A little past six in the evening, after finishing a day's work, Simon was about to head out for dinner with some senior executives from Gucci when Neil Bennett approached him with a satellite phone, saying that Janet was on the line.
Calculating the time difference, it should be around 10 AM in Los Angeles.
During their call yesterday, Janet mentioned she was going for a check-up today to figure out why she had been feeling unusually tired lately.
As soon as Simon put the phone to his ear and asked a question, he was greeted with a playful scold from Janet: "You little rascal, hurry back. Jennifer and I are both pregnant."
Simon stood frozen on the spot.
On the other end, Janet seemed to sense Simon's reaction and gave a few playful "hmphs" before urging him to come back quickly, then hung up the phone.
Over ten hours later, Simon arrived back in Los Angeles, where it was already past midnight on the West Coast.
The Dume Point estate was quiet.
After asking one of the D girls still waiting for him, he learned that both Janet and Jennifer were in the villa, so Simon headed upstairs.
In the circular master bedroom on the third floor of the Shell Villa.
Simon quietly entered the room, where it was silent except for a soft yellow light glowing from a bedside lamp. Janet was already asleep on the large bed.
It was clear there was only one person in the bed.
Simon tiptoed over and carefully sat down by the bed, gazing at Janet's peaceful sleeping face. They had known each other for seven years, and Janet's appearance was as beautiful as ever. Western women tended to age quickly, but there were always exceptions who seemed to resist the passage of time, like Janet, Catherine, and a few other women Simon knew.
Janet was sleeping soundly. Simon sat for a while before she seemed to sense his familiar presence and groggily woke up. When she realized Simon was sitting beside her, she gave a slight smile, and after he leaned down to kiss her, she murmured "so sleepy" and promptly fell back asleep.
It was as if the news she had delivered over the phone hours earlier was no big deal.
Having been together for so long, they were very familiar with each other's personalities. Simon knew Janet wasn't someone who cared about societal norms, and neither did he.
However, the fact that both women were pregnant at the same time was unexpected.
During his flight back to Los Angeles, Simon had been worried about how Janet would react.
Women were unpredictable, and Janet was especially capricious.
Now, seeing Janet prioritizing her beauty sleep over anything else, Simon felt relieved.
He had already asked the D girl about Jennifer's room.
Once Janet was deeply asleep, Simon quietly left the master bedroom and went to a door on the second floor. He raised his hand to knock but decided against it due to the late hour and walked right in.
Passing through the suite's living room, he entered the bedroom, where a lamp also glowed softly. Jennifer was not asleep; she was sitting quietly on the bed in a light blue silk nightgown, reading a book.
When she saw Simon enter, she put the book down, looking at him with a mix of joy and nervousness.
She had told him long ago that she wanted to have a child by the time she turned thirty.
Jennifer was born in 1962 and had already celebrated her thirtieth birthday last year. However, when the time came, she had hesitated.
Unlike Janet, who was inherently rebellious, Jennifer was still influenced by societal expectations. Otherwise, she wouldn't have played the obedient daughter for so many years under her parents' arrangements.
Being Simon's lover was already the most rebellious decision Jennifer had ever made. If she had a child, she certainly wanted one but worried about the child's future.
Even though she knew Simon would care deeply for the child, she didn't want the child to bear the stigma of being illegitimate, a concern that had caused her to delay.
Until today.
Calculating the time, it was clear it happened during the wild night of the Golden Globe Awards at the end of January.
Simon had always been careful about protection, but sometimes, in moments of passion, he might let his guard down, especially with the women closest to him.
She hadn't been too concerned until Janet called her out of the blue.
Summoned to the Dume Point estate, she was handed a pregnancy test by Janet and pushed into the bathroom.
Suddenly, she found out she was pregnant.
And not just her—both of them were pregnant.
Her first reaction was wariness. Even though Janet usually acted friendly, Jennifer knew how brutal family infighting could be among the wealthy and worried Janet might want her to terminate the pregnancy.
Thankfully, that didn't happen.
Reflecting on the day's events, she couldn't help but daydream a little about the future of the little one.
But she kept quiet.
She waited for Simon to speak first.
Even though she was confident about some things, she still worried about his reaction.
Simon sat on the edge of the bed, finally finding a topic after a moment. "What book are you reading?"
She showed him the book.
"Dream of the Red Chamber."
But it was an English version.
Though she was learning Chinese in her spare time, she could only manage basic conversations, far from the level where she could read Chinese originals like Janet.
Thinking about this, she couldn't help but feel a bit inferior. Janet was much smarter than her.
She knew Janet was much more helpful to Simon, overseeing much of the Westeros system, unlike her role as a mere assistant.
Janet was his eyes, while she was just a finger.
She snapped out of her thoughts, realizing her silence was making Simon uncomfortable. She gauged his mood and said, "Janet said she could have twins."
Simon, pondering what to say next, didn't immediately catch on. "Hmm?"
Jennifer's eyes sparkled as she repeated, "Janet said she could have twins."
Simon understood.
During the flight back, Simon had considered many things, especially how to arrange for Jennifer's child.
In Western society, especially among the elite, illegitimate children faced harsh judgment.
Many saw it as a lifelong stigma. Steve Jobs, for instance, had denied paternity by claiming impotence.
Moreover, illegitimate children generally had no inheritance rights in Western society.
In contrast, due to deep-seated beliefs in bloodline inheritance, Eastern societies were more lenient.
Simon shared this perspective.
To him, whether Janet or Jennifer, both women's children were his.
But given the societal environment, he had to consider the impact on those around him, even if he didn't care about public opinion.
Simon didn't want Jennifer and her child to live in the shadows. However, publicly acknowledging the child could cause unnecessary turmoil.
Unexpectedly, Janet had come up with a solution.
Janet could have twins.
It's not easy to have twins, but Janet's suggestion was clear: Jennifer's child could be claimed as one of Janet's, presented to the world as twins.
This would give Jennifer's child a legitimate status.
With both women pregnant at the same time, the children's birth dates would be close enough to make this plausible with some preparation.
Indeed, it was a perfect solution.
Simon, holding Jennifer's warm hand, asked, "And you, what do you think?"
Jennifer tried to grip Simon's large hand but found it too small to cover his, so she just left it in his palm and nodded softly. "I'm very grateful to Janet."
She then tried to place Simon's hand on her belly. "I had thought of naming the baby Seattle Rebuild, but if it could be Seattle Westeros, that would be even better."
Simon's hand gently caressed her belly, then slipped under her nightgown to feel her warm skin. "Actually, in my heart, you've already become another Westeros."
Blushing, Jennifer placed her hand over Simon's, her eyes shining brightly. "Thank you, Simon."
Simon leaned in to kiss her. "I should be thanking you. Meeting and having you both is the luckiest thing in my life."
They whispered sweet nothings and, after kissing, rested their heads together. Eventually, Jennifer reluctantly pushed him away. "It's late. Go be with Janet."
"How about we all stay together?"
"No way," she blushed, pushing him again. "Go on, I can't be too greedy."
"I'll watch you sleep first."
"I can't sleep with you watching."
"Just pretend."
"Okay."
She lay down, watching Simon place her English "Dream of the Red Chamber" on the bedside table. "Janet said she got the idea from this book."
"What?" Simon asked patiently.
"The girl in the book, Tan Chun."
Her pronunciation was odd, but Simon understood and nodded.
Jennifer held his hand under the covers. "But I don't like the book's ending."
"Of course," Simon said softly. "Our children will be like princes and princesses from fairy tales."
Jennifer's eyes sparkled as she relaxed and closed her eyes under Simon's gaze.
Simon stayed by her side, waiting until her breathing was steady before carefully getting up.
Returning to the master bedroom, he freshened up and lay down on the bed. Janet instinctively cuddled up to him in her sleep.
In the morning, it was February 15th, a Monday.
A new week.
The three had breakfast together, with Janet complaining about missing Valentine's Day and making Simon promise not to let it happen again next year.
Then came the various arrangements regarding the pregnancies.
Though the three had a mutual understanding, with Simon's current status, it couldn't remain just a private matter.
Janet's pregnancy was quickly announced to the Johnston family in Australia, who sent their congratulations. It wasn't as grand a reaction as when she first got pregnant.
The details about Jennifer and the 'twins' arrangement were not shared with
the Johnstons yet.
This was mainly due to concerns about Raymond Johnston's reaction.
The old man was quite conservative at heart.
Jennifer, however, did inform her parents, and the Rebuilds were soon aware.
The couple had long accepted their daughter's situation and once hoped she could replace Janet.
Over the years, that idea had faded.
After talking with Simon, James Rebuild accepted Simon's plan for Jennifer's child but insisted the child must know their real mother.
The twins' arrangement was just for public appearances.
Simon never intended to deny Jennifer's child their mother. If the child ever tried to do so, Simon wouldn't agree. So, he readily agreed to James Rebuild's request.
There was also the crucial matter of secrecy.
Even though it would be impossible to keep everything completely under wraps, the longer the news stayed private, the smaller the eventual reaction would be, making it easier to manage public opinion.
To avoid raising suspicions by disappearing from public view, Jennifer insisted on continuing her work.
Many women work through seven or eight months of pregnancy. With the baby only two weeks along, there was no need to be overly cautious.
Janet shared this sentiment.
The first pregnancy had been handled with extreme care because Melbourne was the first child of the Westeros family, and Janet had tried so long to conceive. Now, with their first child over a year old and no health issues, she didn't want to be as confined as she had been before.
Aside from Simon enforcing a strict six-hour work limit for both women, nothing seemed to change.
There was also the matter of whether to announce Janet's pregnancy to the public.
Her first pregnancy was quickly publicized for strategic reasons.
Back then, Simon was a young billionaire and the youngest in America without heirs, a significant vulnerability. Announcing Janet's pregnancy with Melbourne was a move to quell any potential threats.
This time, there was no such need.
So they decided to keep it as private as possible.
To protect the secret, especially with both women pregnant simultaneously, Simon, despite having everyone involved sign strict confidentiality agreements, personally issued a gag order to the household staff, bodyguards, and the Westeros Family Hospital team handling the women's prenatal care.
Moreover, the family intelligence team, which had been quietly developed, was mobilized to guard against any external prying eyes.
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