Felix Clarke

Paris, France.

Felix sat in the meeting room, waiting for Catherine Laurent's arrival. There had been an urgent and last-minute meeting, there was barely anyone left in the building except for the janitors and those who worked overtime. He cleared his throat, standing up once Ms. Laurent opened the door with her cane. "Good evening."

"Ah, thank you for coming on such short notice, Felix."

"No problem, ma'am."

Ms. Laurent grinned. "No need to call me ma'am, makes me feel like I'm old. You've been working with me for years, call me Cathy." She settled into her chair, smiling. She had pale and wrinkled skin, looking like paper. However, there was no doubt that she looked extraordinary in her old age. She had her silver hair tied back in a bun and she wore business-casual clothes.

"What's so urgent?"

Cathy clasped her hands. "As you know, Paris Fashion Week is coming up in two months, and the Award of Beauty is going to be there. Our rival, Flore & Faune, are also competing for the award." She looked out the glass panels, as if she was recalling something. "We need to stand out in the crowd or else we're just any other modelling company."

"So what's my job? Recruiting more models?"

"Not any model." She brought out a portfolio, handing it over. Felix reviewed it, seeing that the applicant was Fleurette Lavigne. She had a mix of striking and softer features, which would prove useful in terms of versatility. Long dark brown hair, large hooded eyes, and the standard model body type, which was rectangular. "Have you heard of her?"

Felix nodded. "On the news, I think. Isn't she an ex-girlfriend of Hugo de Valois?"

"Yes, who is currently dating Lucille Blanchard. Both of those Flore & Faune will be our biggest competitors," Cathy agreed, drumming her fingers on the table. "The internet is going wild over the three and their relationships. A love triangle, no?"

"People love those," Felix muttered. "But you're thinking of hiring her?"

"It'll give us a leg up in Paris Fashion Week. Everyone is gushing over Fleurette, we'll add fuel to the fire by offering her a spot in Romantique." Cathy glanced at Felix. "Of course, I would like your approval first. I already conferred with Hiro."

"And?"

"Hiro says Fleurette will be a good fit, but it's your vote that's the tie-breaker."

Felix wanted to say that Cathy was making a lapse in her judgment, but he looked at Fleurette's file again. She certainly looked gutsy, the type of woman that Cathy loved hiring at Romantique. He wasn't quite sure about hiring her for the love triangle drama, but it would make everyone talk about Romantique. Fleurette Lavigne seemed capable, which was enough for Felix. "I'm thinking runway model, it looks like she's got a good strut. With a bit of practice, she'll be up and ready in no time for Paris Fashion Week."

"Great, because you're on the next flight out to New York City with Hiro, Felix."

꧁°❀⋆.ೃ࿔.*:･･:*.ೃ࿔.⋆❀°꧂

Fleurette Lavigne

New York City, America.

"This can not be happening," Fleurette muttered to herself, seeing the surge of reporters and paparazzi below her apartment, eagerly waiting for Fleur to show herself. It was eight in the morning, she could barely get a wink of sleep. Peering through the window, she wondered how she'd show up for her next modelling trial. Suddenly, someone spotted that Fleurette was looking out the window, pointing at her. Flashes of cameras and shouts below her blind-sided her. She quickly shut the curtains, horrified.

She had just become an overnight sensation.

Thousands of articles had been written about Fleurette, Hugo, and Lucille. What love triangle was there? She and Hugo had broken up a year ago, and he started dating Lucille two weeks after. Within two weeks, he had already forgotten me, she thought sourly. What a traitor.

She grabbed her items, stuffing them in her purse while she shoved her feet into shoes. Perhaps Fleurette could go out the back? No one would be at the back of the building if they thought she'd go by the front. "Praying on a miracle," she whispered, quietly closing the door behind her. She opted for the stairs, knowing the elevator would be overcrowded in the morning.

After reaching the ground level, Fleurette hastily fled the scene and ran towards the back door. People called for her name as she swung open the door. To her shock, there were a handful of photographers already there, taking photos of her. She shaded her eyes, the blaring lights hurting her eyes. Find a way out, she thought. She immediately bolted away, a swarm of reporters on her heels. This felt like a movie! Well, then again, it was NYC...

Fleurette tried to navigate her way, but she was completely surrounded. "Oh crap," she swore under her breath. Suddenly, a black car pulled up into the street. The window went down and a man in his late twenties was in the backseat. "Miss Lavigne?" the man called out. "I feel like you might need an escape. I want to talk to you about Romantique."

Romantique?

"Get in," the man said.

Damnnit, Fleurette would have never normally gotten into a stranger's car under the promise of a modelling company, but she was swarmed. The door was open as she got in, cameras still going. "Floor it!" the man told the driver as they took off. The car seemed like a rental, but it was clean and better than Fleurette's run-down one. "Please, put on your seatbelt."

"Oh, right." She did so and glanced at the man. He was tall and had broad shoulders, but he wore more casual clothes, which told Fleur he wasn't a model. His sandy blond hair was natural too, so not many modifications to his body. He spoke with a slight Texan accent, so he was American. "Uh, my name is—"

"Fleurette, yes, I know, most of the world now does too. Mine is Felix Clarke, here's my business card, and I work for Romantique. I'm sure you've heard of our French modelling company," Felix said briskly. Very professional, Fleur noted. Romantique was highly influential, only recruiting the best models. Was this Fleur's big break? "We've been reviewing you for a bit, we believe you'd be a good candidate to walk for us in Paris Fashion Week. Well, plus other side jobs before the event takes place."

Fleurette's jaw dropped. "Paris Fashion Week? Oh my god, oh my god—" She could barely contain her excitement, she was bursting with joy. She was going to work at Romantique and be represented at Paris Fashion Week in September.

Felix drawled, a hint of laughter, "And that's how we get 'em."

"Hold on, I haven't said yes yet," Fleurette protested, crossing her arms. Her heart pounded in her chest. "I mean, I want the facts. I want the layout, of course, and contracts, but no NDAs. And I'm not going to accept an offer in the back of a car. You could have just kidnapped me!"

"She's a smart cookie," the driver said, glancing in the rearview mirror. He smiled warmly before keeping his eyes back on the road. He was a man in his late twenties, same age as Felix, with a warm smile. "I'm Hiro, another agent at Romantique, I assure you we're not kidnapping you! Well, I mean, you didn't really consent but—"

"Hiro, goddamn it, you're making it sound worse."

"Shoot, I missed the last turn—did I run a red light?"

"Hiro!"

"Nevermind, that was a yellow. I think I'm colour-blind."

These guys are definitely... unique.

꧁°❀⋆.ೃ࿔.*:･･:*.ೃ࿔.⋆❀°꧂

Vincent Madden

Saint-Denis, France.

"Euh, un biscuit au chocolat ? Oh, et un café noir, petit," Vincent said, cringing at how bad his French was. Despite living in Saint-Dennis for two years, Vincent still couldn't adjust to the language. Though the French barista was empathic, a young brunette woman called Jolie Monet. "Merci," he added hastily.

"Oui, oui, très bien, mon bon monsieur," Jolie encouraged. Vincent's mind went blank, not understanding the rest of what he said. She merely smiled, a soft sigh coming from her mouth. They had been mild acquaintances now, Jolie had been working at Café des Fables for two years now. "Just wait for your order, Vin."

"Thanks, Jolie."

He walked over to the corner, sitting at the only table with good wifi. He brought out his laptop, going to his graphics and reviewing the list of magazine covers he had made over the weeks. The ones that starred Lucille Blanchard looked good, even amazing Vincent dared to say. Vincent called up Alexander Leigh, one of the photographers at Flore & Faune. "Alexander, you have to see these graphics," he said excitedly. "I'm debating which to send first to Christopher Brown." Oof, Vincent was rather scared of their boss, Mr. Brown, he had pretty tight standards.

"Uh, opt for the first one. Better photos, better visuals, etc."

"Good call."

Once Vincent had his food served by Jolie, he drank his coffee and continued to talk on the call with Alexander. "Next photoshoot is with Hugo de Valois and Lucille Blanchard," he said, scrolling down his calendar. "Hikari Takahashi and the newbie, Rosetta Wright, aren't due for a shoot until later."

Alexander groaned. "Ugh, not another couple photoshoot. Mr. Brown makes us do too many of those, like we get it, those two are happily in love or some shit." At Flore & Faune, Hugo and Lucille were a power couple, constantly fawning over each other and basically attached to the hip. "I'm so over it."

"Sounds like you're just jealous that you're still single," Vincent teased.

"Oh, c'mon."

"Fine, fine, that'll be another discussion. I mean, before the couple shoot, there's also one with Mr. Brown's daughter." That was less exciting, but better than those overly-done couple shoots. Recently, it seemed as if Mr. Brown was just pumping the mill with Hugo and Lucille, barely any of the other models got a chance yet. "I just need to finish up at the cafe and I'll come to Flore & Faune."

"Please do, everyone is losing their collective damn minds in here."

After Alexander ended the call, Vincent continued to finish up the rest of his day's work, piecing together all the right elements of Lucille's photos. He didn't really talk to her except when conferring on graphic ideals and themes. She was bubbly and confident, emitting a lively energy, no wonder why everyone liked her. Finally finished those graphics, he thought.

A/N: All the photos are not mine, I just edit them and add the logo & text! I find it so funny that I make graphics for the graphic designers for the models in this apply fic lmao.