Chapter 248: Increased Holdings Announcement

Following the fundraising soirée, there wasn't immediate news about Rudy Giuliani's inappropriate comments during the Milken case investigation. Instead, several New York newspapers published reports with implied meanings about the soirée.

James Rebel wasn't surprised by this.

David Dinkins called him again on Sunday evening, expressing a form of gratitude, indicating that he had verified the reliability of the information James provided. That was enough for James.

The mayoral election was set for November. The most damaging leaks against an opponent are most effective when used close to the vote.

In the new week, Westeros Company completed its month-long divestment from technology stocks, liquidating its holdings in all six tech companies.

Including Apple, the six tech stocks lost about 6% of their value in this sell-off, with Westeros Company realizing a total of $469 million.

Meanwhile, although Westeros Company had a $500 million stake in Cersei Capital, the initial $200 million Simon invested had already yielded a good profit. Westeros only had to add $270 million to reach the total.

After accounting for the Cersei Capital allocation, additional profits from Daenerys Entertainment after its financial audit, and other funds, Westeros Company had about $260 million in New York to utilize.

Simultaneously with the divestment from companies like Apple, Simon had James quietly accumulate shares in Microsoft and Intel.

On March 16th, Westeros Company notified the SEC and the media about its increased holdings in Microsoft and Intel.

According to The Wall Street Journal, in the past month, Westeros bought an additional 1.55 million Microsoft shares, reaching a total of 5.25 million shares, a 10.19% stake; and 5.5 million Intel shares, totaling 18.5 million, a 10.08% stake.

In total, Westeros invested $253 million in these two companies, $85 million in Microsoft and $168 million in Intel.

Following the announcement, both Microsoft and Intel stocks rose in the next two trading days.

By the close of March 17th, Microsoft's market value increased by 6% to $3.02 billion, and Intel's rose 3.6% to $5.36 billion.

Microsoft and Intel thus became Westeros' largest tech stock holdings, accounting for 53% of its $1.569 billion in remaining tech stocks.

Besides Microsoft and Intel, only SUN Microsystems' stock value exceeded $100 million, specifically $117 million.

The remaining tech stock holdings were valued under $100 million each.

Closely collaborating with Daenerys Special Effects, Silicon Graphics had the highest holding at 11%, but its market value was still only $320 million. Oracle, a database software company, had a 9% stake and a recent market value of $960 million.

Apart from these five, the other 14 tech stocks Westeros held were around 5% each, far smaller in market value than the giants Microsoft and Intel.

Simon actually wanted to increase the stakes in Microsoft and Intel to 15%.

However, compared to the '87 crash, the cost of increasing holdings in these two had grown much higher, leading Simon to temporarily forgo buying shares in other promising companies.

After this round of investment, James had only a few million dollars of liquid funds left, having not even reserved for the capital gains tax from the previous tech stock sell-off. He now hoped for a capital injection from Simon's operations in the Japanese financial market or Daenerys Entertainment's profits. In a worst-case scenario, Westeros might have to increase its debt.

Melbourne.

By late March, the aftermath of the coma incident had completely subsided.

Simon was busy filming a car chase scene in the Batman script, featuring the ultimate showdown between Batman, Black Mask, and Catwoman. Essential props like the Batplane, Batmobile, and Batcycle were all utilized.

The biggest challenge was maintaining secrecy.

For outdoor shooting, paparazzi could easily sneak shots from nearby buildings despite street closures.

Simon decided to officially release concept images of Batman's key props, with Catwoman's appearance already leaked.

The last line of defense in confidentiality was protecting the film's plot.

In a southside seaside scene on Highway 33, around 11 PM, the crew had just finished two other scenes. Now, they were filming Catwoman assisting Batman in the chase on the Batcycle, exiting the flying Batplane.

The image of Catwoman descending from the Batplane on the Batcycle was planned to be completed via CGI.

The electric Batcycle, created with hub motor technology, had a top speed of 30 km/h. However, Simon wanted the scene to depict speeds over 100 km/h, necessitating external forces to drag the Batcycle.

This was one of the shooting's challenges, as the Batcycle had previously overturned during testing.

Additionally, the scene involved an unmanned Batplane, actually a helicopter carrying a model, flying above Catwoman. This also posed risks, despite the pilot's skill.

However, this scene's danger was relatively low compared to other Catwoman stunts.

Valerie Golino, having completed most of her scenes as Catwoman, decided to perform this one herself.

After preparations, just before filming, Simon reminded her, "Valerie, remember, if you feel the bike's going to tip over, jump off immediately. Your Catwoman suit offers good protection."

Valerie, about to put on her high-fidelity red Catwoman glasses, casually replied in Italian, "What if I can't jump off, Simon?"

Simon, sensing her relaxed tone, decided not to worry her further, saying, "It'll be okay if you can't."

During the shooting, the Batcycle reached Simon's intended speed, pulled by another vehicle. After about two kilometers, he called 'CUT.'

The first take went smoothly, and everyone relaxed.

After reviewing the footage, Simon noted the Batplane's trajectory was off, so they did a second, then a third take.

Due to the complexity, Simon planned to gather enough material in one go to avoid reshoots. After six takes, an incident occurred. As the crew reached 100 km/h, the Batcycle began to wobble and then toppled over.

An alarm sounded in the walkie-talkie, and Simon immediately called a halt, signaling the medical team to move in.

Rushing to the accident site, Simon found the Batcycle down, its front wheel detached. He ignored the prop and hurried to the unmoving Valerie.

Cautiously, he checked on her, not daring to turn her over, waiting for the doctor.

Regretting not using a stunt double, Simon watched as the helicopter moved away with the Batplane model, and crew members gathered around.

After the doctors examined Valerie, finding no significant injuries but deciding to take her to the hospital for further checks, she woke up, seeming just woken from sleep, and looked around before fixating on Simon.

Simon asked, "Valerie, how many fingers?"

Valerie, still dazed, looked at Simon's fingers and replied in Italian, "Director, I'm hungry."

Simon patiently responded in Italian, "We'll eat soon. First, tell me, where do you feel uncomfortable?"

Valerie touched her nose, then rubbed her chest, saying, "Here, it hurts a bit."

Simon, relieved that her nose was intact and her chest seemed fine, informed the doctors in English, "She seems okay, but let's have a check. Might be a minor concussion."

Valerie, hearing this, insisted, "I'm fine, just a bit dizzy. I can continue."

Simon, however, insisted on ending her night's work, calling for her replacement and a new Batcycle to continue shooting.

At 2 AM, the crew wrapped up, and Simon returned to his hotel, where the doctor later reported that Valerie was fine but would stay in the medical center for observation overnight.

Considering Valerie's confused state post-accident, Simon extended her observation to three days. With most of her scenes done or replaceable by a stunt double, and the medical center privately arranged by the Johnston family, Simon wasn't worried about negative press.

After delegating tasks, Simon returned to his suite where Janet was already asleep.

Simon had been staying at the Kendall Hotel with Janet, who refused to go home due to a disagreement with her father. Simon often took her to the Johnston mansion for meals and weekends to avoid gossip.

In bed, Simon comforted Janet before they fell asleep.

The next morning, Simon awoke an hour later than usual, as per Janet's insistence on him getting at least six hours of sleep.

With Janet now overseeing Cersei Capital, she woke earlier than Simon for meetings due to time zone differences, covering global markets.

Simon now spent just an hour daily on Cersei Capital, freeing him from intensive strategizing.

Australian investors, aware of the change, remained confident in Cersei Capital, especially given its recent growth. They believed Janet, with her educational background, had co-operated with Simon during the '87 crash, hence their trust in her leadership.

Simon's primary role was ensuring timely exit from the market, critical for hedge funds which often fail by not knowing when to stop. Despite the uncertainty in the Japanese market, Simon had a clearer vision than most investors.

After all, two years ago, hedge fund giants like Soros had begun betting on a Japanese market collapse. But with Simon as a major influencer, no one could accurately predict the market's direction.

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