"Please focus on the camera!"
"Mr. Kelly, keep looking straight ahead!"
In the Buck Tower's library studio, a cover photo shoot was in progress.
Both Luca and Kate had makeup on.
Luca's hair was slicked back in a British aristocratic style, and his left cheek was dusted with a layer of foundation, making his already pale face even more ghostly. His sharp features were even more defined, and paired with his crimson lips, he looked like a vampire.
Opposite him, Kate had a more natural makeup look. She represented a human girl, with fair skin, rosy cheeks, and an elegant demeanor.
A red apple was suspended between them, giving the scene a playful, almost wedding prank-like vibe.
Both of them were kissing the apple, their eyes locked, breaths audible.
It was the first time Luca had looked at Kate so closely. Staring into her eyes, he inexplicably felt a little nervous.
Kate remained calm, displaying a high level of professionalism.
"Hold that pose for five seconds!" the photographer called out, beginning a countdown.
"Five, four, three, two, one…"
*Click~*
The photographer captured the perfect moment, snapping several shots in rapid succession.
"Perfect!"
The photos turned out excellent.
Hannah took a look and was very pleased. Both of them were already extremely attractive, and with makeup, they looked even more stunning. Their side profiles resembled a work of art.
"Kate, Luca, come take a look."
"It looks great!"
Kate smiled and then glanced at Luca. "You seemed nervous just now, huh?"
Luca smirked, "Well, you're a supermodel. Of course I'd be nervous working with you for the first time."
"Haha, rookie!"
After the shoot, the two were invited to visit the Mason family.
The Mason residence was in a Long Island wealthy neighborhood, in an old but charming mansion.
The villa faced Long Island Bay, offering a stunning view.
Luca wanted to take a boat out for a ride on the water. Kate, with a slight smile, ignored him, so he went alone. However, after a short trip, he returned.
The sea breeze? Too cold!
During the visit, Luca also met the publisher's chairman, an elderly man named Schwartz.
Old Schwartz couldn't stop patting Luca's shoulder, praising him as a good young man, though a bit too forcefully.
By the end of dinner, Luca's right shoulder was swollen from all the pats.
"Hahaha~"
On the way back in the car, Kate noticed Luca tugging at his shirt to check the condition of his shoulder and burst out laughing.
Luca shook his head and leaned back in his seat, recalling the evening.
At the dinner, Felix had mentioned the online bookstore Amazon.
He planned to initially sell *Twilight* through online stores to test the waters. If successful, future publications would also be listed online, gradually reducing physical bookstores and saving costs.
This move was quite forward-thinking, but it met strong opposition from Old Schwartz.
Schwartz didn't believe in the bookstore + internet model.
He argued that selling books in a physical store was still the mainstream, and without a physical store, a publisher would just be a shell. Abandoning physical stores, he said, would be surrendering to online bookstores.
He angrily called Felix an idiot, refusing to support the plan.
Felix didn't argue. Instead, he asked for opinions from others, including Luca.
Since it concerned his interests, Luca didn't hold back. He directly stated that the internet was the future and that the internet could connect buyers and sellers, creating a 24/7 marketplace.
He used eBay, America's largest e-commerce company, as an example, predicting that in the future, people wouldn't just buy books online, but everything—daily necessities, cars, houses, planes, even organs and body parts. The logistics industry would develop to the point where it could deliver to every household, just as easily as getting milk delivered daily.
He got so into it that he left everyone stunned.
Even Felix, who had originally proposed the idea, was taken aback. He was only talking about selling books but hadn't imagined Luca would think so far ahead.
Felix was thrilled to have Luca's support.
But Old Schwartz wasn't pleased. Although he praised Luca for his vision and boldness with a smile, he kept slapping his shoulder, making Luca wince.
Luca wasn't thinking about the old man's heavy hand now, though. Instead, he was thinking about Amazon.
In 2000, the global dot-com bubble had burst, causing a massive drop in the stock prices of internet companies like Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, and Oracle. Their market values were cut in half and were only slowly recovering.
At this time, the stock prices of internet companies were very cheap—like Amazon.
Earlier, Luca had asked Felix about Amazon's stock price. It had only recovered to $42 a share.
In four years, Amazon's stock would rise to $130 per share, and 19 years later, it would hit over $1,800, increasing more than 50 times since 2003.
He remembered these figures clearly because he'd learned them while following the news about Bezos' divorce.
He recalled how the news reported that MacKenzie took 4% of Amazon's shares in the divorce, worth $62.3 billion. Incredible.
If he could just get 1% of Amazon's shares, he'd be set for life.
"Hey, Luca, you're drooling!"
Suddenly, Kate's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
Luca wiped the corner of his mouth—nothing there!
Seeing his reaction, Kate laughed even harder, almost driving the car into a ditch.
"Luca, you were chatting quite a bit with Schwartz's granddaughter earlier. Is there something going on?"
"Stop guessing."
Luca shook his head. "My sister is the most beautiful woman in the world, and my girlfriend is the hottest supermodel. Other women are like clouds in the sky or weeds by the road. How could I be interested?"
"Hmph, saying all that sweet stuff—what do you want?"
Kate raised an eyebrow, giving him a knowing look.
Luca smiled faintly. "Actually, I do need to ask something. Kate, how much money do you have right now?"
"Umm… around a little over a million."
"Only that much?"
"Only?"
Kate shot him a dissatisfied look. "Is over a million considered little?"
"It's not small, but the papers said you earned $5.5 million last year. How come you only have a little over a million?"
"Are you stupid? The $5.5 million is just on paper. Don't I have to split it with the company? Pay taxes? And don't forget the apartment—$3.8 million. We just finished paying off the mortgage, remember?"
Luca rubbed his head, realizing she was right.
Kate might be a supermodel, but she still had to split earnings with her agency. Plus, taxes for foreigners in the U.S. were high—anywhere from 20% to 35%. After all the deductions, and paying off the mortgage, saving over a million was actually pretty impressive.
"Sorry, Kate. I forgot about the mortgage. You've worked hard all these years."
Kate shook her head, wiping the corner of her eye with a smile. "So, why did you ask about my money?"
Luca thought for a moment. "What I was saying earlier wasn't random. I've been reading economic magazines recently, and a lot of them are showing data that the internet stock market is recovering. From the burst of the dot-com bubble in 2000 until now, stocks from big companies like Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon have clearly been on the rise."
He used Amazon's stock price as an example. In 1999, Amazon's stock was $100 per share. By 2001, it had dropped to $10, then climbed back up to over $30 last year. This year, it had fluctuated between $30 and $60, but the overall trend was upward.
"You're thinking of buying stocks?"
Kate asked softly.
"Yes, I believe in the future of the internet. Holding internet stocks long-term is beneficial, more so than leaving money in the bank."
"Hmm~"
Kate frowned, thinking it over. "My financial advisor suggested buying government bonds to reduce taxes. Can buying stocks do that?"
"No."
Luca thought about it.
Kate only had a little over a million, and buying stocks wouldn't yield high returns right now. He didn't know much about other investments, so stock trading could wait until he earned more money himself.
"Kate, your financial advisor's suggestion is good. With the U.S. and other countries preparing for war in Iraq, buying war bonds could bring short-term profits. Internet stocks, on the other hand, require a long-term investment, and returns won't come as quickly."
"Hmm~"
Kate pondered. "I'll keep some money for daily expenses, buy some war bonds, and invest a portion in Amazon stock. What do you think?"
Luca smiled gently. "Kate, how about you manage my money too?"
With the money from selling his script and his first advertising deal, he had about $200,000.
"Alright, little rich guy!"
Kate smiled and then remembered something.
"Luca, you said you'd buy Lima a gift once you made money. I already bought it for you. When are you going to give it to her?"
"Tomorrow!"
He'd been so busy recently that he hadn't had time to go out with Lima.
"Okay, just remember to seize the opportunity and make a good impression this time, got it?"
Kate winked, a mischievous smile on her lips.
"Got it!"
(End of chapter)