In recent years, from *The Sixth Sense* to *Cape Fear*, Robert De Niro has been at the peak of his career. Al Pacino's popularity, which had been in a slump, quickly warmed up after *Scent of a Woman* late last year. Furthermore, since both are veteran members of Hollywood's Big Four Male Stars, getting them together was not easy.
Daenerys Entertainment had already been in contact with De Niro, but he had not immediately agreed.
Therefore, Simon had to personally step forward.
The two talked for a moment at the party. Simon provided a detailed analysis of *Heat*, guaranteeing it would become a classic cop film of the nineties, and only then did De Niro finally agree.
Following their collaboration on *Scent of a Woman*, Al Pacino had already agreed to *Heat* in advance.
With De Niro secured this time, the project essentially faced no major obstacles.
Many people at the party had been closely watching Simon's movements. Seeing that he had finally finished talking with De Niro, they seized the opportunity to step forward and greet him.
For most of the surrounding filmmakers, who were merely second or third-tier or hadn't even established a presence, meeting Simon Westeros was a rare opportunity. If they could leave a special impression, they could potentially cut ten or twenty years off their struggle in Hollywood.
In recent years, Daenerys Entertainment has not only seen Westeros himself shine brilliantly, but it has also spared no effort in cultivating new filmmakers.
Simon was not aloof toward the greetings from those around him; he patiently socialized and would chat longer if interested, but he would not immediately make any promises.
It wasn't until past ten o'clock that Simon and his wife left the party and returned to their residence located in the hills southeast of the small city.
---
They slept until past eight the next day.
After waking up, they didn't leave the covers. January was the coldest time in Park City. There hadn't been snow recently, but the weather was increasingly dry and cold, with outdoor temperatures dropping below minus ten degrees Celsius.
Inside the wooden house situated on a hill, it was naturally warm like spring.
With no schedule planned for the day, after waking up, Janet still clung to him like an octopus, rubbing and cuddling, and then they naturally made love once.
At ten o'clock, he carried the lazy, soft woman to the bathroom for a hot bath. After washing up and going downstairs, it was already past eleven in the morning.
This time, ABD and the four young women, including Aliya, had followed them.
After going downstairs, lunch was ready, so they went straight into the dining room.
Although the house was a wooden structure, the architectural design was very modern. The dining room faced south and was fitted with a full wall of sealed floor-to-ceiling glass, mainly for insulation. The midday sun streaming in, seemingly without much heat, combined with the indoor heating, created a very comfortable feeling.
Sitting next to Simon at the dining table, Janet's face still held a faint blush. After eating a little of the food in front of her, she leaned over and nudged the man, asking, "What should we do this afternoon?"
Simon laughed, "Nothing. Just sunbathing."
Janet's beautiful eyes fluttered a few times. She nodded, her lips curving into a smile, and said, "Mhm."
Since they were there for the film festival, the best activity was naturally watching movies.
However, wherever Simon appeared for a film screening, it would likely cause a commotion. Plus, since there weren't any films he was particularly interested in, he decided to just stay home.
As for skiing, that was out of the question.
Mainly because Janet didn't know how to ski.
It was already noon, and the outdoor temperature in Park City was still below freezing, so sunbathing outside was obviously impossible.
After lunch, they moved to another bright living room that also had floor-to-ceiling windows. With coffee brewed and some fruit prepared, they curled up together on the sofa, watching the black-and-white film *Casablanca* on TV.
This was delivered by the Blockbuster chain store in Park City.
The wooden house actually had a private screening room, but the couple currently preferred watching TV in the warm and bright living room.
Simon had previously drafted a plan to distribute older classic films through Blockbuster's channels, mimicking Disney's model of re-releasing animated films.
Blockbuster had been doing this all along, and it was quite successful.
The film currently being highly recommended was *Casablanca*.
The film was actually produced by Warner Bros., but since the strategy was successful, Blockbuster naturally wouldn't limit its scope to just MGM.
Janet clearly remembered that a long, long time ago, during a phone call one evening, Simon had joked with her about the two male leads of *Casablanca*. Because of this, her thoughts couldn't help but wander during the viewing, and she once again complained that a certain guy had ruined her appreciation for a classic film.
Simon had only been joking back then, but he still thoroughly enjoyed the film now.
Compared to modern films, black-and-white movies from decades ago lacked complex techniques, rich colors, and intricate plots, yet this did not prevent it from becoming a classic still talked about half a century later.
This was probably the true charm of cinema.
When Rick and Captain Renault 'once again' planned to wander the world together on the big screen, Janet's eyes fluttered, and she couldn't help but giggle a few times, then turned her head and started playfully punching Simon's shoulder again.
Simon picked up a strawberry from the fruit plate Janet was holding and laughed, "I was just joking back then. They actually have a very pure male-male relationship."
Janet didn't argue much, but instead opened her mouth toward the man.
Simon had no choice but to put the strawberry he had just picked up into the woman's mouth, only to have his finger bitten and nibbled along with it.
After a moment of playful teasing, Janet also offered a piece of strawberry to Simon's mouth and said, "Speaking of spies, we now have a team of over a hundred people. Should we do something mischievous?"
The matter dated back to the autumn before last.
Realizing that he was constantly being watched by various forces, Simon began gradually establishing an intelligence team exclusively for the Westeros Family.
Coincidentally, with the reunification of East and West Germany, followed by the dramatic changes in Eastern Europe and the collapse of the Soviet Union, the changing world landscape altered many things. In particular, the vast intelligence networks established by Eastern powers became fragmented during this turmoil, which conveniently allowed the Westeros System to recruit relevant talent.
However, because Simon was too busy, Janet had been in charge of this matter. The woman would only occasionally mention things to Simon, such as having developed another team, uncovering some interesting tidbits, or finding some people 'interested' in the Westeros Family, and so on.
Over time, Simon gradually stopped paying much attention to the matter without realizing it.
He hadn't expected a team of over a hundred people to suddenly emerge.
Turning his head to look at the woman beside him, Simon asked, "Specifically, how many people?"
Janet replied, "136 people."
Hearing this number, Simon couldn't help but say, "You're not recruiting just anyone, are you?"
Janet blinked a few times and shook her head, saying, "Of course not, they are all the best. For example, the team of KGB agents we first discovered, they actually deliberately exposed flaws so we could find them. Behind that team is a very capable couple. They foresaw the end of the Soviet Union and were looking for an exit strategy from the beginning."
Simon vaguely remembered a family Janet had mentioned before.
The couple worked as teachers at a relatively unknown university in London, UK, and they had a daughter studying at USC.
At the time, Simon was preoccupied with the acquisition of MCA and Bell Atlantic and didn't have much energy to focus on this matter, and Janet rarely brought it up afterward.
Still, over a hundred people.
Although his family could afford to support them and there was no lack of places where they could be used, managing so many spies meant that trouble could arise if they weren't careful.
Janet observed Simon's expression, then smiled suddenly and said, "Don't worry, only I know the specific details of these people. They operate in decentralized teams, and the largest group only has eight members. Even if some are discovered, they won't be able to expose the entire network."
Simon didn't relax, pressing further, "Will we be implicated?"
Janet thought for a moment and said, "Some might be, like those we recruited from Australia, but they won't do anything too overstepping. Even if they are discovered, it won't be a big deal, and there won't be any evidence directly pointing to us. The other group, those with more sensitive identities, won't be implicated. I always maintain contact with them only indirectly."
Simon thought of another question: "What about loyalty? How is that guaranteed?"
Janet shrugged, "I've done my best to ensure it, but confirming it one hundred percent is unlikely. You know, the human heart is the most complicated thing in the world. Besides the person themselves, no one can guarantee anything one hundred percent."
Simon nodded slightly, recalling another matter. He said, "I remember the compensation for Martin Dinham's two teams was very generous; the one-time retirement bonus alone was $5 million. These hundred-plus people aren't all getting that, are they?"
When the old man helped them scout 11 people, Simon and his wife offered generous compensation that practically bought out their lives: a 20-year term of employment, an annual salary of $200,000, a one-time settlement fee of $1 million, a future retirement bonus of $5 million, and subsequent equally generous pensions.
Both parties understood that this was essentially buying their lives.
In the past year or two, there haven't been any more incidents like wiretapping around Simon, and many small attempts targeting Simon and his wife were discovered in advance. This proved that Martin Dinham's two direct teams were worth the investment.
Janet shook her head and said, "Martin and his people are the direct lineage. For the others, most of them only get paid when they work. We're not suckers."
Even if these hundred-plus people were compensated exactly like Martin Dinham's teams, given Simon's current and future wealth, he could certainly afford it. However, the question was whether it was worth it.
Simon already had more money than he could spend, and this would only increase in the future, but he had never liked being treated as a cash cow.
[A/n: This is the most bs thing i read.....i mean you allowed a woman whom you didin't even spend a night with you to live in your private property near some film festival and paid all the expenses for her shopping spree which bulked upto millions, after which she left because she can't fu*k anyone when she lives on your money and said she is like a cat and he doesn't care how much she spends and now you are saying that you don't want to be treated like cash cow]
Hearing Janet say this, Simon felt relieved and said, "For a network, while ensuring it has the capacity to catch the information, it should of course be used as little as possible, and ideally, no futile effort should be made."
Janet understood what Simon meant and nodded, but then she clung to him again, smiling, "But I just want to do something mischievous."
Simon pinched the woman's smooth cheek and said, "If you really want to do something mischievous, then do it."
Feeling the man's undisguised indulgence in his tone, Janet giggled a few times, rubbed her cheek against his palm, and pressed her body closer, saying, "I want to do other mischievous things now."
Like this, the entire weekend was spent like homebodies in the mountain cabin in Park City, and time flew by quickly.
---
The new week began, Simon returned to Los Angeles, and Janet flew back to New York as usual.
Not only Cersei Capital, but much of the work for Westeros Company and Verizon Telecom is largely managed by Janet. Coupled with all the affairs of the Westeros Family, the woman has no fewer responsibilities to juggle on a daily basis than Simon.
However, compared to the micro-management Simon must engage in across Hollywood, Silicon Valley, and other areas, Janet has always been a macro-manager skilled at 'making others work,' so she actually has far fewer tasks to handle than Simon.
Malibu, Daenerys Studios.
The date was January 19th, Tuesday.
During lunchtime, Simon was having a meal with Nancy Brill in the restaurant located in the second-floor office loft area of the studios.
The two had just discussed a new development plan for Blockbuster Company, which Nancy Briel oversaw, concerning Blockbuster's direct involvement in film production and distribution.
Blockbuster's 1992 annual financial data was still under review, but preliminary figures had been released.
For the four quarters of 1992, Blockbuster's total revenue was approximately $3.36 billion.
Core video rental business revenue was $2.51 billion, which included $130 million in online platform income. Although the proportion was still very low, development in this area far exceeded industry expectations.
Furthermore, sales of movie merchandise at chain stores reached $730 million. Of this income, sales of merchandise directly related to Daenerys Entertainment accounted for 69%, reaching $510 million. This was the largest contribution to Daenerys Entertainment's merchandise sales across all retail channels, including Walmart and Toys "R" Us.
Finally, there was about $120 million in income from in-store advertising and other sources.
During the years she controlled Blockbuster, Nancy Brill continuously made various adjustments to ensure that this increasingly large video rental chain maintained the healthy state of a 'long-distance runner' rather than blindly pursuing scale and ultimately becoming a sluggish 'obesity patient.'
Just last year, while eliminating the late fees that users had long complained about, Blockbuster decisively cut marginal businesses such as video game cartridge rentals and further streamlined non-video retail operations, firmly establishing video rental and merchandise sales as its two core focuses.
In terms of store expansion, Blockbuster also maintained restraint.
This operating strategy ensured Blockbuster's overall high-efficiency operation but also largely restricted its rapid revenue growth.
However, Blockbuster's profit margin also rose significantly due to the streamlining of bloated operations and increased efficiency. Even while continuing expansions like the online platform, Blockbuster's projected full-year net profit margin would be around 15%, with net profits for 1992 estimated at about $500 million.
This already surpassed the net profit scale of some major Hollywood studios.
As the news spread, Blockbuster's stock price continued to climb during this period, even though the annual financial report wouldn't be officially released until next month.
With large amounts of cash on hand, expansion was necessary.
This is why the plan to directly enter film production and distribution was conceived, which was essentially a supplement to Daenerys Entertainment's overall expansion in Hollywood.