Chapter 16 Part 3 Losing the Bank of London - 2

Well... I don't know what Eleanor thinks of me.On the drive back, she was silent—it could be said that I had quietly impressed her, but it could also be said...not so. When Luke asked how lunch was going to be, I said nothing about helping with the fish tray and nothing about the beauty salon.I vividly described how her mother liked the gift he gave her. Yes, I made up some details myself, like what she said "my Luke is the best son in the world" and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief.But what I mean is, I can't tell him how she reacted, can I? I can't tell him that she just unwrapped the package and took a look, then slid the scarf back into the box, As if that was just a pair from Woolworths department store Woolworths department store: a large British department store retailer, mainly selling daily household items, entertainment products and so on. --Socks bought in the translation notes.In fact, I flattered myself with grandiose remarks about how his mother liked it, because I'd never seen him so happy.He even called his mother and left a message saying he was glad she liked the gift -- but his mother never called him back.

As for me, my mind at this time was even more focused on some things that happened in the past few days, and I didn't bother to think about whether Eleanor liked me.All of a sudden, I was getting a barrage of calls over the course of a few days from people asking to see me! Luke said it was the "snowball" effect, and he expected it to happen.Yesterday I met with the heads of three TV stations -- and now I'm having breakfast with a Mr. Greg Walters from Blue River Television Productions.He's the guy who sent me a fruit basket and was eager to see me - so far the breakfast meeting has gone really well! I'm wearing a pair of pants I bought yesterday from the store called Banana Republic , the upper body is a new fashion pullover.I gotta say, it looks like I made a pretty good impression on Greg.

"You're in demand," he said several times as he ate his croissant. "Do you know that yourself?" "Hmm... is this..." "Ah," he waved a hand out. "Don't be shy. You're in high demand. Everyone's looking at you, trying to get you." He took a sip of his coffee and looked directly at me. "I'll be honest—I want to make you a feature film." I stared at him blankly, I couldn't speak because I was so excited. "Really? My feature film? About what?" "Anything. I'll find the right material for you." He took another swig of his coffee. "You're a political commentator, aren't you?"

"Um...not exactly," I said awkwardly, "I'm on a personal finance show. You know about mortgages and stuff?" "Okay." Greg nodded. "Finance. Well, I guess... I'm just rambling on... 'Wall Street'. 'Wall Street' plus a little 'rich' and a little bit of 'poor' Wall Street...the rich...the poor...: both titles of TV shows.-Annotation. You can do this show, can't you?" "Well... yes! Of course I can!" I had no idea what he was talking about, but smiling confidently, I picked up the croissant and took another bite.

"I have to go," he said, finishing his cup of coffee, "but I'll call you tomorrow and arrange a meeting with our head of production. What do you think?" "Okay!" I said, pretending to be indifferent again, "That's fine." Looking at his leaving figure, I couldn't help but smile on my face.My feature film! It just keeps getting better.Everyone I met was fighting to give me a job, to pay the bill after dinner, and to say I was going to have a big career in Hollywood.No problem, Hollywood! I mean, think about it, if I could do my feature film in Hollywood! I'd live in a mansion in Beverly Hills and go to dinner parties with those movie stars.There's also the possibility that Luke will open an agency in Los Angeles, representing clients like... Minnie Driver: British actress who became popular in the 1990s. --Annotation like a star.I mean, I know she's not in the financial world, but Luke might branch out into the film business too! Yep! She'll be my bosom friend by then, and we'll go shopping together, Have fun shopping and maybe go on vacation together...

"Hi, how are you?" A cheerful voice came from beside me. I looked up in confusion and saw Michael Ellis pulling out a chair at the next table to take a seat. "Oh," I said, bringing my thoughts back to the table from the lovely beach in the exotic sun. "Oh, hello. Please come and sit!" I politely pointed to the empty seat opposite me. "It won't bother you, will it?" He said and sat down on the empty chair. "No. I just had a meeting with a guest, but it's over now." I looked around. "Luke isn't with you? I haven't seen him in a while."

Michael shook his head. "He went to see some guys from Jetty Slade this morning. Big guys." A waiter came and took Greg's cutlery, and Michael ordered an espresso with cream.After the waiter left, he looked at the second neckline of my jumper with a puzzled look on his face. "You didn't notice the big slit in your jumper, did you? I wouldn't have turned a blind eye." Haha, that's funny. "Actually, it's a trendy style," I explained pleasantly. "Madonna wears it too." "Ah! Madonna." The waiter brought his coffee, and he took a sip.

"So—how's it going?" I asked, lowering my voice a bit. "Luke told me one of his supporters was suddenly nervous." "Yes." Michael nodded seriously, "I don't understand what's going on." "But why do you want other people's support?" I asked, "I mean, Luke is not short of money..." "Don't invest your own money," Michael said, "that's the number one rule in business. Besides, Luke's plan is big, and big money requires a lot of money." He looked up at me, "You know , that person of yours is a very persistent person. He has made up his mind to make a name for himself here."

"I know," I said, rolling my eyes, "he's a man who only knows his job." "It's good to be engaged in work," Michael said, frowning as he looked at his cup of coffee, "but it's not so good to be in..." He was silent for a moment, then lifted his face and smiled, " I suppose you're all right?" "Yes, it's really good," I replied, with uncontrollable joy on my face, "actually, it's really good! I've met a lot of people, and they all said they want me to do it. I just What I saw was Mr. Greg Walters from Blue River Company. He said he would make a feature film for me. Yesterday, someone was talking about Hollywood!"

"That's great," Michael said. "That's great." He took a sip of his coffee and looked at me thoughtfully. "Can you hear me say a word?" "what?" "Those TV guys, you don't have to take what they say too seriously." I looked at him, feeling a little unhappy. "what do you mean?" "These people like to talk a lot," Michael said, swirling the coffee in his cup slowly, "so they feel good about themselves. They believe what they say when they say it, but when it comes to real money ..." He stopped and looked up at me, "I just hope you won't be too disappointed in the future."

"No!" I retorted, somewhat indignantly, "Greg said, everybody's trying to get me!" "I totally believe he said that," Michael said, "and sincerely hope he did. I'm just saying—" Then a uniformed waiter came to our table, and Michael stopped talking. "Miss Bloomwood," said he, "you have a letter." "Thank you!" I said, slightly surprised. I took the letter he handed me, opened the envelope, and pulled out the letterhead—it was from Kent Garland of HLBC. "Ah!" I couldn't help shouting, with a triumphant smile on my face. "It seems that the people in HLBC TV station are not just talking big, but doing something down-to-earth." I handed the letterhead in my hand to Michael, and I didn't forget to add another sentence, "Look!" "'Please contact Kent's secretary to arrange an audition,'" Michael read aloud. "Well, it looks like I was wrong," he said with a smile. "I'm so glad that's the way it is." He raised his coffee cup and motioned to me. "I wish you a successful audition tomorrow. Would you like to take a word of advice from me?" ?" "what?" "That jumper of yours." He grimaced and shook his head again. All right.What should I wear tomorrow? What should I wear? I mean, this is the most important moment of my life.Auditions on American television.The clothes you wear have to be eye-catching, flattering, photo-worthy, and impeccable...I mean, I don't have any clothes to wear.None of it was satisfactory. I rummaged through the clothes I had brought and eventually slumped on the bed, exhausted.I couldn't believe that among all kinds of clothes, I couldn't pick out one that I could wear to an audition. Well, that's okay too.I'm going to buy a set. I picked up my handbag, opened it to see that my wallet was inside, and just as I was about to put on my coat, the phone rang. "Who's there?" I said, picking up the phone, hoping it was Luke. "Bex!" It was Suzie's voice that came from the microphone, which seemed very small and far away. "Susie!" I exclaimed happily, "Hi!" "Are you alright?" "Everything is going great," I said, "I've met a lot of people who really value me. It's been great!" "Bex, that's great!" "How are you?" I frowned slightly as I spoke to her, "Is everything alright?" "Oh, yes!" said Suzie, "everything's fine. Just..." she stammered, "I thought you should know that someone called this morning about something you owe a store. It's from La Rosa, in Hampstcad." "Really?" I stretched my face, "It's them again?" "Yes. He asked me when you would stop lying." "Oh," I said after a pause, "alright. So—what did you say?" "Bex, why does he think you're lying?" "I don't know," I said vaguely, "maybe he heard something. Maybe... maybe... it's because of the text I wrote him..." "Bex," Suzy interrupted, her voice trembling slightly, "you told me you'd take care of those bills. You promised me!" "I've taken care of those bills!" I reached for the comb and gently ran through my hair. "But you told them that your parachute didn't open in time?" Suzy called anxiously. "I mean, honestly, Bex—" "You see you're in a hurry, don't worry. I'll get everything straightened out as soon as I get back." "He said he'd be forced to take some drastic measures! He said he regretted it, but he's given you enough grace that he—" "That's what they say," I said reassuringly. "Susie, you don't have to worry about me. I'm going to make a lot of money here, and I'll never run out of it! I'll pay it all off. Yes, everything will be fine!" There was no sound on the other end of the phone, and I imagined that Suzie must be sitting on the floor in the living room, twirling her hair tightly with her fingers. "Really?" she said at last. "So, everything is going well for you now?" "It went really well! I have an audition tomorrow, and someone said they were going to do a feature film for me, and they even talked about Hollywood!" "Hollywood?" Suzie gasped. "Oh my God! It's amazing." "Look," I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled, "That's not bad, right? I'm still in demand! That's what the guy from Blue River said." "So—what did you wear to the audition?" "I'm going to Barney's now. Barney's: a high fashion, cosmetics store in New York. -- Annotation," I said happily, "to pick up a new outfit." "Barney's?" Susie yelled in terror. "Bex, you promised me you wouldn't spend money! You promised me you'd stick to your budget." "That's what I do! I shop exactly on my budget. It's all written on the shopping list! Besides, it's a business expense. I'm investing in my career." "But--" "Susie, you can't make money without spending it. That's what everyone understands! I mean, people have to pay for what they need first, right?" There was silence on the phone. "I guess so," Suzie said hesitantly. "Besides, what are credit cards used for?" "Oh, Bex..." Suzie sighed, "actually, that's funny--that's what the city tax lady said." "What city tax lady?" I frowned at my reflection in the mirror, reaching for an eyeliner. "A lady came by this morning," said Suzy vaguely, "and she was holding a piece of cardboard. She asked a lot of questions about me, about the house, and how much rent do you pay. . . . For a while. I told her about your trip to America, and Luke... and your TV job..." "Okay," I said absent-mindedly, "it's looking pretty good. Suzy, listen, I gotta get out now. Honestly, don't worry about it. If anyone calls me again, don't go Talk to him. Okay?" "Um...okay," said Suzie, "good luck tomorrow!" "Thank you!" I said, and put the phone down. "Hahaha! Let's go to Barney's!" I've been to Barney's a few times since coming to New York, but each time I've been in a hurry.But this time... wow.This time is different.I can go shopping with peace of mind.The store has eight floors up and down, and I can wander around as I like, taking a panoramic view of all kinds of clothing on each floor. OMG, so many costumes.Clothing in various poses and with different expressions.They are truly the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my life.Looking around, all kinds of styles and colors are so beautiful.Touching and stroking makes people fondle admiringly, and enjoy the shopping fun of picking and comparing carefully. But I can't spend all day leisurely wandering among the rows of fashion in various styles. I have to concentrate on choosing the clothes for tomorrow.I thought to myself that maybe a jacket would be more appropriate, more authoritative in image - but it must be the right style and size.Not too baggy, not too tight...but still show the curves of the body, maybe a skirt is also good.Check out these pants.Paired with the right shoes, these pants must be eye-catching... I walked slowly up and down each floor, mentally comparing the various garments—then returning to the ground floor and beginning to pull the ones I liked off the hangers.A Calvin Klcin jacket top...a ​​skirt... "excuse me" I was about to reach for a tank top when a voice greeted me from behind.I turned around in surprise and saw a lady in black trousers smiling at me. "Do you need any help with your shopping?" "Oh, thanks!" I said, "please hold these for me..." I handed her the ones I had chosen to take off the hangers, but she smiled slightly. "By help I say... We're running a unique promotion in our store today. We want to introduce our concept to as many customers as possible. There's room if you'd like to find out." "Oh, okay," I asked with interest, "what the hell is that—" "Our highly trained and experienced personal shoppers will help you find exactly what you want," the woman said cheerfully, "and they'll help you determine what style is best for you, especially clothing styles , find what you are most satisfied with among the dazzling variety of fashion styles." She giggled, and I felt that she had already recited it several times today. "I see," I said hesitantly. "The problem is... I don't know if I really need help with shopping. Thanks, but-" "Our service is completely free," the woman said, "even free tea, coffee, and champagne today." Champagne? Free champagne? "Oh!" I said, "Well, um—that sounds like a really good event. I'm going!" In fact, I was thinking it might be fun if I went up to the third floor with her.Those specially trained shopping guides must know how to help customers-their vision of choice will be completely different from mine.They will show me a new image of me that I have never known about myself! We came to a room with many very spacious fitting rooms, and the lady smiled and let me in. "Your shopping guide today is Erin," she said. "Elin is a recent addition to our store from another store. Therefore, Erin will have a senior Barney's shopping guide to guide me when I need it. You serve. Is this an arrangement?" "Okay!" I said and took off my coat. "Would you like tea, coffee or champagne?" "Champagne," I said quickly, "thank you." "Okay," she said with a smile, "this is Erin." I looked up at Erin with great interest. It was a slender girl who walked into the fitting room from the door.She has straight blond hair and a slightly flattened mouth.The whole of her face looked as if it had been squeezed between the closed elevator doors and had never been recovered. "Hello," she said, and I was still fascinated by her smiling mouth. "I'm Erin - I'll do my best to help you find the best outfit for your needs." "Okay!" I said, "Thank you for your help!" I kind of don't understand how this Erin got the job.Certainly not her taste in shoes, for sure. "So..." Erin said, looking at me thoughtfully, "what are you going to buy today?" "I'm auditioning tomorrow," I explained, "and I'm looking for something... that's new and trendy, but accessible. Something unique in style." "A bit more chic," Erin repeated to me, scribbling something on the pad. "Okay. So are you going to buy a... suit? Or a separate top?" "What about this," I said, and began to explain to her exactly what I wanted for the outfit.Erin listened to me carefully, and I noticed that a woman with dark hair and tortoiseshell glasses occasionally walked up to the door of our fitting room to listen in on our conversation. "Okay," Erin said after I finished speaking, "Well, you do have some opinions..." She rubbed her upper and lower teeth lightly, and then said, "I was thinking... We have a fashion designed by Moschino, It's really elegant, with roses embroidered on the neckline..." "Oh, I know this fashion!" I said happily, "I thought about this one too!" "To go with it... there's a new dress from the Barney collection..." "The black one?" I said. "The one with the button here? Well, I've thought about that dress too, but it's a little shorter. I'd also like to try the one that goes down to the knee." The skirt. Look, the one with the ribbon at the hem..." "Okay," Erin said with a pleasant smile, "I will pick out clothes for you, and compare them." She came out of the fitting room to get her clothes, and I sat down and sipped champagne.It's really nice here.I mean, it's a lot less work than running up and down the store yourself.I could vaguely hear muffled conversations in the fitting room next door—suddenly, a woman's voice rose, looking very annoyed, "I just want that bastard to see. I just want him to see." Look!" "We'll show him, Marcia," reassured a calm voice that sounded like that of the lady with the tortoise-rimmed spectacles. "I'll let him see it. But not this cherry red pantsuit." "Here we come!" Erin returned to the fitting room, and she pushed a hanger with pulleys in, and there were a lot of clothes hanging on the hanger.I quickly scanned it with my eyes, and there are several pieces in it that I actually selected when I was proofing for myself.But what about the knee-length skirt? And the eye-catching pantsuit with the fuchsia velvet collar? "Try this top...and this skirt..." I took the dress she handed me and looked at the dress with a lot of doubts.I've long thought it was too short.But then again, she's a connoisseur, I thought... I quickly put on the skirt and top and ran back to stand in front of the mirror with Erin standing beside me. "This top is amazing!" I said. "It fits my look perfectly. I love the shape of it." I don't want to say anything about that dress.I mean, I don't want to embarrass her - the dress just doesn't work. "Let me see," Erin said.She tilted her head, looking at my image in the mirror. "I still think skirts that go down to the knee work better." "Like the one I told you about!" I said with relief. "That's on the seventh floor, near--" "Maybe," she said, with a small smile on her face, "but I see other dresses..." "Like the Dolce & Gabbana one on the third floor," I interjected, "I noticed it just now. Or the DKNY one." "DKNY?" Erin said, frowning. "I don't think we have this..." "It just arrived," I told her, "I think it must have just arrived yesterday. It's really beautiful. You have to see it!" I turned and looked at her dress carefully. "You know what? That mauve DKNY dress really goes with this turtleneck you're wearing. And put on those new Slcphane Klian high-heeled shoes. You know those high-heeled shoes? " "I know," Erin said sullenly, "the kind made of crocodile and suede." I looked at her in a little surprise. "No, not that kind. It's the one from the new collection. The one where the molding goes all the way to the heel. It's so pretty. In fact, they go so well with skirts down to the knee..." "Thank you!" Erin interrupted sharply. "I'll keep that in mind." To be honest, why she is so loud, I just give her some suggestions.She should be very happy to see that I am so interested in their store! But I still have to say that she doesn't seem to be very familiar with the various clothes in her store. "Hi!" came the greeting from the door—the lady with tortoiseshell glasses was leaning against the door, looking at me with interest on her face. "Is everything all right?" "Very well, thanks!" I said, with a smile on my face. "Then," said the lady, looking at Eileen, "you'll get our customer that knee-length dress for her to try on. Will you?" "Okay," Erin said, forcing a smile on her face. "I'll get it now." She came out of the fitting room to get clothes, and I couldn't help but go to the hanger to see what other clothes she had brought for me.The lady with the glasses looked at me, and after a while she came up to me and held out her hand. "My name is Christina Ron," she said, "and I'm in charge of the customer shopping department." "Oh, hello!" I say, and my eyes return to a pale blue Jill Stuart dress on a hanger. "My name is Becky Bloomwood." "You're from England, aren't you? I guess you're British from your accent." "From London, but I'll be staying in New York!" "Yeah, great." Christina Ron smiled kindly at me. "So, Becky, what do you do? Fashion?" "No, it's not. I'm in finance." "Finance! Yeah." She raised her eyebrows. "I give financial advice to viewers on TV. You know, pensions and stuff..." I reached for a pair of soft cashmere trousers. "The trousers are beautiful. Much better than the Ralph Lauren ones. They're also cheaper." "It's really good, isn't it?" She gave me a puzzled look. "Well, I'm so glad to have customers as enthusiastic as you." She reached into her pocket and took out a business card, "Please come to our store to shop frequently after you live in New York." "I will," I said to her, smiling, "thank you very much." It was four o'clock in the afternoon when I left Barney's.I waved for a taxi and headed back to the Four Seasons.I pushed open the door to our room and saw my own image in the dressing table mirror, silent but radiant, still excited about my afternoon's spoils, basking in the joy of the harvest. I knew I was going out just to buy an audition costume.But it turned out that... well, I guess I was a little... out of control.This final shopping list is: 1. Moschino tops 2. Knee-length Barney shop series skirt 3. Calvin klein underwear 4. New pantyhose as well as 5. Vera Wang semi-formal occasion dress All right.Just don't... blame me, I know I shouldn't be buying dresses for semi-formal occasions.I knew that when Erin asked me, "Are you interested in evening dresses?", I should have said "no" outright. But man.Oh my God.That Vera Wang dress.Burgundy, low back, bright shoulder straps.Wear it like a movie star.Everyone jostled to see me in it—and sighed as I retreated behind the curtain. I gazed at myself in the fitting mirror in a store fitting room, reveling in self-admiration.It is beautiful, who can compete with me? This is a clear thing.I can't help but buy it.I can't resist its charm.When I sign a credit card payment slip... I'm not myself anymore.I'm Grace Kelly Grace Kelly: A famous American film actress who became popular in Hollywood in the 1950s and died in 1982. -- Annotation.I'm Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Paltrow (Gwyneth Paltrow): a famous American film actress who won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1999 for Shakespeare in Love. -- Annotation.I'm that glamorously famous person who can flirt with a store lady while waving and signing credit card slips for thousands of dollars, as if it were just a small amount of money. Thousands of dollars. Of course, for a brand product from such a designer as Vera Wang, this price is actually very... Well, the price is really... Oh my gosh, I feel a little dizzy.I don't want to figure out how much it costs.I don't want to bother with such trivial matters.The key here is, I can wear them for years.Yes! For many, many years.And if I want to be a TV star, I need designer clothes.I mean, I'm going to have a lot of public events to attend - can't I just show up in some brand name clothes I bought from M&S? That's right! Besides, I have a £10,000 line of credit.now it's right.I mean, if the bank thinks I can't pay it back, how can they give it to me, right? I heard a sound outside the door, and immediately stood up from the bench.With my heart pounding, I walked quickly to the closet and opened the closet door. In this closet were the spoils of my shopping for the past few days, and immediately stuffed the shopping bags from Barney's store into it--closed the closet Opening the door, he turned around with a smile on his face, just at that moment Luke opened the door and walked in, he was on the phone with his mobile phone in his hand. "Of course it's under my fucking control," he was yelling into the phone, "fuck, who do they think they are—" He stopped short, listening for a moment. "Yes, I know," he said quietly. "Yes. Yes, I'll do it. See you tomorrow, Michael, and thank you." He closed the phone and put it aside, as if he had forgotten who I was. "Hi!" I said with a big smile and walked away from the closet door. "You stranger." "I know," Luke said, rubbing his hand wearily over his cheek, "I'm so sorry. To be honest, things were kind of... a mess. But it's great to hear about your audition." He went to the small bar cabinet in the room, poured a glass of whiskey, and drank it in one gulp.He then poured another glass and took another sip while I stood by and worried.I noticed that his face was pale and tense, with shadows showing under the eye circles. "How...how is it going?" I asked nervously. "It's still changing," he replied, "that's all I can say." He walked to the window and looked out at the twinkling lights of Manhattan skyscrapers, the skyline against the twilight. middle.I bit my lip nervously. "Luke. Can't someone else go to those meetings? Can't someone else fly in and take some of the load off of you? Like... Alicia?" Mentioning her name would almost kill me too - but at this point I'm really worried for Luke.To my slight relief, Luke shook his head. "At a stage like this, I can't let newbies in. So far, it's all on my own, and I've got to see it through. I just didn't expect them to be this nervous. Didn't expect them to be this..." He sat down in an armchair and took another sip of whiskey. "I mean, my God, they asked a bunch of questions. I know Americans are very pragmatic, but..." He shook his head resignedly. "They're going to have to get to the bottom of everything. Every client, every potential client, every person who's ever been in the company, every memo I've ever written...is there a possibility that a lawsuit could be filed here ? Who was the wiring lady at the company back in 1993? What brand of car did you drive? What fucking brand of toothpaste did you use?" He stopped talking, drank the wine in the glass, and I looked at him worriedly.