Model to Holywood

"Ed, good news!"

At noon, in the Ford Model Agency office, Ed was working when his old rival, Andrew Fagan, barged in with a grin.

"What are you doing here again?"

Ed rubbed his forehead, clearly annoyed.

"Haha, Ed, you need to see this," Andrew said, slapping a newspaper onto the desk.

"More news about Luca?"

"Haha, just take a look," Andrew smirked as he sat across from Ed, propping his legs up on the desk, his greasy face full of satisfaction.

Ed frowned but picked up the newspaper.

The *New York Forum*, a mid-sized paper with 32 pages focusing on New York society and entertainment news, had published an article that had caught some attention.

"Yesterday, filming began for the new movie *The Day After Tomorrow*, directed by Roland Emmerich, at the New York Public Library. On the first day, the production recruited over 400 extras. Among them was well-known model Luca, rumored boyfriend of Britney Spears, who successfully passed the audition and secured a role as an extra. 

As a rising fashion model, why would he take on such a minor acting role? 

Reports indicate that in March of this year, Luca Kelly gained fame due to a scandal during Fashion Week and the infamous 'Britney car incident,' becoming the new face of CK's underwear line. 

He ranked as the highest-paid male model for the first quarter. 

However, after the scandal's buzz died down, Luca hasn't landed any endorsements since April, with his earnings in May and June amounting to zero. 

Meanwhile, his sister, supermodel and author Kate Kelly, earned $3.8 million in endorsements in the first half of the year, topping the global model income chart. 

Luca Kelly's meteoric rise and equally swift decline serve as a cautionary tale in the fashion industry—manufacturing scandals for fame is not a shortcut to lasting success."

"Haha, Ed, did you see that? Zero income for May and June! Luca had a shot at being the top male model of 2003, but he chose the wrong agent. Such a shame, truly," Andrew said, shaking his head in mock sympathy.

Ed glanced at him, replying coolly, "So what? Luca's focus is on the entertainment industry now, not fashion. It's normal to have no endorsement income."

"Entertainment industry?" Andrew scoffed, sneering. "Do you think the entertainment world is easy? Competition there is way fiercer than in fashion. Tens of thousands of handsome guys around the world are trying to make it in Hollywood. What makes Luca think he can succeed? He's just a freshly famous model, with no advantage over professional actors. 

Ed, let me give you some advice. While Luca still has some popularity, shift his focus back to fashion. Let him establish himself as a top model first, build a fanbase, and make some serious money. Then, when you both move into Hollywood, he'll have a better chance, like Brooke Shields, Elizabeth Hurley, or Heidi Klum. 

Rushing into acting now, before Luca has solidified his place in fashion, is a mistake!"

Ed listened quietly, not interrupting. Once Andrew finished, he responded calmly, "You're right."

"Haha, see? I'm the best agent in the company, after all," Andrew said, blinking his small eyes and smiling. "Ed, how about we partner up? You hand over Luca's modeling contract to me, and you keep his acting contract. Together, we'll make a fortune."

Ed smirked. "There's something you've never understood."

"What?" Andrew's gut churned; every time he saw Ed smile like that, he felt uneasy.

"Luca was never really a model. From the start, his and my goal has always been the entertainment industry. Modeling was just a side job.

Remember that Armani fashion show? He only did it for the $2,000 appearance fee, and it unexpectedly launched him into fame. Becoming a supermodel was purely accidental."

Ed shook his head, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.

Last November, Luca had been a small-time actor, but in just half a year, he'd become a supermodel. The transformation had been surreal, like a real-life American Dream.

"Heh, if you say it was an accident, fine. But everyone in the industry knows all that fame was carefully orchestrated by you two," Andrew scoffed again, then sighed. "Ed, let's cut the nonsense. I just want Luca's modeling contract. You can't take him further in fashion, but I can."

Ed shrugged. "Sorry, I can't give it to you."

"What will it take for you to transfer it?" Andrew asked, his face darkening.

Ed shook his head, speaking evenly, "I'm not lying. Luca's primary contract has always been for acting. Modeling was just an add-on."

"So you're saying you don't even have Luca's modeling contract?" Andrew smirked.

"That's right."

"Haha! Why didn't you say so earlier? If I'd known that, I wouldn't have wasted time talking to you."

Andrew slapped his fat backside and stormed out without looking back.

"What an idiot," Ed muttered, shaking his head as he glanced at the newspaper again.

"Zero income?"

"Edward had large golden eyes, filled with warmth, framed by thick, long black lashes. Staring into them made me feel... strange, like my bones had turned into sponge. I felt dizzy too, but that might've been because I forgot to breathe."

In his bedroom, Luca sat at his desk, typing away rapidly on the keyboard, stringing together beautiful sentences. He was 'writing' the third installment of *Twilight: Eclipse*.

Long novels often suffer from a common problem: the first half contains the most captivating parts, while the latter half tends to drag and lose its charm.

*Twilight* was no exception.

The first two books, *Twilight* and *New Moon*, had more engaging stories and elegant language. The third, *Eclipse*, fell short, with a plot that veered into melodrama.

As Bella and Edward's love reached new heights, Bella also started flirting with Jacob the werewolf, even getting forcefully kissed by him—a scene that felt unnecessarily dramatic.

However, since most of the book's readers were young women, the idea of being kissed by a strong, handsome werewolf wasn't entirely unwelcome.

Luca, uninterested in editing, shamelessly copied the content from memory without a second thought.

*Ring ring!*

Just then, his phone rang.

"Ed, what's up?"

"Luca, there's a fashion party tonight at Court Tower. Wanna check it out?"

"What for?"

"To make some pocket money!" Ed chuckled over the phone. "You're short on cash, right? Parties like these are full of opportunities. Land one endorsement, and you could earn hundreds of thousands. It's way easier than being an extra. Why not give it a shot?"

Luca shook his head. "Ed, we agreed I'd focus on acting. Why bother with endorsements?"

"Luca, hear me out," Ed continued. "In the first quarter, you were ranked as the top-earning male model. Now, without endorsement income in May and June, you've dropped to ninth. I'm thinking you should take on two more endorsements this year, secure a top-ten spot, and then next year, you'll truly live up to the title of 'supermodel.' What do you think?"

Luca stroked his chin, thinking for a moment.

Landing two more endorsements wouldn't be bad, but he'd already represented Armani and CK.

CK was a blue-chip brand, Armani a red-chip one.

His next endorsement had to be of a similarly high caliber.

Securing that level of deal, though, would be challenging.

"Ed, do you have any targets?"

"I've got one in mind. Let's give it a try."

"Alright, I'm in."

Here's the translation of the text into American English:

---

Luca shrugged his shoulders and was about to hang up the phone when Ed spoke again.

"Luca, has Andrew reached out to you?"

"He has!"

"Did you agree to his offer?"

"I'm still thinking about it."

Luca smirked and said, "Andrew's a good guy. He knows I like making friends. He told me that if I sign with him, he'll introduce me to all the models at his company. Sounds like a pretty good deal, right?"

"Is that so?" 

Ed chuckled lightly, "Luca, it seems like you're getting bolder. Is it because Lima's not in New York to keep you in check, and that's why you're so daring?"

Luca's face darkened. Even if Lima's not around, there's still Kate. Who says no one's around to keep me in line?

"Alright, I gotta go create now, bye!"

He hung up the phone and returned to his creative journey.

Crackle, crackle.

"This is a face that any male model in the world would trade their soul for. His beauty is breathtaking. When his cold fingers touched mine, I felt a huge sense of relief, like the excruciating pain I was enduring suddenly stopped."

Around 5 PM, after finishing a chapter, Luca walked into the studio holding two cups of coffee.

The studio was a mess, with drafts, fabric, and magazines scattered everywhere.

"Jenny, that last design was pretty good, but it's missing a sweet touch. Our designs need to highlight three things: youth, energy, and sweetness."

Beside the workstation, Kate was working with her assistant, Jenny.

On the wall next to them hung three newly designed t-shirts.

The first one was vibrant, made from seven or eight different colored fabrics, like a jigsaw puzzle.

Seeing this design, Luca finally understood where the inspiration for the rainbow sweatshirt came from.

The second one was bizarre, with one half made of white fabric and the other half black. There was a jagged line down the middle of the chest, looking like lightning or two complementary faces.

The third one was more normal: a yellow t-shirt with two pieces of pudding, one red and one blue, printed on the chest. They were semi-transparent and looked bouncy, creating a 3D visual effect.

These two puddings were modeled after the ones Kate had spent three days perfecting in the kitchen.

There were also several artistically arranged lines around the puddings.

Kate had scratched her head for days trying to figure out the arrangement of those lines. Thankfully, her hair was healthy, or she might have gone bald.

"Luca, this is our food-themed t-shirt. What do you think?" 

Kate pointed at the third pudding t-shirt and asked.

"It's not bad!" he said earnestly.

"Just 'not bad'?" 

Kate wasn't satisfied. "Anything else to say, like about the design features, the line work, or the tailoring techniques?"

Luca shook his head, "I don't know anything about that stuff. I just think it looks nice."

"Okay, sorry, I forgot you have no sense of aesthetics. Asking you was pointless!"

Kate waved her hand, a bit annoyed.

Luca smiled slightly. He really didn't know much about design, but he did have some fresh ideas.

"Kate, I may not have an eye for aesthetics, but I'm smart. I've got lots of ideas in this brain."

"Is that so?"

"Just watch!"

He grabbed a pen and sketched out dozens of yet-to-be-seen emojis on a draft sheet: kissy faces, hush signs, big laughs.

"Hmm, these are pretty interesting," Kate said after watching for a bit, her deep blue eyes lighting up more and more.

"These emojis are really unique. Printing them on t-shirts might be a great idea."

"Heh, you said I'm smart! I'm just usually too lazy to think. If I weren't, I'd already be the President of the United States!"

Luca puffed out his chest, feeling a bit smug.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you could be, President Luca, haha~"

Kate hugged his neck and playfully ruffled his hair.

"Stop messing around. I have to go to a party later, don't mess up my hair."

Luca pulled her hand away.

"What party?"

Kate stopped and asked.

"A Helmut Lang party," Luca said, adjusting his hair in the mirror.

"Helmut Lang?" 

Kate shook her head. "I heard they've already picked their spokesperson. It's fine to go and check it out, but don't get your hopes up."

"I get it!" 

Luca nodded and went upstairs to change.

Kate smiled slightly, then turned back to the draft filled with emojis and studied it for a while.

With a smile tugging at her lips, she muttered, "This guy's getting smarter. Guess I'll need to keep him in check more often."

Assistant Jenny nodded as she looked at the emoji designs: "Makes sense!"

(End of chapter)