Chapter 691: Splitting Execution (3)

Silia's words revealed that Sergei Komorov and his associates' understanding of Simon's 'preferences' was evidently obtained through the London Girl incident.

Simon couldn't help but think of the girls he kept in various places.

Over the past half year, Simon gradually realized that things were veering off course.

The group of girls initially selected from all over Eastern Europe and Latin America were already top-notch in both appearance and intelligence. Coupled with Simon's no-expense-spared, rigorous training, the situation now was that these little fairies had become too outstanding. If they continued at the current pace, they could definitely grow into the kind of formidable beings capable of causing chaos in the world as Simon had once envisioned.

And it was a whole group of them.

Therefore, if in the future they were still to serve as mere housemaids for the Veena family, it wouldn't be impossible, but it would indeed be a waste of talent.

Simon was not one to waste talent. On the contrary, he preferred to utilize people to their fullest potential. This is why Sophia, Alice, Claire, and Becky could fully showcase their talents within the Westeros system.

Thus, Simon had quietly abandoned his original plan.

The training of the girls would not stop.

No matter what, creating a batch of exceptionally beautiful and talented fairies was a very fulfilling endeavor. Expenses that ordinary people would see as extravagant were less than Simon's daily income.

It was just a unique personal hobby.

Moreover, even if they didn't need to serve as Veena family maids in the future, most of these girls would still integrate into the vast Westeros system.

Janet had already quietly selected a few girls, planning to train them as her assistants or place them into Circe Capital. Sophia had also privately mentioned to Simon that she noticed one of the girls in the Milan group had exceptional design talent and hoped to start targeted training right away.

Simon agreed to all of this.

Of course, this was not an absolute decision.

If some girls still wished to join Dume Cape Manor in the future, Simon wouldn't refuse. As for those whose ambitions had flown away, Simon would let them go, allowing them to spread their wings.

Then, regarding the Veena family maids, Simon no longer leaned towards all-rounder girls. Those responsible for daily chores would be specially selected for those tasks.

The only constant would be the stringent selection process.

Speaking of which, Simon's arrangements for the three people around the Graf mother and daughter some time ago were a result of this shift in strategy.

As social creatures, humans naturally form their own positions.

Just like in Simon's memory of a certain online game's biohazard mode, once a soldier turned into a zombie, they would almost immediately attack their former comrades.

This is the most direct representation of taking sides.

Selecting simple, professional maids would initially be placed on the periphery of the Westeros family, gradually forming their own positions and loyalty while managing Simon's vast properties. After multiple tests, they could eventually be trusted to be used closely.

In the small living room of the villa.

Celia Miller opened a file box and handed Simon a report on the compensation for disabled and deceased Westeros mercenaries. Seeing that Simon did not respond to her earlier teasing, she casually changed the topic, asking, "Boss, I noticed that this time your sudden trip to Europe is somewhat unusual. Is there something else going on?"

Over the past few months, Celia had somewhat understood some of Simon's personal habits.

In the past, when Simon traveled, he habitually brought along an A-girl and a Veena family maid, but this time he was only accompanied by a few groups of bodyguards.

Celia didn't believe this was simply because he had left the USA.

Simon opened the document in his hand and said flatly without looking up, "Nothing special."

Celia paused, didn't ask further, and began discussing business: "As of the end of July, all compensation for the 437 soldiers who died or were disabled during the Rwandan War has been paid. According to your instructions, no intermediaries were involved, and payments were made directly in US dollars. Next, our education and medical benefits will continue to cover these soldiers and their families, with appropriate special privileges. Oh, and there's the job placement you mentioned with Komorov this afternoon, which will be added later. All other drafted plans are in the documents in your hand."

To be precise, of the 437 soldiers who received compensation, 276 were killed, and 161 were discharged due to varying degrees of disability.

Victory comes at the cost of many lives.

Being a soldier means fighting battles, which is their duty.

Simon did not feel much pity or guilt over the hundreds of casualties. However, he would not ignore the responsibilities he should bear, which included properly handling the families of these deceased and injured soldiers.

Compensation for the deceased was just one aspect. All those who fought for the Westeros system, including their families, were also considered part of the Westeros system by Simon, gradually evolving into 'Westerosians.' While ensuring these people's livelihoods, Simon also planned to provide long-term educational support to open up upward mobility for the descendants of these soldiers, effectively cultivating a continuous stream of backup talent for the Westeros system.

After listening to Celia, Simon nodded while reading the document in his hand and said, "There's one more thing. For most of the soldiers' families, $50,000 in compensation should be a significant sum. Discuss with Klim and Sergei to devise a plan to help these families invest the money wisely. Set up a dedicated office for this. I'll also assign someone to oversee it. Future compensation clauses need to be appropriately adjusted. If the soldiers have descendants, allocate a portion as a child support fund to ensure they grow up properly. This fund will be managed by a dedicated trust fund established by UFMS."

Simon had little faith in human nature.

Men die in war, and women often remarry. Once their status changes, soldiers' children are likely to be neglected.

Thinking of this, Simon adjusted his approach and said, "Set specific inheritance terms in future compensation clauses, allowing soldiers to designate the beneficiary proportions for their parents, spouses, and children to avoid disputes. We also need to provide corresponding suggestions on whether to deposit the compensation into our trust fund, leaving the choice to the soldiers."

Celia quickly noted Simon's instructions in a memo. Just as she was about to speak, Emily Joplin entered with coffee, prompting her to temporarily halt the conversation.

Emily poured coffee for the two, organizing the tray on the coffee table, and casually asked Simon, "Mr. Westeros, the girls are still downstairs. Should they go rest first?"

Simon flipped a page of the document in his hand and replied offhandedly, "Take them to my bedroom."

Emily's hand paused slightly while closing the sugar jar. She glanced quickly at Simon, then nodded, "Alright."

She stood up and, before leaving, noticeably glanced at Celia.

After Emily left, the atmosphere in the living room became somewhat tense.

Celia momentarily forgot what she was about to continue discussing. After some hesitation, she proactively explained, "Boss, actually, the selection criteria for these girls were set by the madam. She said the situation here is quite complex, and choosing younger girls would be safer."

Simon nodded and reminded, "Don't keep things from me next time."

Celia softly agreed, feeling slightly relieved, knowing that explaining herself immediately was the right move.

Due to their limited understanding of Simon, Komorov and his associates assuming Simon liked young girls was understandable.

Celia, however, couldn't possibly be unaware of Simon's preferences.

As the full representative for Westeros's Ukrainian affairs, while Komorov and others organized things, the actual decision-making power still lay with Celia. If she deliberately opposed Simon's wishes due to her own schemes, even if the matter was trivial, it would reflect poorly in the long run. Simon would no longer trust her with critical military affairs vital to the Westeros system.

And just now, Celia's probing about Simon's other purposes for his European trip was somewhat overstepping.

This woman was subtly testing Simon's level of acceptance towards her.

Similar thoughts had crossed Sophia's mind before. Simon had promptly warned her. Over the years, Sophia had been very well-behaved, securing her position in Simon's heart.

Celia came from a highly competitive political environment and had an intense desire for power, stronger than many men, with a determined will.

Simon appreciated these traits in Celia. As long as she did her job well, he didn't mind giving her what she desired. However, he wouldn't allow her the illusion of influencing or interfering with his decisions.

Celia's previous remarks indeed carried a hint of probing.

She wouldn't easily expect to replace Janet Westeros, but if she could become closer to Simon and even influence his decisions, her status within the Westeros system would undoubtedly rise further.

Now, the result was clearly unfavorable.

During the past few days in Kyiv, due to a series of tightly scheduled events and being surrounded by many people, the two hadn't had a chance for intimacy. Unexpectedly, her subtle probing had been easily seen through.

Simon's instruction to have all six girls sent to his bedroom was evidently a form of reminder.

Pure feminine charm meant little to him.

If she thought she could rely on that, the result would only backfire.

Reflecting silently, Celia remembered Emily Joplin.

She gritted her teeth slightly.

Just after the establishment of Simon's personal military assistant office, Celia noticed something. Despite her inexperience, Emily Joplin was clearly her 'kind,' equally capable and ambitious.

Having gained enough power from Simon, Celia initially thought she could easily suppress this subordinate. Therefore, she didn't follow her initial thought of pushing

 Emily out, acknowledging her abilities and recognizing her diligent service as her deputy over the past few months.

Unexpectedly, from the moment they entered this villa tonight, this little fairy had begun to stir things up.

Emily's attentiveness towards Simon upon entering had already displeased Celia. To her surprise, the little fairy dared to openly set her up just now, even signaling her with her eyes before leaving.

Want to reach the top?

Think I can't deal with you?

Celia had just decided to kick a certain little fairy out of Ukraine as soon as Simon left when the man suddenly spoke, "Emily is quite good."

Celia immediately regained her composure, looking up at Simon, who was still engrossed in the thick document as if he hadn't said anything.

After a moment of hesitation, Celia confirmed, "Simon, what did you just say?"

Simon's attention remained on the document as he repeated, "I said Emily is quite good."

Celia hesitated, then nodded, forcing a smile, "Yes, she is."

Sigh.

Some plans were instantly scrapped.

The man had clearly seen through her intentions, giving her a small reminder just now.

She had overstepped twice already and didn't want to test if the man adhered to 'three strikes and you're out.'

Simon finished another page of the document, this time looking up and asking, "By the way, about the compensation, you seemed to have something else to say?"

Celia nodded, quickly gathering her thoughts, and said, "Yes, I was wondering if establishing a trust fund would overlap with the education and medical benefits for the families?"

Simon shook his head, "No need to worry about that. You need to understand, Celia, this expenditure is essentially the Westeros system's 'defense budget.' I'm not seeking economic returns, nor do we need to penny-pinch with our current resources. However, I must remind you that all funds must be spent appropriately. Keep this in mind, and don't forget to tell Klim and the others. If anyone crosses the line, I will hold them accountable."

The two continued their discussion until midnight, finally concluding the day's work.

Emily reappeared at the right moment, leading Simon to the master bedroom on the villa's third floor. This attention to detail reminded Celia that her focus might need to extend beyond just work.

Perhaps, everything about a certain man should be her work.

If she had known about the villa and the arrangements in advance instead of leaving them to Emily, there wouldn't have been any opportunities for the little fairy to orchestrate things tonight.

But with so much to do, she couldn't split herself in two, could she?

As the man got up to rest, Celia didn't leave immediately, continuing to drink her gloomy coffee in the small living room on the second floor.

A few minutes later, Emily appeared at the door, causing Celia to slightly adjust her posture, staring sharply at the girl who walked in and sat on the opposite sofa.

Emily acted oblivious to Celia's gaze, pouring herself a cup of coffee and finally saying, "When we arrived in Ukraine, the madam personally called to instruct about the boss's living arrangements and asked me to handle these matters."

Celia then understood why Emily had been so confident tonight.

With Janet Westeros's instructions, even without Simon's recent endorsement, she wouldn't dare to rashly kick Emily out.

However, Celia quickly said, "In that case, you can handle these matters in the future."

"If I could be like ABCD, I'd be eager, but unfortunately, it's only temporary." Emily showed no fear of Celia's threat, sipping her coffee confidently, with a hint of schadenfreude: "I was indeed deliberate just now. However, it must be that something went wrong on your end, otherwise…"

She pointed upstairs and continued, "So, I think it's you who should consider how to make amends. Targeting me won't work. In that call, the madam seemed to know me better than my parents, and she even somewhat appreciates me. From this, I believe all of us are probably on Dume Cape Manor's radar. So, if you want to progress within the Westeros system, we'd better cooperate."

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