Chasing Stars in Hollywood

Fortunately, his boss didn't demand that the followers' vehicles be sent to Fire Island this time—just the eleven unlucky ones spread across the East and West Coasts who were tailing the Westeros family.

After two busy days, Martin Dinam sent off a Gulfstream IV jet from a temporary private airstrip in Solano County, near the Mexico-US border. Onboard were his team and the eleven unfortunate individuals who would wake up at the southernmost point of the Earth.

In addition to many regular commercial flights, there are also numerous secret routes unknown to the public.

The just-departed Gulfstream IV would make a stopover in Colombia before flying directly to Fire Island at the southern tip of Argentina, landing on a deserted highway in Fire Island's wilderness. There, a reception team was already arranged. If everything went smoothly, the flight would take fifteen hours to reach Fire Island, unload the passengers, refuel, and return to the US in about thirty hours.

Of course, this secret journey was expensive.

Bribing various parties cost $300,000, and the Gulfstream IV, provided by a powerful political figure in Argentina, charged a hefty $500,000. Including fuel and other expenses, the total cost of one trip was $1 million.

Luckily, this wasn't a problem for his boss.

As the Gulfstream IV disappeared into the sky, Martin Dinam discarded his cigarette butt and signaled his team to board the SUV to return to the US border, dozens of kilometers away.

He wasn't worried about the group's safe arrival.

At its peak, Pablo Escobar's Medellín Cartel, which once ranked seventh on the Forbes World's Billionaires list, transported millions of dollars worth of drugs daily along similar secret routes from Colombia to Mexico and then into the US.

The tricky part of the Colombia-Argentina leg of the journey was mitigated by the Gulfstream IV's political backing.

Moreover, the exiles to Fire Island were a gift to the Argentine politician. A group of secret "infiltrators" resembling spies would present a significant challenge for their sponsors to reclaim without a substantial payout. If ignored, the potential international uproar from desperate pawns could be unpredictable.

Though the Falklands War ended twelve years ago, Argentina's relations with Western countries were still strained.

Returning to Phoenix, Arizona, from Mexico, it was already Monday evening.

The next phase of work focused on monitoring the Hearst family, so Martin Dinam's team needed to return to the East Coast overnight. To avoid attention, the six members split into pairs to buy separate tickets to New York.

In the airport lounge, while Martin Dinam napped on a chair awaiting the flight, one of his men hurried over with a newspaper, tapping his shoulder and handing over an issue of the "Arizona Daily Star."

Without further prompting, Martin Dinam saw the bold headline on the front page: "Wall Street Hedge Fund Manager Executed."

The accompanying photo, even with pixelation, showed the gruesome scene of the murder.

Reading the article, Martin Dinam felt a cold sweat forming on his back. It wasn't guilt or fear but rather the realization that he had severely underestimated his young boss.

Two days ago, leaving the East Hampton estate, Martin Dinam had speculated on how his boss would handle the situation. Given Simon's evident killing intent, Dinam judged that the masterminds were unlikely to survive. However, he assumed they would vanish quietly, like the assassin whose remains would never be found, or that their deaths would be staged as suicides or accidents to minimize risks.

Alternatively, a staged robbery would make the most sense for a gunshot murder.

This was Martin Dinam's judgment based on long-term observations of his boss's personality and behavior. He had always thought Simon was inherently averse to conflict.

Now, it was clear that his previous assessment was completely wrong.

Martin Dinam never imagined his boss would opt for an execution-style shooting as a show of force.

Perhaps it wasn't a matter of avoiding conflict but of disdain for it.

Lions typically don't bother with ants, but when an ant crosses a lion's threshold of tolerance, the consequences are catastrophic.

The newspaper described the victim being made to kneel before being shot execution-style with a shotgun blast to the back of the head, scattering Clark Grelov's brain matter everywhere. Looking at the photo with the pixelated gore around, those with weaker stomachs would probably vomit.

Throwing the newspaper aside, Martin Dinam glanced at his subordinate still studying him, paused, and said, "Forget about this. Completely forget it."

The subordinate nodded and mimicked Dinam, closing his eyes to rest.

Having rounded up all the "tails" in the past two days, the team had barely rested.

Martin Dinam, however, could no longer sleep.

He suddenly realized something else.

After the assassination attempt, his boss should have immediately eliminated the "flies" around the Westeros family to minimize risks before the investigation results were out. So many eyes on the family were like personal infrared homing missiles.

Simon hadn't done so.

In hindsight, it seemed his boss wanted people to know about the assassination, even guiding them to investigate it. He might even leak the investigation results.

The aim was deterrence.

Martin Dinam's report identified George Woodfield and Clark Grelov as the masterminds, with three other accomplices. It was unlikely any would escape punishment soon.

Moreover, their punishment wouldn't be a quiet affair.

Simon's message was clear: anyone targeting the Westeros family must consider the severe retribution if caught.

Deterrence.

For a few million dollars, many people would commit heinous crimes. Simon Westeros had $200 billion.

Human society, despite its civilized veneer, still adhered to the natural law of the jungle. To stay at the top of the social pyramid, one couldn't rigidly follow others' rules. As an outsider, one was destined to lose by playing by others' rules. Therefore, one had to create their own rules and, if necessary, drag more people into their framework to gain an advantage.

Simon's "Westeros Rules" for dealing with the assassination attempt were the fiercest form of an eye for an eye.

In Phoenix's airport lounge, Martin Dinam came to terms with this and had to admit that his boss's approach was the right one.

Following conventional rules, reporting the assassination attempt to the FBI, and letting federal laws handle the masterminds would make Simon Westeros a laughingstock to some.

As Martin Dinam led his team back to New York, the murder case of Clark Grelov quickly escalated.

The Wall Street hedge fund manager had just lost $300 million of his investors' money, including almost bankrupting the Woodfield family in Pittsburgh. The motive seemed obvious to the Sherlocks in the media.

Many former investors of Grelov Capital, including George Woodfield, were soon questioned by the police, and the media frenzy grew.

Then, in quick succession, three more mass murders occurred on the East and West Coasts within two days.

Three families: a hitman broker in Queens, a prominent psychologist in Pittsburgh, and a private investigator in Los Angeles.

The middleman, of course, was involved. The psychologist had brainwashed the assassin, and the private investigator had provided intel on the Westeros family's activities to plan the attack.

Except for a few insiders, no one could connect these murders across the US, totaling thirteen deaths. The Pittsburgh psychologist's promising law student son at Yale wasn't spared, found dead in a Boston alley, also executed with a headshot.

This wasn't the end.

As the national media linked the recent violent murders, criticizing the authorities' incompetence and declining public safety, an explosion on Friday, April 15, shocked the entire country.

Pittsburgh.

A Monroeville Machinery Company employee stormed the Woodfield family estate during a weekend meeting to discuss their recent troubles and detonated a body-wrapped C4 bomb. The historic mansion of the century-old family was reduced to rubble.

Nineteen dead, eleven injured.

Most male members of the Woodfield family were either killed or injured, including CEO George Woodfield and many others.

The perpetrator was a 52-year-old assembly line worker laid off earlier this year by Monroeville Machinery Company. A disabled left hand from a past accident and a drinking habit had left him unmarried and destitute after a 29-year career at the company. He had ample motive for revenge.

But this time, even the most gullible would see something amiss.

How could a destitute old man obtain over five kilograms of C4?

Moreover, his dilapidated shack caught fire simultaneously, erasing all traces. Witnesses claimed the fire was likely set by the perpetrator before leaving, but was that true?

Not only that, but at the time of the explosion, an employee protest at the mansion's front gate had diverted all security attention, allowing the old man to sneak in from the other side.

Coincidence?

The following Saturday, the ever-resourceful media leaked an insider tip from the task force.

A large dose of a stimulant was found in the perpetrator's remains, likely to ensure he didn't back out at the last moment. The survival instinct is strong, even for terminal patients who'd rather cling to life a bit longer.

But most clues stopped there.

Why did this explosion happen?

What was the perpetrator's, or more precisely, the mastermind's, motive?

Such ruthlessness suggested deep-seated hatred against the Woodfield family.

Old rivalries were plenty for a century-old family.

However, those capable of confronting the Woodfields likely had substantial backgrounds themselves, making it risky to orchestrate such a heinous act.

So, what was the root cause?

The executioner was highly professional, leaving traces that confirmed a mastermind but were impossible to trace. Without concrete evidence, the explosion would likely remain an unsolved mystery.

Yet, for some, the truth was no secret.

Like the Kennedy

 assassination, many facts pointed to the true culprits known to both the federal government and the Kennedy family. But lacking evidence or for face-saving reasons, the public might never know the truth.

Simon received a call from President Clinton the day after the explosion.

The President subtly warned Simon that recent events had gone too far. Simon, naturally, didn't respond directly and even questioned if the President had prior knowledge of the March 9 incident.

After the Friday explosion, all executors quickly exited the US.

These temporary operatives from Colombia had already vanished into the sea on their way back to Latin America.

Even if caught, they couldn't link Simon to the crimes. He left no direct evidence.

This time, the executors were South African mercenaries hired through multiple proxies, with only a personal vendetta mission. They had no knowledge of the US explosion, and no evidence could trace back to Simon.

Therefore, even if more people learned the truth, the authorities couldn't build a case against Simon. Simon had practically ensured no loose ends.

The week-long string of violent events triggered a series of chain reactions.

First, the Republicans launched massive attacks on the Democrats for their laxity on crime, contributing to deteriorating public safety. This had been a powerful weapon in recent elections, resonating with many voters.

The Democrats, in turn, reiterated their gun control stance.

But this time, it backfired: If gun control laws were effective, why did these violent incidents still occur?

Additionally, another surprising chain reaction occurred.

After the first execution-style murder was exposed, fearing they'd follow Clark Grelov's fate, many Wall Street hedge funds began closing their tech stock short positions and turned bullish.

April 17, Sunday.

Los Angeles was as sunny as ever.

There's nothing new under the sun.

The high-placed sun never concerns itself with the world's dark corners.

Despite the ongoing turmoil, Simon planned to work in the morning but was taken to a church by Jennifer after breakfast. The assistant hadn't commented on the week's events but occasionally looked at Simon with concern.

It was Sunday.

The church was crowded. Jennifer led Simon to a corner, gazing deeply at him with a sisterly reprimand, "Come, pray with me."

The two Jennifers closest to Simon, if by age alone, were indeed his elder sisters.

Simon smiled, nodded, and watched as she bowed her head in prayer. He didn't follow but looked calmly at the crucifix at the front of the church.

Calm as still water.

Suddenly, a song came to mind.

*...

*Merciful Father, I've fallen into

*A land of invisible sin

*Please forgive my arrogance

*...

But the song was quickly interrupted by a voice deep within.

No!

I won't forgive any of them, nor seek any forgiveness.

_________________________

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