Capítulo 431: Chapter 432: Breaking Conventions
Simon and Al Gore's meeting lasted an hour, and by 2:30 PM, the senator hurried back to Washington.
After Gore left, Simon and James Redbourn returned to the meeting room. Once the secretary had refreshed their coffee and left, James spoke up, "According to the tradition of U.S. presidential campaigns, candidates and their running mates are typically from different regions—North and South—and they balance each other in terms of age. Both Arkansas and Tennessee are in the South and they border each other, plus both Clinton and Gore are quite young. Are you sure you want to proceed like this?"
Simon sipped his coffee, having previously quit it for a while because Janet wanted a child, but now there was no need for such abstinence.
Setting down his cup, Simon replied, "Traditions are meant to be broken. The people have seen enough of the old ways over the years; they might be ready for something new. Besides, in my view, the success or failure of this election won't hinge on Clinton alone."
George H. W. Bush's advantage seemed too great next year.
A political dynasty, deep political roots, and the public prestige from a victorious Gulf War—all these aspects were far beyond what Clinton, a man of humble origins with his own share of scandals, could match.
To win an election under these circumstances required an element of surprise.
Using Ross Perot, a fellow conservative, to run as a third-party candidate and split Bush's votes was key to Bill Clinton's success in the 1992 presidential election.
James understood what Simon was implying and responded, "Perot has recently established the Reform Party and has been continuously building his presence in the media. However, Joseph's team's follow-up shows that the public isn't very enthusiastic about his candidacy for next year."
"That's only temporary. Bush's current high approval ratings are due to his early year military victory, and the Democrats haven't finalized their candidate yet. If Bush's war halo begins to fade next year and the Democratic candidate fails to resonate with the public, Perot's candidacy could gain significant support."
Simon pondered for a moment and then said, "For now, let's not focus too much on Perot. Our priority until next year should be to clean up as much of Clinton's mess as possible."
"Clinton still holds back from us and doesn't fully trust us. However, Hillary is very cooperative. She probably sees our commitment in this gamble. With her help, Joseph has already secured three nondisclosure agreements and even managed a covert cash transaction through live cattle futures," James said, shaking his head. "You don't like Rudy Giuliani, do you? I think this guy might be even worse."
"He's a very capable man, and his flaws give us more leeway. If it were someone like Jimmy Carter, how much could we really benefit from helping him into the White House?"
Jimmy Carter, who governed from 1977 to 1981, was remembered as mediocre and inactive. Known for his caution and integrity, he achieved little during his term, leading to his defeat to Ronald Reagan, an actor with a thin political resume.
James nodded in agreement. At their level, if they still harbored strong moral scruples, they really shouldn't be in this game at all.
After wrapping up their discussion, Simon headed to Daenerys Entertainment's East Coast headquarters in Greenwich to handle some business before heading back to the West Coast in the evening.
Dinner preparations had just begun upon his arrival in Los Angeles. Returning to his estate at Point Dume, Claire Gains, the C-girl, was waiting for him.
Due to the success of iCam, Claire had to devote most of her energy to the company, working over ten hours a day. Simon, not one to enforce obligations, gladly allowed his housemaid to pursue her career; Claire would be heading to San Francisco tomorrow to start her full-time job.
Janet, who had been chatting with Claire, kissed her husband upon his return, indicating she would check on the dinner preparations before leaving the living room.
Simon settled on the sofa and, looking at Claire still dressed in the OL uniform he favored, joked, "Escaping from the clutches of Westeros, how does it feel?"
Claire handed Simon a glass of water and sat down next to him, leaning in with a bright look, "I haven't officially resigned. I'll still be drawing my salary for the next few years, and I'm available whenever you need me back."
"Would you give up Tinkerbell as well?"
"Of course. Everything I have is thanks to you, Boss. It wouldn't matter if I gave it up."
Simon, enjoying Claire's delightful scent and admiring her delicate features, said, "I suddenly feel like rewarding you."
Claire's eyes sparkled playfully as she stroked her pencil skirt, teasingly saying, "I remember, but we can't do it here. The lady of
the house would have a fit."
Simon chuckled, "You might be misunderstanding something?"
Claire confidently tapped her chin, "Not at all, Boss. You're just too hard to please. So for me, certain things are indeed a reward."
"And then? Might you develop some grand ambition?"
"I've always had them, but in front of the lady, I think staying alive is most important."
Simon considered this possibility. Since their marriage last year, there had been speculation about whether they had a prenuptial agreement or what it might contain.
They did have one.
Janet asked for nothing, seemingly prepared to walk away with nothing in case of a divorce. However, Simon knew that the word 'divorce' simply didn't exist in their dictionary.
If anything, the only possibility was 'widowhood.'
Simon's inherent detachment from the world complemented Janet's free-spirited nature, which masked a readiness to flout any rule in a moment of madness. Her initial claim of wanting to destroy the world wasn't just talk.
Those with a keen intuition could sense the potential for hysteria in Janet if they spent enough time around her.
Claire certainly felt this and thus never entertained the thought of replacing her.
After a few more exchanges with Claire, they discussed serious matters.
Tinkerbell's starting point could be seen as both low and high.
Low because, compared to camera industry giants with decades of technological accumulation, Tinkerbell was like a newborn with no foundation.
High because the company was backed by the entire Westeros system.
Such a company, if well-managed, could grow rapidly. If unable to control the situation, it could end up being a grand delusion.
Claire faced many challenges: managing a booming market, increasing iCam's production capacity, continuing to invest in R&D, establishing retail channels, improving after-sales service, and so on. If she could navigate these challenges, she would be successful. Failure to do so would naturally result in defeat.
Simon had also been thinking about the company's issues.
Although if Tinkerbell failed to take off, he would promptly introduce other camera giants to the competition, he preferred to keep it in the family if possible.
"For production capacity, since this camera is aimed only at internet users, we could try an online flash sale model. Users could secure a purchase slot through the official website and pick up the camera at a retail store using a voucher. This approach would maintain iCam's popularity over a long period and prevent customer disappointment due to stock shortages at retail points."
This was essentially the concept of scarcity marketing that Simon remembered.
However, since online shopping hadn't yet taken off, some adjustments were necessary: securing a slot online and picking up the product offline.
Claire, maintaining a slightly seductive posture, listened attentively to Simon's explanation and responded, "For at least the next two months, we can only produce 2000 units per week. Developing an online flash sale system just for these 2000 units might be a bit wasteful. Even without the flash sale, our official website has already experienced several crashes due to increased traffic."
Tinkerbell's official website was hosted on servers operated by Igneel Corp.
As cloud computing technology was still in development, current server leasing was still based on a traditional, non-elastic model. If they had to rent much more server space than normally needed just to accommodate data traffic peaks, it indeed seemed somewhat inefficient.
Simon thought for a moment and then said, "Let's continue to work with Igneel Corp. Their portal has the capacity to handle such data traffic, and it would be mutually beneficial."
Claire nodded, "I'll discuss this with Mr. Bezos in San Francisco tomorrow, but, Boss, you'll need to give me a heads-up first."
The two continued discussing various other details until it was time for dinner.
Janet didn't allow the maids to dine at the table, so it was just the two of them, with ABCD waiting to eat after them.
The evening wasn't going to be spent entertaining the whims of fairies around them.
The couple watched TV for a while, and around nine o'clock, they headed to the bedroom.
After taking a bath together and changing into their nightwear, Janet pulled out a thick folder from the bedside table to discuss a recent incident: "Our investigation team found the person who caused the Igneel portal crash a few days ago. Guess who it is?"
"Your brother?"
"..."
"Just kidding."
Janet rolled her eyes at Simon, pulling a photo from the folder and handing it to him, "It's a young girl from Rhode Island named Maya Dolente. She's only 16, from a single-parent family, but they're quite well-off. Her mother has about $8 million in a family trust. Unless something changes, it's enough for them to live comfortably for life."
Simon glanced at the photo.
It was clearly a candid shot of a girl who looked quiet and reserved, slightly over
1.6 meters tall, slim, dressed in a simple T-shirt and jeans, with neat, ear-length hair. From her side profile, she could pass as pretty.
Suddenly, Simon thought of another incident.
"By the way, what was the deal with that girl at the premiere of 'The Dark Knight' in June?"
Janet was surprised Simon brought it up, blinking twice before responding, "You mean Jenny?"
"Yes, Jenny."
Another Jenny.
Janet showed no sign of guilt, "She adores you, so I just wanted to fulfill her wishes."
"Hmm?"
"Jenny can't always be by your side, right? So this Jenny could be a backup. She's been admitted to Stanford and is about to start school. I plan to arrange some extra training for her; she'll be no less capable than Jenny."
"Does she want this?"
"What's there for her not to want? Her parents would cry tears of joy to have their daughter stay with you."
"You're sure parents like that exist?"
"They're just ordinary people. I gave them a million, and that settled it."
"Alright, just don't cause any trouble."
Janet confidently said, "Of course not."
Simon decided to skip over this matter, realizing he indeed needed an assistant as his current female assistant had plans for a child in a few years, necessitating a replacement. He trusted a girl trained by Janet.
Returning to the matter at hand, he gestured to the photo, "What do you plan to do with this girl?"
"Our investigation team has obtained direct evidence from her computer. I plan to confront her and her mother soon. Either we sue them and they lose everything, or the girl has to work for us."
Simon didn't inquire further about how the investigation team had obtained the evidence but asked, "Isn't she only 16?"
Janet seemed unfazed, "Yes, but 16 is quite old. Many girls have children at that age. Plus, if she works for us, I won't restrict her life; I'll even make it better for her."
If they were unwilling, the trust fund for the mother and daughter would likely be depleted.
$8 million was a fortune for most ordinary people, but the damages from a 20-minute server outage at the Igneel portal could far exceed that amount.
Simon considered for a moment and then nodded, adding, "If she's really that talented, don't let her hang under Igneel. Bring her directly into our investigation team. Later, she can help us find other people."
"That's what I was thinking," Janet replied, then flipped through the folder and added, "Speaking of the team that found Maya Dolente, the head reported to me recently that they feel like we're being watched."
Simon narrowed his eyes and took the handwritten report Janet handed him, asking as he read, "Couldn't Neil and the others spot this?"
Janet shook her head, "Neil and the others are just bodyguards. They're fine for helping you ditch the paparazzi when you're sneaking around, but they're not trained spies. They naturally miss some things."
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