Claire's actions were swift.
On the early morning of Monday, February 21st, The Wall Street Journal reported that Claire Gain, CEO of Tinkobell, had met with the president of Morgan Stanley's West Coast Investment Banking Division.
The media and public often refer to major Wall Street financial giants as "investment banks." In reality, firms like Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, and Salomon are comprehensive financial services companies, with investment banking being just one of their many business areas, primarily responsible for IPOs and underwriting various types of stocks and bonds.
Thus, Claire's meeting with the head of Morgan's West Coast investment banking division had an obvious purpose.
That same morning, Eaglet Portal's finance section followed up with an insider leak confirming that Tinkobell was considering an initial public offering (IPO), quickly making this rapidly rising electronics company a focus of external attention.
Founded in 1991, Tinkobell made a splash with a budget-friendly digital camera. In its second year, sales exceeded $300 million, growing at a pace comparable to established PC giants like Apple and Compaq.
Seemingly to build momentum for the upcoming IPO, on February 22nd, Tinkobell also released its 1993 financial report via Eaglet Portal.
In 1993, Tinkobell sold 2.76 million iCam series digital cameras, with revenues of $1.39 billion and net profits of $120 million. A tech company achieving over $1 billion in sales and over $100 million in net profits within three years of its founding is remarkable in business history.
These achievements underscored the vast growth potential in the burgeoning internet industry.
February 22nd was also Simon's 26th birthday.
He celebrated it quietly.
Except for Claire's public birthday wishes to her boss on NBC's "The Tonight Show."
Appearing in major newspapers for two consecutive days, Claire also appeared on NBC's famous talk show "The Tonight Show" on Simon's birthday evening. Exuding the aura of a powerful businesswoman, Claire's presence rivaled any Hollywood star. She discussed the inception of Tinkobell, the development of iCam cameras, and her outlook for the company during her chat with Jay Leno.
Of course, she also talked about her boss.
Claire candidly admitted to being one of Simon's ABCD assistants, expressing admiration for him and his unwavering support for her founding Tinkobell. Occasionally hinting at some playful ambiguities, Claire's demeanor left the audience teasingly curious.
She concluded with birthday wishes for Simon and a promotional plug for the upcoming iCam-40 digital camera to be released during Easter.
Her appearance perfectly fit the promotional theme.
It seemed her main purpose on the show was to advertise her products.
Criticism was not lacking.
On Wednesday, the San Francisco Chronicle published a harsh article mocking Tinkobell's limited product range and the significant performance gap between iCam and professional digital cameras. It also highlighted the company's struggles against established electronics giants, predicting Tinkobell's market share would decline and the company would be marginalized within three years, akin to the rapid decline of Apple.
Despite Apple achieving over $500 million in net profits in 1993, its stock price had plummeted due to factors like Microsoft's rise and product stagnation, with its market value falling from a peak of $7.6 billion to $4.3 billion, a 43.5% drop.
On the surface, Tinkobell, initially assembling iCam-10 using components from other manufacturers, seemed even less competitive than Apple. Major electronics companies from Japan, Germany, and the US could produce superior digital cameras with their years of technological accumulation.
Simon found this pessimistic article laughable.
By that logic, how could companies like Motorola and Nokia, with their deep technical expertise, be surpassed by Apple, an "outsider"?
Having grown for three years, Tinkobell had developed its technological foundation, marketing strategies, sales network, and after-sales service, essential for continued rapid growth, regardless of product technicalities.
Moreover, Tinkobell's third-generation iCam-30 digital camera used a fully self-developed CMOS image sensor, positioning the company ahead of traditional electronics manufacturers focused on expensive CCD sensor technology by at least two years. Tinkobell's software and hardware optimization around the CMOS sensor far outstripped other budget digital camera products.
Although the iCam-30 still had only 300,000 pixels, its self-developed CMOS sensor and extensive technical optimization achieved photo quality on par with Canon's 600,000-pixel CCD sensor camera, priced at $1,200 compared to the iCam-30's $499.
The USB technology initiated by Eaglet, Microsoft, and Intel began formal promotion late last year.
Tinkobell's early adoption of USB hardware was far ahead of other manufacturers, with the iCam digital camera, iPlayer music player, and USB flash drive—set to replace floppy disks—planned for Easter release alongside the iCam-40.
More importantly, these products were backed by a wealth of lucrative technical patents.
Thus, for those familiar with Tinkobell's background, the San Francisco Chronicle's article was a joke.
In contrast to the Chronicle's pessimism, many industry experts were optimistic about Tinkobell's IPO. Based on its 1993 financial performance and continuous growth, experts predicted Tinkobell's IPO price-to-earnings ratio would be at least 20 times, giving the company a conservative valuation of $2.4 billion.
With a 15% stake in Tinkobell, Claire's net worth was estimated at $360 million.
$360 million was close to the threshold for the Forbes 400 richest Americans. With a successful IPO and a slight stock price increase, Simon's former maid could become one of the richest 400 people in the US by the end of the year.
This had a direct consequence: heightened attention on the Westeros family maid team.
The media also discovered that in addition to Claire, Becky Hope (B-girl) had started a financial consulting service called Alphabeta, attracting interest from investors and potential clients despite not yet launching its product.
Discussions on how to become a Westeros maid like ABCD became a hot topic among college students and job-seeking women. Many inquired through various channels, and some even self-recommended via Eaglet's social platform.
Working for Simon Westeros, even if not becoming a billionaire like Claire, seemed an enticing prospect based on recently revealed job perks.
As the media buzzed about Claire, Westeros's teams were dealing with the "mysterious Lolita legion" matter in the UK.
Avoiding exposure was preferable, but since News Corp had declined to publish the story, the Westeros PR team managed to intercept attempts by The Guardian and The Telegraph to cover the story. However, with determined efforts to bring it to light, stopping it proved impossible.
On February 25th, another UK tabloid similar to News of the World, The Daily Mirror, published the same "mysterious Lolita legion" article.
Alongside the publication, the London Police received a tip-off.
The storm began.
A story about a group of mysterious Russian girls allegedly being trafficked or trained as spies hidden in a London villa was irresistible to the public.
On the day the story was published, paparazzi swarmed the Chelsea district villa, but with prior precautions, the media couldn't directly contact the girls. Instead, they targeted the girls' private school and neighbors.
With public uproar, the London Police quickly announced an investigation.
Since it was impossible to conceal the matter, Simon proceeded with the original plan.
The next day, a Westeros Company London branch spokesperson held a press conference, clarifying that the Russian girls were special exchange students sponsored by the company to be trained as personal assistants for the Westeros family.
Facing media inquiries, the spokesperson didn't hide that they were being groomed to be like Claire Gain of Tinkobell.
Journalists, sensing a scoop, were stunned.
Just as the US was buzzing about becoming a Westeros maid, the news broke about a group of girls undergoing training.
Was this a coincidence?
Moreover, admitting it upfront left little room for further speculation.
Journalists immediately fired a barrage of questions.
Why these specific girls?
Did they have special family backgrounds?
Were they being mistreated during training, and were they willing participants?
More sensitively, were these underage girls in any way involved with Simon Westeros, and had they been harmed?
Amid this chaos, on Monday, February 27th, a London Police spokesperson released a preliminary investigation report, confirming the girls were legal exchange students sponsored by Westeros Company, living in excellent conditions with no signs of abuse or detention.
Tabloids in London and the US were dissatisfied.
What a disappointment!
Can we trust official statements?
A UK children's protection organization demanded an investigation into the girls' conditions.
The media fueled the fire.
Meanwhile, the girls' backgrounds and selection process surfaced, revealing Westeros Company's large-scale resume collection under the guise of a modeling recruitment, raising privacy concerns. Parents who requested to stay in the UK with their daughters were denied, and some girls were expelled for such requests, casting doubt on Westeros Company's intentions.
As public curiosity grew, Westeros Company released a bombshell.
On February 30th, News Corp's The Times published a statement announcing that to address media and public concerns, Westeros Company would live stream the girls' daily lives on March 1st.
Live streaming was unheard of.
After the announcement, several TV networks sought broadcast rights for the girls' lives. Rupert Murdoch even called Simon personally.
Simon didn't object.
After brief negotiations, Sky TV in the UK joined the live broadcast, though limited to two hours daily, unlike the 24/7 online stream.
Eaglet Portal prominently displayed the live stream link, and millions of users clicked, seeing
a simple video interface with "Stay Tuned" in the center.
The live stream was scheduled to start at 5:40 AM London time when the girls woke up.
On the US West Coast, it was just after 9 PM.
An hour before the stream, Jeff Bezos called Simon, expressing both excitement and concern. The number of viewers waiting to watch had already surpassed 31 million globally.
This was staggering.
Even the major US TV networks had only a handful of programs with over 30 million viewers annually. The number was expected to rise once the stream began.
Even with 30 million viewers, Eaglet would incur daily server and bandwidth costs of $200,000, amounting to $6 million a month.
It was a money-burning endeavor.
However, Bezos saw potential in live video streaming, suggesting Eaglet invest in a live streaming site if this broadcast succeeded.
Amid high anticipation, at 5:40 AM London time, the live stream began.
The camera first showed a simple yet luxurious villa living room.
The narrator, with a soft, radio-like voice, introduced herself as Jill, immediately piquing viewers' interest. Holding the camera, Jill didn't appear on screen. She introduced Mrs. Burns, the housekeeper in charge of the girls' daily lives.
Eager to see the girls, many viewers were impatient with the introduction of the stern-looking housekeeper.
The camera toured the villa under Mrs. Burns' guidance.
Despite eagerness to see Simon Westeros' chosen girls, viewers were impressed by the lavish villa, easing concerns about the girls' treatment. Many thought they wouldn't mind such "mistreatment" in such luxury.
After about ten minutes, Jill finally headed upstairs. Mrs. Burns stayed behind as Jill approached a door with a nameplate: "Natalie."
A hand knocked on the door.
A doll-faced girl opened the door, politely inviting Jill in. She was already dressed in a ballet outfit, showcasing a well-toned physique for her age, with graceful manners indicative of professional training.
Jill followed her in, the camera capturing the luxurious bedroom decor. Some girls watching already felt envious of this "mistreatment."
Jill asked questions while Natalie tidied her room.
"Natalie, can I call you that?"
"Of course."
"Your English is excellent."
"Thank you. I work hard at it, but the others are even better."
"Can you explain why you wake up at 5:40?"
Natalie neatly folded a towel and hung it, leading Jill out, "Because our boss wakes up at six, we should get up earlier."
"Boss?"
"Yes, Mr. Westeros," Natalie said with clear admiration, "I'm looking forward to meeting him."
"You haven't met Westeros yet?"
"We didn't even know who our boss was until it was mentioned in the papers recently."
"Why call him 'boss'?"
"On TV, Miss Gain called him that. It feels familiar to us."
"Why do you think he kept his identity a secret?"
"The boss must have his reasons," Natalie said, frowning slightly. "Those newspapers are nonsense. We're doing great, and the boss is a good person."
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