Chương 35: **Chapter 35: We'll See**
"Ben, Luca is the lead spokesperson. You should show him some respect!"
In the Woolworth Building parking lot, Ben Hill had just gotten into the car when his agent gave him a piece of advice.
"Why? He's just a rookie, a cripple who relies on women to get by. I need to give him special treatment? Ha!"
Ben Hill leaned lazily into the seat, pulling out a white metal box from his pocket. He took out a custom-made cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag.
Ahhh~~ The satisfying taste made him let out a moan.
Just now, going head-to-head with Luca in front of the camera had drained a lot of his energy and focus.
He had assumed Luca would be an easy target, being new to the industry. However, Luca had an unexpectedly strong on-camera presence, remained calm, and handled every challenge with ease.
Ben had tried hard, but hadn't gained an upper hand.
"Fuck~ Luca, damn you!"
James, his agent, shook his head at the sight of Ben blowing smoke in the back seat. "Ben, Luca was personally chosen by Mr. Frank as the spokesperson. Cooperating with him is part of your job."
"Fuck~ That spokesperson role was supposed to be mine—mine!"
Ben sat up straight, hitting his chest angrily. "It's all because of your mistake that I lost the opportunity. If you had found the CBS footage sooner and destroyed it, I would've landed the deal and become a top model. Now I'm just a background extra."
"Sigh~"
James sighed. He hadn't expected Luca to have actually saved someone's life, and it had been caught on camera by a CBS reporter. Luca just got lucky.
"Ben, regardless, Luca became a hero for saving someone. The media's calling him a Superman—that's a fact."
"Hero? What a load of crap. Why didn't he just get run over and die?!"
Ben cursed, kicking the back of the seat.
James flinched but just frowned in disgust. "You're over 20 years old, and still this immature? You're nothing compared to Luca."
He shook his head and said in a low voice, "Ben, we've already lost. Now you need to learn patience. Understand?"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it!"
Ben waved dismissively, plugging in his headphones.
Hmph! Patience?
With a rookie? A cripple?
Not a chance.
Damn Luca, I wasn't ready today, but tomorrow, I'll make sure you pay.
The next day, Ben arrived at the shoot, full of energy. He flashed a cold smirk at Luca, chin raised in a provocative gesture, as if to say, "Ready for round two?"
But Luca just smiled back faintly, a strange expression on his face.
What does that mean?
Ben frowned.
Suddenly, he heard James shouting from the studio, "Oh, Mr. Stone, why? Why are you replacing Ben?"
Ben's frown deepened. Mr. Stone was the head of Armani's ad department, in charge of this shoot. Was he really about to replace him?
No way!
That can't happen!
Even as a supporting role, this was a big international Armani ad. Just showing his face would be a great opportunity, not to mention the $50,000 spokesperson fee.
He couldn't let this chance slip away!
Ben rushed toward the studio. Just as he reached the entrance, his agent stormed out, looking furious.
"James, what happened?"
Ben asked, anxious.
"Stone terminated your contract with Armani early, citing poor work attitude and delays in the shoot," James said coldly.
"Oh~NO!!"
Ben grabbed his head and shouted. He glanced at the studio, suppressing his anger. "David can vouch for me. My work quality was great! How could I be delaying the shoot? James, go talk to Mr. Stone again!"
"It's no use."
James held up a piece of paper—it was the termination contract, along with a compensation fee.
"Why is this happening?"
Ben clenched his fists, veins popping on his forehead and neck.
"Hmph, why? You should know the answer to that yourself,"
James scoffed and walked away.
I should know?
Ben froze, suddenly recalling Luca's smile.
"Luca—it's Luca, isn't it?"
James didn't respond.
"Oh~ Luca, damn you! It's you, right? You're behind this, aren't you?"
Ben screamed at Luca in rage.
Luca stared back, expressionless, silent.
"You despicable bastard! How could you do this? You're just a cripple, how dare you—"
"Shut up!"
Ed barked loudly, "This is your one and only warning. If you continue insulting Luca with offensive terms, we'll see you in court."
"Ed, my apologies. Please forgive Ben, he was just acting out of impulse!"
James quickly stepped in, apologizing repeatedly.
"James, you and I go way back. You know exactly why this is happening, don't you?"
Ed asked calmly.
This wasn't just about Ben's temper tantrum in front of the camera; it was also about that smear campaign in the papers.
"Ed, I understand. This is Ben's fault. We'll be leaving now."
James sighed and turned to Ben. "Let's go, Ben. Stop making a scene."
"Why should I?"
Ben gritted his teeth, unwilling to back down.
"Because he's Superman. He was on CBS, and now millions of people know him. You? You're just a small-time model."
A small-time model?
Ben opened his mouth but found nothing to say. In the modeling world, he outranked Luca, but in terms of fame and influence, he was far behind.
"Let's go, Ben. Anger will only make you miss out on more opportunities."
James sighed, walking downstairs ahead of him.
"Hmph!"
Ben shot one last icy glare at Luca. "We'll see about that!"
Luca shook his head. This kid was too impulsive, too unrefined. It wasn't a good sign.
"Luca, time to start shooting!"
"On my way!"
Luca walked into the studio. Armani had paired him with a more easygoing partner this time—a blue-eyed Australian guy with a boyish, shy smile.
Perhaps having seen what happened to Ben, the new guy was very polite.
They worked well together.
Only the lead photographer, David LaChapelle, seemed dissatisfied. The new shots were too calm, missing the intensity and conflict from yesterday's shoot. They lacked depth and artistic merit.
"Luca, take a look at these shots. I still think you and Ben had the best dynamic,"
David said, reviewing the photos on his laptop during a break.
Luca glanced at the images.
The shots with Ben were indeed striking. Both of them wore the new denim line, exuding sharp, edgy energy, like two swords clashing, sparks flying—there was a lot to admire.
But so what?
He wasn't David LaChapelle.
David was a photographer, seeking the most powerful images.
Luca was just a part-time model.
He wasn't here for the sake of art or to become a famous model. His goal was simple—$500,000.
So why not choose the easy way to get the job done?
"What do you think?"
David asked, looking over.
Luca smiled slightly. "I still think Thomas is the better choice. Don't our photos look more harmonious?"
The Aussie guy, Thomas, smiled back, grateful.
"Harmonious? That's crap!"
David shook his head. Discussing art with a model—what was he thinking?
"Let's just keep shooting!"
(End of Chapter)
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