"Finally, he's gone!"
In the office of the IMG modeling agency, Nina put down her phone and let out a big sigh of relief.
Kate lowered her newspaper and chuckled, "Nina, Luca has improved a lot lately, hasn't he? Why are you still so nervous about him?"
"Improved?" Nina raised an eyebrow. "During Fashion Week, he embarrassed himself on stage. A few days ago, while filming a music video, he got involved in a car sex scandal, and now the whole world knows he's been cheating. Is that what you call 'improving'?"
Kate smiled slightly. "I think it's good. Before, Luca had no fame at all. Now, thanks to a few incidents, his fame is higher than some C-list celebrities. Isn't bigger fame better in the entertainment industry?"
"Sure, he's famous, but what about you? Look at what these reports are saying. They claim you used your brother Luca to promote your book, portraying you as a scheming woman who will stop at nothing for fame and fortune."
Nina shook her head. The media kept harping on about the book promotion and the car sex scandal, deliberately trying to ruin Kate's reputation.
She and the company had to manage PR, and all this extra work came from Luca's actions.
Kate just laughed it off. "What does it matter if they say I'm greedy for fame? As long as *Twilight* sells well and makes more money, it's all worth it."
She pointed to *The New York Times* and asked with a smile, "Nina, can you guess how many copies *Twilight* sold yesterday?"
"How many?"
Nina was curious.
"Just yesterday, both online and in stores, it sold 210,000 copies."
"210,000 in a day?!"
Nina was shocked. Before the scandal, the best daily sales were around 100,000 copies. Now it had surpassed 200,000. Incredible.
"Yes, according to *The New York Times*, in twelve days of release, *Twilight* has sold 820,000 copies. Today, it finally made it to eighth place on the *New York Times* Best Sellers list, knocking out Annie Nais' *Blood Song* from the spot."
Kate clenched her fist. She still remembered how Annie Nais had insulted her, saying, "Not everyone can bask in the glory of literature," as if writing a book was some monumental achievement.
Well, what about now?
*Twilight* was firmly outselling *Blood Song*.
And what did that prove?
It proved that Ms. Nais couldn't even compete with someone she considered uneducated.
Hahaha~
So satisfying!
Kate punched the air. "Nina, do you still think Luca is a hassle?"
"Not a hassle? Don't forget about the book signing!"
Nina knocked on the table, calmly reminding her.
The book signing?
At the mention, Kate sighed. Emily Han had said that with *Twilight*'s success, they would hold signings in major cities across the U.S., which meant she'd be flying all over the place for the foreseeable future.
It was all Luca's fault!
Nina was right—he really was a hassle.
Kate cracked her knuckles, wanting to pull Luca's ear, but alas, he wasn't around.
"Forget it, let's not talk about Luca. I have a signing at the public library this afternoon. I need to go meet Emily."
"Go ahead, but be careful with the reporters and answer questions carefully."
"Got it!"
Kate grabbed her bag and, with the click of her heels, swept out of the office like the wind.
Nina shook her head in resignation. At twenty-three, Kate was still like this. Luca seemed more mature by comparison.
Wait, mature?
Nina shook her head again—no, that was definitely just an illusion.
Ring~
The phone on the desk rang.
It was the assistant from the CEO's office, notifying her of a meeting.
Nina touched up her makeup, grabbed her laptop, and headed to the elevator. The company was undergoing some personnel changes, and she wondered who the lucky one would be.
In the elevator were other agents, seven in total—four men and three women. The men were effeminate, and the women, not so attractive. Each managed a supermodel, making them the top agents in the company.
"Hey, Nina, congrats on managing a best-selling author."
"Nina, now that Kate is a top supermodel, you've become a top agent."
"Yeah, Kate's about to be the company's number one."
The supermodel agents greeted her, some sincerely, others not so much.
"Thank you."
Nina nodded modestly, hugging her laptop.
"Haha, Nina, congratulations!"
Gisele's agent, Bella Schaefer, walked in, smiling. "Nina, you came up with the idea for Britney to promote the book, right? Brilliant move!"
Nina frowned slightly and replied coolly, "Kate and Britney are friends. Kate asked Britney to help, and Britney was willing. It's friendship, not a business deal."
"Friendship? Hahaha~"
Bella Schaefer laughed, and the others joined in. The papers had made it clear—Britney promoted the book right after the car sex scandal. Was it even a question whether it was a deal?
Nina kept a straight face, ignoring them. When the elevator doors opened, she stepped out first.
"Hmph, she used to claim she wouldn't mix business and pleasure, but now she's an expert at it."
Bella Schaefer sneered as she watched Nina walk away.
"Yeah, having Luca seduce Britney—that's some creative thinking."
"Nina's smart. We could all learn from her."
"Learn what? Do you have a Mr. Big?"
"Nope, hahaha~"
The other agents joked as they walked into the meeting room.
"We've called this meeting to announce something."
The IMG vice president smiled at Nina as he pulled out a document. "The board has decided that Nina Systre will serve as the deputy director of IMG's agent department, effective immediately."
"What?!"
Bella Schaefer and the other agents were stunned. How did this happen?
They had been fighting tooth and nail for the position, which not only increased power but also came with company shares and an annual bonus of tens of thousands of dollars.
How had this position gone to Nina?
Nina herself was shocked. How had she suddenly been promoted?
There had been rumors that Bella was most likely to get the job.
Could it be because Kate became a best-selling author?
The surprise was so overwhelming that she barely had time to process it before delivering a brief acceptance speech, which was met with scattered applause.
It seemed this news had left many people unhappy.
But Nina didn't care.
After the meeting, she excitedly called Kate, but couldn't get through. Kate was probably at the book signing.
So she called Ed.
"Hey, Ed, great news—I've been promoted to deputy director of the agent department! My salary's going up again. Oh, honey, don't feel any pressure. Really, you'll be making more than me soon as an entertainment agent."
Nina chuckled softly. She had been so excited that she forgot to consider Ed's feelings.
"Ed, how's it going in L.A.? Have you guys landed a role yet? Luca's already auditioning. Confident? A hundred percent?
Oh, that's awesome!
Ed, don't worry about things here. The weather's great in L.A., so stay a bit longer. No rush to come back. Alright, bye!"
Nina hung up the phone, stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, and smiled at the clear blue sky. What a beautiful day—except for that dark cloud to the west.
Oh well, never mind.
(End of Chapter)