Chapter 714: Another Year on Forbes (6)

When Karen Mulder saw Grace, she quickly approached her and pleaded, "Grace, can we talk?"

Grace took a stack of files from her assistant, Michelle Sonam, and walked through the outer office area toward her own office. She casually said to Karen, "Come inside and speak."

Entering the office, Karen watched as Grace sat down behind her desk and began discussing the day's schedule in a low voice with Michelle, who was leaning in to listen. Karen, feeling uneasy, stood awkwardly in front of Grace's desk, not daring to sit down without permission.

"The feedback from the online promotion project with Estée Lauder should be out by now. Get it from Instagram once the West Coast offices open… I have lunch with Anna Wintour at noon, so make a reservation at St. George's… Also, notify Tris and the others in Europe to join the 10 o'clock meeting by phone; if they're at the show, their assistants can stand in…"

After spending a few minutes giving instructions and dismissing Michelle, Grace started reviewing a set of Eva Herzigová's photos and said, "Go ahead, Karen."

Seeing that Grace didn't even look up, Karen stepped forward slightly and said, "Grace, I've spoken to John, and he's agreed to transfer me under your management. What do you think?"

Grace marked one of the photos with her pen without raising her head, and then declined, "I'm sorry, Karen. I'm swamped with work and can't take on new clients right now."

Karen, panicking at this response, stepped closer and pleaded, "Please, Grace."

Grace just shook her head again. "Karen, maybe you should talk to another agent."

Karen shook her head as well. "Only you can help me, Grace. Even if… I mean, could you ask Simon Westeros to let me go?"

Grace finally looked up at Karen. "Simon Westeros?"

Sensing a displeasure in Grace's tone, Karen was unsure of what had gone wrong and hurried to explain, "You might know that there's been talk… about Westeros not liking me. Because of that, I can't find work anywhere."

Grace knew exactly what was happening.

There had been widespread rumors that a certain young man didn't like women with full lips, but that wasn't entirely accurate. He disliked those who artificially enhanced their lips into bizarre sausage-like shapes. Natural full lips didn't bother him.

Karen Mulder had previously gone overboard with lip enhancement, and later, to fit the latest trend, she had them thinned out, leaving her with noticeable signs of excessive plastic surgery. If that young man saw her, he would likely be deeply repulsed. Recently, rumors had circulated in the fashion industry that Simon Westeros disliked Karen Mulder and even wanted to blacklist her. These rumors were nothing more than typical industry maneuvering.

Pushing down a former supermodel would open up opportunities for others.

It was that simple.

What the rumor-mongers didn't expect was how far the influence of that young man would reach. With the rumor spreading, many brands, even unsure of its truth, chose not to invite Karen Mulder to their shows this fashion season, fearing they might inadvertently offend Simon Westeros.

Better safe than sorry.

And in this industry, models were never in short supply. Even for someone like Karen Mulder, who barely scraped the status of a supermodel, no one was irreplaceable.

So, Karen suddenly found herself completely out of work.

If it had been a few months ago, Grace would have been happy to take Karen on as a client, especially if Simon had selected her for the new Victoria's Secret show.

But now, even though she could help Karen, Grace had no intention of getting involved.

She was very careful about protecting her tenuous connection with a certain young man. Ignoring even her husband's suggestions, she was unlikely to intervene for someone irrelevant.

Shaking her head, Grace said, "Karen, I can't help you. I think all of this is just a rumor, and in time, people will forget."

"Forget?" Karen whispered. "If they forget me in this industry, I'm finished."

Unable to hold back anymore, Karen stepped forward, grabbed Grace's sleeve, and begged, "You can help me, Grace, please. Everyone knows you know Westeros. If you think this is just a rumor, you just need to clarify that he isn't targeting me."

Grace felt Karen's grip tighten on her arm as she tried to pull away but couldn't. She pressed the intercom on her desk with her free hand and said, "Michelle, call security and have two guards come to my office."

Hearing this, Karen panicked and thought about letting go, but instead, she held on tighter, pleading, "Grace, I just want you to help me, please. I'll do anything. I can even sleep with Westeros if that's what it takes."

Grace frowned slightly, but her tone softened as she glanced at Michelle, who had just entered to see what was happening. Grace signaled Michelle with her eyes and said to Karen, "Karen, you've probably made some good money over the years, and I think you even have a boyfriend. Why not settle down and do something else? Everyone knows that modeling is a short-lived career; it can't last forever."

Seeing that Grace wasn't going to budge, Karen began to break down. "No, I don't have that, nothing… nothing at all."

Saying this, Karen burst into tears, completely losing her composure.

Two security guards arrived at the office door, unsure of what to do when they saw the crying supermodel.

Grace signaled the guards to come in and said to Karen, who was still holding onto her, "Karen, I really can't help you. I've only met Simon Westeros a few times and barely know him. You should ask John to help; he actually knows Westeros. Maybe if he makes a few calls, things will get sorted out. But there's nothing I can do."

As she said this, Grace felt Karen loosen her grip, and she pulled her arm free, motioning for the guards to escort the still-crying model out.

Karen Mulder was led away, crying, to another room, and the news quickly spread throughout the company, creating quite a stir.

John Casablancas, the company's president, personally came to Grace's office soon after. Grace was in the middle of discussing online strategies for several clients with another agent. Casablancas, as the president, had the authority to sit in, so after greeting the two, he sat on a nearby sofa.

When the new media operations department was first established, Casablancas naturally wanted to control it himself.

As the internet concept grew ever more popular, it seemed that the information age was just around the corner. Any business related to the internet was eagerly sought after. Even though Elite wasn't a publicly traded company, having a department focused on online media would bring many benefits.

However, from the start, Silicon Valley insisted that Grace should head this department.

Casablancas had no choice but to let it go.

Moreover, Elite signed an additional agreement with Grace, allowing her to take a 10% commission from the new media operations department's revenue.

In the modeling industry, there were no strict limits like the 10% commission cap in Hollywood. Apart from the top supermodels who could secure a 10% commission contract, many newcomers or those still rising in the ranks faced commission rates of 20% or more, with some agencies taking as much as half of their earnings.

Agencies also often imposed hefty charges for accommodation, transportation, training, and other services, squeezing more money out of their models.

So when Grace initially asked for 10%, Casablancas didn't hesitate much before agreeing.

Now, though, he regretted it deeply.

Very deeply.

Since the department's establishment, Grace had quickly extended her influence across Elite's entire client base.

All Elite models interested in developing their online presence had to sign a specific contract with the new media operations department. The department would provide them with online resources and services, managing their official accounts on various platforms for terms ranging from three to ten years, depending on their status.

Additionally, online platform revenues were calculated separately.

As the new media operations department gained momentum, most models, eager to ride the wave, signed up.

In just a few months, the department had secured over 300 contracts with Elite's clients and a few well-known non-model clients.

Casablancas had been shocked when he finally saw a report from the department a week ago.

The report listed 319 clients with signed contracts. Some had millions of followers, while others had only a few thousand, but combined, these 319 clients had a staggering 120 million followers on the most popular social platform, Facebook.

Even on Instagram, the rapidly growing photo-sharing site, their combined follower count exceeded 36 million.

Casablancas understood that there was significant overlap, but even with heavy discounts, a total follower count of 120 million was an undeniable force.

Over the years, Casablancas had used various tactics—arranging for clients to attend high-profile parties, fostering rumors with celebrities, and encouraging them to branch into other industries—to help these young women build their fame.

Now, the internet had quietly achieved all that and more.

While one or two people alone might not make much difference, controlling the popularity of over 100 million followers made monetization remarkably easy. Casablancas could think of dozens of ways to turn that popularity into profit, and Grace wasn't dumb either. Shortly after the department was established, she secured a $1 million online promotion contract with Estée Lauder.

A $1 million contract might not seem like much, but a 10% commission from that was already equivalent to Grace's previous annual income.

And that was just the beginning.

While Elite as a whole could still claim about 30% of the revenue for operational costs, the largest share undoubtedly went to Grace Sput. Even the models, who appeared to have the highest revenue share, didn't earn as much as Sput, who took a cut from the overall revenue, while the models had to share 60% among many.

Casablancas had considered cutting ties with Grace and taking over the new media operations department himself.

But as someone who had dominated the modeling industry for years, he knew that firing Grace would get him nothing. Grace was backed by someone he could only look up to, and making such a move could even lead to Elite's downfall.

If Grace left now, she could easily take a chunk of Elite's clients with her.

Casablancas had already sensed a looming crisis.

A crisis where he might be replaced.

Despite being the founder, Casablancas no longer had absolute control over Elite's shares. If it came to making a choice, the board members who had long been dissatisfied with his dominance might not side with him.

Back in Grace's office, Casablancas listened patiently as Grace and another agent discussed how to manage the company's clients through online platforms, feeling somewhat enlightened.

It was clear that taking attractive photos, interacting with fans, and creating trending topics were all secondary.

The key to the new media operations department's success was the official promotional resources provided by Egret.

Each week, Egret allocated a set number of press releases to Grace's team, who would then create content—whether photos or news— which Egret would distribute through its high-traffic portal sites, drawing public attention to specific models and converting them into followers. Grace's clients also received priority recommendations in Facebook and Instagram's algorithms.

As he listened, the sharp-minded Casablancas began to understand more.

Egret wasn't doing this out of goodwill.

It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

The new media operations department could mass-produce high-quality content for Egret's platforms, which was precisely what the rapidly expanding internet world needed.

Simple street style photos or daily life shares, or just social media interactions with fans, all counted as "content." While this content might not have the high value of movies, music, or novels, it kept users engaged on the websites for extended periods.

The more time users spent browsing these sites, the more revenue those sites could generate through advertising and other means.

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