Bab 245: Chapter 245: You're Quite Scheming
In an apartment in the Brentwood district of Santa Monica city.
After last night's party, Nancy Brill invited Sophia Fecy to stay over at her apartment. Both women were from France and hit it off immediately, so Sophia gladly accepted and moved in overnight after canceling her hotel room.
It was Sunday.
Sophia woke up around 7 am. On the other side of the large bed, Nancy was still fast asleep.
Though they were about the same age, looking at Nancy's petite face partially covered by her hair, Sophia couldn't help but think of her own children back in France.
For a moment, she felt an impulsive urge to lean over and kiss the woman beside her.
Of course, she wouldn't act on such an abrupt thought.
Sophia wasn't a lesbian, and even though Nancy had mentioned being single for years during their chat last night, she didn't think Nancy had such inclinations.
Moving quietly out of bed and carefully drawing the light-penetrating curtains closed, Sophia left the bedroom.
Standing in the hallway outside the second-floor bedroom, Sophia estimated, based on her experience as a real estate agent, that this two-story apartment had at least 12 rooms. Yet, the apartment wasn't disordered despite its owner being a busy single career woman; instead, it exuded a compulsive neatness and order.
After freshening up in another room, Sophia conscientiously started preparing breakfast for both of them. She had always been a meticulous woman and had gleaned Nancy's tastes during the party the night before. Plus, she assumed the kitchen's ingredients wouldn't be to the owner's dislike.
Half an hour later, as Sophia was cooking corn sweet soup, Nancy's morning greeting came from behind.
Turning around, Sophia saw Nancy standing in the doorway, wearing a light pink silk camisole nightgown, her hair yet unstyled and her face bearing the fatigue of waking from alcohol-induced sleep. Her delicate clavicles and rounded shoulders made her look incredibly sexy, her feet bare below.
Sophia responded with a good morning, but she had to lower her gaze slightly to meet the eyes of the petite woman.
Noticing the smile at the corner of Sophia's mouth, Nancy, like a cat whose tail was stepped on, widened her eyes slightly and said, "Please, don't say I look like a doll, it makes me angry."
Sophia was about to joke that her 8-year-old son would soon be as tall as Nancy but decided against it, given her reaction. Instead, she simply said, "Breakfast will be ready in a bit; you might want to take a shower."
Nancy agreed and went upstairs to freshen up.
At the dining table, the two women shared breakfast, with Nancy opening up about her lifelong frustrations: "My dad is 6 feet tall, and my mom is 5 feet 9. But for some reason, I stopped growing after reaching 5 feet 1. Though he never said it, I know my dad always doubted if I was his biological daughter."
Sophia, respecting the privacy of Nancy's family, remained a quiet listener.
Nancy continued, "A few years ago, when DNA paternity testing became available, my dad rushed to get tested. I guess he did it several times. After confirming I was his daughter, he formally apologized to my mom and me. But the years of estrangement couldn't be mended with just an apology. Since middle school, realizing I was shorter than my peers, I've always felt inferior. Ever since I heard my first boyfriend boast to his friends that I was like a doll, I've never had another. Later, I became more ambitious, wanting to outdo anyone taller than me."
Sophia smartly shifted the conversation from Nancy's height and its impact on her family, saying lightly, "Being a bit shorter isn't such a bad thing. We're women; being taller or shorter doesn't matter much, especially since you're so pretty."
"You can't understand my troubles," Nancy lamented with a hint of world-weariness. After taking a sip of the corn sweet soup, she asked, "So, Sophia, how did you end up working for Simon Westeros?"
"I was a real estate agent for a company. Last year at the Cannes Film Festival, Simon took a liking to a property I was representing. So, I seized the opportunity. To catch our boss's attention, I used to call every day and often visited him under various pretexts. Finally, I succeeded."
Listening to Sophia, Nancy said, "Sophia, you're quite scheming."
Sophia felt she could become very close friends with this straightforward woman. Sensing no contempt in Nancy's words, she just rolled her eyes and said, "Without a bit of cunning, I'd probably be on Corsica, maybe married to a fisherman, stuck in a monotonous life of household chores, looking after kids and a husband, fading into obscurity until old age. My mother lived that life, but it's not what I want."
Nancy, having grown up in a relatively comfortable environment, hadn't experienced much hardship. Hearing Sophia's calm narration, she sensed a bitterness she'd never known. Putting down her spoon, she patted Sophia's hand and declared, "Sophia, from now on, you're my best friend."
Sophia smiled and shook Nancy's hand in response, though she didn't make a similar proclamation.
After breakfast, Nancy, dressed in a black business suit and her customary high-heeled shoes, and Sophia drove to Burbank. Their office at Garon Entertainment's Burbank division had a meeting with Ella Doychman about a Gucci documentary.
Despite being a Sunday, the office in Burbank was bustling. The relentless work ethic at Garon Entertainment had attracted media attention, with employee rights groups in California investigating allegations of forced overtime.
There was no coercion, but the culture was such that those who wanted to rest felt guilty doing so while others worked. Some employees had even resigned due to the pressure.
With Simon's recent collapse from exhaustion, complaints had subsided. After all, if the boss was working himself to the point of collapse, who were they to complain?
"My Left Foot" had wrapped up at the end of February. At Doychman's request, director Jim Sheridan and his team came to Los Angeles to complete post-production.
Unable to secure "Sex, Lies, and Videotape," Doychman considered "My Left Foot" as an alternative for the Cannes Film Festival. With Simon's connections from the previous year, as long as the film met expectations, securing a spot in the main competition wouldn't be hard.
"Sex, Lies, and Videotape" had garnered unanimous praise and an audience award at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Columbia Pictures didn't rush to release it, planning for Cannes in May.
"My Left Foot" and "Sex, Lies, and Videotape" would compete head-to-head.
After a routine meeting with the "My Left Foot" post-production team, Doychman joined Sophia to discuss the Gucci documentary's development plan.
Despite the allure of the Gucci family's internal feuds, those elements had to be briefly covered to protect the brand's image.
After a morning of discussions, it was decided that the documentary would start with Gucci hiring a new creative director and end with the Milan Fashion Week Gucci 1990 Spring/Summer show, interspersed with insights into Gucci's culture, style, iconic designs, and anecdotes.
Differences arose when Doychman suggested Gucci fund at least half of the production as a 'sponsorship' without sharing the documentary's rights and expected revenue. Sophia firmly opposed this. The final agreement was for Garon Entertainment and Gucci to split the budget, sharing rights and revenue. However, as the distributor, Garon could take 12.5% of the documentary's revenue from all channels.
With time pressing, they swiftly started preparations, aiming to begin filming once Gucci's new creative director took office at the end of the month or early the next month.
On March 6th, Monday, Sophia spent the day discussing brand collaborations between Gucci and Daenerys Entertainment, mainly about Gucci's advertising in Daenerys' film and TV projects.
Simon's synergy mechanism wasn't just for internal implementation; it extended to all subsidiaries under the Westeros Company. Hence, Amy also tried her best to cooperate.
After wrapping up in Los Angeles, Sophia hurried to New York, with an even busier schedule.
First was the $20 million recently promised by Simon.
Westeros continued to sell stocks in Apple and other tech companies, but with the use of funds already earmarked, Gucci had to resort to loans, primarily from Citibank, due to previous loan agreements.
Next, Sophia planned to restructure Gucci's American division, hire a new head for the U.S. operations, and take full control of North American business.
Additionally, two of Sophia's candidates for Gucci's creative director were in New York. This crucial decision for Gucci's future required extensive discussions.
Lastly, there were PR visits.
While in Melbourne, Simon had scheduled a meeting for Sophia with the Murdoch family upon her arrival in New York. The Murdochs had also invested $100 million in the Cersei Capital operation.
Relations needed to be utilized when necessary.
Murdoch's tabloids, like The Sun and New York Post, had long relished covering the Gucci family's scandals. With Gucci now under Simon's control and Murdoch's connections, it was time to curb this trend. Murdoch would unlikely refuse such an opportunity.
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