Since he was going to buy real estate, Simon naturally chose the best.
However, it was still the 1980s, and there were virtually no luxury homes that would cost hundreds of millions of dollars many years later. Even Kensington Palace Gardens in London, which later gathered some of the world's most expensive properties, was only in the tens of millions at this time. A five-story villa with over thirty rooms on Kensington Palace Gardens in Simon's possession was priced at £18 million, already the most expensive of the sixteen luxury homes.
With Janette's advice, Simon quickly reviewed the sixteen property files he had.
Although the overall price of luxury homes in this era was not considered expensive, the sixteen properties combined, converted to US dollars, would cost $178 million, averaging $11 million per property.
Among them, apart from the luxury home on Kensington Palace Gardens, which occupied only half an acre, many other properties could be measured in hectares. A manor in the western district of Paris, priced at 120 million French francs, covered a total area of 22 hectares. This price, converted to US dollars, was approximately $17 million. In comparison, the £18 million pound price tag for the Kensington Palace Gardens luxury home was equivalent to $25 million at the current exchange rate.
Of course, apart from London and Paris, the prices of top luxury homes in other major European cities were much cheaper.
After reviewing the last document in his hand, Simon looked at Sophia Fessey and asked, "Sixteen properties, plus the one in Cannes, can you manage them all?"
Sophia Fessey was visibly stunned by the question. Although she had carefully selected sixteen properties over the past few months, she had only expected Simon to pick two or three of them during her visit. But from Simon's words now, he clearly intended to buy all sixteen properties?!
Spending $178 million to acquire sixteen properties at once, in an era where even the world's top billionaires typically only had a few billion dollars in net worth, was an act that could only be described as insane. Moreover, as a former luxury real estate agent, Sophia Fessey knew very well that most wealthy individuals typically spent significant sums on renovations and remodelling after purchasing properties, which was also a considerable expense.
After a moment of stunned silence, feeling Simon still looking at her questioningly, Sophia Fessey quickly gathered her thoughts and recalled his question.
Sixteen, no, seventeen properties. Could she manage them?
Many wealthy people had a habit of acquiring multiple properties. If it were the usual case of buying a bunch of small apartments or villas, she could immediately give an affirmative answer.
However, these seventeen properties were among the most luxurious in Europe. Just the manor in the western suburbs of Paris, covering 22 hectares and featuring a private equestrian centre, orchard, and lake in addition to the main villa, would require at least a dozen gardeners and servants for daily maintenance. All seventeen luxury homes would likely require a dedicated team of hundreds of people to maintain. Furthermore, this task was definitely not as simple as ordinary upkeep and cleaning.
After a moment of hesitation, Sophia Fessey finally nodded lightly, but still couldn't help but confirm, "Simon, you're going to buy all these properties?"
"You can start on this when you return to Europe", Simon said, patting Janette in his arms and helping her up. "That's all for today. Jenny, please arrange a room for Sophia. I'm going to take a shower first".
Sophia Fessey watched Simon leave, then turned to Janette, who hadn't raised any objections to Simon's decision, and asked, "Janie, are you really going to let Simon do this?"
Janette came over, took Sophia's arm, and led her towards the guest room, saying, "I'm his girlfriend, not his mother. Actually, after spending a little more time with him and getting used to Simon's crazy ideas, you won't find things like this strange anymore".
Sophia Fessey said, "But, sixteen properties, I don't think there's any need for that at all".
"It's most important for a person to do what they want; who cares if it's necessary or not".
Janette said, accompanying Sophia to a guest room, where the housekeeper's luggage had already been moved earlier in the day. Sophia Fessey opened her suitcase, took out some changes of clothes, and noticed Janette still standing at the door. Curious, she asked, "Janette, is there anything else?"
"No", Janette shook her head, but then raised her hand and knocked on the door frame, a sweet smile on her face. "Just wanted to remind you, the door to this bedroom can't be locked from the inside".
After saying that, Janette didn't look at the housekeeper's expression, wished her goodnight, and turned to leave.
Sophia Fessey, however, couldn't feel peaceful at all. She wasn't a little girl; how could she not understand the hidden meaning in Janette's words? Forcing herself to casually tidy her clothes for a while, she still couldn't resist walking to the door, peeking out, closing the door, and carefully examining the doorknob, realizing that Janette hadn't been joking with her.
It really couldn't be locked from the inside!
Her young boss's figure involuntarily appeared in her mind. Ever since confirming this employment relationship, Sophia Fessey had begun to pay close attention to many things related to Simon, and she therefore understood even more how legendary this young man was.
At twenty years old, while most of his peers were still feeling lost about their future, he had already built an empire from scratch, achieving things that many people might not accomplish in several lifetimes.
As a mature woman in her prime, and perhaps because of the rather possessive prerequisite Simon had initially proposed, she had privately fantasized about certain things, but they were just fantasies. Although she was very confident in her appearance, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to find a wealthy husband in the first place, she didn't expect him to actually have much interest in her.
Now, looking at the door in front of her, the housekeeper's mind couldn't help but repeatedly churn with internal conflict.
What if he really came in tonight?
What if he didn't come in tonight?
In the master bedroom of the villa.
Simon walked out of the bathroom, drying his hair after a shower. Janette had already changed into a light pink silk nightgown and was lying on the large bed, flipping through a magazine. Seeing Simon emerge, the woman turned her head and gave him a sweet smile, looking completely harmless. Simon, however, was not at all polite. He walked to the bed and slapped the woman on her bottom.
After a crisp smack, Janette immediately became teary-eyed and asked, "Why did you hit me?"
Simon made a gesture to raise his hand again: "What do you think?"
Janette's small body dodged to the side and she retorted, "There are so many bedrooms in the villa, they're for guests, aren't they? Am I supposed to make Sophia stay in a hotel?"