Chapter 247: Weaving the Web

Sofia Fessy finished her work in New York, and the date was March 11th, a Saturday.

She had originally planned to return to Europe today, as there were many matters awaiting her at Gucci, but an invitation to a cocktail party from the Rebelords made her postpone her trip to tomorrow.

Around 6:30 in the evening, Sofia, along with Angela Arentz, who had officially become the president of Gucci's American branch, hurried to the Gramercy Park Hotel in the Midtown area.

As they entered the hotel's banquet hall, many guests had already arrived, chatting in small groups about various topics.

The Rebelord couple came forward to greet Sofia and Angela, exchanged a few words, and then moved on to welcome other guests, leaving the two women to mingle.

The new New York City mayoral election was scheduled for November at the end of the year, and tonight's cocktail party was a fundraising event hosted privately by the Rebelords for the Democratic candidate, David Dinkins. Of course, everyone knew that the real financier behind the scenes was Simon himself.

David Dinkins' opponent was Rudy Giuliani, the former Southern District prosecutor who had investigated Simon. Although there was some friction with Giuliani, the purpose of the cocktail party was not to target him but to cultivate political connections for Westeros Company.

Simon's companies had amassed billions of dollars in just a few years. To continue expanding, dealing with the federal government was inevitable. Waiting to build these connections only when troubles arise would certainly not work.

James Rebelord reminded Simon that by refusing to join the Japanese financial market with domestic capital, he missed a chance to establish ties with traditional American capital. Simon, though still refusing, instructed James to start cultivating political connections for Westeros Company.

Moreover, Simon immediately approved a budget of $10 million for this year.

In an era where most top billionaires had assets only in the billions, few could afford such an investment purely for political networking. James, however, quickly put the money to use.

Building political connections doesn't necessarily mean betting on presidential elections. Actually, as every action of the U.S. President is highly scrutinized and their power is not as great as imagined, the return on such an investment is relatively low.

Instead, becoming the financial backer of key members of Congress or significant institutions can weave an unbreakable network of connections. This is how the Koch family established its deep-rooted political influence in the U.S., having spokespersons in various high positions regardless of which party won the presidency.

According to Forbes's data from last year, Charles and David Koch, the heads of the Koch family, each had assets of only $1.1 billion. Their combined wealth was less than Simon's, and they hadn't yet formed the level of influence they would later achieve.

Upon realizing this, Simon decided to emulate the Koch family's political networking model. The Koch family only began their rise in the sixties and seventies, a few years ahead of Simon. But Simon had the advantage of youth and greater personal wealth.

After making his decision, Simon didn't hesitate to provide James with $10 million to 'test the waters'. And he chose to bet solely on the Democratic Party.

If James could achieve the desired effect with this year's budget, Simon planned to significantly increase the funding next year. If James failed to meet expectations, Simon would not hesitate to replace him.

Simon did not share his detailed plan with James Rebelord, who also did not squander the sudden influx of funds. As a former financial lawyer, James had built a significant network and now, with substantial capital backing, he could easily accomplish certain goals.

Because of strict limits on individual donations in election campaigns, the amount David Dinkins could receive from this fundraiser was perhaps less than the event's cost. The real investment was in networking.

To establish this connection, Westeros Company needed to offer more substantial chips. Otherwise, even if elected, Dinkins would treat the company as a typical financier, not a close political ally.

James held a low opinion of Rudy Giuliani, seeing him as a pure opportunist politician with unclean dealings. Giuliani's ambition to further his political career seemed nearly impossible.

As for Sofia, being a foreigner, she couldn't provide political donations according to the Federal Election Campaign Act. Thus, her attendance at the cocktail party was purely social. Simon, though a newcomer to immense wealth, had a potential network through the numerous companies held by Westeros Company.

Around 7 o'clock, with more than a hundred Hollywood stars, media bigwigs, tech company executives, Wall Street elites, and Manhattan celebrities gathered, David Dinkins, around sixty and the former Manhattan Borough President, took to the stage. After his speech, the official party began.

Sofia and Angela, mingling in the crowd, exchanged business cards with many guests. Angela even arranged a personal shopping experience for a lead actress in a popular series produced by Daenerys Entertainment.

The evening wore on, and as Sofia was speaking with Robert Ager, the Rebelords approached with their eighteen-year-old son Philip. Ager, seeing Philip, remarked, "Jim, you've finally let Philip come out and see the world."

"Yes, he's about to go to college, and it's good for him to be exposed to these things," James replied, introducing Philip to Sofia. After a brief exchange, the Rebelords moved on to other guests.

Ager, watching them leave, commented on their overly strict parenting, which he believed contributed to Philip and his sister Jenny's shyness.

James soon left to see off David Dinkins, sharing with him a rumor about Rudy Giuliani threatening the SEC to delay a lawsuit against Michael Milken. Giuliani's alleged actions, if true, could severely damage his reputation as a law enforcer.

Returning to the party, James reflected on the strategy of investing in networking rather than expecting immediate monetary returns from the fundraiser. The real game was building connections, and for that, Westeros Company was prepared to invest substantially.

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