This isn't as descriptive as the previous chapter but it's not terribly dull.
Next chapter will be interesting.
Enjoy and review!
"Excuse me," spoke an unfamiliar voice.
The Winx and the Specialists stopped their conversation and turned around. They saw a tall, handsome man with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. He was deceptively young, appearing to be in his mid twenties to early thirties. The man who was standing in front of them was the same man who was inside the ice cream shop. When the man got Heidi's attention, he smiled politely at her and spoke directly to her.
"Hello, I happened to see you at the ice cream shop earlier and I just want to tell you that you are very beautiful," the man complimented on Heidi's appearance.
Heidi stared indifferently at the man and replied, "Thank you."
"May I ask what your name is?"
"Heidi."
"Heidi, what a fitting name for a gorgeous young lady like you." The man pulled out a card from his left pocket and handed it to Heidi. "Here's my business card. I believe you have the right potential in the modeling business. A rare beauty like yours deserves exposure. I would like to hear from you within this month. Please contact me if you're interested."
After this random, unexpected encounter, the man turned around and casually walked away. Suddenly, Stella grabbed Heidi in the arms and turned her over to her direction.
"Heidi, do you know who that man was?!" asked Stella, who looked very excited.
"No," answered Heidi.
"His name is Levent Pierce. He used to be a very famous male supermodel who made a huge fortune from his successful career. Now he's the founder and the CEO of Epitome Models, the number one modeling management firm in the dimension!" explained Stella, squealing in awe.
"Wow, he must really be a very wealthy and influential figure in the fashion industry," said Flora, surprised by the information.
"This man is a total genius! He discovered so many models and shaped their careers into huge success!" told Stella.
"I just searched this man up. He's a legitimate modeling agent and scout, not a con artist," said Tecna, going through an extensive background check on Levent Pierce on her tablet.
"He's also married to Yvonne," informed Stella.
"Yvonne?! The lingerie model for Bellissima?!" questioned Brandon, who seemed familiar with her.
"Yeah, that's the one," told Stella.
"Oh my god, she is so freakin' hot!" exclaimed Brandon.
"Brandon used to be so obsessed with Yvonne. Whenever we passed by a Bellissima boutique, he would always stop and drool over a half naked poster of Yvonne that was on display. Good times," told Sky.
"Brandon's a pervert!" teased Riven.
"I always knew that Brandon was an incorrigible flirt, but who knew he was a pervert," said Nabu, with a grin.
"I was twelve back then and I'm not a pervert!" defended Brandon, causing laughter from everyone.
"It's okay, man. As men we understand what you went through. You were going through the awkward stages of puberty," joked Riven, causing even more laughter from everyone.
"Whatever, say what you want. I have a girlfriend who is way hotter and more beautiful than a Bellissima model!" declared Brandon.
"Oh, Brandon, I love you so much!" exclaimed Stella, hugging her boyfriend after hearing those touching words.
Bloom turned away from the mushy couple and faced Heidi. "So, Heidi, what are you going to do? Are you going to try out?"
"I have not made my decision yet," answered Heidi.
Stella pulled away from Brandon and said, "Do it, Heidi! It's a once in a lifetime opportunity! If you take this offer, you'll experience the glamorous life! You'll travel to many fabulous and exotic places, appear on major campaigns and runways, and become famous and rich!"
"Technically, that's not true. There are some cases in which a lot of beautiful models try to achieve success, but end in failure. The chances of having a successful modeling career are very slim. Also, a lot of models struggle financially and emotionally. They don't earn a lot of money due to the high competition and they are constantly under pressure to lose weight. In most extreme cases, they commit suicide due to depression or die from malnutrition. Modeling is a very difficult career to pursue," informed Tecna.
"I agree with you, Tecna. The modeling industry is really cruel and demanding. However, this business doesn't control its models like puppets. Models are human beings with minds too. They have the power to choose whether or not they should lose or gain weight, pose nude, or carry other difficult tasks. It's up to them to make the decision," said Stella.
"Wow, I've never heard Stella so intelligent before," Riven whispered to Nabu.
"When it involves fashion, this girl is a doctor," Nabu whispered back.
"Speaking from a fashion perspective, I strongly believe that Heidi will be successful. Come on, just look at her!" Stella grabbed Heidi's stoic face and presented it to everyone, making her feel awkward. "This is no ordinary face! Look at these exotic and well-defined features! This is an impossibly stunning face that exists!"
"Uh, Stella. The impossibly stunning face you're talking about is being disoriented," said Musa.
Stella looked at Musa and the other giggling friends in confusion. When she turned and faced Heidi, she noticed that her hands were squishing her face, making her look like a strange-looking creature. After this realization, the Solarian princess immediately released her face.
"Sorry about that, honey. I was just trying to make a good point there," apologized Stella. "As I was saying," she continued, "Heidi has the full package. I guarantee you all that she will be booked almost everywhere."
"Looks like this day belongs to Heidi! Everything is going very smoothly for her," said Sky, getting agreements from the rest of the fairies and heroes.
"So, are you gonna do it or not?!" asked the curious and impatient Stella.
"I will consider the offer," replied Heidi.
"Take your time, Heidi. It's wise to think this over before making the final decision," suggested Tecna.
"Heidi, remember not to take too long thinking over it. He wants to hear from you within this month; an answer that he really wants to hear," said Stella, with hopeful eyes and an encouraging smile.
Tecna rolled her eyes at Stella's peer pressure and sipped on her coffee-flavored milkshake.
The Winx and the Specialists returned to their beach house once they were done for the day. Due to exhaustion, the majority of the fairies and the heroes quickly washed up and went straight to bed. In the living room, Bloom sat alone on the sofa and quietly read a novel. Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice call out her name in a whispered tone.
"Bloom!" Stella called out.
Bloom turned away from the page she was reading and saw Stella standing on the staircase. "Stella, what are you doing up? I thought you were tired and went to sleep."
"Well, I can't make myself go to sleep anymore. How about you?" Stella came over and sat by Bloom's side.
"I just wanted to stay up a little more and read here. I don't want to disturb Sky with the lights on."
"Oh, I see."
"So, what's going on with you? For someone who loves to sleep, I find it very odd to see you up this late."
"I can't fall asleep after what happened today! I'm so happy that Heidi's been offered an opportunity to become a professional model for Epitome Models."
"Yeah, I have to admit that it is pretty exciting."
"If I were Heidi, I would have accepted the offer right away! It's a once in a lifetime opportunity!"
"Stella, let's not pressure Heidi to do something she's uncertain about. It's up to her whether or not she wants to take this opportunity and go for it. Whatever her decision is we have to respect it."
"I hope she accepts this offer. She really deserves and needs this opportunity. It would be a waste if she refuses!"
"Stella, think back to what she's been through. Heidi was trained since birth to serve as a living weapon. She lived in a cruel environment where she had to kill to survive. Her emotions were suppressed so that she wouldn't be able to form intimate attachments. After the hell that she's been through, I don't think Heidi is going to accept this offer so easily. She still views herself a tool for bloodshed. It's only been three months since she escaped that life. Heidi's still learning how to adapt to the society we're living in. It would be unwise of us to force her progress."
"I completely understand what you're saying, Bloom. What Heidi went through for eighteen years is undoubtedly horrible. No one should ever go through something like that! However, she's surprisingly recovering from her past really quickly. I think Heidi's the one who's pushing herself to adapt as quickly as possible. You can actually tell that she's desperately trying to catch up on what she missed out in her life. I'll wait for her decision as you want me to but I really believe that this opportunity will change her life positively!"
Bloom tilted her head to the side and smiled at Stella. "You know, you've changed a lot."
"Changed? How?" Stella asked with high curiosity.
"Don't get offended by this, but I've never seen you care about someone this deeply before. I know that you're a caring person, but I've never knew that you could be so nurturing and supportive. To be honest, I thought you were gonna have a bad relationship with her because of your jealousy issues over looks. I'm really surprised."
Stella chuckled at Bloom's statement. "Honestly, I do feel a bit jealous of Heidi's stunning looks; however, I know that she's not perfect. Even though she appears to be perfect, she's obviously troubled in the inside. The way she grew up and was raised was awful. I feel like after meeting her and getting to know her, I became even more caring and sympathetic. I want to help her get rid of those unwanted memories and start fresh. She's a beautiful girl who deserves a wonderful life."
Standing on the second floor of the house was Heidi. She heard the entire conversation between Bloom and Stella without being noticed. After she heard everything, she silently walked back to her bedroom and closed the door behind her. She returned to her comfortable bed and stared at the ceiling idly.
"A wonderful life. Can I really attain a life like that?" Heidi questioned in her mind.