Ain't No Saint
To answer the question of who, exactly, is Shawn St. James, you'll have to go back to the early 1990s when St. James was still known as Emerson Ryan in the worst part of Manchester, England. Not much is known about his formative years and that's potentially by design (the less you know, the more of a blank canvas he is to project your wildest fantasies upon). What is known through court documents and news outlets is that Shawn, then Emerson, was the product of the abduction and subsequent sexual assault of a nineteen year old from London named Starr Ryan. Ryan went missing at the end of 1979. Fifteen years later she was found in a church basement with her then-fourteen year old son, Emerson. Up until that grey day in 1994, the young boy who would grow up to be Shawn St. James had never left the church basement and his only access to the world was a single window that offered little more than a stream of sunlight during the day. Starr taught her son to read and write using the Bible and other Christian books found in boxes in the basement and for the first five years, she never told him there was anymore to the world than the single room they lived in.
He's never spoken to the press about his ordeal, nor has he taken any of the multiple offers made by publishing houses to write a book. Shawn St. James is at once as private as they come and the ultimate ladies man, giving only of himself what people want to see. He has, according to one source that provided information for this expose under the promise of anonymity, been quoted as saying "it's more fun to know who I am, and let everyone else think they do."
For someone who grew up in a church basement with no real knowledge of the world around him, St. James has done incredibly well for himself. He invested the half a million dollars he received in restitution in what is now known Saint Partners investment firm. What started as Saint/Sin Investments with a single office in London, now has holdings in the UK, Vegas, and their primary firm in Manhattan. What they actually do has been kept under wraps for over a decade, but it's been said that St. James and four other business partners have become something of a legend in the world of New York City's most competant "fixers". Says the anonymous source, "Shawn may have started Saint Partners as an investment firm, but he made a name for himself fixing other people's problems."
If Shawn St. James is a powerhouse businessman, he's even more so an eligible, powerful playboy with access to New York City's most beautiful people. Known for his bi-monthly rooftop parties at Gold Standard (of which he is now said to be a silent partner), a VIP key has become about as coveted as a new model iPhone on release day. And equally as hard to acquire. One contributing source to the expose states: "I attended Gold Standard parties twice a month for over a year before I was given a key." The source goes on to reveal that the key grants access to The Penthouse, a separate part of Gold Standard with a laid back atmosphere, hookah bar, and what the source calls "stoner food". This is where the man now known as St. James (or "Sinner" as the women who love him refer to him) can be found, surrounded by his equally powerful friends (said to be partners in the firm, but have never thusly confirmed one way or another).
Shawn St. James is undisputedly one of - if not the most - handsome, powerful, eligible young bachelors of Manhattan, but his firm partners (and decades old friends) are just as eligible. There's Archer Ryan, the product of Starr Ryan's first healthy relationship post-abduction, Shawn's half-brother and right hand man. He's as dark and brooding as Shawn is blonde and charming. There's Baxter "Bax" Harding, Shawn's personal accountant and CFO of Saint Partners. With his chiseled jawline and blue eyes, he's angelic and unassuming. There's Romeo Vega, the bearded suit-wearing thug that's been rumored to deal with contracts and negotiations at the firm, and is said to be the current COO. The source just refers to him as "muscle". Rhys Ryan, Shawn's cousin, is as funny as he is a workaholic. If you're lucky enough to get through to Saint Partners by phone, you'll most likely be forwarded to Rhys at any given time of day. And then there's the man only known as "X". Part of Shawn's personal security detail that makes himself as scarce as possible, save for when he doesn't.
Shawn St. James has built a New York City empire from a basement in Manchester. While the words "asshole", "playboy", "filthy", and of course the reigning "manwhore" are thrown around any time his name is mentioned, he's equally strategic, intelligent, and resourceful. He's a rags to riches story that makes you want to cry and slap him just the same. Impossible to figure out and charming as hell. There's no telling when the mystery of the man once known as Emerson Ryan will ever be truly revealed.