Chasing Stars in Hollywood

John Casablancas quickly finished his phone call and walked over with a smile. "Good morning, Grace," he greeted.

Grace, who had already guessed her superior's intentions, maintained a calm exterior and responded with a smile, "Good morning, John."

John Casablancas nodded at Karen Mudd, who was seated nearby, and took a seat on the sofa. He got straight to the point, "I know you're busy, so I'll be brief. Karen hasn't had much success in the past two years, and you happen to have some good opportunities on your end. How about you take her under your wing?"

Even though she had anticipated this, Grace's mind raced when Casablancas brought it up.

Karen Mudd, now 24, had been with Elite for eight years. Starting at 18, Elite had pushed her into the spotlight, and she had gradually climbed to the ranks of supermodels just below the likes of Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista.

However, all of this came to a halt two years ago.

Cultivating a supermodel in the fashion industry is no easy feat. It requires the model's own qualities, sufficient resources, significant effort, and a considerable amount of luck. If Karen Mudd's fall from grace had nothing to do with a particular man, taking over her representation could actually be a good move. Despite her age, she still had enough past fame to make a comeback with some effort.

But the situation was different now.

Grace was well aware that everything she currently had was thanks to that man. If he wanted to take it back, it would be as easy as flipping his hand.

Knowing that the man disliked women with plump lips, it wouldn't be wise to take on a client like Karen, especially if she had to use his resources to promote her.

After a brief consideration, Grace shook her head and said, "Sorry, John. I already have enough clients and can't take on Karen."

Karen Mudd immediately looked disappointed.

John Casablancas maintained his smile and said, "Don't be so quick to refuse, Grace. You can think it over. Besides, aren't you sending a batch of model profiles to Mr. Westero today? How about including Karen's?"

Grace suddenly realized that this might have been John Casablancas's main goal.

If Karen Mudd were chosen by Westero, although the chances seemed slim, it wouldn't matter whether Karen's contract ended up under Grace's name.

Grace wanted to refuse again but hesitated under John Casablancas's friendly gaze. He might seem approachable, but everyone in the company knew he was a tyrant within Elite.

After a moment's hesitation, Grace nodded, "Okay, John. But Karen will need to get her portfolio to me as soon as possible, preferably by this afternoon."

John Casablancas, seeing Grace's agreement, spoke more warmly, "It's already prepared."

He gestured to Karen Mudd, who pulled a large manila envelope from a large bag by the sofa and handed it over.

Grace took the envelope and opened it in front of the two of them.

Inside, the most prominent item was a videotape, along with a stack of photos and a resume.

This was the standard 'package' for the profiles Grace was sending to Simon Westero.

It seemed they had indeed prepared thoroughly.

Grace thought this as she quickly scanned Karen Mudd's resume and then flipped through the photos. She noticed some differences and looked at Karen Mudd again, confirming her suspicion.

Karen had clearly done something to her once-prized full lips, making them much thinner.

Grace didn't know the ancient Chinese tale of "King Chu liked thin waists, so many people starved to death," but being in this industry, she had noticed that in recent years, lip enhancement procedures at many cosmetic clinics had been bleak. Now, it seemed there was even a trend towards reducing lip size, all to cater to one man's preferences.

Karen Mudd's full lips were definitely not natural, which Grace was well aware of. Thus, from full to thin and then back to thin, even if the plastic surgeon's skills were top-notch, her lips would still look unnatural, resembling two thin sausages.

They were still not particularly appealing.

However, Grace didn't comment on this. She simply put Karen Mudd's profile back into the envelope, gave a few assurances, and then left John Casablancas's office.

She was worried that if Simon Westero actually chose Karen Mudd, one of the three slots she was supposed to have would be taken away. She considered secretly throwing the portfolio away, but eventually, she decided against it, given the complete 'package' in the envelope.

To avoid arousing too much jealousy among her colleagues, Grace had been keeping a low profile recently, limiting the organization of the girls' profiles to a few familiar people.

Now, she realized that others had figured out her situation, likely with the help of the two new assistants assigned to her by the company.

As the world's largest modeling agency, competition among agents was far more intense than outsiders imagined.

Grace had never even hinted to John Casablancas that she actually had three slots. She just made it seem like she had the opportunity to recommend a few girls to Simon Westero by chance. This way, she could barely handle the situation. Otherwise, she knew she would have to give up at least one of her three slots.

Just after returning to her office, Michelle, her assistant of three years, approached to inform her that the photographer from "VOGUE" had arrived.

After appearing at the premiere of "The Dark Knight Rises" earlier this month and some subsequent operations, Grace's baby-faced model, Quince Gough, quickly received an offer from "VOGUE." Initially, they wanted Quince Gough for a regular spread, which, for many models, was a rare opportunity.

Grace didn't immediately agree. She bargained with "VOGUE" for a while, even dropping some half-truths, and finally secured a cover girl spot for August.

Today wasn't the actual photo shoot but a meeting to discuss Quince Gough's personal style.

Grace had already planned for this.

Or rather, it was the man's intention.

In the initial set of photos sent over, the man had written something on a picture of Quince Gough with a pure look and sent it back. The photo had only two words: "Lovely Baby."

These simple words gave Grace a revelation.

In the fashion world, standing out means having a unique style. Quince Gough's short-haired baby face already gave her a distinctive look. Adding the "Lovely Baby" label was the perfect touch.

After discussing with the "VOGUE" photographer for half an hour and conducting a makeup test with Quince Gough, the meeting ended around 10:30 AM.

The rest of the morning was spent reviewing the model profiles to be sent to a certain man.

Near noon, Grace made a rare phone call. She initially thought she'd have to send someone to Los Angeles, but the assistant on the other end indicated that they would send someone to pick up the profiles in the afternoon. Realizing Simon was on the East Coast, Grace suggested she could deliver them personally, mentioning that she had some things she wanted to discuss with Simon.

There was a noticeable hesitation on the other end before they agreed, suggesting she arrive at the Greenwich estate around 6 PM.

The thought of meeting the man again brought an inexplicable sense of joy, along with a slight feeling of breathlessness as if her heart was being gripped.

But the good mood didn't last long.

During lunch, Grace received a call that forced her to rush from Elite's Midtown headquarters back to Greenwich Village.

Laura Graff was working at an Italian restaurant there.

Since receiving instructions from Simon, Grace had stopped being lenient with the Graff family. Particularly over the past month, it seemed the very busy man had forgotten about them. The supposed role in "The Real Housewives of New York" for Laura Graff never materialized, confirming Grace's suspicion that Simon cared more about selecting a few Victoria's Secret Angels than about the Graffs.

The Graff family could no longer expect any special treatment from Grace.

The contract Laura Graff and her daughters signed with Elite was a special training contract tailored for them, offering no salary but promising to provide the necessary training to become professional models. Additionally, the termination penalty for the three of them totaled $300,000.

While not a significant amount for a well-established supermodel, it was a substantial sum for the Graffs, who were unlikely to succeed.

Now that Grace was no longer financially supporting them, the Graffs had to fend for themselves.

Grace reported this to Simon, who arranged for Laura Graff to get a job as a waitress at an Italian restaurant in Greenwich Village.

Initially, Laura Graff was reluctant. She had become accustomed to the lifestyle of a Manhattan socialite and couldn't imagine waiting tables, especially at a low-end restaurant she wouldn't have considered visiting.

Grace wasn't accommodating either, threatening that if Laura didn't comply, she would have to leave the two-bedroom apartment they currently occupied and move into a basement dormitory shared with other new models under Elite, with eight people per room.

Faced with this threat, Laura Graff had no choice but to compromise.

She soon started the job.

Laura Graff was not an ideal waitress, but the restaurant tolerated her, possibly due to Simon's arrangements. Despite her poor attitude, her physical attractiveness meant most customers didn't mind.

However, she hadn't even worked there for a month before an incident occurred.

When Grace arrived at the restaurant, a police car was already parked outside. Inside, a corner was in disarray, with two police officers separating two groups of people and mediating the situation.

Grace quickly got the gist of what happened.

During lunch, two young male patrons, attracted by Laura Graff's appearance, made some flirtatious comments. One of them tried to touch her as she served their food, and

 Laura, who had a temper, poured a bowl of hot soup over him.

The unfortunate guy was taken to the hospital, and his friends, along with five or six others, caused a scene in the restaurant, demanding $50,000 in compensation. The restaurant owner, aware that these were gang members from Greenwich, wanted to settle the matter peacefully. However, with such an exorbitant demand, he had no choice but to call the police.

New York's gang problem was still rampant in the '90s, which was part of why Rudy Giuliani's tough-on-crime stance had won him the mayoral race against David Dinkins.

After taking office this year, Giuliani had launched large-scale crackdowns on gang hotspots in the Big Apple, though the problem couldn't be solved overnight.

As soon as Grace appeared, the restaurant owner approached her, complaining that he could no longer employ Laura Graff and demanding that Grace take responsibility for the situation. Otherwise, he feared for the future safety of his business.

Grace had to call Simon for the second time that day, who told her he was aware of the situation and that she should just handle her part.

About ten minutes later, several more police cars arrived and took away the gang members causing the disturbance. Grace left the restaurant with Laura Graff.

As Grace started her car, Laura Graff, sitting in the passenger seat, finally spoke for the first time since they met that day, her eyes full of resentment as she asked, "You've hooked up with Simon Westero, haven't you?"

Even if no one had told Laura Graff, Grace's recent changes were obvious. Considering some recent rumors, even with her dull wits, Laura could piece together what had happened.

At the party last month, Simon Westero had shown interest in her, even leaving his card.

But there had been no follow-up.

Grace had only told her to be patient.

A month had passed with no results.

Instead, it seemed her agent had benefited.

Quince Gough, one of Grace's clients, had suddenly become a new Victoria's Secret Angel and attended the premiere of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Los Angeles, which were clear signs.

Meanwhile, she had been forced to wait tables, and her usual modeling opportunities had suddenly dried up.

It was infuriating.

Bitch!

She must have done it on purpose.

Grace glanced at her without confirming or denying anything.

She couldn't be bothered with the woman beside her.

Laura Graff took Grace's silence as confirmation. Remembering her recent hardships and realizing that her slim chance had been stolen by the woman next to her, she couldn't hold back any longer. She glared at Grace and shouted, "You bitch, you stole my opportunity."

Grace narrowed her eyes, slowly parked the car on the side of the road, turned off the engine, then turned to face the woman in the passenger seat, raising her hand and slapping Laura Graff across the face.

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