This scene caught the eyes of many guests, and they all showed expressions of surprise and contemplation.
"It seems Mr. Wayne is really popular with the ladies~" Britney's voice sounded.
Because she had been leading the group to sing the birthday song for Lily earlier, Britney, the pop star, just happened to be standing next to the honored guest, Wayne. It was unclear whether this was a deliberate arrangement by Jill Tatum.
"It's not that big of a deal. Lily is actually closer to Jessie and Hannah," Wayne explained with a smile. He certainly didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea, especially not to be seen as having any inappropriate thoughts toward a little girl.
"I heard from my father that you have a friend who will be the opening act at my concert?" Britney asked curiously. "Is she also your girlfriend?"
"Yes," Wayne admitted frankly.
"And how talented is she?"
Wayne thought for a moment and said, "Although she's just a newcomer, she's quite good."
"It seems like the rumors are true—you're very generous to your women. For a newcomer to get on my concert stage, you must have pulled quite a few strings, right?"
Wayne couldn't really say. He had simply made a call to Harvey, and the matter was easily settled. As for favors, they were repaid just as easily. So, he only smiled and said, "Every woman I choose, I treat as a serious girlfriend."
Britney looked at him for a few moments, a touch of envy flashing in her eyes.
"Actually, after performing as the halftime act at the Super Bowl this year, I was planning to take a break. After all, I spent nearly six months last year touring around the world with 88 concerts. I wasn't planning to have another one so soon."
"Creating new songs also takes time and energy."
"And I'm human, not a machine—I need rest."
Wayne was a little confused about why she was complaining to him. They had only just met today, and this wasn't a bar. Britney didn't seem drunk, did she?
Wayne instinctively sniffed the air and was surprised to detect a faint but strong smell of alcohol. If it was champagne, she must have had at least eight or nine glasses to reach this level.
After thinking for a moment, Wayne asked curiously, "Then why don't you resist?"
He was genuinely curious about this.
Looking at Britney's entire career trajectory, she had constantly been taken advantage of by her ex-boyfriend, parents, manager, and even her former husband, who she married and divorced quickly.
As for the paparazzi, there was no need to even mention them.
Of course, she might not have been able to fight back against the paparazzi, but against the people mentioned earlier, she could have resisted, right?
"Would it make any difference if I resisted?" Britney said with a bitter smile. "The record company needs to make money, my manager needs to make money, and even my parents need to make money. My father already signed a contract with the record company in my name. If I break it, I'll be bankrupt immediately."
"Then you could fire your manager and sue both him and your parents."
"Oh my God, are you asking me to send my own parents to jail?" Britney looked at him in disbelief, her eyes wide.
Wayne shrugged and didn't say more. From his perspective, Britney's parents weren't much different from those parents who sell their children for money, forcing their daughters into awful situations.
Sending such people to jail might actually be a good thing.
"Okay, I shouldn't be telling you this. I'm sorry."
Britney put away her shock, sighed softly, and then put on a sweet smile again before walking toward her parents, who had been watching from not far away.
As for Wayne, watching this scene, he could only shake his head internally.
If someone doesn't have the intention or preparation to save themselves, not even God can help them.
Given Britney's current mindset and attitude, it seemed she was still heading down the same unfortunate path as before.
But what did that have to do with him?
Around ten o'clock, Wayne noticed the time and decided it was time to leave. After saying goodbye to Jill Tatum and seeing Lily's reluctant gaze, he departed.
Like the last time, he was once again glad that he had taken the Silver Angel instead of the bulky Kevlar Shield; otherwise, there wouldn't have been enough room for everyone.
About twenty minutes later, the car arrived at Wayne's estate.
At that time, a black Rolls-Royce was parked at the estate's entrance. After asking, Wayne learned that it had been arranged by Anne Hearst to deliver luggage.
Even though Amanda Hearst and Lydia Hearst already knew Anne wasn't joking, they couldn't help but feel mortified at this moment.
These two little princesses from the top tier of high society had essentially been "sold" like cargo. And worse, they weren't even formal fiancées, just girlfriends and mistresses.
Unfortunately for them, unlike Britney, they really couldn't resist.
"This is Amanda Hearst and Lydia Hearst from the Hearst family. They are my new girlfriends. So, Meda, please arrange rooms for them. They'll be living here from now on."
"Yes, sir."
Meda's eyes flickered with surprise. As a graduate from the International Butler Academy, it was impossible for her not to recognize the Hearst family name.
If Anne Hearst had been standing here, she would have recognized the heirs of the Hearst family immediately.
But knowing the power of the Hearst family only made Meda more curious about how Wayne had managed to win over these two little princesses. However, this wasn't the time to ask.
First, she directed seven or eight maids to carry the twenty-plus suitcases into the estate, and then Meda led Amanda and Lydia Hearst to pick their rooms.
Half an hour later, Meda found Wayne alone on the second-floor balcony of the study, sipping coffee and admiring the beautiful moonlight while contemplating how to spend the 850 million dollars soon to be in his possession.
"Sir, drinking coffee this late might affect your sleep."
"It won't, and I've added plenty of milk, haven't I?"
Knowing that Meda, as the butler, needed to understand Amanda and Lydia Hearst's situation to better arrange matters, Wayne took the initiative to explain how things had unfolded.
When Meda heard that Anne Hearst had so much faith in Wayne, she couldn't help but feel both surprised and proud of Wayne—and of her own decision.
"Then, what should the standard and permissions for these two young ladies be?" Meda asked after composing herself.
"Their usual expenses should be the same as Mia's. Since Anne holds me in such high regard, I can't treat her daughter and niece poorly, can I?"
"As for their permissions, make them the same as Jessica's," Wayne thought for a moment before replying.
He didn't elaborate on expenses—it was only fair to treat his girlfriends equally. However, when it came to other permissions, things were different.
The one with the highest authority wasn't Mia but Hannah, as Hannah also held the position of head of security for the estate. In fact, half of the estate's twelve bodyguards were personally recruited by Hannah.
The other six bodyguards had been hired by Meda through the Butler Academy, and all were women under the age of 35. Wayne wasn't sure if the two of them had misunderstood something.
In emergencies, Hannah had the authority to take over all operations at the estate, with only Wayne holding more authority.
Beneath Hannah was Mia, who was most likely to become the official lady of the house. Below her were Jessica and the newly arrived Amanda and Lydia Hearst.
For example, Mia had the authority to give away some of Wayne's less valuable collectibles as gifts, hold small parties, make changes to the layout of the estate, and fire certain staff members such as chefs, gardeners, or maids.
Jessica, on the other hand, didn't have the direct authority to do these things. If she wanted to throw a party for her friends at the estate, she had to get Wayne's approval first.
Though this division might seem unnecessary, Meda had insisted on establishing rules early on as part of her plan to turn the Wayne family into a proper noble household. Wayne had reluctantly agreed and set the various permissions in place.
"Are you planning to spend the night with the Hearst sisters?" Meda asked.
After thinking for a moment, Wayne decided to follow his heart and nodded.
"Very well, I'll arrange for the night staff," Meda said. Seeing no further instructions from Wayne, she left the study.
As for Wayne's bedtime, she didn't interfere.
At first, Meda had reminded Wayne to go to bed earlier, as it was part of her duties as a butler. But after witnessing Wayne's abnormal stamina and energy, although she was astonished, she stopped saying anything more. Instead, she adjusted the regular checkups from the family doctor to once a month instead of every three months.
Wayne didn't delay much longer. After finishing his coffee and sorting out how to use the 850 million dollars, he left the study and went to Lydia Hearst's room. Amid Lydia's surprised gasp, he carried her to Amanda Hearst's room next door.
Jokingly, even Nicole Kidman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Monica Bellucci couldn't handle him one-on-one, so how could these two young girls stand a chance?
Soon, Amanda Hearst's soft cry of pain marked the beginning of the night's battle.
The result was just as Wayne had expected. In less than an hour, the two of them were completely defeated by his overwhelming strength.
However, considering Annie Hearst's feelings, he stayed put and didn't go off to find Hannah and the others for another round of battle.
The next morning, after breakfast, Wayne headed to the company with Mia, and Annie Hearst, ever efficient, arrived with her lawyer just before nine.
The terms of the contract were pretty much the same as they had discussed the night before, with most conditions being very favorable to Wayne and Hemera Films.
But Wayne couldn't be as cold-hearted as the typical capitalist. Seeing how cooperative Annie Hearst was, he started to feel a bit guilty.
After a moment of thought, he added a new clause to the contract: Annie Hearst's side could request Wayne to buy back the 5% shares at the original price of $850 million at any time, but the buyback period would be within one year after initiating the process.
In exchange, Annie Hearst could not sell her shares to anyone else without his consent.
"No problem!"
Annie Hearst looked at him with a smile and readily agreed.
Just as she had analyzed, perhaps because of his youth, Wayne, though already a billionaire and a rising capitalist, wasn't as cold or profit-driven as the old-school capitalists. He still had a bit of warmth.
When dealing with people like this, building a genuine connection is often more important than just focusing on interests.
It's worth mentioning that, since she was already involved in publishing and media, owning several radio stations, newspapers, and magazines, she had noticed Wayne and Hemera Films as early as the preparation phase of The Bourne Identity.
"By the way, should we make this public?" Annie Hearst asked.
If it were announced that she had invested in Hemera Films, it could save the company from a lot of trouble, but it would also alert the Big Seven studios.
Hemera Films with the backing of the Hearst family is a completely different entity from Hemera Films without it.
Not to mention, with Annie Hearst's resources and ambitions, would she really be content with Hemera Films remaining just a production company?
Wayne, who had already thought about this, decisively chose not to make it public.
"Hemera Films is not strong enough yet, and we're not ready to be pressured like DreamWorks was by the Big Seven. The cooperative model I've established with them still needs to continue until the right opportunity arises."
"What opportunity?" Annie Hearst asked, intrigued by Wayne's mysterious demeanor.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Next, Wayne had Annie Hearst set up an asset management company called Wayne Group in Nevada, where there's no corporate or income tax. The $850 million was deposited into the company's account as an investment, and through a stock swap, Wayne obtained full ownership of the asset management company.
Thanks to the Hearst family's influence, the entire process was completed in less than a day.
The next morning, as Wayne arrived at the company to oversee the auditions for Hotel for Dogs, the related documents and stock certificates were already delivered.
"You should make a trip and put these in the safe at home."
After calling in the lawyer to confirm that everything was in order, Wayne handed the documents to Hannah, and then called Sarah to appoint her as the CEO of Wayne Group. He instructed her to begin the acquisition of Google stock, as per their plan from the previous day.
(End of Chapter)