Chapter 57: Britney Spears is Here

"Ow~"

The next morning, Luca bid farewell to Kate and climbed into Ed's car, rubbing his sore arms and legs.

"Oh, Luca, what happened to you? Looks like you got beat up!" Ed asked, surprised.

Luca looked through the window and saw Kate heading back, letting out a sigh of relief. "I did get beat up."

"Oh? Who hit you?" Ed asked curiously.

"Who do you think? Who else but Kate would dare to hit me?" Luca responded.

Ed smirked. These two siblings were truly something else.

"So, why did Kate hit you this time?"

"It's a long story," Luca sighed, reclining in the backseat, stretching out his long legs, and began explaining the marketing scheme.

It was something he and Felix had agreed upon.

Twilight had only released its first 10,000 copies. Greenwood Publishing wasn't planning to invest much in this small project.

But Luca still thought it needed some promotion. First, because he had revised the book, making it less impressive than the original, and second, because the author had changed. Kate was a complete newcomer—no high academic background, no connections in the literary world.

The original author was a well-respected intellectual, already established in literary circles. Her book would get recommended even without much publicity.

Even without recommendations, based on its quality, the original Twilight would have still been a hit. But it wouldn't have made it into the top five of the New York Times bestseller list in the first week.

Getting on that bestseller list wasn't necessarily about having the best quality, but about having a publisher that knew how to work the system.

And that "system" was all about gaming the charts.

In New York, some companies specialize in this, informally known as "book laundering." Authors or publishers pay them, and they hire workers nationwide to buy books from various retailers using different cards, shipping addresses, and payment methods, all in small batches. With that kind of operation, getting on the list wasn't hard.

It's said that $100,000 could get a book on the list, and $1 million could place it in the top ten—the more money, the better the ranking.

Kate had thought about hiring one of these companies. After all, she wasn't short on cash.

But Luca had stopped her. It wasn't worth it—too expensive, and being a celebrity, getting exposed would damage her reputation. Plus, he had faith in Twilight.

So, he personally took charge of the promotion, using the most economical and common tactics. At first, it worked. Sales of Twilight steadily increased, and if it hadn't been for Annie Nace's harsh criticism, it would've made the bestseller list.

Unfortunately, after all his hard work over the past half-month, Kate still beat him up, but oddly enough, he felt refreshed in the morning.

"Ed, you know I only wrote those negative reviews as part of the hype, just making stuff up. I didn't mean to insult Kate, but she still went hard on me."

Ed chuckled. "Luca, quit complaining. Kate's under a lot of pressure right now. Not only is she dealing with public backlash, but in the company, she's also been clashing with people like Bundchen. Yesterday, Nina told me that Kate had a good chance of winning Model of the Year in 2002, but now the fashion world is judging her because of this."

"Is that so?" Luca rubbed his chin, frowning slightly. He had intended for the book to help Kate transition careers, not realizing it would impact her modeling career. If he'd known, he would've handled things himself.

"Luca, I've been keeping an eye on Twilight's sales. Even though it hit a bump, overall sales are still climbing daily. You don't need to put more energy into promoting it," Ed sighed softly. "You should focus on acting. Don't forget, our goal is for you to become a Hollywood star—not a model, not a screenwriter, and definitely not some damn author."

Ed slapped the steering wheel in frustration. He had hoped to turn Luca into a Hollywood star, but after all this time, they were still stuck in New York. So far, Luca had only landed a minor role, and the road to stardom was still far away.

"Calm down, Ed!" Seeing Ed's frustration building, Luca patted his shoulder. "I'll listen to you on this. I won't focus too much on Twilight anymore. I've already done what I could, and there's not much more I can do."

"You've done more than enough," Ed said quietly.

After knowing Luca for nearly half a year, Ed was more and more impressed with him. Luca had shown remarkable talent and potential. Whether it was writing novels, screenplays, handling PR, or continuously improving his acting and runway skills, Luca had it all—and he was only 21.

If he focused solely on acting, he might just become an A-list star.

Ed pondered for a moment and said, "Luca, get ready. We're going to L.A. for an audition this weekend."

"What? So soon?"

"Is it? I told you last week."

"Oh, alright, Ed. I'll follow your lead."

Luca spread his hands and lay back in the seat again. His body still ached from Kate's rough treatment, but it wasn't painful—more like an itch deep in his bones. He couldn't help but wiggle around in the seat.

Ed glanced at him in the rearview mirror and shook his head. "Luca! We're about to get to the set. Pull yourself together. Remember, you're the unstoppable Luca!"

"Oh, Ed, why are you bringing up that stupid nickname?" Luca groaned, covering his face in exasperation.

Ed grinned, flashing his white teeth, and laughed heartily. "What's wrong with that nickname?"

"I'd prefer to be called Tough Luca, or Superman Luca, not something that makes me sound like a dog in heat."

"Hahaha!"

Amid their laughter, they arrived at the HELM production base in Queens.

HELM was one of the largest film production sites in New York, with dozens of massive sound stages and streets lined with various architectural styles. It was also a tourist attraction.

By 10 a.m., the base was bustling with activity, with several film crews already shooting.

Luca and Ed walked through, taking in the sights, until they reached Studio 17.

Britney Spears was shooting the music video for one of the tracks from her new album In the Zone here.

"Good morning, Roy!" Ed greeted loudly as they entered the studio.

The man with a clipboard was Roy Hamilton, the director of the music video—an aging, bald director.

He was barking orders at the crew, telling them to get moving because Britney was about to arrive. When he saw Ed, he turned, his face showing a hint of confusion.

Ed smiled and gestured toward Luca. "Roy, this is Luca!"

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Hamilton. I'm Luca Kelly."

Luca stepped forward, standing tall and confident, a complete transformation from his relaxed posture in the car.

"Oh, Big Bird Luca! I recognize you!" Roy said, glancing down at Luca's pants.

Luca's smile stiffened slightly. Ever since his… fame, people's eyes seemed to gravitate toward his pants, ignoring his striking good looks and athletic physique. Great.

"Welcome aboard!" Roy said with a big grin, shaking Luca's hand.

"Thank you," Luca responded, his smile still a bit strained. Did this guy just compliment me after only looking down there? Were they only going to shoot that part?

His question was soon answered.

"Luca, for the scene, you'll sit here," Roy said, leading him into a cylindrical structure.

From the outside, it looked like a rough airplane model, but the interior was something else.

It was a one-to-one replica of a Boeing 747 cabin.

Luca entered and saw several people already seated. Roy pointed to a middle seat and said, "During the shoot, Britney, playing the flight attendant, will accidentally spill a drink on your pants and then take a towel to wipe them."

Uh...

Luca wiped his brow. So this was his role?

How… awkward.

"Got it, Roy," Luca replied, sitting down.

"Good. Everyone, get ready. Oh, Jimmy, stop smoking in here, or I'll throw you out!"

"Alright, alright, Roy!"

The cameraman quietly put out his cigarette.

Just as Roy was about to speak again, a staff member rushed in. "Mr. Hamilton, Ms. Spears has arrived."

"Great, let's start shooting!"