"Camila, I can't believe you're moving so soon."
"Yes, we were hoping you'd host next week's 'Beautiful Women' event."
Early on a Saturday morning, Ethan heard voices from downstairs. His neighbors, who had recently been frequent visitors to his home and occasionally brought gifts for his two younger brothers, had come by once again.
But today, when they arrived, they found that Camila had already started packing to move.
This made them feel quite disappointed.
"Yes, I mentioned to Ethan that there was no rush to move. But you know, Louis and Regius are about to start school, and Ethan wants them to receive a better education."
Hearing this reason, Fannie and Kagali also expressed their agreement.
"That's true. While this area isn't bad, the really good schools aren't here. Honestly, I've been thinking about moving too. Have you heard? There have been several shootings in the nearby neighborhood recently. It's terrifying!"
"Yeah, I heard it's due to gang fights. They already clashed once before, hasn't it ended yet? Those damn—"
"Shhh!" Camila quickly stopped Kagali from saying something inappropriate.
"Fine, fine," Kagali muttered, a bit embarrassed, while Ethan, who was upstairs, frowned.
Was the conflict between Fiss and the Wild Dogs still ongoing? It's really dragging on. Do they want the government to notice and have the police take them down completely?
But then again, the government probably wouldn't go that far. After all, fighting crime comes with risks, and the officers might not be willing to put their lives on the line over conflicts between gangs.
The neighbors didn't stay long at Ethan's house. Before they left, Camila gave them some gifts to thank them for their recent kindness.
That evening, the family piled into Ethan's car and, along with a moving truck, left the neighborhood they had lived in for so long, heading toward their new home in Manhattan.
The next two days, Ethan was busy settling into the new home. When he returned to the company, he found that Kaiden and Cindy had already come back.
"Boss! I missed you so much!" Kaiden, dressed in a sparkly leather skirt, gave Ethan a big hug and kiss the moment she saw him.
After her hug, Cindy, wearing white pants, also stepped forward to embrace Ethan.
"You're looking more and more like a star," Ethan smiled, then turned to their agent, Kane. "Is everything going smoothly?"
Kane was a new employee Ethan had recently hired. Previously with UTA (United Talent Agency), he had returned to New York from Los Angeles due to family reasons, and Ethan saw potential in him.
Kane had a lot of experience and was good with contracts and planning career paths, although he didn't have many connections in New York. But if he had been well-connected here, he'd have been snapped up by other major talent agencies long ago, and he wouldn't have ended up at Angel Statement.
"Everything's going well. We completed photoshoots for five magazines and received an invitation for a fashion show. I wanted to discuss this with you!" Kane followed Ethan to the second floor and into his office.
Jimmy joined them to listen in on the conversation.
Ethan reviewed the contracts Kane handed over, then pointed to one in particular. "The others aren't as important, but this one, for Victoria's Secret, is a must. Make sure to secure it for Kaiden and Cindy."
The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show had been held since 1990, initially as a promotional event for Valentine's Day sales, but it later grew into a national spectacle.
From the '90s onward, its fame skyrocketed, with shows held in places like Miami, Los Angeles, and Cannes.
Now that it partnered with CBS, the show was primarily held at the Lexington Avenue Armory in New York.
So when he saw the invitation from Victoria's Secret, Ethan decided to go for it. It would be the perfect platform to showcase Kaiden and Cindy, as well as Lilina and others in the future.
One walk on that runway would be enough to make them known to men across America.
"Don't worry, boss. This was already the top priority on my list," Kane nodded in agreement, and the group continued discussing future plans for Kaiden and Cindy.
Their photobooks were now on sale in the UK, France, Tokyo, and other regions, and they'd already gained significant popularity in the U.S. But this popularity couldn't be limited to photobooks and magazines; it had to be monetized quickly.
Ethan wanted Kane to secure some film, TV, or variety show contracts soon, leveraging the photobook's success to boost their commercial value.
Once Kane left, Jimmy updated Ethan. "David Dion, the president of Hengmei Advertising, called through his secretary. He wants to visit this afternoon."
"David Dion?" Ethan frowned, unfamiliar with the name. "What does he want?"
"Not sure, maybe to discuss a collaboration? He could hardly be coming to tell us to stay out of his business." Jimmy laughed.
"Let him come. Who knows what kind of 'surprise' he'll bring," Ethan shrugged. "By the way, is the downstairs area ready?"
"Yes, we'll be able to move down there tomorrow."
Ethan had decided to move Supreme Creative down to the lower floor and leave the upper floor for Angel Declaration. As the businesses of the two companies were becoming distinct, it made sense for each to have its own workspace. The building's large floors provided enough room, so Ethan planned to style the second floor like a celebrity studio, with dedicated spaces for makeup, relaxation, and work.
It was a bit of a hassle, so he'd already asked Jimmy to arrange for a renovation company.
"Oh, and get me a new sofa for the office upstairs."
Jimmy immediately gave him a knowing look. "Got it—the 'red couch' rule, right?"
"Get lost!" Ethan playfully kicked him, and Jimmy grinned as he left the room.
Ethan sat back in his chair. He currently owned 95% of Angel Declaration, with Jimmy holding the other 5%. Of course, he'd put in a lot of hard work and sacrificed 80% of the profits for this.
Ethan wasn't planning to seek additional investors. The earnings from the photobooks were enough to support the company for now, and if Kaiden and Cindy successfully monetized their commercial value, Angel Declaration would become a money-making machine.
For now, though, Ethan's main focus remained on Supreme Creative. He was reinvesting 80% of the company's profits to expand its presence in major cities outside of New York, like Los Angeles and Chicago.
High-end brands in New York were firmly held by the big agencies and hard to pull away, so waiting for their contracts to expire wasn't an option. Ethan had to keep growing Supreme Creative's reach.
Even with all the profits reinvested, it would only sustain this growth for a few months. To secure more cash flow, Ethan instructed Jimmy to hire a third-party firm, at a cost of $30,000, to investigate IPG's current client base.
He needed more clients with strong cash flow, and IPG happened to be the perfect target, especially after attempting to poach his employees and copy Supreme Creative's ideas.
After filtering the clients and assessing contract dates, they found a high-value client worth pursuing—a legendary brand in the camera industry: Leica.
Photography was Ethan's original field, so he was very familiar with it.
As soon as he saw Leica on the list, he decided to go after them, making this their first offensive against IPG.
Ethan intended to assign this task to the company's second new hire, Fernando, a former top salesperson. Fernando had worked for several renowned advertising agencies worldwide, but now, as he was older, he planned to settle in New York and semi-retire.
He chose Supreme Creative after seeing an ad that intrigued him and decided to chat with the team.
Ethan valued his experience and expertise, which would help compensate for the company's young team, so he offered him a salary above the market rate to bring him onboard.
Now that they had chosen a target client, it was time for Fernando to shine.
In the office, Fernando was organizing the necessary documents. When Ethan entered, he greeted him immediately. "Ethan, you're moving pretty quickly. You must have something to say."
"Exactly. I've picked a client, but they're currently closed off to new offers," Ethan said, leaning against the door with a slightly concerned look.
Fernando chuckled, his white hair shaking slightly as he laughed. "No, Ethan, you're mistaken. The client's door is always open to us, as long as we can offer them what they need."
"You're right, Fernando. Have you worked with camera companies before?" Ethan walked closer and noted the neatly organized desk.
"Of course—Hasselblad, Nikon, Canon. I've negotiated with all of them. Camera brands do have high expectations." Fernando shrugged, smoothing the corners of his papers before placing them in his folder.
"This time, our target is Leica," Ethan explained, crossing his arms. "They previously signed a two-year deal with IPG, and there are three months left on it. I don't know if IPG has started renegotiating, so I need you to check on it."
"No problem, Ethan, but I assume you want more than just information." Fernando laughed. "I'll do my best to bring them over, but I'll leave the creative work to you."
"Of course, Supreme Creative never disappoints."
That afternoon, after finishing the day's work, Ethan received a visit from David Dion in his office.
"Hello, Ethan."
"Hello, David."
When the two sat down, Ethan felt a bit puzzled. The president of Hengmei Advertising didn't seem to be in great shape.
There were faint red blood vessels visible in his eyes, along with dark circles underneath. Although his hair was tidy, it hadn't been carefully styled. He didn't look like the president of a listed company; instead, he resembled an overworked, lower-level employee.
Moreover, as soon as they met, without even exchanging a few pleasantries, he couldn't wait to cut to the chase: "Ethan, the real reason I came here is to discuss a potential acquisition, or possibly an investment, with you."
"An acquisition? Investment?" Ethan raised his eyebrows with a "you must be joking" expression. "Sorry, David, but I'm not interested."