Chapter 7 Sign
Graciela pulled a wry smile.
“Emery, I’m twenty–four, not twelve, OK?
“No one can protect me forever. Besides, Morton is in showbiz,
and he’s been doing great, right? He can help me if something happens.”
“Why can’t we protect you forever?” Emery thought.
But he hesitated and didn’t dare to say it out loud.
If he had, it might have riled her up.
He said, “But…
Graciela interrupted him, “Emery, just say yes, OK?
“In fact, it’s always been my dream to enter showbiz. I love being
on stage. Please? Pretty please?”
Emery could never say no to her when she looked at him with
her doe–like eyes.
He surrendered and said helplessly, “Fine. But on three
conditions.
“First, you mustn’t get involved with anything related to Lamar.
“Second, you can enter showbiz, but I won’t help you in any
way. You’re on your own.
“Third, if you can’t make it big in a year, quit and come work at my company.”
“Deal!” Graciela nodded heavily.
The next day, Emery handled the discharge for her. She washed up simply and went to Willa.
Though Willa looked like a sweet college girl, she was actually the owner of Gralla Entertainment, a talent agency with over a hundred employees.
Willa and Graciela had co–founded Gralla Entertainment back
in their college days, with Graciela providing the funding and Willa handling the hard work. Later, Graciela married Lamar,
leaving the company to Willa entirely. As it turned out, Willa
had a knack for business–Gralla Entertainment had been
thriving, nurturing quite a lot of A–list stars. It was only a matter of time before it became a top–notch talent agency.
In the spacious, bright–lit office, Willa, who was in business.
attire and frameless glasses, seemed exactly a no–nonsense
woman with efficient movements.
“Ms. Morrison, you’re so stunning. I’m sure employees here feel pretty lucky working for you.”
Graciela stuck out her tongue playfully.
Willa chuckled, amused by her.
“Stop teasing me. Are you gonna take over again? Please do. It’s
been ages since I last took some time off and traveled…
Graciela said seriously, “No.
“I wanna sign with you and become your artist.”
Willa spat out the coffee right away.
Graciela arched an eyebrow. “Come on. Is it that surprising? It’s
not like this is news to you. You know I’ve always wanted to be
part of showbiz.“”
Willa took a tissue to wipe her mouth.
“Yeah, I do. I know that’s why you founded Gralla
Entertainment in the first place. But that was before you met
Lamar. You said later that..”
She stopped abruptly.
She forgot that Graciela had lost her memories. In Graciela’s
eyes, she was now nineteen instead of twenty–four.
Graciela said, “I provided the money, but the company is your
hard work. I’d never take it away from you.
“Just tell me–are you gonna sign with me or not?”
“Yes, of course, I will,” Willa said hastily.
Graciela was the whole package–both her singing and dancing were amazing. In fact, she could attract countless die–hard fans just by standing there because she was so pretty.
She would have already become an A–list star if she had entered showbiz a few years ago.
Willa immediately had someone prepare the contract.
After signing, Graciela said, “Oh, just so you know, Emery said
he wouldn’t help me. Since I’m on my own, I don’t want any privileges. Just treat me like I’m a rookie.”
Willa was speechless for a second.
She realized Emery wanted Graciela to give up after
experiencing the difficulties herself.
And Graciela indeed intended to rely on herself alone. Instead of
assigning one of Gralla Entertainment’s top agents to be her
manager, Willa gave her Helena Dorsey, who had been working at Gralla Entertainment for years and was highly reliable.
Also, as Graciela required, she was assigned to live in the new trainees‘ dorm and wasn’t even given an assistant.
Graciela was very happy with such arrangements. Though the bed in the dorm was a nightmare compared to hers at home, she slept soundly.
After a few days of training, she could officially get real work.
Helena got her audience spots on several variety shows to gain exposure and then secured a bit part in a major fantasy TV drama.
Though it was just a minor role, she was more than satisfied.
She was busy every day, and the long–lost feeling of fulfillment made her so happy.
