Model to Holywood

"Hey, Luca, guess where I am?"

"Fanny, are you in Los Angeles? Where are you? I'll pick you up."

On the West Coast Highway in Santa Monica, Luca received a call, immediately turned his car around, and headed to Los Angeles Airport in the Westchester district.

The sun was setting, but the highway outside the airport remained as busy as ever.

Outside the P2B parking lot, a short girl sat on a yellow suitcase. She wore a blue-and-white striped dress, her silver hair draped over her shoulders, and she held a guitar, softly singing as she played by the roadside.

Ting-tang, ting-tang~

Pedestrians hurried by, but she sat there like a lonely musician.

Luca pulled up beside her, slowing the car to a stop.

"Hey, Fanny, stop waiting—no one's giving you any money," Luca teased, leaning out of the window.

"Luca, you're here!" Fanny jumped off her suitcase when she saw him.

"Miss Fanny, welcome to Los Angeles. I'm your tour guide, Luca Kelly. Please, get in the car!" Luca stepped out and extended his hand.

"Thank you for picking me up!" Fanny said, hugging her guitar and giving him a quick hug.

Once in the car, the BMW headed northwest, gently following the Pacific Coast Highway toward Malibu.

"Fanny, is there a special reason for this trip to L.A.?" Luca asked as he drove.

Glancing around the car's interior, Fanny nodded. "I'm here to attend Britney's concert."

"Flying out just to see a concert? You must be a superfan."

"No, my only idol is you. Learning from you is the key to success."

"Ha! Don't say that yet. You can say you learned from me after you're successful. Then I'll be happy. For now, stay humble," Luca joked.

"Alright!" Fanny smiled. "Are you going to Britney's concert too?"

"Yes, did you get tickets? I bought three for myself, Kate, and Lima. Unfortunately, they can't come, so I have two extras. Do you want one?"

"Sure! Wait, you were going to take Lima to Britney's concert?" Fanny asked with a strange look on her face.

"Why? What's the problem?"

"The problem is huge! Imagine if Lima had a celebrity boyfriend, and she took you to his concert. How would you feel about that?" Fanny asked, arms crossed, smirking.

Luca paused, then realized. "Got it. That would've been a terrible idea."

"Exactly! Women on stage shine like stars, and those watching can't compare. Taking Lima to Britney's concert—are you trying to show her how amazing Britney is?"

"I messed up!" Luca shook his head, realizing he had been careless. Thankfully, Lima didn't come, and he hadn't told her, or else he would've made a big mistake.

"Luca, how can you be so careless and still cheat? Aren't you afraid of being caught?" Fanny teased with a wink.

"Fanny, I didn't cheat! Britney and I are just friends. Don't be misled by the media," Luca said, scratching his face awkwardly.

Fanny stared at him for a moment, then smiled. "Uncle Luca, I believe you!"

"Why?" Luca was puzzled and a bit embarrassed, feeling like he had let his friend down.

Fanny laughed, "It's simple—you're a conservative. Even if you did sleep with Britney, it definitely wasn't your idea. So technically, it's not your fault."

Luca shook his head. "That's not right. When it comes to cheating, the man is always at fault."

"Oh?" Fanny was curious.

Luca shrugged. "A man cheats first in his mind before it becomes a physical act. No one can force a man to cheat if he doesn't want to."

"That makes sense. What about women?"

"No idea. I haven't finished reading that women's magazine yet."

"Haha, so this is all from a magazine?"

"Yup!"

"I want to read it too!"

They continued chatting until the car finally arrived at Malibu's 17th villa district, the Kelly family's Big Pear Tree Estate, just as the sun set.

"Wow~ What a lovely estate! That pear tree is huge. Does it have pears?" Fanny asked as she stepped out of the car.

Standing in front of the garage, she looked up at the massive pear tree. The red sun hung in the branches, and in the dense leaves, a few fist-sized green pears were faintly visible.

"Luca, I see some pears. Can I have one?" Fanny asked excitedly.

"Of course, but they're too high up. The tree trunk is thick, and you'll need professional tools to get them. Maybe someday we'll pick some when we have the time; they seem almost ripe," Luca replied, glancing at the tree.

This pear tree was very old, with a plaque showing its planting year as 1991.

Back then, Malibu wasn't even a city, just a small town. The second owner of the property had planted it. Later, when the house was sold, they wrote a clause in the contract: the property could be owned, but the tree could not be cut down until it died of natural causes.

Every owner who bought the property had to sign this agreement.

Americans take contracts seriously, so the tradition had been carried on. Over the years, the land had passed through four owners, and the house had become more luxurious, but the pear tree remained.

The landowner could maintain the tree but not cut it down, and if the tree fell ill, they had to hire experts to treat it until it naturally died.

It was an interesting arrangement, so Luca had no issue signing the contract.

"No tools needed; the tree is big and easy to climb," Fanny said, gesturing toward it.

"Stop messing around. Let's go!" Luca grabbed her suitcase and guitar.

"I'm not messing around! I can really climb trees! My mom always said I was like a boy growing up," Fanny said, following him while glancing back at the tree.

"But you're still a girl. The contract states that girls aren't allowed to climb the pear tree."

"Really?"

"Yes, the tree is male, and if a woman climbs it, it'll lose face. How will it stand tall in the plant world after that? If it gets upset, it might even commit suicide. Could you live with that on your conscience?"

"Haha~ Luca, are you being sexist? The papers say Kate's a feminist. I'm going to tell her about this!"

Fanny laughed.

"Fine, I was kidding. But seriously, no climbing the tree. Got it?"

"Okay, Uncle Luca, you're so serious. It's kinda scary," Fanny waved her hand as she walked upstairs.

In front of the villa were lawns, trees, and a driveway. Behind the house, there was a view of the ocean, beach, and a sparkling blue pool, which immediately caught Fanny's eye.

"Luca, can I swim?" Fanny shouted, suddenly excited.

"Sure, after dinner, I'll find you a swimsuit," Luca replied.

"No need," Fanny said. Before he could react, she was on the balcony, taking off her dress.

"Don't jump!" he yelled.

*SPLASH*

Fanny had already leapt into the pool.

Luca slapped his forehead. Everything about this villa was great, except for the poorly designed pool. It was placed right under the balcony, with a sliding door—practically inviting people to jump.

"Fanny, the water's a bit cold. Swim a couple of laps, then come inside. I'll get dinner started."

"Got it, Uncle Luca!"

Well, clearly she thought he was nagging.

Luca decided to leave her be and got busy with his own tasks. 

(End of the Chapter)