Chapter 231: Melisandre

"Simon, I don't understand why we need to continue taking loans?" In the study, Sofia Fexi expressed her confusion upon hearing Simon's plan to continue acquiring Gucci company shares through loans. "Didn't Daenerys Entertainment earn a significant amount of money last year?"

Taking a loan does have its costs.

A loan of 100 million dollars might seem manageable with an interest rate of just four to five percent per year, but over the years, this adds up to tens of millions of dollars in interest.

Moreover, opting for a loan means having to deal with banks, which also takes time.

Sofia had already experienced a failure in acquiring shares of the Latour Winery, and she did not want any mishaps with Gucci.

Simon roughly understood Sofia's thoughts. "I have other uses for Daenerys Entertainment's profits, and I can't give them to you. As you heard on the phone, Daenerys Entertainment is currently arranging another loan. You can return to Los Angeles tomorrow and discuss increasing the loan amount directly with Amy and others. Let's go for 250 million dollars. The bank shouldn't be a problem, and it won't take too much time."

Sofia nodded, but her attention was caught by Simon's mention of 'other uses'.

However, she wisely chose not to inquire further.

After this discussion, as it was already late at night, Jennifer, who had been waiting in the study, knew that nothing would happen between her and this young man tonight. As she was about to leave, she suddenly remembered something and asked, "Simon, I almost forgot, what about the company name?"

Since they were building a comprehensive luxury goods group, the company definitely needed a new name.

The discussion had concluded that the new company would be registered in Switzerland.

Switzerland is known as one of the 'tax havens' and is bordered by France and Italy, the two countries with the highest concentration of luxury brands in Europe.

Simon thought for a moment, quickly wrote down a word on a sticky note, and handed it to Sofia, saying, "Let's go with this one."

Sofia took the note and saw a somewhat long word: Melisandre.

"Melisandre," Sofia repeated softly and looked up, "Simon, is this a woman's name?"

Simon smiled mysteriously, "Yes."

The character of 'Red Priestess' Melisandre from "Game of Thrones" had left a significant impression on Simon. Daenerys had already been used, and names like 'Second Sister' or 'Third Fool' were definitely not considered, and Queen Cersei was set aside for now, so Melisandre was the choice.

Of course, Sofia couldn't possibly know this, but she quickly associated it with Daenerys Entertainment, "Daenerys, Melisandre. Simon, it seems you like naming companies after classic women's names?"

Simon joked, "It makes me seem more profound."

Sofia couldn't help but roll her eyes at him, and then added thoughtfully, "But isn't this name a bit long? Might it be difficult for people to remember?"

"For a parent company of a luxury group, the lower the profile, the better. We need to highlight brands like Gucci. As for the parent company's name, it doesn't matter if it's forgotten."

Sofia agreed with the logic and carefully put the sticky note in her purse. "In that case, let's call it a day."

"Is your room arranged?" Simon asked.

Sofia glanced at Jennifer, who had also stood up from the corner sofa, and smiled, "Of course, Jennifer had already prepared the room for me before I came here."

Jennifer, who was initially pretending to be nonchalant, blushed slightly and avoided Simon's gaze.

Simon just laughed and escorted Sofia to the living room, with Jennifer following them closely.

"Good night, boss," Sofia said as she opened the door, unconsciously changing her address. She glanced at Jennifer, who was still hiding behind Simon, took the initiative to step forward, tiptoed, and gently kissed Simon on the cheek before leaving.

Simon hadn't fully savored the touch of Sofia's cheek when he saw Jennifer about to sneak out. He quickly caught her and decisively closed the door with his other hand.

Being held around her waist by Simon, Jennifer placed her hands on his chest, trying not to press against him, and spoke incoherently, "It's, you, already, too late, you, tomorrow, need to get up early."

Simon checked his Patek Philippe; it was already 12:35 AM.

Although they had shared intimate moments before, now wasn't the right time for further developments.

Instead, Simon decided to let Jennifer off the hook for the night but still didn't let her go. He slightly bent down and carried her towards the bedroom. Looking at the girl who had closed her eyes and was blushing like a red apple, he said, "I'll let you off for now, but as punishment, you'll be my pillow tonight."

Having Jennifer close was indeed effective in easing the fatigue of daily work.

Simon woke up at six o'clock the next morning, still feeling refreshed despite just over five hours of sleep.

Jennifer's room was actually next to Simon's. Most people in the crew were aware of her relationship with Simon. Still, in the morning, Jennifer sneakily went to her room, took her time getting ready, and then came down for breakfast with Simon.

To hide her flushed cheeks, she unusually let her blond hair down instead of tying it in a ponytail. Sitting in the living room, she thought she could hide something but soon realized that this only made her more noticeable.

Embarrassed, she vented her frustration on the person opposite her, who was still smiling.

She angrily ate the salad he had ordered for her, and after a while, whispered, "You can't do this anymore. Jennifer will be angry."

He seemed agreeable, nodding, "Hmm."

Then he changed the subject, asking without much thought, "What exactly do you plan to do with that money?"

The 'that money' here naturally referred to last year's profits of Daenerys Entertainment.

Although the detailed financial data was still being collated, she knew that Daenerys Entertainment had already transferred 200 million dollars in cash into Westeros Company's account.

The 200 million dollar transfer had no impact on the operations of Daenerys Entertainment, which spoke volumes about the company's profits last year, explaining why all of Hollywood was curious about how much money Daenerys Entertainment had made.

Jennifer, being close to Simon, roughly knew the profit figures.

200 million dollars was just a part of it. After the financial audit in Los Angeles, sufficient funds were retained for the operation of Daenerys Entertainment, and the remaining portion would also be transferred to Westeros Company's account.

Jennifer was curious about what Simon planned to do with this money.

Was it going to be like the stock market crash two years ago?

But people aren't fools.

Daenerys Entertainment, despite having sufficient funds, insisted on acquiring shares in Baidu and then Gucci through loans.

It wasn't difficult to deduce some things.

Perhaps many people are now secretly closely monitoring Simon Westeros' every move.

Knowing that it wasn't appropriate to ask, Jennifer wouldn't have said it normally. Regretting her question, she quickly added, "You don't have to tell me."

Simon felt somewhat helpless when he heard Jennifer's question.

It wasn't about the female assistant, but he realized that many people were likely watching him. Ever since his operations in the futures market more than a year ago, people had probably been continuously monitoring his every move.

After all, if someone could get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity like the '87 stock market crash from him, it would be a real overnight fortune.

But how could such opportunities easily arise?

Seeing Jennifer's anxious expression, Simon smiled and said, "I'm not sure now. You know, during the '87 crisis, I was just a small fry and couldn't influence the market, so I could see the situation clearly. Now, for example, if I determine that the Japanese stock market will collapse within a month and want to profit from it, I need to make a move. But because of the experience in '87, many eyes are still on me, and the news of my move can't be hidden, which would unpredictably affect the market. Maybe everyone follows my lead in short selling, causing the Japanese stock market to collapse under pressure, or maybe the Japanese government takes preventive measures after hearing the news, delaying the collapse. Either way, my judgment becomes ineffective."

Actually, Simon was still discussing George Soros' famous 'reflexivity theory' from his book "The Alchemy of Finance."

It's just that Soros hadn't written this book yet.

Simon explained very clearly, and Jennifer immediately understood. She also knew that Simon now indeed had the potential to influence a country's financial market trends.

After all, with just one operation, a self-made young man accumulated wealth that others couldn't match in several lifetimes. Under such a miraculous aura, no one would ignore Simon's views on a country's financial market.

The Japanese stock market quickly recovered after a brief setback following the '87 crash. The Nikkei Index even broke through the 30,000-point barrier at the end of last year, more than doubling from 13,000 points in 1985.

Two years ago, Soros bet on an early collapse of the Japanese stock market but suffered heavy losses due to a misjudgment.

Now, the Japanese stock market continues to surge after breaking 30,000 points, but everyone knows there is a serious bubble. The average P/E ratio of the Japanese stock market has exceeded 70 times, and the real estate market has seen staggering prices of $120,000 per square meter.

It's obvious that a major collapse of the Japanese economy is inevitable; the only unknown is when this collapse will happen.

Jennifer digested Simon's words and looked around cautiously before asking, "Do you mean that the Japanese stock market will collapse within the next month?"

"I was just giving an example," Simon shook his head, "If I were to bet now, I would continue to go long."

Jennifer was very smart and immediately caught the implication in Simon's words: "The money, you didn't prepare it for betting on the Japanese stock market?"

Simon nodded with a smile, "After the last stock market crash, many countries introduced limits on the rise and fall of their stock futures markets, including Japan. Even if I could accurately predict the direction of the Japanese stock market, I can't make the same huge profit as in '87."

Now, many people probably guessed that Simon's target was the Japanese stock market. And they would think that Simon would lean towards short selling.

However, according to Simon's memory, the Japanese stock market's bull market would continue for another year, surpassing 38,000 points by the end of this year. From the end of last year's 30,000 points to 38,000 points, the increase is only 26%.

In contrast, the North American stock market fell by 29% in a single day during the '87 crash.

Comparing the two, even if the Japanese stock market continues to develop along its original trajectory without being affected by Simon's entry, with the capital in Simon's hands, he actually wouldn't make too much money.

Of course, this is all relative.

Simon's real target is actually next year's Kuwait War and the subsequent Gulf War.

Compared to the various restrictions introduced by many countries on their stock futures markets after the '87 crash, the crude oil futures market still has no limits on price fluctuations. The sharp rises and falls in oil prices caused by the wars in the next two years are another excellent opportunity for Simon to accumulate wealth.

In fact, from the stock market to the futures market, the mainstream inclination of the Western financial system has always been not to set limits on price fluctuations. Many of the temporary measures introduced after the '87 crash were also cancelled in the following years.

Jennifer once again picked up on the undertone in Simon's words: "You originally didn't plan to enter the market, but now you've changed your mind?"

"Yeah, I've changed my mind," Simon nodded again, "Entering the market now to earn back the interest accumulated over the years from loans isn't bad, and even if I lose, I probably won't lose too much. This can show some people that Simon Westeros is not omnipotent, so they won't keep such a close eye on me in the future."

What Simon didn't say was that this operation could also cover his layout in the crude oil futures market next year.

Jennifer's face showed understanding, then she asked, "What's next?"

Simon reached out and scraped her nose, "Little girl, you already know too much."

Jennifer suddenly flinched at Simon's attack.

Realizing what happened, her face flushed even more. She looked around guiltily, but everyone else in the dining room seemed nonchalant. Relieved, she glared at Simon weakly, "Don't do this again. And I'm not a little girl."

Simon admired his assistant's angry yet charming expression, agreeing insincerely. He then said, "I'll call your father during the day and ask him to come over."

Jennifer hesitated, "Can't we discuss it over the phone? It takes a whole day to fly from New York to Melbourne."

Of course, he had to be considerate of his assistant's concern for her father.

After thinking for a while, Simon realized he wasn't planning to keep it secret anymore, and it probably couldn't be hidden anyway. Even if the phone was tapped, it wouldn't matter, so he nodded, "Alright, let's talk over the phone."

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