Model to Holywood

In the villa, Luca sat on the sofa, his right hand in a sling, looking frustrated.

He had been beaten by Kate countless times, but he had gotten used to the game. He knew how to take the hits without getting hurt, and he knew how to get hit in a way that satisfied Kate.

Not to brag, but when it came to taking a beating, he was practically a professional.

But this time, in the midst of getting hit, he got a little too happy and let his guard down.

His finger accidentally got stuck in the ventilation hole of the recliner.

With a "crack," the tragedy unfolded.

Luca silently blamed himself. A mistake like this in his area of expertise was just unacceptable.

"Honey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to break your finger. How about you hit me a few times?" Kate said, dressed in blue jeans that accentuated her long, slender legs and curvy figure, looking a bit adorable.

"Remember, you can only use your right hand. If you use your left, I'll definitely be mad. And you know what happens when I'm mad!" she warned.

Luca glanced at her rear, then at his right hand wrapped in a cast, and graciously replied, "No need, Kate. Today's incident was my mistake, not yours. How could I punish you for my own mistake?"

"Hmm, you're right. After all those beatings, you still haven't learned!" Kate teased.

"..."

"Ha-ha, Kate's so fierce!" Miranda, who was lounging on the sofa, covered her mouth, laughing.

"Kate, you went a bit too hard on him this time," Lima said, walking into the living room with a freshly squeezed juice.

"Sorry, Lima. It was my fault this time. I'll be more careful next time. But don't worry, it's just a dislocated finger. It won't affect tonight," Kate said with a soft laugh.

"Really?" Miranda blinked mischievously.

"..."

Kate and Lima both turned to look at Miranda, making her blush.

Luca glanced around at the three beautiful women. Was this Kate's harem?

"Drink up, rehydrate," Lima said, sitting beside him and handing him the glass. "Still hurts?"

Luca shook his head and smiled, "It's just a dislocation. It doesn't hurt once it's set. The cast is totally unnecessary."

"Shame it's only dislocated. If it were broken, I wouldn't have to do the job myself. Now I'll have to put in some effort." Lima's tone suddenly turned cold as she pulled out a baseball bat from behind the sofa.

It was the same one from her New York apartment, and she had brought it all the way to Los Angeles.

"Lima, what's that for?" Luca asked, startled as he sipped his juice.

"Lima, considering he's already hurt, how about we let him off this time?" Kate suggested with a sly smile.

"Kate, we agreed before coming here that we'd teach him a lesson. You can't go back on your word!" Lima protested.

Kate chuckled lightly, "But he's injured now. How could you hit a disabled person?"

"Yes, Lima. Luca's already been through a lot. If you must hit him, at least don't use the bat. How about a pillow instead?" Miranda sweetly offered, handing over a fruit knife instead, its blade gleaming.

Both Kate and Lima stared at Miranda. "Are you trying to make things worse?"

"Oops, sorry, wrong thing!" Miranda quickly put the knife down, blushing.

"Whatever, go ahead and hit him," she said, sitting cross-legged on the sofa, eating blueberries while eagerly watching.

"Wait, can anyone explain why I'm about to get hit?" Luca asked, looking confused.

"You cheated, and someone caught it on camera. Don't you think you deserve a beating?" Miranda teased.

In the past, she might have urged Lima to go easy on him. But now, with a certain pervert, there was no need for mercy.

"Cheating evidence?" Luca panicked for a second but quickly calmed down.

In the past year, the only person he had cheated with was Britney. His encounters with Charlize Theron and Rachel were more like two beautiful misunderstandings.

He and Britney had been careful, doing everything they could to hide their relationship. Still, with half of the paparazzi making a living off Britney, it was possible someone had caught them.

Could it be Britney?

Kate tossed a magazine onto the table with a thud.

"Take a look."

"Hmph!" Kate pulled Lima over to sit across from him, forming a makeshift court alongside Miranda, ready to prosecute Luca's misdeeds.

"World Photography?" Luca hesitated. 

**World Photography** was a serious, well-respected magazine—a holy grail for photographers and enthusiasts alike. Getting a picture published there was an honor, much like making it into *Vogue* in the fashion world.

He was confused. Since when did *World Photography* start doing celebrity gossip?

"Just look at it. What are you afraid of?" Kate smirked, crossing her long legs.

"I'm not afraid!" Luca wiped the sweat from his brow. "It's just that my hand's a bit inconvenient."

"Ha-ha, he's not scared. He's just a little guilty," Miranda teased.

Luca shot her a glare. At first glance, she was sweet and innocent, like an ice cream you wanted to take a bite out of. But after a few licks, you'd realize the ice cream was hiding razor blades, and your tongue would start bleeding.

"..."

Miranda looked up at the ceiling. "Nice chandelier, huh?"

Luca shook his head and opened the magazine. *World Photography* was a quarterly, and this issue had over a hundred pages.

"Where is it?"

"The cover!" Lima tapped with the bat.

"The cover?"

Luca was even more curious. A tabloid photo on the cover? *World Photography* must've gone downhill.

He closed the magazine and examined the cover. Besides the magazine's name, issue number, and a brief content summary, there was a photo in the center titled *The Sun*.

Ninety percent of the image was in black and white: a black night sky, crisscrossed with white lines. At the golden ratio point, there was a bright, colorful rainbow. Against the black and white, the rainbow looked like flames—passionate, warm, harmonious.

The rainbow floated in the air, embracing a faint shadow. In the backdrop of wind and rain, the scene exuded a powerful vitality, evoking a sense of awe.

It looked like an oil painting, simple in color yet striking in contrast. The photo's caption read, "Kevin Donohue's Last Photo" and "65th World Photography Competition Gold Medal Winner."

"What does this have to do with me?" Luca asked, looking puzzled.

"Doesn't that rainbow look familiar?" Kate asked with a teasing smile.

"Familiar?" Luca examined the photo closely. The rainbow's colors were a bit blurry in the rain, but it did resemble the rainbow hoodie Kate and Lima had designed.

A sudden flash of memory hit him, and he recalled that stormy night—the dark streets, the running figure in a rainbow hoodie, the passionate kiss, the moments in the bathroom and bedroom...

"Luca, remember now?" Kate tapped her knee, smiling knowingly.

That night, she had known everything, but she hadn't expected such a vivid moment to be captured by a world-renowned photographer.

Even more amusing, the photo had been incredibly helpful for her and Lima.

"Is that the rainbow hoodie you two designed?" Luca breathed a sigh of relief. If it was about Britney, then it wasn't a big deal.

Last time he had proposed, he got beaten up, and their relationship had become semi-public. A few more photos wouldn't make much difference.

"Ha-ha, tough luck, Luca. Did you know Kevin Donohue lives just down the street on 76th?" Miranda grinned. "And only ten of those rainbow hoodies were ever made."

"And how do you know this is the one from home?"

"Because Mr. Donohue is paralyzed from the waist down. Do you think he's going to wheel himself out in the rain?" Miranda laughed. "Luca, you're caught. Time to face the music!"

"I... was wrong!"

"You're still taking pictures after being paralyzed, aren't you just trying to make things difficult for me?"

At night, Luca held his back, looking frustrated as he walked back to the bedroom.

He had just been beaten with several rods, which were supposed to break his legs.

But considering that he had work and no time to recover, Lima said they would wait until he had time to heal before breaking his legs.

"Sigh~"

So he couldn't rest for even a moment!

Luca shook his head and walked into the study.

He turned on the desk lamp, picked up a book, and a few pages of manuscript fell out. Suddenly, he remembered something.

A while ago, after he finished copying the Twilight series, he started working on a new project.

There were two books in total, one of which was Fifty Shades of Grey.

Now, with so many things on his mind, some of his memories had become blurry, and it was getting harder to recall a novel.

Although it was difficult, giving up wasn't his style.

So, he had to think and write at the same time.

Sometimes, while eating, he'd get inspired and remember a part, then he'd put down his bowl and go back to the study to write.

Other times, in bed doing that kind of thing, he'd get inspired and remember a chapter, so he'd start writing right in bed.

Earlier, at Julie's house, he had been stimulated again and remembered two full chapters.

After getting beaten twice just now, he remembered another two chapters.

So he had to seize the moment and get the writing done—forgetting it would be a huge loss.

This novel was a fanfiction inspired by Twilight. Although the writing wasn't great, and the artistic value wasn't high, it became a global phenomenon.

After its release, one set sold every two seconds.

In five years, global sales exceeded 100 million copies, surpassing the entire Harry Potter series.

It had a significant influence worldwide.

The movie adaptation was also very successful. The first film grossed $571 million at the box office with a budget of only $40 million.

It's said that before filming began, the producers invited Julie to direct, but she declined.

Had she directed, the box office might have been even higher.

Thinking of Julie, Luca suddenly felt a surge of creativity.

["Isabella, are you teasing me?"

He tilted his head, looking intrigued.

I felt a little shy and glanced down at my breakfast. When he spoke in that tone, I never dared to meet his eyes.

"I want to bite your lip," he said softly.

Oh... I hadn't even realized I was biting my lip. My mouth opened wide, and I took a deep breath.

It was the sexiest thing I had ever heard from a man. My heart was racing, and my body began to tremble slightly.

I squirmed in my chair and met his deep gaze.

"Well, why haven't you kissed me yet?" I asked teasingly.

"My dear Isabella, I won't touch you unless you sign what needs to be signed."

He gave a slight smile.]

"You're injured. Can't you write this tomorrow?" Lima asked as she walked into the study, her hair draped over her shoulders, and wearing her pajamas after a bath.

"Darling, I'm full of inspiration right now. If I wait until tomorrow, I'll forget. You go ahead to bed, I'll finish quickly," Luca smiled gently and kissed her on the corner of her lips.

"Inspired, huh?"

Lima looked at him curiously. "I heard from Kate that you become especially clever after getting beaten. Could that be true?"

Luca's face changed slightly. "Nonsense! Don't laugh, chubby girl. When I finish writing, I'll give you a good lesson."

"You had the nerve to use so much force just now. Do I have any face left in front of others?"

"A proud Brazilian man, getting beaten by his girlfriend—so embarrassing."

"Haha, who's 'others'? Kate and Miranda don't count as outsiders. Besides, can you even punish me now?" Lima laughed as she playfully poked his butt.

"Hiss~"

Luca winced slightly. "Chubby girl, are you asking for a beating?"

"No, it's you who deserves a beating. Your punishment isn't over yet. Soon, I'll make you regret it!"

Lima dodged his hand, laughing as she left the study.

"You just wait! Don't think you can bully me just because my hand's hurt."

"Fine, I'll be waiting!" Lima blew him a kiss, leaving a trail of soft laughter behind as she exited the room. The room was left filled with her enchanting scent.

Click-clack-click-clack...

Luca's fingers flew across the keyboard. Despite his inspiration, with a beauty waiting in bed, he was getting eager to leave the computer.

(End of Chapter)