41. A Supermodel Contract

Our company produces models, artists, and musicians. "If you've never heard of ST Agency, you might know David Lucas, Mylen Virginia, or HugeSpike. They are some of our celebrities." Mr. Tryvon explained.

"I think I've never heard of any of them," Adro said, trying to recall.

"Oh, well," Mr. Tryvon chuckled in annoyance. Then he cleared his throat to continue, "Anyway, I'm confident to say that almost all of our celebrities are at the top. I hope you'll consider our offer. At the very least, would you be willing to accept my invitation to our office for a look around and a quick coffee?"

"How much can you pay me? I'm not familiar with modeling work; it has never caught my interest. I want to compare how much I can make as a model compared to working here." Adro inquired.

Mr. Tryvon raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Well, if you want to know the payment scheme, I suggest you accept my invitation to our office. However, rest assured, the payment for being a model is certainly much higher than that of a fast food restaurant."

"Is it?" Adro narrowed his eyes a little.

Mr. Tryvon chuckled again. He pulled out a business card and a small black invitation card with gold writing, then handed them to Adro. "This is my business card and the invitation letter. You can contact me first if you want to visit so that I can welcome you properly."

***

Grace's car pulled out of the university. Behind the wheel, Adro drove alone. He had just dropped Grace off at campus and was now heading to the address on the business card he received yesterday. It was a skyscraper.

With an invitation from Mr. Tryvon, Adro was escorted by a woman in a white and black uniform. Everyone there looked attractive, and large photos with dramatic and cheerful themes were displayed in various places. And it felt like Adro had seen some of those people in the photos when he watched movies with Grace.

"Please come in, Mr. Groendez," said the woman as she opened a large door.

Entering, Adro found himself in a spacious room surrounded by windows with a sky view as he was on the forty-first floor.

"Welcome, Mr. Groendez. Or... may I call you Adro for a more familiar tone?" Mr. Tryvon approached, already extending his hand.

"It's fine," Adro replied, shaking the man's hand.

"Please, have a seat. What would you like to drink? Just name it—we have everything," Mr. Tryvon winked.

"I'll have anything. Thank you." Adro replied as he sat.

"All right. Your coffee will be here shortly.

Then Mr. Tryvon contacted his secretary to order the drinks. Shortly after, a woman came with two cups of coffee.

"I can't stay here for too long because I have to go back to work, so please get straight to the point," Adro said after taking a sip of his coffee as a formality.

"Of course." Mr. Tryvon nodded after sipping his coffee too. Then he pulled out the documents lying on the coffee table in front of him to hand them to Adro. "This is our company profile and a contract replica. The working system, payment, and other details are also written there."

"I see," Adro said, taking the paper bundles. "I might have to take this home because it's impossible to read all of this here."

Mr. Tryvon nodded. "Sure! You can certainly do that. But I'll give you a brief overview of the job here, can I?"

"Sure, please."

"Before that, have you ever worked as a model or anything similar?" Mr. Tryvon asked.

"No, I haven't," Adro answered.

"Becoming a model requires challenging training. Almost all our models are graduates of well-known modeling schools and have years of experience. However, especially for you, we will provide exclusive training to mature you as a model. And during that time, you don't need to worry because we won't charge you anything; instead, we'll pay you," Mr. Tryvon explained.

"How much will you pay me? I'm paid eleven dollars per hour at my current job," Adro inquired.

"During the training period, we can pay you fifty dollars per hour of work. And after your first photo shoot, the payment will follow the actual talent contract, which is, of course, much larger than fifty dollars. For the first time, you will be a magazine model."

"Magazine? Doesn't that mean I'll be famous?" Adro asked, thinking of some magazines he often saw at Grace's house or sold on the street. With his photo appearing there, wouldn't everyone know him?

"Of course! You will be renowned! I'm sure you'll become a star without waiting a week since your photo was released!"

However, Mr. Tryvon's wide smile instantly faded when he saw the doubt on Adro's face. "Adro? Is there something that matters?"

Raising his face, Adro looked at Mr. Tryvon. "I'm not sure I can work with you. I don't want to be famous."

"Wh-why? I hope you're willing to become our model, Adro. We will support all the lifestyle needs you require as a top-class model. Before your debut, everyone will see you already living the life of a top model, so you don't need to worry," Mr. Tryvon offered.

"That's not my concern. I only don't want to be famous." Adro replied. He couldn't become famous. He shouldn't. If he was, the likelihood of being caught would be high because he was an illegal resident living under a false identity.

"May I know why you are concerned about being famous? Do you want to have a private life?" Mr. Tryvon asked before clearing his throat. "Well, many celebrities have a private life, you know. If that's what you want, we can endeavor to make it happen. You just need to be active in working as a model, and we'll make sure your private life isn't exposed in the media."

"It's not just that," Adro replied. "Actually, I also have a little problem with my identity as a citizen of this city. It makes me unable to go abroad and work in some places that require legality."

"Oh... I see…" Mr. Tryvon mumbled and looked blankly at the floor. Then he raised his face before continuing, "All right. Because it seems you're a closed-type person, I won't try to interfere with your private life. But let me tell you one thing, Adro. Our company is huge. We have connections to many important people in this country and other countries. Actually, this is a common, open secret among celebrity agencies. Therefore, if you have legal issues or similar problems, we can take care of everything. That way, you can focus peacefully on your profession as a model."

***

"Was it safe that I told him all that?" Adro muttered. His hands gripped the steering wheel of the car in front of him. "But my instinct said he could be trusted enough, and my instinct has never been wrong."

Adro fell silent inside the car parked outside the agency company building. The offer given by Mr. Tryvon was tempting. However, he wasn't unaware of what celebrities were. He had been in this world long enough to know the basics. They were famous people because their faces often appeared everywhere.

Logically, no matter how much he kept his private life from people, his face would still be recognized wherever he went. On the other hand, being popular at his current workplace had already made him mentally tired. He couldn't imagine if he were popular in this city, let alone the country. If he had to experience it alone, that would be fine, but what if Grace felt uncomfortable when they went out together? She was a shy girl.

"This is complicated," Adro muttered, rubbing his face.

Then, he turned to the passenger seat next to him, which held the sample contract papers given by Mr. Tryvon.

"How much does a model actually get paid?" Adro mumbled, grabbing the papers.

After searching, Adro finally found a paragraph about the payments. Then his eyes widened as he saw the hourly wage he would receive and additional fees for certain achievements. In an instant, his brain turned into a portable calculator until he could total his minimum earnings if he worked as a model.

"This is insane. The payment for one fashion show session is more than my salary as a waiter for over half a year," he stared at the road ahead. "If that's the case, not only do I not have to burden Grace anymore, but I can also make her happy."

Then, Adro's hand slid to turn off the car engine before he got out to go back inside the company building.

"I will sign the contract."