"Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday, dear Eve,
Happy birthday to you."
Around 4 PM, Princess Eve's birthday party officially began. There were more than twenty guests; aside from a few adults, the rest were Eve's friends and classmates.
Everyone sang the birthday song together, cut the cake, and played games, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.
After cutting the cake, the little ones played indoors while the adults were on the balcony, drinking and chatting.
Ed's balcony overlooked Sunset Park, with a vast green area of elm, willow, and red pine trees. Spring had arrived, and the greenery was in full bloom, providing a pleasant view.
Holding their wine glasses, the group savored red wine, gazed at the distant Sunset Park, and enjoyed the light warm breeze—utterly relaxing.
"Luca, have you ever thought about changing agents?" Andrew leaned against the railing, raising his glass slightly.
Luca raised an eyebrow. "Not at the moment."
"If you ever want a better agent, feel free to contact me."
"Hey, Andrew, isn't it inappropriate to poach my client right in front of me?" Ed said, displeased.
"Why not?" Andrew Fagan frowned. "Ed, you know that among the agents who started at the same time as us, your business skills are the worst."
"Bullshit!"
Ed, his face darkened, replied, "I've managed Heidi Klum and Courteney Cox. One became a supermodel, the other a star. Now Luca is a supermodel too. How many supermodels have you represented?"
"Hmph, they became supermodels because they had the talent. What does that have to do with you? You just got lucky. Yes, you've always had damn good luck."
"Luck is a part of skill, isn't it?"
Ed grinned, his white teeth gleaming in the sunlight.
Andrew snorted, "Luca, you should know that in the fashion and entertainment industries, luck alone won't get you far. So, take my advice—ditch this guy and find a better agent, like me."
Luca smiled slightly, raising his glass. "Andrew, thanks for the advice, but I get along well with Ed for now, so I'm not planning to switch agents."
"Andrew, see that?"
Ed smiled smugly.
"What a shame, another talent will be wasted in Ed's hands," Andrew sighed before taking his glass and moving to bother three other guests.
Ed shook his head and stared at the distant park, pondering for a moment before suddenly asking, "Luca, have you ever thought about switching agents?"
"Are you testing me?"
Luca looked at him curiously.
"I'm serious."
Ed swirled his glass. "Andrew may be annoying, but he's right. My business skills are pretty average, especially in the entertainment industry. I'm still a rookie. If you want better development in entertainment, you might consider switching to a larger agency, like CAA, ICM, or WME. They'd surely welcome you."
"That's not necessary. I don't have big ambitions in the entertainment world,"
Luca said lightly, raising his wine glass and glancing at the sun in the west. "I just want to become a bigger star than Leonardo."
Bigger than Leonardo?
Ed raised his eyebrow. "Isn't that a pretty big ambition?"
"Of course, but compared to becoming president, the world's richest man, UN secretary-general, or the king of Hollywood, my ambition is nothing, right?"
"Yeah, Luca, I have a friend who's a psychologist. Want me to set up an appointment for you?"
"Haha, no thanks. You go ahead."
Luca smiled slightly, but suddenly, his phone rang. He picked it up and after a few words, his expression changed.
"You were in a car accident? Are you hurt?"
"Luca, what's going on?"
Ed's face turned pale.
After a moment, Luca hung up the phone and sighed softly.
"I need to go to Bordeaux, France."
"What happened?"
(End of the chapter.)