Filed to story: The Return Novel (Natalie & Bryce) PDF Read Online Free >>
Shirley talked for a while over coffee, and Natalie and Tony, according to her, performed quite decently. She could not help but be impressed with them. After chatting for a bit more, she went straight to the point, asking Natalie, “So, tell me about your background.” Although she had heard about Natalie’s excellence, she hadn’t been able to find her resume anywhere.
Natalie felt that there was nothing to hide, so she replied honestly, “I’ve always been an agent, mostly overseas, and I only returned to this country this year.”
Shirley nodded. No wonder she couldn’t find out much about Natalie—she’d been plying her trade abroad all this time. She turned her gaze toward Tony. Only then did she realize that Tony was even more handsome than he appeared to be in his photos. His good looks were completely natural, without the slightest bit of embellishment.
Shirley said, “Tony makes a wonderful impression visually, especially as his looks are so obviously natural. I really appreciate that.” The cosmetics industry liked the idea of natural beauty as the baseline. This baseline enhanced the appeal of their products.
Tony smiled genuinely. “Thank you. I’ll definitely try not to disappoint you.” When he said these words, he no longer had the reticence and hesitation he’d shown in the past. It was as if he felt calm and confident about everything and took it all in his stride.
Natalie gave Tony an admiring look, secretly surprised by the change in his confidence levels. She’d been worried that he might not perform satisfactorily when he met Shirley.
Shirley continued, “Natalie, I’ve always been curious about how you managed to unlock Tony’s potential. After all, Tony has been with Star Entertainment for a long time but has only started to come to prominence recently.”
Natalie and Tony looked at each other, noticing the hurt in his eyes. She gave him a reassuring look. Natalie said, “As you can see, Tony’s strengths are immediately apparent. I didn’t need to dig to find them. Tony was in the shadows before because his previous manager didn’t have the ability to develop and leverage talented people.”
Shirley, impressed with Natalie’s answer, said, “I think you’re underestimating yourself out of modesty. No one else would have been able to create a big social media stir like you did for Tony. Everyone has seen Tony’s explosive growth and popularity.”
Natalie smiled and nodded but remained silent. So Shirley said, “Natalie, I’ll speak plainly to you. There are actually quite a lot of different opinions inside the company about using Tony as our new brand ambassador. I’ve taken a liking to Tony and to you because you are so impressive. So, I’m going to bet everything, including my reputation, on him and on you. If this advertising campaign results in losses for the company, I will be the first one to suffer.”
Shirley looked shrewdly at Tony and Natalie before she added, “So don’t let me down, okay?”
Natalie nodded. “Of course, we will do our very best, and I guarantee that we won’t disappoint your company. You can rest assured.” Then she smiled confidently and added, “Also, the casting of The Crossing 2 is going to end next month. At that time, Tony’s popularity and exposure will make him totally worthy of this endorsement arrangement.”
Natalie knew that Tony’s popularity wasn’t yet as high as that of other celebrities, but she believed that this was only a temporary shortfall. Shirley smiled back at Natalie, feeling more confident, and laughed heartily as she said, “Ha ha ha! I’m really looking forward to working with you both.” A rare smile lit up her normally serious face.
Natalie chuckled, her eyes becoming more and more confident. “Don’t worry, Shirley. You will definitely not lose out if you choose Tony.”
Shirley said, “All right, we’ll wait and see. But I believe that you won’t let me down.” She laughed.
With the matter settled between Shirley, Natalie, and Tony, the next step was to agree on the financial aspects and then move on to start filming. Before signing the contract, Shirley asked if Tony could do some test shots for the company’s cameraman. Just as they were about to go and do this, Natalie caught Tony’s eye and whispered, “Work hard. I think highly of you.”
Tony nodded. “I know. I will.” And he was no longer nervous.
When they arrived at the studio, many people looked at Tony. Using him as a brand ambassador was controversial inside the company, just as Shirley had said. Many people hadn’t thought much about it to begin with, but now, after all the gossip, they were waiting to see if it would work out okay or go wrong. But Tony immediately got the approval of the photographer and Shirley, and the people on the sidelines had nothing else to say. In fact, it seemed that the rumors were right and that he really was a rising star.
And so the contract was signed smoothly. When Natalie came out and looked at the contract in her hands, she heaved a sigh of relief. After all, with this contract, the matter was finally settled. She said, “Tony, you did well today. You’re amazing.” If it hadn’t been for Tony’s performance, Shirley probably wouldn’t have signed the contract with such eagerness.
Tony smiled shyly. “It’s nothing. It’s all because of you, Natalie.”
Natalie sighed. She didn’t understand why he looked like a shy little boy whenever he looked at her.
Jill was delighted when she heard the news. She filed the contract away and looked at the two of them excitedly. “The contract is signed! Should we go out tonight and celebrate?”