Model to Holywood

**

*Huff, huff~*

It was early morning, and Luca was on the treadmill in the apartment's gym, jogging at a high speed. His arms swung back and forth as he increased the pace. Sweat soaked through his shirt, showing off his well-defined muscles.

*Beep~*

A notification sound rang, and the treadmill began to slow down.

Luca stepped off the treadmill, taking a long breath.

"Wow, Luca! You're so fast, like the wind!" Miranda exclaimed with wide eyes, full of admiration.

"This is nothing. I was even faster back in the day. Fans used to call me 'the wind-like handsome guy'," Luca boasted.

"Stop bragging, your speed is all thanks to my training," Kate said, stepping off her treadmill and wiping the sweat from her forehead.

"Kate, how did you train him?" Miranda asked curiously.

Kate smirked, "I held a gun and told Luca to run faster, or I'd shoot him. He was so scared, he ran like the wind."

"Hahaha~" Miranda laughed so hard she squatted on the floor before Kate even finished.

Luca rolled his eyes. Being the younger brother really meant getting no sympathy.

"What's your plan for today, Luca?" Kate asked at the breakfast table. Kate and Miranda sat across from each other, with Luca in the middle. The table was filled with a lavish breakfast, including fruit pies and vegetable salads—Kate loved trying out new recipes.

"I'll work on the script during the day, then go back to tracking that stalker tonight. I refuse to believe I can't catch him," Luca said, stuffing an apple pie into his mouth.

"Oh, weren't you bragging about how fast you are? How come it's been three days, and you still haven't caught him?" Kate teased.

Miranda, remembering the joke, laughed again.

Luca shrugged, "It's not that I can't catch him; it's that he's hiding too well. Today, I'm going to disguise myself as a homeless guy and stake out the street. I refuse to let him slip away."

"Luca, maybe you should just let it go. He's only following you; it's not like he's dangerous," Miranda suggested.

"A potential threat should be dealt with early. If we let it go, it could become worse later," Luca said, shaking his head.

"Why don't you leave it to the professionals? You two should act as bait, and let Gina handle the capture," Kate proposed.

Luca thought about it for a moment. "I'll give it one more day. If I don't catch him, I'll call Gina. But I have a good feeling about today."

"Good luck!" Kate raised a glass of vegetable smoothie with a smile.

"Thanks!"

At 9 a.m., Kate and Miranda left for work. Miranda had been staying with them for a while.

Luca returned to his room to keep writing. He was determined to finish the third part of *Eclipse* before joining the crew.

"He grabbed my arm, his hand sliding down to my ribs, my waist, tracing down to my hips, and then to my leg, lingering at my knee before gripping my calf and suddenly pulling up."

*Ring, ring~*

Just as Luca was furiously typing away, his phone rang.

"Good morning, Ed. What's up?" Luca answered using his Bluetooth while continuing to type.

"Helmut Lang just sent word. The commercial shoot starts tomorrow. Get ready," Ed said over the phone.

"No problem, I'll be there."

"Umm, there's one more thing..." Ed hesitated. "There have been some nasty rumors circulating lately, all targeting you. Be careful over the next few days."

Luca smirked. He knew what Ed was talking about. Ever since the party, rumors had been spreading that he had used his charm to land the Helmut Lang contract, claiming he had "buttered up" Rachel. The gossip claimed that the new models were ruthless and had no morals.

But Luca didn't care. If they thought he was bad, he'd embrace it. He could be like stinky tofu: smells bad, but tastes amazing.

"What exactly do I need to be careful about?" he asked casually.

"During the shoot, try not to be alone with Ms. Aniston or have any intimate interactions," Ed warned.

Luca shook his head. "Ed, don't forget, Ms. Aniston is the big name here. In our relationship, she's the one in control. If she wants to be alone with me, should I refuse her?"

"..."

The phone line went quiet for a moment. "She's always been careful with her reputation. I doubt she'd let things go that far."

"Let's hope so," Luca said with a slight grin. "Ed, you're a good guy, but not the best agent. If this had happened to another model, their team would've capitalized on the gossip, turning it into a scandal, dragging Brad Pitt into it, and creating a media frenzy. After a month of news, that model would go from a no-name to a solid B-lister."

"Should I start stirring things up for you?" Ed asked hesitantly.

"I'm kidding," Luca chuckled. "That's a tactic for new models. I'm a supermodel and an actor. I don't need more fame—I need projects that can live up to my name."

"Exactly! Your fame is a bit overhyped right now. Until your next movies come out, don't make any big headlines, or people will start resenting you. And don't forget—you're just a Brazilian country boy. If you manage to sleep with both Britney and Rachel, I don't know how others will react, but I'll want to punch you."

"Hahaha, Ed, Ed. We're on the same team, buddy. Whatever I do, you should be supporting me, not threatening me."

"I support you, but I still want to punch you," Ed said with a laugh.

"Alright, alright!" Luca chuckled, then they chatted about work before hanging up so Luca could return to his writing.

Not long after, the phone rang again. This time, it was Lima. She had been in Vancouver promoting products, doing car shows, and walking in fashion shows—the usual model routine.

"Hey, sweetie, when are you coming back? I miss you," she said.

Luca shook his head, chatted for a bit more about specific work arrangements, hung up the phone, and continued typing.

But it wasn't long before his phone rang again. There were only a few familiar contacts stored in this phone, so whenever it rang, he would answer as soon as possible.

This time, the call was from Lima. A few days ago, she had gone to Vancouver for product promotion, a car show, and a fashion show. That's just part of a model's daily routine.

Kate used to travel a lot for work too, practically living on planes.

Now that she's become a bestselling author, her status has risen, and so have her appearance fees. She turns down most regular events and avoids any that could hurt her image as a writer. She's now focused on a more high-end path.

As a result, her work invitations have been cut in half, giving her more free time to read, design, and occasionally bully her little brother. Sigh~

Lima, however, is still a mid-tier supermodel and can't afford to act like Kate, or she'd starve.

"Hey, darling, when are you coming back? I miss you, Rachel."

Luca tugged at the corner of his mouth and said helplessly, "Darling, have you heard that rumor too? Of course, it's a rumor. You don't actually think there's something between me and Rachel, do you? She's 34! No, no, even if she were younger, I still wouldn't do anything. I'm not that kind of guy."

"Still, let me explain. I thought you wouldn't get jealous."

"Okay, okay, you're not jealous. You just care about me a lot—I get it."

"Haha, so here's the story. Rachel and I were both students at the Manhattan School of Performing Arts. Before I went to Charleston last time, I stopped by the school."

"I happened to run into her there. Coincidentally, we have mutual acquaintances, and we only chatted briefly. She offered me a small guest role."

"This time running into her at the party was pure chance. I had no idea she was collaborating with Helmut Lang. Ed's incompetence is unbelievable. He didn't even dig up such important information."

"I'm starting to realize Andrew was right; Ed's business skills are average at best. He just got lucky—lucky to have me, someone with real potential."

"Alright, let's not talk about Ed anymore. After I ran into Ms. Aniston, we discussed my new script, The Weakness. You'll get to see it when you come back."

"She loved The Weakness and was really interested in the script. Afterward, we parted ways. I went to the bathroom, and when I came back, I heard the designer from Conrost announce, with great fanfare, 'We're honored to have supermodel Mr. Luca Kelly as our spokesperson.'"

"Wow! I was completely stunned. I had no idea what had just happened."

"I only found out later."

"But even now, I don't understand why Ms. Aniston recommended me."

"I thought about it carefully. Maybe it's because I'm just too handsome. What do you think?"

Hearing Lima's laughter on the other end of the phone, Luca finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as she wasn't mad, he didn't care about any rumors.

At six in the evening, after finishing two long chapters, he changed clothes, put on a wig, and hopped on his bike, heading toward 116th Street for another capture mission.

That jerk not only messed up his plan last time but also wrecked his beloved car. He had to teach him a lesson.

"Hey, Miranda, I'm here. Are you ready?"

"Okay! The third capture mission officially begins. Action!"