Simon quipped, "If it's just the two of us, you might need to call home first to prepare a ransom."
Janet retracted her foot with a smile, saying, "This is the north, though. The mafia should be more active in the south of Italy."
"That's only relative," Simon replied. "Milan is pretty much the same. For instance, in the fashion industry, models seeking opportunities in Milan might dodge the Italian government's income tax but can't escape the 'mob tax' they need to pay."
"Then let's bring Neil and the others along. If something happens, we can have a shootout. Neil and Ken are excellent marksmen."
Italy doesn't prohibit firearms, nor does Australia. Indeed, most Western countries at this time have not banned guns.
Simon hadn't paid much attention to the records of Neil Bennett and Ken Dixon, the veteran bodyguards from the Johnston family assigned to him earlier, but he didn't doubt Janet's word.
Still, a shootout sounded thrilling, but for the sake of his heart, it was perhaps best not experienced.
So far, Simon had never faced any substantial personal threats, yet he didn't want to wait until a crisis like the Heineken CEO's kidnapping incident years ago to start taking his security seriously.
"Let's forget it. Later, I'll call Sofia to see if there's anywhere fun and safe we can go in Milan tonight."
Janet hummed in agreement but didn't wait, immediately getting up to make the call.
After Janet left, Simon was about to continue reading his newspaper when Jennifer approached with a folder in hand.
After exchanging greetings with Janet and nodding to Natasha Kinsky, who was lounging lazily in a swimsuit on another chair, Jennifer sat down next to Janet's recently vacated lounger and said to Simon, "Here's the information on GSM technology. Do you want to look at it now?"
Simon sat up, taking the folder from his assistant to browse through, then asked, "How's the investigation into Nokia going?"
"The detailed information is still being collected, but we have a clear overview," Jennifer reported. "Nokia is a Finnish conglomerate with a long history, involved in various sectors including paper, rubber, electronics, telecommunications, and mobile phones. Recently, due to the continuous economic downturn of its biggest trading partner, the Soviet Union, Nokia has faced operational difficulties. Last year, Nokia's CEO Kari Kairamo even committed suicide due to the pressure. The new CEO, Simo Vuorilehto, has been streamlining Nokia's operations since the beginning of the year, with the telecommunications and mobile phone divisions being up for sale. It wouldn't be difficult for us to acquire these two divisions. However, the political situation in Eastern Europe is very unstable, potentially even leading to war. Acquiring a Finnish company that borders the Soviet Union directly might not be a wise decision."
Simon, scanning the GSM technology information, asked with a tone of scrutiny, "Putting political factors aside, what do you think about me buying these divisions of the company?"
Jennifer appeared to have pondered this question, replying, "It wouldn't be the best, but it's a good choice. Most European countries' telecommunications industries are still held by state-owned enterprises, which stifles innovation due to government procurement policies and significantly limits technological development in these sectors. North America's telecom giants are well-established, making market entry challenging. Even Australia has only one state-owned telecom company. Compared to that, Northern European countries like Sweden and Finland have opened their telecommunications sector to private enterprises early on and adopted a market-oriented competition mechanism without restricting foreign capital. Although Finland's market is small, we could use it as a base to expand into the entire European market."
Satisfied, Simon nodded, "Then pass this information to your dad and have him organize a team to contact Nokia as soon as possible."
Jennifer agreed, then mentioned, "Also, the news from Los Angeles is that Bertelsmann Music Group has taken over the operations of Alistair Records. They are willing to accept our conditions for a financial audit and compensation but hope to resume the sales of the 'Bodyguard' soundtrack first."
Simon decided, "Since we've already made a public stance that we won't resume sales until the issue is resolved, there's no reason to change that now."
Seeing Simon not relenting, Jennifer didn't argue further and stood up to return to the villa.
After the assistant left, Simon continued browsing through the information.
GSM stands for Global System for Mobile Communications. As early as 1983, European countries had already formed a technical team to draft GSM standards, but the rollout had been delayed, partly due to the state monopolies in the telecom industry dragging their feet.
In his memory, Nokia's rise was precisely because it took advantage of GSM technology, launching the first digital signal mobile phones compliant with GSM standards. Finland became the first country to establish a GSM network.
At a time when North America was still using first-generation analog signal communication, entering the market now would allow Simon to capitalize on his financial resources and foresight, securing a significant advantage in the upcoming mobile communication wave.
After casually reading through the dozen pages of the document and noticing Jennifer hadn't returned, Simon looked out at the setting sun.
A cool breeze blew from the direction of the Alps in the north.
Putting the documents aside, Simon stood up and stretched, noticing Natasha Kinsky still lazily lying nearby. He walked over, concerned.
Since latching onto Simon, Natasha had been living a life of luxury without economic pressure, seemingly aspiring to live like a cat.
Noticing Simon looking down at her, Natasha barely opened her eyelids, hummed softly as if asking if there was anything important, and if not, not to block her from enjoying the last rays of sunlight.
Simon, looking down at her, joked, "You've unintentionally overheard so much business secrecy; I suddenly wonder if I should silence you."
Natasha rolled her eyes disdainfully at Simon and turned away.
Seeing her ignore him, Simon bent down, picked her up, and threw her into the pool.
A splash sounded in the courtyard.
Then silence.
Initially just intending to tease, Simon watched the woman sink to the bottom, still staring up at him with wide eyes, feeling helpless.
Bubbles started to emerge.
More bubbles followed.
After over a minute, Natasha began to struggle, still staring at Simon from the bottom without making any move to resurface.
Simon, curious to see how long Natasha could hold out, suddenly remembered her strong self-destructive tendency.
If left unchecked, she might indeed drown herself in the pool.
Realizing this, Simon, without bothering to undress, jumped into the water in his shirt and pants, lifting the woman out to the poolside.
Climbing out and seeing Natasha motionless with her eyes closed, Simon, initially scared, hastily laid her across his lap to perform CPR.
After coughing up a few mouthfuls of water, Natasha opened her eyes again, feeling Simon's continued efforts, she scratched his leg in protest.
Simon grew angrier.
It wasn't okay to scare him with her life.
Seeing her recover and even having the energy to scratch him, he spanked her a few times.
After a few slaps, Natasha whimpered, softened, and then was laid on a nearby lounger.
Wincing in pain, she found a comfortable position to lie down and, noticing Simon's still frantic expression, couldn't help but smirk with a sense of victory. Simon, still somewhat shaken, collapsed onto a nearby lounger, wiped the water off his face, removed his soaked shirt, and tossed it aside. Watching her laugh carefree, he said irritably, "I can't keep you anymore. You should leave."
"Not leaving," Natasha Kinsky shook her head, defiantly suggesting, "You could try throwing me out."
Imagining her sprawling at his doorstep with wide eyes, Simon completely lost his will to argue. Picking up his shirt, he headed back to the villa.
Natasha, clad in just a swimsuit and not needing to worry, was left behind while he, completely drenched, needed to change immediately.
Entering the living room, Janet was lounging on the couch, engaged in a phone conversation. Surprised to see Simon come in soaking wet, she gave him a look and motioned upstairs with her lips.
After a quick shower and changing clothes, Janet entered the bedroom, curiously asking, "What happened just now?"
"Fell into the water," Simon said dismissively, changing the subject, "You talked to Sofia that long?"
Janet didn't press further, stepping forward to help Simon straighten his shirt collar, sharing, "David called, asking if we wanted to visit the UK this time."
Simon recalled David Johnston, Janet's younger brother.
After wrapping up "Batman" in April, Simon met David returning home with a girlfriend, not favored by Raymond Johnston. However, the idea of David inviting them to England seemed improbable, given his bookish demeanor.
Janet, finishing with Simon's collar, smiled, "Thought of it, huh?"
"His girlfriend?"
"Yes, Leslie Whittaker. Dad doesn't like her, thinks she's too cunning. But I think she's alright. David's so dull; having a smart wife is perfect for him."
"We don't have time for England this trip."
They had to return to New York after wrapping up here, with Sersi Capital's bond market operations nearing conclusion.
"I told him the same, we can't make it this time," Janet said, picking a pair of leather shoes from the rack and handing them to Simon, "Put these on, I'll go change too. We'll have dinner first, Sofia is waiting for us in the city. There are some interesting clubs we can visit tonight."
The shift from a dramatic pool incident to planning an evening out highlighted the dual aspects of their lives: navigating business complexities and finding moments of leisure and enjoyment amidst it all. Their ability to swiftly move from one to the other, managing personal relationships and professional challenges, exemplified their dynamic lifestyle, balancing the pressures of their high-stakes world with the pursuit of personal fulfillment and connections.
___________________
(Support with power stones, comments or reviews)
If you guys enjoy this story, In support me on Patreon and get access to +200 advance Chapters
Read Ahead
Patreon.com/INNIT