[Chapter 566: The Boutique: A Global Fashion Sanctuary]
Surrounded by his women, Linton enjoyed carefree and leisurely days at his estate retreat. Before he knew it, the year 1997 had arrived.
On New Year's Day, after six months of dating, Sherilyn Finn could no longer suppress her feelings. She decided to fully step into Linton's life and become the newest member of his inner circle.
Linton sent a private jet from Los Angeles to bring her to the farm. That evening, a lavish welcome ceremony was held at the estate's gardens, where she was introduced to the other women. Soon after, an even grander party took place, drawing Sherilyn closer to the others as they shared intimate moments and delighted in the favors bestowed upon them.
Regarding her treatment, Linton was fair and generous, giving her the same privileges as the rest without any neglect. Before long, she had chosen her villa, her office, and two personal assistants within the estate's grounds. Naturally, final arrangements for her residence, vehicles, and security detail at the Los Angeles manor would be handled upon return.
Linton called in Goodman and Sherilyn's agent, Tim, to sign endorsement contracts with the health company for the Vitality Pills and Beauty Pills, officially making her an Angel of Beauty. Her annual endorsement fee matched the others' -- a staggering $20 million.
Tim was stunned, exclaiming excitedly, "Wow, this is incredible." Goodman kindly reminded him this was only the beginning. Once the news broke publicly, Sherilyn would explode into superstardom, and endorsement offers would pour in. Tim needed to brace himself.
Soon after, Linton announced the news through the Hollywood Gossip Daily. The timing was perfect since all the Angels of Beauty posters were due for replacement after the new year.
This wasn't because Linton or the health company voluntarily wanted to redo the shoots. Rather, the fashion and jewelry brands sponsoring the Angels were begging for new campaigns to refresh their image as soon as possible. Originally, Linton had planned to update the posters once a year in late April but the brands' impatience couldn't be contained.
Since the opening of the boutique last year, the influence of the Angels' posters displayed within had exploded internationally. Although the health company only placed these posters in the single Los Angeles boutique and didn't promote them through other channels, the effect was phenomenal.
The boutique itself, the only one in L.A., saw foot traffic of no less than 5,000 daily, fueled by the immense popularity of the Vitality and Beauty Pills. On the sixth of each month, when the pills officially hit shelves, the lines outside stretched along Rodeo Drive, becoming an iconic spectacle.
Even on days without sales promotions, visitors queued nonstop just to tour the boutique. Tourists worldwide made it a must-see stop in Los Angeles. Among them were countless celebrities, socialites, aristocratic ladies, and stars from film, television, and music who came specially to visit.
Astoundingly, more than ten media outlets visited daily to film and report directly from the boutique. This meant that every day, at least ten media channels worldwide were covering the store.
Within these reports, the Angels of Beauty were an unavoidable topic. Many fashion magazines dedicated entire columns to them, rotating features of the twenty stunning women each issue.
As a result, even without direct promotion by the health company, the Angels effectively marketed themselves globally through media and visitors. Their fashions had become universally emulated by women everywhere.
These twenty Angels represented nineteen clothing brands and nineteen jewelry brands (Xu Qing, being a newcomer with lower endorsement fees, did not sign clothing deals but wore traditional designs for promotional purposes). Sales of the exact styles worn by the Angels had doubled or even tripled over the last year -- astronomical growth.
Even more unexpectedly, the clothing styles these women modeled in February last year, launching the spring collection, were still the top sellers through autumn, despite the brands rolling out new seasonal lines.
The jewelry and watches, once underestimated, also saw skyrocketing sales. Pieces worn by the Angels -- earrings, watches, bracelets -- on the posters sold in dizzying volumes.
Nobody could imagine that a small boutique with only wall posters could wield such worldwide influence on fashion consumption. This modest store had become a revered fashion trendsetter across the globe.
The brands could not tolerate the prolonged gap in updating the Angels' posters. If the market trends didn't change, consumers wouldn't buy new clothes -- no one buys the same outfits repeatedly.
Sponsoring clothing, jewelry, and watch companies urgently revised contracts with the Angels, raising endorsement standards significantly. The goal was clear: by the next quarterly photoshoot, the Angels had to showcase the latest watches and earrings.
Brands whose endorsed Angels failed to wear their products in past shoots grew particularly anxious. Besides modifying contracts, they earnestly hoped the health company would update the posters promptly.
Meanwhile, Xu Qing, who originally had no endorsements, saw her star rise dramatically. After arriving in Los Angeles in August to shoot Final Destination 2, multiple brands clamored for her endorsement. Her agent, Mira, received an outpouring of offers, including fees far beyond Xu Qing's prior market value.
Eventually, Xu Qing signed contracts worth $8 million annually with the French Saint Laurent women's fashion brand, $5 million annually with Swiss Longines watches, and $3 million for Montblanc jewelry (excluding necklaces).
Though still a complete newcomer without a Hollywood film credit, Xu Qing's global influence, boosted by the Angels of Beauty affiliation, earned her endorsement fees usually reserved for top-tier stars. Her fashion brand deal even surpassed typical A-list actress prices.
The announcement sparked envy and awe across Hollywood. Actresses and female singers drooled as they dissected Linton's preferences, wondering how to become one of his Angels.
Many young aspiring stars -- Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Alba, Britney Spears, Anne Hathaway -- set becoming an Angel of Beauty as their ultimate goal.
Of course, since the clothing, jewelry, and watches prominently featured in the Angels' posters accounted for these lucrative contracts, similar endorsements for other products offered Xu Qing only modest fees comparable to a third-tier Hollywood actress.
After consulting Linton, she declined other endorsement offers, opting to wait until she had actual film credits and rising fame.
Currently, Xu Qing's four endorsements brought her a combined $36 million annually -- $20 million from the Angels alone, plus $8 million from Saint Laurent, $5 million from Longines, and $3 million from Montblanc.
This income was already astronomical, and she wasn't sure how to manage it all. Linton advised her to spend $3 million purchasing a villa in an exclusive gated community near his estate in Beverly Hills.
She entrusted the rest of her funds to Winnie, who managed her investments in internet and computer industry stocks.
Unlike the discreet signing of the Angels' original endorsement deals, these new major brand contracts made headlines immediately. The brands -- Saint Laurent, Longines, and Montblanc -- fully embraced media exposure to justify their hefty investments.
The media quickly uncovered and published details of Xu Qing's $20 million annual deal as an Angel, adding fuel to the fire.
Soon, a prominent Chinese newspaper took notice and splashed an exaggerated headline across its front page: "Chinese Star Xu Qing Conquers America."
The article praised her Hollywood success and four high-profile international endorsements at unbelievable prices. It detailed each brand's background and contract terms.
Halfway through, the piece turned into a glowing ode to America, lavishing praise on its inclusiveness, economic strength, abundant opportunities for success, and how easily dreams could be realized.
This article caused a massive stir in China, skyrocketing Xu Qing's fame to international superstar status. It also fueled Chinese growing admiration for the American film industry.
...
While the twenty clothing, jewelry, and watch brands anxiously awaited Linton's health company to update the Angels' posters, Linton remained inactive.
The 60 companies grew desperate and banded together to approach Alexis Carlson, the boutique's store manager, proposing a joint sponsorship fund on the condition that the Angels' posters be refreshed every quarter.
Alexis was thrilled at the prospect but didn't dare decide alone; she reported the offer to Linton.
Linton welcomed this unexpected windfall and saw it as a way to boost the Angels' commercial value. He immediately tasked Goodman with coordinating negotiations with the brand representatives.
In the end, the twenty clothing brands agreed to sponsor the boutique with $2 million each annually, jewelry brands contributed $1 million each, and watch companies added $500,000 each, totaling $70 million a year.
In return, the boutique committed to updating the Angels' posters quarterly.
The next poster release was scheduled for late January. Starting December, the inner circle members began shooting new campaign photos.
...
Amid this, the health company suddenly announced adding a new Angel -- Sherilyn Finn -- causing shockwaves in the media and entertainment industry.
Industry insiders reacted with disbelief: why Sherilyn, a third-tier Hollywood actress? Why did Linton single her out? Besides starring as a female lead in Linton's A-list production National Treasure, she had just sky-rocketed into the ranks of the Angels.
Hollywood actresses seethed with jealousy, cursing her quietly.
"Is it just because she's pretty? Or exceptionally talented? I'm just as attractive, better trained, younger, and more famous! How could Linton overlook me?"
Sherilyn's conservative facade concealed her cunning.
The media wasted no time exploiting this juicy story, sparking scandal rumors and intense speculation about what qualities drew Linton to her, their secret relationship, and more.
Her past was dug up relentlessly. It was revealed that she had performed nude scenes in bold films like Two Moon Junction, Boxing Helena, and Twin Peaks, sparking heated gossip about her explicit past.
Many actresses, stung by envy, launched media attacks to discredit her, insisting she wasn't worthy of the Angel title.
None of this swayed Linton's decision, nor cooled brands' enthusiasm in targeting Sherilyn for endorsements.
As soon as the news broke, countless brands bombarded her agent with offers, especially for clothing, jewelry, and watch deals, sparking fierce bidding wars.
Sherilyn eventually signed a $9 million annual contract with the French Van Cleef & Arpels women's fashion line.
Because she had an existing deal with a minor clothing brand lasting another year, Van Cleef & Arpels helped her terminate it prematurely, covering the $500,000-plus compensation due to her previously low status and modest fees.
She also secured a $6 million annual contract with Swiss Girard-Perregaux watches and a $3.5 million deal with Italian Zegna jewelry (excluding necklaces).
Though only slightly higher than Xu Qing's fees, these numbers were astronomical jumps compared to Sherilyn's previous earnings.
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