Chapter 155: Let's Meet Again If There's A Chance

[Chapter 155: Let's Meet Again If There's A Chance]

"I'm not sick! And I'm much more put together than you, big star," Anne laughed, thinking Ryan was intimidated.

"But that's not what I'm asking; how did you get selected?" Ryan hadn't forgotten about Sharon's assigned task.

Actually, Anne was one of the two models making her debut on the Victoria's Secret stage for the first time. The other one was a Belgian girl who could barely speak English and couldn't communicate with Ryan. She was Ryan's key to breaking through.

"Selected for what? To catch your eye, with this?" She lifted her hand, gripping something through her clothes.

"For the Victoria's Secret show."

"The interviews? There were several rounds; why do you want to know this?" She looked puzzled.

"Did anyone give you any hints during the process?" Ryan asked with a smirk.

"Of course not! I got in on my own merit. I'm the most popular model for Sports Illustrated, three years running," she said, twisting her upper body slightly.

"So what's the deal with Razek?" Ryan narrowed his eyes.

"What do you want? He gave me an address and promised to make me a fourth-generation Victoria's Secret angel next year, but I never went." She shook her head.

Ryan was just teasing her, but surprisingly, he hit a nerve.

"Can you elaborate on what he promised you?"

"He didn't say it outright; he just mentioned he was struggling to find candidates for the fourth generation and wanted my opinion."

"That doesn't count as a promise, does it?"

"Isn't that obvious? Aren't you doing the same?"

"Do you know Rachel Chandler? She's at tonight's party..." Ryan described her appearance.

A look of confusion crossed Anne's face before she shook her head.

Ryan released her.

"What exactly do you want? If you're not happy with me, I can leave right now," she said as she caught up, kissing Ryan's neck.

...

The next morning, Ryan was woken up by the sound of water. After a while, Anne emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a robe, started getting dressed in front of him, and then began putting on makeup in front of the mirror.

There was no communication between them throughout. Last night, she had been as warm as if she hadn't seen a man in twenty years, but this morning, she was as cold as ice. It was hard to describe who had slept with whom.

"I had a girlfriend during my modeling days who auditioned for Victoria's Secret. The result? She got tricked by Razek, and it was pretty bad. Now that I'm successful, I need to get revenge for her. Did anyone else you know have a similar experience?" Ryan spoke off the cuff.

"Oh, you have a fiancee. You shouldn't be making enemies for old flames; embrace the new life instead, boy," Anne said as she put on earrings in front of the mirror.

"But I love her," Ryan replied, trying to sound deep.

Anne's movements halted, then she turned and walked to the edge of the bed.

"I can't say about others, but one definitely has issues," Anne whispered.

"Candice, that South African model, the one who plays Cupid."

"Why are you so sure?"

"It's simple; she hasn't walked in a single show this year, yet she lands a spot on the show. That doesn't add up."

Ryan nodded, at least he wasn't completely empty-handed.

"Let's meet again if there's a chance," she kissed his cheek and then walked out of the room.

...

After all that effort last night, and now only this little lead? If he really wanted to get to the bottom of things, he couldn't be meeting with everyone one by one.

Ryan got up, opened his laptop, and entered a fan forum to send a message to Sharon.

[I've confirmed that Razek has made moves; he gave Anne Vyalitsyna some hints, but she didn't take them.]

[Also, Candice Swanepoel is highly suspicious... she may be a key target.]

[Wow, that's impressive. You found a lead so quickly. I told you, you're the best when it comes to this woman stuff.]

[...]

[Didn't say anything wrong, did I?]

[How did you reply so fast?]

[Actually, I keep the forum page open while I work, chatting or just watching you guys interact; it's become a habit.]

[...]

Ryan sighed. His so-called 'user level system' still wasn't online. He had already let Tyran push Veronica several times, and he needed to personally follow up on it when he got back.

[Keep investigating, and about this time's reward.]

[Got it, I'll call you.]

[Wrap up Candice as quickly as possible!]

...

Ryan switched to the forum homepage and noticed 5555 was prominently listed among the donation leaderboard. Just moments ago, she had donated $20,000, setting a record for the largest single donation.

Money to be made, girls to flirt; Ryan didn't see the downside to this business. He closed the webpage. As for Candice, the approach would be simple; he just needed the sTray series to be launched for a neutral series...

Speaking of which, compared to his performance earnings, it was small change. For the Victoria's Secret show, Ryan had sung two songs, and his pre-tax earnings were $400,000, with Usher earning a bit more than him.

Generally, for A-list stars, live performances earned between $500,000 to $2 million, depending on the duration. B-list stars typically landed between $100,000 to $500,000.

As for luxury brand fashion events, due to their complexity, the pay could vary widely from $100,000 to $1 million. If the performance provided a brand collaboration effect, like Victoria's Secret, stars would even lower their prices for exposure.

In 2014, when Taylor made her debut at the Victoria's Secret show, insiders speculated her fee was around $1 million, though she dropped the price a bit to promote 1989.

For high-profile events like the Super Bowl, sometimes the organizers wouldn't even need to pay out of pocket; sponsors would handle that part. If it were a private event, such as singing at someone's wedding, that would require extra payment, usually starting at $3 million.

...

On the way back to the record label, Teresa didn't say a word, remaining icy.

Ryan welcomed the silence and dialed Veronica. "What's the situation?"

"Nothing much. Do you know how many operation logs there are? So much data needs to be imported; this job requires at least six or seven people. I've only got two hands, and even if I added my feet, it wouldn't be enough," Veronica said, her voice thin, probably worn out by the workload.

Ryan's request was particularly unique; he needed to trace the activity of each account and assign them appropriate levels, so it was a heavy data load. He understood why Veronica was struggling.

"I'll hire someone after Christmas; then you'll be the tech supervisor," Ryan said.

Veronica perked up instantly on the other end of the line.

"I've organized the data pretty much, aiming for a launch by year's end!"

...

Upon arriving at the record label, Ryan bumped into Scooter at the back door.

"What brings you here?"

"I'm on vacation now, came down to Florida for a getaway," Scooter said with a smile, wearing sunglasses.

That reminded Ryan that Christmas was just a few days away. He had to check on the recruitment of those cheerleaders.

"I heard you have a big Christmas event coming up; of course, I had to stop by!"

"Also, I brought a friend with me. Ryan, this friend is interested in your nightclub... he's thinking of collaborating with you." Scooter leaned in to say.

"Who?"

"Just take a look." Scooter pointed to a figure not far away.

Ryan saw an African American man step out of the car.

Ryan recognized his signature braids, shining silver teeth, and a "Fear God" tattoo on his face.

Lil Wayne?

*****

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