Chapter 412

"Good morning, Simon."

"Good morning, uncle Simon."

"Good morning, Gemma, and Denny."

Early in the morning.

Under the supervision of Sophia, two kids who got up early and did some homework walked into the restaurant. Simon was already sitting at the table reading the newspaper.

After saying good morning, Sofia took the initiative to go to the kitchen to help with the meal.

A moment later, everyone was seated.

Besides Simon and Sophia, there are housekeeper Alice Ferguson, C and D at the table. Last night, the other maids who were busy at the birthday party did not have such treatment, but arranged in other apartments outside the manor.

Alice is in charge of breakfast.

The girls selected to Simon's side, including the housekeeper, have received cooking training in their spare time, so the food on the table is delicious.

Little Gemma took a spoon and picked up the red beans in the bowl before her eyes. She noticed that her mother looked at her and spat out her little tongue. Her bright eyes looked at the others on the table, and suddenly said, "Mom, are you going back to Europe today?"

Sophia had to teach her daughter not to be picky about food. Hearing this, she nodded: "yes, mom still has work to do."

So said, looking at the men and children on both sides of their own, inexplicably also some reluctant.

However, Sophia is very clear that this kind of near home feeling in front of her can not completely belong to her.

When I came out of that small fishing village, I wanted to make a lot of money, live a rich life and marry a very powerful man. Most of my dreams have come true. Suddenly, in this small restaurant, I realize that if I can have such a home, it's better than anything.

Despite these thoughts, Sophia had no regrets or hopes.

No one's life is perfect.

The old man, Gemma and Daniel's father, in fact, she didn't ask much of him. It's enough to socialize and be romantic outside as long as you remember to go home.

However, the man dumped her.

After so many years of experience, Sophia no longer had expectations for certain things.

At this moment in the dining room, while sitting his favorite man, while her two children as treasure, can also enjoy the feeling of home. If you think about it too much, maybe even God won't agree.

Although Sophia loves her two children, she doesn't condone them. When she comes to North America every week or two, she often checks their homework at the first time. Coupled with her grandfather and grandmother's careful care, little Gemma is not so dependent on her mother.

Moreover, I have asked similar questions and got the same answers before.

After Sophia gave her answer, the little girl changed the subject, looked forward again, looked at Simon on the other side of her mother, and said, "Simon, Lydia said last night that she could play in your movie. Can I also get a part?"

Simon thought of what happened last night. He didn't seem to agree with a little witch like that.

However, Simon did not correct, soft voice: "want to play what?"

Under Sophia's careful care, little Gemma obviously doesn't have the rich experience of watching movies as little witches do. All she can touch is what she can see.

The little girl thought about it and said, "can I play a penguin?"

Simon said with a smile: "well, it's a bit difficult. All the penguins you saw last night are real. "

"Of course I know," little Gemma said solemnly, leaning slightly toward the table with a little disdainful look at Simon. "I'm not going to be a real penguin. In the drama rehearsed by the school, there are people playing pigs. Of course, I can also play penguins. "

Simon Leng Leng, but found that, according to the little girl's logic, he could not refute.

Fortunately, Sofia soon opened her mouth and led her daughter's thoughts elsewhere. Little Gemma was just on the spur of the moment, but she didn't insist as a little witch did last night.

After breakfast, Sophia drove the two kids to school.

The two children's private school is just northeast of Greenwich City, not far from Simon's manor. It's only a few minutes away.

In the school parking lot, little Gemma and Sophia said goodbye, just to see the other side of Lydia Hurst also get off the car, immediately ran to the little witch and left.

Lydia Hurst was also brought by her mother in her own car. When she noticed Sophia, Patty Hurst went forward to chat with her.

When Patty Hurst drove away, Sophia looked at her son who had been on the side.

Noticing Daniel's expression, Sophia squatted down, helped the child tidy his collar, and said with a smile, "baby, is there anything I want to say to my mother?"

Daniel nodded and hesitated for a moment before he said, "Mom, do you, um, like Uncle Simon?"Sophia was stunned. She nodded slightly and said, "I like it."

"Well, does he like you?"

Sophia did not hesitate this time, and said again, "of course I like it."

Daniel looked at Sophia's eyes and listened to her saying so. He no longer asked her anything. He hugged his mother and said, "Mom, grandma said it's not easy for you these years. I, well, I just hope mom can be happy, too. "

Daniel is three years older than Gemma. Sophia knows that her son is actually smarter than her daughter. Although he is usually a little reticent, Daniel is more precocious than his peers and knows a lot about things.

At this time, hearing her son confide in her heart, Sophia suddenly feels that she has no regrets for her struggling and paying all these years.

She hugged her son and held him tightly in her arms. Sophia put her face on the child's face and said in a soft voice, "baby, mother is certainly happy. She is very happy."

Daniel patted his mother's back and let her hold him for a moment. Then he said, "Mom, I'm almost out of breath."

Sophia quickly let go of her son and pushed him towards the teaching building: "go ahead, mom may not have time to come next week. Take care of your sister, your grandfather and grandmother."

Daniel solemnly agreed, finally waved to Sophia, turned and walked to the school.

Looking at her son's figure, Sophia gently wiped the corners of her eyes until he entered the teaching building, opened the door and got on.

He said goodbye to Simon when he left. This time, he went back to his apartment in the center of the city and planned to say goodbye to his parents before returning to Europe.

Originally intended to go back by Concorde, this supersonic plane only takes three hours from the east coast to Europe, which is more than half the travel time of an ordinary subsonic plane.

The distance from North America to Europe is about 6000 kilometers, and the three hour journey is almost the same as the commute time of young people who have just entered the workplace in some central metropolises and have to rent in remote areas.

However, after hearing this, the little man stopped letting her take this kind of plane because it was unsafe and noisy. This time, he lent her his Boeing 767, and the man would take Gulfstream IV directly back to the west coast.

Maybe I can use it often in the future.

It's very clear that a little man's sense of territory that he doesn't like others to touch his personal belongings can make him lend his car, which is obviously very rare. As a result, Sofia's answer to her son's second question was so straightforward.

Compared with supersonic aircraft, it takes seven or eight hours to fly back to Europe by Boeing 767, but Sofia did not refuse.

Not to mention the Boeing 767, even the Gulfstream IV of Westeros, there is little difference between sitting on it and on the ground.

Seven or eight hours of flight time, can work, can rest, basically will not waste.

Moreover, private aircraft can land directly in Florence, where Gucci's headquarters is located, rather than Paris or Rome, which also saves a lot of time.

On the outskirts of Greenwich.

After Sophia left with her children, Simon did not leave immediately, but quickly welcomed a guest.

Joseph schrap.

The head of schrap consulting, a westero firm that helps Simon with his political investment.

Schlap's headquarters are also in Greenwich, and it's easy to meet.

Joseph schrap is a thin white man in his fifties and sixties. He is not tall and bald. He has a white beard on his chin. He wears a dark gray suit. He has a temperament that is easy to be convinced and intimate.

This is not surprising. If you are not good at dealing with people, you will not be able to do this job.

In the past two years, Joseph schrap has been responsible for Helping New York Mayor David Dinkins win the election and helping Westeros get through the political joint in the two previous large-scale mergers and acquisitions. Simon is very satisfied with the results of both.

Simon also thoroughly recognized the other party's identity as the spokesman of the political donation lobbying work of the westero system.

Their meeting in the morning is not an ordinary daily visit, but a very important thing.

In the reception hall of the villa.

After the housekeeper delivered two glasses of water and left, Joseph shipp, sitting on the sofa beside Simon, took out a stack of documents from his briefcase and said: "according to the information we have collected in recent months, at-t, southwest bell, Pacific Bell, sprint and Bell Atlantic are actually pushing the federal government to reopen the telecommunications industry more or less Control. However, Simon, take a look at this document first. This is a lobbying plan I got from Motorola. Motorola not only hopes that operators will not be allowed to continue the restrictions in the field of telecommunication equipment manufacturing, but also hopes that the federal government will include the newly emerging Internet field. The spearhead is obviously aimed at Cisco. "Simon took the file and opened it.

Joseph Snape took a sip from the water glass on the table, waited for a moment, and continued, "but Simon, we don't have to worry. Motorola is not involved in the field of network equipment manufacturing. Moreover, this is an emerging industry after all, and the federal government can not formulate relevant restrictive regulations too early, which is not conducive to the development of emerging industries. Take out this document and just let you know about it. "

Simon nodded slightly, adding another point to Joseph schrap.

If it's professional lobbyists who want to squeeze more money from their employers, they will spare no effort to publicize the threat of Motorola's bill to the westrow system, so as to get more lobbying funds.

You know, once the field of network equipment manufacturing is also included in the telecommunications regulatory system of that year, Simon may be able to maintain his shareholding in Cisco, but he will have to give up his control over the company, which is very unfavorable for the layout of westero system in the Internet industry.

Simon's investment in politics is very generous, but he won't allow anyone to blame him.

In addition to schrap consulting, westero has always hired other political consultants to evaluate the work of schrap consulting. If Joseph schrap wants to fool himself, it's not just about losing Simon, the big employer.

Joseph schrap patiently waited for Simon to finish reading the document, then handed over a few more materials and said, "Simon, you can read these again in your spare time. Let me briefly talk about the idea of this lobbying plan."

Simon nodded again, but picked up a brief introduction to the current restrictions in the field of telecommunications.

Joseph schrap knew that Simon was doing two things at once. He had been in this field for so many years and knew that many people had this ability, so he continued: "since our first stage of lobbying is to hope that the federal government will re liberalize the regulation on operators not to get involved in the field of telecommunications equipment manufacturing. Well, there are many manufacturers we can unite with, especially at-t. At-t has been hoping to return to the field of telecom equipment manufacturing in recent years. Bell Atlantic and other regional telecom operators are also our partners. These manufacturers can provide enough data support for the bill lobbying. In addition, our biggest competitors are the telecom equipment manufacturers such as Motorola. "

In 1984, the at-t split not only broke up the Big Mac that monopolized the entire U.S. telecommunications industry into eight companies, but also published a lot of telecommunications regulatory laws, including that long-distance and short-distance telecom operators should not get involved in each other's business, telecom operators should not get involved in the field of cable TV operators, telecom operators should not get involved in the manufacturing of telecom equipment, and so on.

There is no doubt that these bills have indeed promoted the "flowering" of the U.S. telecommunications industry. To a large extent, Internet service providers such as AOL have benefited from this.

However, the Split case and the corresponding restrictions and regulations are not entirely positive in improving competition and promoting the development of the telecommunications industry.

Because all services are split, the scale effect of operators is limited.

In order to maintain the profit margin, the major operators often choose to increase the price, which greatly increases the cost of consumer use.

The federal government reopens the integration of various telecommunication fields, which is the ultimate lobbying goal of Simon or the whole telecommunication field.

However, this matter can not be achieved overnight. In the short term, westero will lobby the federal government to open up the restrictions on operators' involvement in the manufacture of telecommunications equipment.

Because the digital era of mobile communication is coming.

In order to get the federal government's approval of westero's annexation of Bell Atlantic as soon as possible, Simon voluntarily promised that Nokia, which is wholly owned by westero, would not carry out business in North America.

This is, of course, a temporary expedient.

As the world's largest economy, Simon is unlikely to let Nokia give up the U.S. market.