This year, the Oscars after-party underwent significant changes.
The Gucci Party was officially renamed the Melisandre Party, complete with its own trademark, and secured partnerships with Vanity Fair magazine and the Igreat portal as official media partners. Additionally, the venue was moved to the Sunset Tower Bar at the top of the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood, known for its expansive interior and spacious terrace.
Given a successful collaboration, the Sunset Tower Bar would become the permanent home for the Melisandre Party in the coming years.
Furthermore, the invitations to the party became much more exclusive. Melisandre's team had been curating the guest list for over a month, capping the number of attendees at around 200, far fewer than the thousand-plus audience members at the Oscars ceremony itself.
In essence, getting an invite to the Melisandre Oscars after-party was even tougher than securing a ticket to the Oscars.
By 9 PM, the Oscars ceremony at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion downtown had concluded, and the A-list stars and celebrities with Melisandre Party invites were heading to West Hollywood. Those who didn't receive an invite had no shortage of other parties to attend across Los Angeles, but none could match the star power or media attention of the Melisandre Party.
Eileen Landy, with the Wonder Woman crew, left the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion directly for the Melisandre Party at the Sunset Tower Hotel.
Simon had arranged everything for her meticulously, ensuring that the young woman, who had traveled alone from New York to Los Angeles, felt no disconnect with the unfamiliar world of Hollywood. He even provided her with a top-tier public relations manager known for working with stars like Keanu Reeves, Famke Janssen, and Sandra Bullock, to discuss potential media press releases.
Although Eileen declined the PR manager's suggestions, she couldn't help but feel another twinge of admiration for Simon.
Arriving at the Sunset Tower Hotel, Eileen avoided the media area and entered the building through another entrance to stay out of the spotlight.
The party had thoughtfully prepared temporary changing rooms for the guests.
While the Oscars demanded formal attire, the Melisandre Party was laid-back with no dress code, and it was impractical to move around in floor-length gowns. Moreover, many of the evening's dresses were rented, costing tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, and guests would be dismayed if their gowns were dirtied or damaged at the party.
Eileen had brought two outfits for the evening, changing into a knee-length pale blue dress for the party. It had a modern, edgy design, with a hint of business elegance.
When selecting the dress, she had thought Simon might like it.
After changing, she handed her formal gown to the assistant Simon had arranged for her and finally entered the party. The atmosphere was relaxed, with familiar Hollywood faces mingling in groups, drinking, chatting, singing, and eating. She also recognized some prominent figures from the business and political spheres among the crowd.
While she was scanning the room, waiting for Famke Janssen from the Wonder Woman crew, a woman with a statuesque figure, dressed in a simple black gown radiating mature, intellectual charm, approached her and extended her hand, "Hello, Miss Landy. I'm Sophia Fessi."
Eileen, who had just graduated last year and started working in the family business, had heard plenty of industry stories from her elders.
Recognizing the name, she quickly connected it to the woman before her.
Sophia Fessi, the chairwoman and CEO of Melisandre.
Sophia was a formidable figure who had rapidly transformed Melisandre into a diversified luxury group. Rumors suggested that her relationship with Simon Westeros was intriguingly ambiguous.
"Hello, Ms. Fessi. It's a pleasure to meet you."
As she shook hands with Sophia, Eileen couldn't help but scrutinize her.
Her first impression was of Sophia's flawless skin, displayed by the modest round-neck black gown she wore—smooth, tender, and fair, seemingly without a blemish.
It made one want to reach out and touch.
Hmm.
Had Simon ever done that?
Sophia allowed Eileen's scrutiny, glancing at Eileen's pale blue dress and smiling, "Isn't this the latest design from Montana's recent collection?"
Eileen was surprised and nodded, "Yes, Ms. Fessi. You recognize this dress?"
Sophia replied, "It's a quintessential Montana style—bold and avant-garde. It looks very intellectual and sophisticated on you."
"Oh, thank you," Eileen said, feeling a bit self-conscious. She wanted to compliment Sophia's outfit but didn't have the same keen eye for fashion. After a moment's hesitation, she couldn't resist steering the conversation towards Simon. "Will Simon... Mr. Westeros be coming tonight?"
Sophia's lips curled into a knowing smile, "Of course, but it'll be a little while."
As they spoke, a more exuberant female voice joined in from the side, "Hi, Sophie."
Both women turned to see Sandra Bullock approaching. Sophia opened her arms to her, "Good evening, Sandy. You look stunning tonight."
Sandra hugged Sophia back, laughing, "Thank you. So do you."
"Let me introduce you," Sophia said, turning to Eileen. "This is Miss Eileen Landy."
Sandra gave Eileen a light hug and instinctively asked, "Estée Lauder?"
Eileen nodded, "Estée Lauder was my grandmother."
"She was quite the legend."
"Thank you. My grandmother saw Run Lola Run. She really enjoyed it."
"Oh, you mean..."
"She's 85 now, but still in great health."
"That's wonderful."
After a brief chat, Sandra turned back to Sophia, asking, "Where's Simon? I haven't seen him around."
Sophia smiled, "He's the boss. He'll show up whenever he wants."
Sandra sighed, "It's getting harder and harder to see him these days."
"You know how busy he is."
"Yes, making all that money and not sharing any with me."
"You could always ask him."
"No thanks. If he throws me ten billion, I wouldn't know how to spend it."
"Haha, I could help you with that."
"You should just help him spend it," Sandra joked playfully. She noticed someone in the distance, "Keanu's here. I'm going to say hi. Haven't seen him in a while."
After Sandra left, Sophia glanced at the entrance and turned to Eileen, "The Scent of a Woman crew has arrived. Shall we go and meet them?"
Not having spotted Famke Janssen yet, Eileen nodded, "Sure."
As the biggest winner of the night, the arrival of the Scent of a Woman crew caused a small stir at the party.
The two women approached, exchanged a few polite words, but soon had to step aside as others took the opportunity to greet the team.
Shortly after, a group of tall, striking women made their way over—it was the Victoria's Secret Angels, including Cindy Crawford, Yasmin Ghauri, Tyra Banks, Helena Christensen, and Stephanie Seymour.
Eileen listened as Sophia warmly greeted the models, only for Stephanie Seymour to soon ask about Simon's whereabouts.
That's the third time.
And then, unsurprisingly, during subsequent conversations, there were the fourth, fifth, and sixth inquiries…
Approaching 10 PM, when Simon finally arrived at the party, Eileen thought it best to keep her distance.
Too many women had their eyes on this man; she didn't want to be just another one of his many lovers.
Despite this resolve, she couldn't help but feel a bit pleased when Simon complimented her dress.
And when he walked away with Sophia Fessi, she felt a tinge of jealousy.
Mingling among the guests for over half an hour, congratulating the night's winners and chatting with some important attendees, Simon eventually found a moment of peace. He and Sophia made their way to a sofa in a corner of the terrace outside the bar.
As they sat down, Sophia teased him, "How did you end up charming the Landy girl?"
Simon shrugged nonchalantly, "Just met her at a party in New York a few days ago."
Sophia, having achieved her goal of subtly prodding him, didn't push further. She had already accomplished what she needed to.
Seeing so many beautiful women vying for Simon's attention, Eileen was likely discouraged.
In some ways, Sophia and Simon's assistant shared a lot in common.
As his lover, she knew she had no chance of competing for anything significant but that didn't mean she liked seeing other women around him.
Switching topics, she brought up business.
"Christie's deal is nearly finalized. 309 pence per share, totaling 562 million pounds, or 878 million dollars. If you're okay with this, I'll head back to Europe tomorrow to officially announce the agreement."
Simon nodded, "I reviewed your memo this morning."
Compared to Christie's closing price last Friday, the deal at 309 pence per share represented a 23% premium, and a 30% premium over the price when negotiations began in mid-February.
Throughout the month-long negotiations, there had been several rounds of back-and-forth, with Christie's stock fluctuating on the London Stock Exchange.
In early March, frustrated by Christie's reluctance to concede, Sophia had abruptly halted talks, signaling a willingness to walk away. Over the next two weeks, Christie's stock, which had been rising, started to fall.
By last Friday, Christie's had reached out again, and Sophia presented a pre-prepared final offer, making it clear this was Melisandre's last proposal.
If Christie's didn't accept, the deal was off the table.
While some shareholders were reluctant, the board vote ultimately approved Melisandre's offer.
Most shareholders understood that
despite Simon Westeros's interest in Christie's, the inherent industry constraints meant the auction house couldn't fetch a significantly higher price.
After discussing some details, Sophia inquired, "And what's the deal with Joseph Lewis?"
Simon replied, "You should have seen his profile. I'm very interested in Tavistock Group, which he owns. It could be a useful partner for future investments, especially as a foothold into Latin American markets."
Joseph Lewis was eager to establish a relationship with Simon. Upon investigating Lewis thoroughly, Simon discovered that Tavistock Group, controlled by Lewis, could serve as a strategic partner or "shell" for the Westeros system's expansion into overseas markets like Latin America.
For the Christie's acquisition, Melisandre initially planned to use its funds to acquire around 51% of the shares, ensuring absolute control. The remaining shares were to be held by various entities, including Apollo Management under Cersei Capital.
After agreeing to Joseph Lewis's request to participate during a New York party, Sophia had to adjust the financing strategy, allocating 20% of the shares to him.
Moreover, entities like an Italian investment fund controlled by the Agnelli family behind Fiat Group planned to acquire about 15% of the shares, and Italian media magnate Silvio Berlusconi sought a 10% stake. These were not mere holdings but represented strategic alliances with Italian local capital, crucial and unavoidable partnerships.
Following urgent negotiations with Joseph Lewis, Melisandre's own stake was reduced.
Fortunately, Lewis, eager to collaborate with the Westeros system, willingly ceded the voting rights of his 20% stake to Melisandre.
Thus, despite Melisandre holding only 31% of Christie's shares, combining Lewis's 20% and Cersei Capital's 11%, the Westeros system secured 62% of the voting rights at Christie's.
Holding 31% with absolute control was an investment state Simon favored.
No matter how quickly the Westeros system's capital accumulated, it had its limits.
Leveraging others' funds to extend its influence was the primary purpose behind the development of Cersei Capital.
For example, BlackRock Asset Management under Cersei Capital, if it reached its peak size, controlling over $6 trillion in assets, would wield a massive influence capable of swaying global economic trends.
Capital alone couldn't exert influence.
To achieve this, the execution had to be through individuals. When Cersei Capital purchased enough shares of a company, it could place its representatives on the company's board, thereby exerting control and influence.
The larger and more historically significant a corporation was, the more likely it was to be a public company without major shareholders or complex ownership structures.
In such companies, the board of directors effectively held the reins of control.
If the Westeros system held board seats at giants like General Electric, Boeing, ExxonMobil, and IBM, Simon could essentially control the U.S. economy. Expanding globally, the impact would be the same.
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