Alas, as soon as he saw the familiar name, the fleeting sense of drowsiness that was slowly creeping up on him instantly vanished.
He took a screenshot of the announcement and sent it to Kevin’s WhatsApp. When he didn’t get a reply, he called Kevin.
“Hey, man. Did you not take a look at the time?”
Sean had to call three times before Kevin answered the phone, and the first thing out of the latter’s mouth was a complaint.
Sean heard the deafening music that was ringing on Kevin’s side. “What’s the matter? Did I disrupt you on your blind date?” he fired back sarcastically.
Kevin nearly spat out his drink. He signaled for his friend to lower the music before asking, “Aren’t you on a business trip? Why are you calling me in the middle of the night?”
“You’d better give me a good explanation about what’s happening with that list of special guests who’ve been invited for that program East Joy Talent is running.” Sean’s voice was icy.
Kevin knew he was in the wrong. After a pause, he said, “You know how good Alana’s designs are. Our talents expressed the most interest in her. It was a collective decision.”
“What does that have to do with Abigail?” Sean’s voice became even more chilly at the recollection of that secretive call Kevin had this morning. He spat the words out through gritted teeth.
An image of Sean’s icy expression flashed across Kevin’s mind and he hastily explained, “Oh, Abigail. She’s Alana’s personal assistant, so she’s joining the show, of course.”
In the face of Sean’s harsh questioning, Kevin didn’t dare to tell him that Abigail was Alana.
Sean stopped talking.
Just as Kevin thought that Sean was going to hang up, Sean’s voice came through the speakers again. “I’ll invest 30 million into the show. Find a reliable and prominent leader in the industry to boost the show’s credibility.”
The sudden change in Sean’s attitude almost made Kevin assume he had fallen into a drunken stupor and was hearing things. The moment he heard about the investment of 30 million, his eyes began to gleam.
“You got it, man. I’ll make all the arrangements.”
After hanging up, Kevin’s friends kept him occupied with more drinks. It was after 3.00AM when he finally stumbled out of the room.
The next morning, Kevin was woken up by his alarm. He groggily stuck his hand out from under the covers and looked around for his phone. Once he found it, he made a call to his assistant, Zoe Cox.
“Yes, Mr. Stewart?” A crisp, professional voice rang out.
“Did the finance department receive a sum to be invested into Top Designer?”
Kevin massaged his aching temple as he asked without even opening his eyes.
Zoe sounded excited as she swiftly replied, “We received 30 million from Graham International this morning.”
“Good. Inform the public relations department to carry out the investor’s request. Tell them that they must convince Nolan Jefferson to join Top Designer by 3.00PM today. Offer him three times his usual asking price to get him to be the chief mentor for the show.”
After giving a list of instructions to Zoe, Kevin yawned, tossed his phone aside, and went back to sleep.
Zoe stared at her phone in a daze. Nolan Jefferson was a key figure in the fashion industry. He graduated from one of the top three most illustrious universities and became a professor at a young age. It was hard for anyone to invite him. The amount that Kevin offered was more than what an ordinary person could earn in their entire lifetime.
She stared at her phone screen as she recalled the news she read on Twitter about the future wife of Graham International’s president.
Sean was generously investing 30 million into the show. That only made Zoe even more convinced that her assumption was true.
Zoe was only interning as an assistant at East Joy Talent. Meanwhile, Sabrina was a highly-rated manager in the company. If I’m able to get her help, I’ll get promoted really soon…
With this thought in mind, Zoe no longer hesitated. She quickly used her work resources to find Sabrina’s number and made the call.
“Hello.” Sabrina’s professional voice rang out.
Zoe clutched her phone excitedly as she introduced herself.
“Why are you calling?” Sabrina wasn’t interested in Zoe’s introduction.
Zoe wasn’t flustered. She swiftly informed Sabrina about the amount that Graham International had invested in Top Designer.
Upon hearing about the 30 million, Sabrina’s eyes lit up. Although she had been in charge of many celebrities before, it was her first time being in charge of one who could bring in so much capital with her when she joined such projects.
“Who’s in charge of arranging the teams for the program?”
Sabrina was in an excellent mood now, but her voice remained as calm as ever as if this was a regular occurrence for her.
“Another assistant and I are in charge,” Zoe answered truthfully.
“Please try your best to arrange for Alana to team up with Joan. Do you think that’s possible?”
After pausing briefly in thought, Sabrina made her request.
Since the public was showing so much interest in Alana, it was a good chance for Joan to team up with her and get some of the spotlight too.
“Sure. It won’t be a problem at all.”
Zoe agreed to Sabrina’s request. It wasn’t a big deal anyway. It was her job to assign the teams, and what a good chance it was to do Sabrina a favor.
…
Ever since that day, Abigail never saw Sean again. She didn’t try to reach out to him either.
They were both busy. No one had the time to waste on relationship matters.
Three days passed in a flash. Soon, it was time for Abigail and Luna to begin filming.
After getting into the vehicle that the production team sent to pick them up, Luna nudged Abigail somewhat anxiously as she murmured, “Are you sure you want me to act like I’m Alana? What if they ask me to come up with a design right on the spot?”
Abigail patted Luna’s hand gently.
“It’s too late to change anything now. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Abigail was completely calm. Luna took a deep breath and forgot about her childish notion of wanting to get out of the car and running off.
The cameraman who was sitting in the front passenger seat pointed his lens at the back seat and started filming the two women. Unused to it, Luna tried to stop him.
“We haven’t even reached the filming location yet. Why have you started filming?”
“Haven’t you seen shows like these before? I’m just taking some B-roll footage.”
The cameraman’s eyes flashed with displeasure. Throughout the ride thus far, the two women hadn’t even bothered to smile into the camera.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.