78 Chapter one, 2016, crescendo: 6 (2/2)
The crowd pushed forward to see better, and the formal fashion shoot drew almost no interest any more. Christina doubted it was even commencing at all by now. The first half of her plan had gone through without a hitch. Now the time had come for the second half, and that one depended on the people she saw elbowing their way to her through the crowd.
A man in his thirties approached her together with a woman a few years older in a business dress. Behind them one of the cameramen from the scene followed, carrying photo equipment designed for a static shoot. This was the real deal.
”We would appreciate if you tell your agency that we disapprove of your disrespectful prank here today,” the woman said.
'Too easy. They're making this too easy.' ”Agency? Aren't models using those?”
”Cut the bullshit. What is a professional model doing here during our shoot?”
”Oh my! Why, thank you! But I'm not a model. I'm just a student at Himekaizen Academy.”
”I said cut the bullshit. I can see you've done this for two years or more.”
'You piss-ant! Two years! I'll show you two years you rank amateur!' Christina slid her left foot closer to her right heel and used the extra energy to let her dress billow out in a wave that followed her body all the way to her shoulders where it snapped out of existence. Just when it did she jingled her handbag to make it look like her dress had sent it swinging.
”Thank you for saying that!” That single move had taken her the better part of seven years to master. A dress hugging her body like this did didn't lend itself to any billowing to begin with. What she had done was effectively impossible for most women. Maybe with the exception for a dozen or so on the planet. 'Oops. Forgot that I'm one of them.' Christina grinned inwardly. ”You're too kind!”
The business woman really was a rank amateur. Christina's act was lost on her, but further back the cameraman stood mouth agape and studied the integrated monitor on his camera.
Christina cooed. ”But I'm only sixteen. I couldn't possibly have worked as a model for over two years.” And with a twist of her hand she flicked her pose into 'The Princess of Scandinavia'. A simpler pose, but one that had been her trademark and had helped her stay in the absolute top worldwide for ten years.
”How could a mere high school student interest you this way?” The contract was a done deal. They had swallowed it all, Hook, Line and Sinker.
Difference being that she could deliver far beyond their wildest imagination. Japan held nothing even remotely worth being considered competition when it came to raw competence. In an earlier life she chose to end her modelling career when she understood where true profit lay in the fashion industry, but if she wanted she could have stayed on top for another ten years. Still that was an earlier life and popularity was a fickle goddess.
Christina had yet another face. One that came after her modelling career, and she flashed it to the business woman, shooting producer and cameraman alike. The Billion Dollar Empress. ”It would seem I have caught your interest. Now, what would you do to catch mine?”