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I think we both possess the skill of seeing patterns, says Wexner. But Jeffrey sees patterns in politics and financial markets, and I see patterns in lifestyle and fashion trends. My skills are not in investment strategy, and, as everyone who knows Jeffrey knows, his are not in fashion and design. We frequently discuss world trends as each of us sees them. By the time Epstein met Wexner, the latter was a retail legend who had built a $3 billion empire—one that now includes Victoria's Secret, Express, and Bath & Body Works—from $5,000 lent him by his aunt. Wexner saw in Jeffrey the type of person who had the potential to realize his [Jeffrey's] dreams, says someone who has worked closely with both men. He gave Jeffrey the ball, and Jeffrey hit it out of the park. Wexner, through a trust, bought the town house in which Epstein now lives for a reported $13.2 million in 1989. In 1993, Wexner married Abigail Koppel, a 31-year-old lawyer, and the newlyweds relocated to Ohio; in 1996, Epstein moved into the town house. Public documents suggest that the house is still owned by the trust that bought it, but Epstein has said that he now owns the house. Wexner trusts Epstein so completely that he has assigned him the power of fiduciary over all of his private trusts and foundations, says a source close to Wexner. In 1992, Epstein even persuaded Wexner to put him on the board of the Wexner Foundation in place of Wexner's ailing mother. Bella Wexner recovered and demanded to be reinstated. Epstein has said they settled by splitting the foundation in two. Epstein does not care that he comes between family members. In fact, he sees it as his job. He tells people, I am there to represent my client, and if my client needs protecting—sometimes even from his own family—then it's often better that people hate me, not the client. You've probably heard I'm vicious in my representation of my clients, he tells people proudly; Leah Kleman describes his haggling over art prices as something like a scene out of the movie Mad Max. Beyond Thunderdome. Even a former mentor says he's seen the dark side of Epstein. and a Bear Stearns source recalls a meeting in which Epstein chewed out a team making a presentation for Wexner as Jeffrey [knows] when he is winning.... He will let you choose your weapon, says Wexner. Edelman and Murray Gell-Mann, and mathematical biologist Martin Nowak. When these men describe Epstein, they talk about energy and curiosity, as well as a love for theoretical physics that they don't ordinarily find in laymen. Gell-Mann rather sweetly mentions that there are always pretty ladies around when he goes to dinner chez Epstein, and he's under the impression that Epstein's clients include the Queen of England. Both Nowak and Dershowitz were thrilled to find themselves shaking the hand of a man named Andrew in Epstein's house. Andrew turned out to be Prince Andrew, who subsequently arranged to sit in the back of Dershowitz's law class. Epstein gets annoyed when anyone suggests that Wexner made him. I had really rich clients before, he has said. Yet he does not deny that he and Wexner have a special relationship. Epstein sees it as a partnership of equals. People have said it's like we have one brain between two of us: each has a side. Larry Summers, Harvard's current president. Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz says, I'm on my 20th book.... The only person outside of my immediate family that I send drafts to is Jeffrey. Real-estate developer and philanthropist Marshall Rose, who has worked with Epstein on projects in New Albany, Ohio, for Wexner, says, He digests and decodes the information very rapidly, which is to me terrific because we have shorter meetings. Also on the list of admirers are former senator George Mitchell and a gaggle of distinguished scientists, most of whom Epstein has helped fund in recent years. They include Nobel Prize winners Gerald SPOILS OF SUCCESS From top: Epstein's 70-acre island. Little St. James, in the U.S. Virgin Islands—he now calls it Little St. Jeff; Epstein with President Clinton in Brunei. 2002; Leslie Wexner with his future wife, Abigail, at the 1990 C.F.D.A. Fashion Awards, in New York. 1991. Page 15 of 151 Public Records Request No.: 17-295 CH 2003