I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1100: It Must Be a Hoax]

In the evening, in the conference room of WM Agency.

The company executives and several signed models had spent the afternoon discussing the schedule for Paris Fashion Week before finally adjourning the meeting.

Today was March 1st.

Paris Fashion Week was set to open on March 5th. Several key models under WM, including Kate Moss, had already rushed to Europe ahead of the London Fashion Week. This meeting was mostly called to discuss arrangements for a few newcomers, but mainly for Carmen Kass.

As everyone began to leave the conference room, Carmen was called back by Paul Roland, who reminded her a few things before letting her go.

...

Stepping out of the conference room, Carmen initially planned to head straight back to her apartment but was stopped by a group of girls she had just seen.

"Carmen, we're all going out to eat. Want to join us?"

The spokesperson of the group was Karolina Kurkova, a Czech model who had signed with WM a little earlier than Carmen. She was also one of WM's centerpiece talents. However, at just fifteen, her career was just beginning, whereas Carmen, at twenty-one, felt the pressure of possibly missing her opportunity if she didn't find success soon.

For the past six months, WM had concentrated its resources on turning her into another Gisele Bundchen, which had already caused discontent among the other models in the company. Therefore, her popularity within WM wasn't particularly strong.

People tend to behave this way; whenever someone appeared stronger, jealousy could easily arise. Yet, if someone seemed far ahead, the comparison often faded away, shifting instead toward wanting to befriend that person.

Recently, after suddenly being named a Victoria's Secret spokesperson, Carmen felt a notable change in the attitudes of others in the company. Even Kate Moss and a few others in Europe had called her to congratulate her, and the other models left behind in New York were noticeably more friendly toward her.

Feeling the eager gaze of the nearby girls, Carmen hesitated for a moment but then nodded, saying, "Alright then, I'll treat everyone."

Despite her underlying pride and stubbornness, she had never been antisocial. During her years in Europe, she had gotten along well with the other models from her agency.

The girls were thrilled. Upon hearing that she would treat, they wasted no time moving in closer, surrounding her as they made their way out of the company.

They found a nearby British restaurant, recommended by one of the girls. The reasoning was sound; British food was notoriously bad, so by choosing this restaurant, everyone wouldn't have to worry about controlling their appetites.

Since they were about to fly to Paris, no one dared to eat too much.

...

After ordering some simple dishes, the group, which turned heads throughout the restaurant with their stunning looks, started to chat while they ate. Coming from all corners of the globe, they did have few common topics, and inadvertently, the conversation shifted to the recently popular The Blair Witch Project.

"Yesterday, New Line Cinema issued a statement; it turns out this was all just a movie promotion, and the film is coming out on March 5th, the same day as the opening of Paris Fashion Week."

"No wonder! My mom lived in Maryland when she was young, and I even called her to ask if she had heard of anything like the Blair Witch. She said she hadn't."

"That's not the case at all! I heard this is just a cover-up by the Maryland state government. The film company took over the situation and promoted it as fictional so that nobody would question Maryland's handling of it. Apparently, a lot of people have died over the years. If this were to be seriously investigated, many would be held accountable."

"I feel that way too! New Line only arranged for 200 theaters to show the film, clearly not wanting too many people to see it. Just think, if it were a real movie, considering its current popularity, at least 2,000 theaters would be necessary."

"It opens on March 5th, but unfortunately, we won't be able to make it. However, maybe we can catch it after we return from Paris."

"Yeah, let's do it together! Just hope the tickets aren't too hard to get. With only 200 theaters, Manhattan probably won't have many theaters showing it."

The girls chattered excitedly, but Carmen remained a bit quiet, only occasionally agreeing with them.

She had been following this situation earlier. But the past few days had kept her too busy to think about it much.

New Line Cinema was just a subsidiary of Firefly Group, wasn't it?

The thought of that man suddenly crossed her mind.

What was he doing now?

Had he thought of her?

As this thought crept in, she felt a bit flustered.

How could she have such a strange thought!

"It must be a hoax."

The words slipped out of her mouth without thinking.

Hearing her comment, the girls at the table paused, realizing her discomfort and quickly shifted the conversation to another topic.

The discussion of the Blair Witch at a British restaurant in Manhattan was just a small reflection of a broader social craze.

After more than a month of buildup, rumors about the Blair Witch had transformed into a viral topic of discussion, gaining traction beyond just the internet; even traditional media had gotten involved. The public clarification issued by New Line did nothing to cool the buzz but rather fueled even greater controversy.

*****

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