrative internet industry alongside the Westeros system, unlike the Hearst Group.

The Nasdaq tech stock sector rebounded over the past week, causing significant losses for hedge funds that had bet against tech stocks. 

In the political arena, after nearly a month of exploiting topics related to Simon, the attention that could be extracted from the public had been exhausted. Politicians targeting the Westeros system either quieted down temporarily or continued pushing the White House or Congress to impose restrictions on the system. 

As a countermeasure, the Westeros system's "Sniper Plan" was launched. Additionally, there was a plan to maintain the Westeros system's political base. While Joseph Schrapp was strategizing around the sniper list, preliminary agreements were also reached with the National Rifle Association (NRA) regarding the political base maintenance plan. Both parties sought to exert their influence on the political arena and had no irreconcilable conflicts of interest. The deeply rooted NRA was not to be trifled with, and a collaborative approach was more beneficial than a direct confrontation.

The grand play was slowly unfolding, with the outcome of this game only to be decided after the midterm elections at the end of the year. Simon was well aware of the impact this game would have on the future of the Westeros system.

After November 8, 1994, it would either continue to be "voter first" or transition into "money politics." Hence, Simon was fully committed to this plan, initially approving a budget of $100 million, with more to follow. Even if it burned through $300-500 million, it was worth it.

Such a massive political campaign budget couldn't all be donated directly to candidates due to federal election laws. However, in any form that could strike at the political opponents of the Westeros system, the operational team would act decisively.

On the other hand, the severing of ties with the Hearst Group last week and the demand for partners to take sides led Simon to an unexpected realization. Apart from some smear articles in the group's newspapers, the Hearst family had not launched any substantial retaliation for a week.

Just as Simon thought the Hearst family might be seeking reconciliation, a bombshell dropped early Monday morning. Major newspapers on both coasts under the Hearst Group suddenly exposed a series of weighty scandals about Simon.

The first exposé came from the East Coast's Greenwich Times, a Hearst Group paper. The article alleged that Simon's two mistresses, Yasmin Garay, known as the "waist goddess," and Nadja Orman, known as the "leg goddess," owned multiple million-dollar properties in Manhattan, which these supermodels couldn't afford on their own. The implication was clear.

While supermodels seemed glamorous, their earnings were not as high as many believed. According to Vanity Fair's 1993 supermodel income rankings, Cindy Crawford, the top earner, had an annual income of only $7 million before taxes. After deductions for personal income tax, agency commissions, and other expenses, she might not even retain half.

For the newly rising "waist goddess" and "leg goddess," their estimated 1993 incomes were around $2 million each, likely accurate within a close margin. Even with net earnings of $1 million after deductions, high-profile public figures had substantial expenses for maintenance, outfits, travel, and more. Hence, they wouldn't save much in the end.

Many once-famous supermodels ended up bankrupt after their careers declined, similar to some NBA stars. Better off ones might find wealthy husbands to become trophy wives, while many others led ordinary lives, constantly struggling for survival, with some even ending up homeless.

Thus, it was evident that top-tier million-dollar properties were out of reach for most models, including the "waist goddess" and "leg goddess."

If that were all, this gossip would be just another in the long line of Simon's numerous scandals, causing a brief stir before fading away. Over the years, despite being married, Simon had never tried to portray himself as a perfect gentleman to the public.

However, alongside the gossip, the Greenwich Times publicly reported the two supermodels to the IRS for tax evasion. In many Western countries, substantial gifts also required taxes. The supermodels' tax returns over the past year showed no gift tax declarations related to their properties, leading the article to accuse them of evading at least $2 million each in gift taxes.

Under the Hearst family's influence, the IRS responded swiftly. Early that morning, the two supermodels were taken from their Manhattan residences by IRS agents. The event was broadcasted live on local TV news.

Swarming media reporters soon gathered at the IRS headquarters in New York, and the gossip quickly evolved into a potential scandal. However, Simon didn't intend to let it spiral out of control. Woken by a phone call around 5 AM on the West Coast, he swiftly arranged for Westeros company lawyers to bail out the two women within an hour of their detainment.

It's just back taxes, after all. 

Pay up!

Money wasn't an issue. Despite the IRS's notorious reputation, they usually sought financial settlements, especially with the wealthy. High-profile tax evasion cases often ended with the wealthy paying the owed taxes and fines, avoiding jail unless there were additional business or political motives.

Ultimately, the IRS just wanted the money. Wealthy individuals would evade and avoid taxes as much as possible. When caught, they typically settled by paying the owed amounts and penalties. It was a pragmatic approach, considering the high costs of legal battles in the US. 

Many prominent tax investigations, even those against presidents, could cost millions, with the public often unaware of the exact expenditure.

Moreover, the two women hadn't blatantly purchased properties in Manhattan under their names without financial maneuvering. Many wealthy individuals used shell companies from offshore tax havens to buy real estate, avoiding taxes and later inheritance taxes. Although these arrangements skirted the law, the IRS lacked the resources for extensive international investigations, and tax havens were effective at maintaining secrecy, making such practices a de facto legal tax avoidance strategy.

The properties owned by the two women were registered in Bermuda. Even though Manhattan records might link the properties to them, proving the funding sources in Bermuda would be challenging for the IRS.

Thus, the IRS was merely playing its role in the high-stakes game among the elite. Simon offered to pay the owed taxes to settle the matter, and the IRS was happy to oblige, seeking financial gain without a prolonged battle.

While the East Coast incident began to settle, the West Coast had its bombshell. 

As dawn broke, San Francisco residents picked up their new day's edition of the San Francisco Chronicle, and the headline read: "Simon Westeros' Illegitimate Daughter Exposed."

Doris Fletcher, a former housemaid for the Westeros family who was exiled to Tierra del Fuego for attempting to sell information about Jennifer Rebold's pregnancy, personally testified in the article. She claimed that among the Westeros family's twins registered under Janet Westeros, the girl was actually Simon's daughter with his assistant and lover, Jennifer Rebold.

According to Doris Fletcher, to avoid the scandal, Janet Westeros had no choice but to acknowledge the girl, Seattle Westeros, as her own.

The disgruntled former maid went on to reveal that Simon and Janet's marriage was merely a facade.

The article concluded with a note that Janet Westeros had left Los Angeles for Melbourne with her children the previous week, suggesting that the couple's marriage was finally breaking down, potentially leading to the largest divorce settlement in history.

Except for the last part, much of the information seemed accurate.

However, precisely because it was so sensational, readers with some awareness linked it to the Westeros system's recent cut-off with the Hearst Group and saw the article as Hearst's retaliation against Simon.

Moreover, the claims were indeed explosive. 

But.

No picture, you say a JB!

The entire article, besides featuring a photo of the main whistleblower, Doris Fletcher, only had an old public photo of the Westeros couple. There were no concrete photo evidence for any of the claims.

The headline claimed an illegitimate daughter was exposed, yet there wasn't even a photo of the girl. Instead, there was a typical anonymous placeholder image used when no picture was available.

The Westeros family's PR team quickly responded. An official statement on Eaglet Portal announced an immediate defamation lawsuit against the San Francisco Chronicle. Simultaneously, they would sue Doris Fletcher for breaching her confidentiality agreement.

The San Francisco Chronicle, however, seemed unperturbed, ready to face the lawsuit.

Doris Fletcher's lawyer retaliated in the media, arguing that the Westeros couple's breach of the employment contract rendered the confidentiality agreement invalid. 

But this was soon countered by Eaglet Portal, which published a copy of the confidentiality agreement, highlighting the clause stating that Doris Fletcher must adhere to the confidentiality terms regardless of how her employment ended. Breaching this would entitle the Westeros family to claim

 ten times her total remuneration as compensation.

Details of the top-tier maid's salary had been previously disclosed, with annual earnings of up to $200,000, plus an equivalent amount in benefits. In three years of service, her total earnings amounted to $1.2 million, making the compensation claim $12 million.

Simon had no intention of showing leniency this time.

He wanted to see if the Hearst family would be willing to pay $12 million on behalf of this former maid.

Moreover, while revealing the confidentiality agreement, Eaglet Portal also hinted, asking if Doris Fletcher dared to reveal the real reason for her dismissal.

For this once-spared betrayer, Simon intended not just to impose an insurmountable debt but also to teach a stern lesson.

As for the Hearst Group's exposé, Simon wasn't particularly concerned. This was akin to Jeff Bezos's extramarital scandal in the original timeline. Despite the media frenzy and the ensuing divorce and asset division, Amazon remained largely unaffected.

Similarly, Simon and the Westeros system were robust enough to withstand such scandals. Despite the media frenzy and the ensuing moral outrage, there was minimal tangible damage to Simon.

A new week began.

Apart from a call from Janet, playfully complaining about the scandal and her embarrassment, Simon's work life remained largely unaffected.

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