Aria flipped her hair mid-shot and held an off-shoulder angle with her eyes half-lidded. She planned on making a simple action like blinking look so cinematic.
Aria saw the crew lean forward. The brand rep from Cashiana whispered something while pointing. She smiled to herself. She was trying to get their attention and it was fucking working, and the death glare Muriel was shooting her way showed that she successfully killed two birds with one stone. She twisted slightly at the waist, angling for the light.
"Alright, and that's a wrap," Major's sister called out to them. One favorite part of being a model was the free stuff she got afterwards. The designer of her dress told her that she could wear it, courtesy of their brand, and she didn't have to return it.
Then a free makeup kit from the artist who made up her face earlier. "What's your name?" she asked the makeup artist.
"I go by Renna," she said, dissembling her station. It was the end of the shoot, and everyone was packing up. Aria tucked the voluminous kit into her tote bag.
"I could make you my personal makeup artist if you do not mind."
Renna laughed; it was warm and rich and friendly. "That's okay. But let me warn you, I can be very pricey." She enunciated the pricey, and they both laughed. "I think we can negotiate. I could bribe you with your favorite food."
"Ahh." Renna chuckled. "That will be Marni's Bolognese special."
"Alright then, let's head over there," Aria said, swinging her tote over her shoulder. "You should have an assistant, you know, to help you carry all this load."
Renna chuckled. "I'm actually just starting out in this makeup career."
Aria's eyes popped.
Renna chuckled at her reaction. "Like, I've been training and I know I'm really good. My sisters and cousins have been my lab rats, but it's just last month I turned professional."
"What?!" Aria's mouth hung low. "How did you get in to do the makeup here? Some of these makeup artists here have freaking TV shows." She laughed.
"Oh that. I'm connected." They were walking towards the elevator doors now. Around them, the scramble and quiet chatter of people as stations were dissembled and equipment was being packed up.
"Yeah, that makes total sense now."
"I mean look at the exclusivity of this." Renna waved around. "How would I have been able to step foot in this kind of prestigious event without a tweak of connections?"
They were just about to step into the elevator compartment.
"Aria!" a voice called with urgency. She whipped her head back. It was Livia. She stood with a dark expression on her face, folding her arms across her chest crossly.
"Uh-oh, I think I have to attend to that."
"No worries, I'll wait for you."
"Sorry." Aria mouthed to her as she stole away. "Hey Liv."
"How could you just leave like that?" She pursed her lips in displeasure. "None of the models has left yet. You have not yet been dismissed. Bordini will still give a slight briefing. The photoshoot continues tomorrow."
Aria quickly apologized. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I wasn't informed about that."
"The briefing will not take up to thirty minutes. Follow me."
She followed her down a flight of stairs, and a large oaken door was opened to reveal a small auditorium.
Everyone looked up at her as she stepped in. Then, to her chagrin, they all started clapping. Fashion models, celebrity models, skincare models, influencer models, brand models—all forty-five of them, all to whom she didn't hold a candle—yet they clapped for her. She was beyond flabbergasted.
Livia led her towards where Cassian Bordini stood tall and proud, flanked by the creative directors of the three brands.
"We had a successful photoshoot," Major's sister—whose name she later learned to be Zoela—spoke. "We called and you all answered. Thank you all for taking out a part of your time to be at the brand collaboration, and putting your creativity and presence together to release the campaign at the set time. However, unknown to you all, we were also going to singlehandedly pick a face that would stand out for the ads which would be displayed on every screen big and small. That face would be Aria Velasquez, and not Muriel as was wrongly speculated earlier."
The models clapped again.
"She really carried what we were looking out for to heart and we like how she displayed it—from her dressing to her makeup to her stances. All Perfecto."
Aria's mouth fell, unable to believe what she was hearing. The Mera/Oland/Cashiana collab was the next biggest thing in the European skincare industry, and they just enlisted her to be their ad model. Biggest leap in her career so far.
"Not going to lie, Aria," Zoela walked towards her. "When Sir Bordini told me about you, I couldn't exactly see what he was excited about. I mean, you have the same face, the same grace—nothing seemed unique. Until you took center stage."
Aria laughed. I actually displayed that exaggerated flair to get under the skin of somebody. Guess I killed two birds with one stone. She thought.
"You're now the ad model of the new skincare product that will be launching next month, and Livia will be your manager. Tomorrow, you'll contact a legal team so that we can discuss our terms and conditions. The rest of you all wouldn't go unappreciated, as there is a lot of appreciation bonuses and endorsements. Thank you all again for your time."
"This one, you are smiling so hard," Renna perked up as soon as she came into her periphery.
"I am sorry we took so much time. You still up for the dinner?"
"Yeah, I'm starving. Plus I don't really have much to do after now besides editing some of the videos I made and putting them up on my Insta."
"Alright, Marni's Palace it is."
"Girl, give me some tea." Renna slurped on her Bolognese. "This rival energy between you and Muriel. Muriel is easily the nicest person I know."
"I don't know." Aria nonchalantly shrugged. "Doesn't she compete with anyone?"
"She's second to none, honestly. It's already enforced at the back of everyone's minds. She doesn't need to expend so much energy to prove it…
"…the way she's doing with me…" Aria nodded with understanding, as she spooned her beverage.
"She's projecting insecurity." Renna clucked her tongue in disdain.
Aria slowly covered her mouth as she lightly chuckled, then swallowed the morsel of food she was chewing. "She's positive I'm sleeping with Cassian Bordini. Imagine that."
Renna gulped her water down. "That's just diabolical."
"Alright, down to business," Aria said, pushing her empty plate aside. "Do you have any major clients that you work with?"
"No, for now I'm a bit freelance. I get daily contracts for events or photoshoots but nothing major."
"Okay then." Aria nodded, satisfied. "It may interest you to know that I am the ads model for the brand collaboration—"
Renna beamed. "What? Girl! That's huge!" she squealed.
Aria couldn't stop the smile from spreading all over her face. "I know, right? Yeah, so Bordini might hire a station of makeup artists for me, but I want to hire you to be my personal makeup artist. Like the magic you performed today—the use of contours and lines to bring out my best facial angles."
Renna giggled. "Thank you."
"You understood the assignment and you delivered, and I'm grateful. We're a vibe too, you know. We could be friends as well, since we're both relatively new in our careers."
Renna raised up her glass of Nubeiro wine. "To friendship, contracts, and a bright future ahead."
Their glasses clinked to that, and Aria gushed. "I definitely second that."
"So this is what I'm going to do," Renna said after gulping her wine down. "I'll contact my legal team tomorrow and we'll decide when to meet to discuss the terms of the contract."
Aria nodded. "And we should definitely hang out sometime. We just click or something."
Renna folded her serviette into thin squares. "Definitely not against it. Depends on how your calendar is. I know some hidden but really good spots in town."
Beside her, Aria's phone pinged.
A message from Major: I'm at Marni's Palace. Outside the carport. Spotted your car. Are you inside?
Yeah. But don't come in. I'll meet you outside.
She was scared of someone taking a snapshot of both of them and feeding it to the media.
"Ok Renna, I'm sorry but something came up." She stood up, putting her phone and earbuds in her tote bag. "I'll catch up with you later."
"Alright then, have a good day."
Renna watched as Aria elegantly walked out of the restaurant, her steps light, her expression blissfully unaware. Five minutes later, a figure in a hooded sweater slid into the seat opposite her, quiet and charged with bitterness.
"She's easygoing," Renna murmured with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "So it went relatively well."
"Look," the other figure snapped, her voice strained and tight. "That's Major's car." Her eyes gleamed with fury as the sleek vehicle pulled up. Together, they watched with hawk-like precision as Aria slipped into the passenger seat, her silhouette framed by the headlights as the car drove off into the night.
A silence settled between them.
The figure's fists trembled beneath the table, knuckles whitening.
Renna reached out, placing a cold, steady palm over the clenched hand. Her voice dropped. "I know exactly how this feels. That ache in your chest? That scream you're holding back? I've been there. That's why I'm here for you. You say the word, I'll make it happen."
The figure finally turned, her eyes dark and unreadable, laced with pain and venom. "Find out what I need to know and get back to me. I don't just want her gone," she whispered, her lips barely moving. "I want to peel her apart slowly. Publicly."
Renna's smile deepened, hollow and deadly. "Then you've come to the right girl."