"No, no, and no!" Isabella declared, throwing the pictures off the
coffee table in her pent house apartment. "These girls look nothing like
me! Honestly, do they really think that even with a blurry lens that they
could pass as me?"
Matteo stared at her. "Isabella," he tried to reason. "It will be very fast action, they will not be able to tell it is not you. Hair and make-up will be done identically, it will work."
She slammed down a picture in front of him, pointing at the smiling girl. "She does not even have the same face shape as me!"
"We have been through hundreds of pictures, if none of these work nothing will."
"There has to be someone out there who could pretend to pass as me! Am I paying you to do your job, or to get lazy after looking at a few pictures?"
"Unless you have a twin sister that you haven't told me about, you will have to settle for one of these," he stated, sitting back and running his hand through his black hair.
Isabella stared at him for a moment then suddenly strode into her bedroom where she began to search wildly through drawers.
Matteo leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed. "What are you doing?"
She stood up holding a small folded paper. "Remember at the IMVA's that girl who looked just like me?"
Matteo thought for a moment then nodded. "Sí, sí, but she is an inexperienced girl, not a stunt double. Pick someone else."
"No, either she does it, or we start the whole process of planning a video over again."
Matteo sighed. "Do you think she would do it?"
"I don't know," she glared, shoving the paper at him. "You call her."
"She's what a fifteen-year-old kid?"
Isabella frowned at him. "She's eighteen, same as me. Call her and see if she would do it."
Matteo stared at her. "What exactly do you want me to say to her? Come to Italy and risk your life?"
Isabella snatched the paper away from him. "Give it here. I honestly do not know what I pay you for!"
She walked back into the living room, grabbed the cordless phone, sat down, then dialed the number.
Matteo shook his head and started to pick up his coat. "Wait!" she called over the ringing, in her ear. "Stay here, I will need to know how much we can pay her and stuff."
"Hello?" the voice on the other end answered.
"Hello," Isabella said sweetly. "May I speak to Lizzie McGuire?"
"Hold on one moment," the woman replied.
Isabella waited while the woman yelled, then finally the phone was picked up on another extension and hung up again.
"Hello?" Lizzie's breathless voice asked.
"Lizzie?"
"Yes? Who is this?"
"Ciao, this is Isabella Parigi, from Rome?"
"Oh, hi," she answered. "How are you?"
"I am good," Isabella replied, boring of the small talk. "How are you?"
"Good."
"That is wonderful. Lizzie, I have a proposition for you."
"A proposition?"
Isabella rolled her eyes at Matteo. "Sí, you see, I am going to making a video, and I will need some help in some scenes. And with your likeness to me, it only makes sense that you come to Roma and shoot it with me."
"What do you mean?"
Isabella laid her head back on the couch and put her hand to her forehead. "There are scenes I can not do, if you will do those we can pay you." She gestured to Matteo to write down how much it would be.
"Like a double?"
"Sí, sí, like a stunt double," Isabella replied, she read the amount they would pay her, this smiled as she listened to Lizzie's sharp intake of breath.
"I-I don't know."
"Sí, well write down my number and remember how much it will be worth to you," Isabella replied. "I have to make some more calls, but call me back very soon. Sí?"
"Sure." Lizzie trailed off. "Bye."
"Ciao." She hung up the phone with a decisive click, and smiled at Matteo. "She is ours."
***
Matteo stared at her. "Isabella," he tried to reason. "It will be very fast action, they will not be able to tell it is not you. Hair and make-up will be done identically, it will work."
She slammed down a picture in front of him, pointing at the smiling girl. "She does not even have the same face shape as me!"
"We have been through hundreds of pictures, if none of these work nothing will."
"There has to be someone out there who could pretend to pass as me! Am I paying you to do your job, or to get lazy after looking at a few pictures?"
"Unless you have a twin sister that you haven't told me about, you will have to settle for one of these," he stated, sitting back and running his hand through his black hair.
Isabella stared at him for a moment then suddenly strode into her bedroom where she began to search wildly through drawers.
Matteo leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed. "What are you doing?"
She stood up holding a small folded paper. "Remember at the IMVA's that girl who looked just like me?"
Matteo thought for a moment then nodded. "Sí, sí, but she is an inexperienced girl, not a stunt double. Pick someone else."
"No, either she does it, or we start the whole process of planning a video over again."
Matteo sighed. "Do you think she would do it?"
"I don't know," she glared, shoving the paper at him. "You call her."
"She's what a fifteen-year-old kid?"
Isabella frowned at him. "She's eighteen, same as me. Call her and see if she would do it."
Matteo stared at her. "What exactly do you want me to say to her? Come to Italy and risk your life?"
Isabella snatched the paper away from him. "Give it here. I honestly do not know what I pay you for!"
She walked back into the living room, grabbed the cordless phone, sat down, then dialed the number.
Matteo shook his head and started to pick up his coat. "Wait!" she called over the ringing, in her ear. "Stay here, I will need to know how much we can pay her and stuff."
"Hello?" the voice on the other end answered.
"Hello," Isabella said sweetly. "May I speak to Lizzie McGuire?"
"Hold on one moment," the woman replied.
Isabella waited while the woman yelled, then finally the phone was picked up on another extension and hung up again.
"Hello?" Lizzie's breathless voice asked.
"Lizzie?"
"Yes? Who is this?"
"Ciao, this is Isabella Parigi, from Rome?"
"Oh, hi," she answered. "How are you?"
"I am good," Isabella replied, boring of the small talk. "How are you?"
"Good."
"That is wonderful. Lizzie, I have a proposition for you."
"A proposition?"
Isabella rolled her eyes at Matteo. "Sí, you see, I am going to making a video, and I will need some help in some scenes. And with your likeness to me, it only makes sense that you come to Roma and shoot it with me."
"What do you mean?"
Isabella laid her head back on the couch and put her hand to her forehead. "There are scenes I can not do, if you will do those we can pay you." She gestured to Matteo to write down how much it would be.
"Like a double?"
"Sí, sí, like a stunt double," Isabella replied, she read the amount they would pay her, this smiled as she listened to Lizzie's sharp intake of breath.
"I-I don't know."
"Sí, well write down my number and remember how much it will be worth to you," Isabella replied. "I have to make some more calls, but call me back very soon. Sí?"
"Sure." Lizzie trailed off. "Bye."
"Ciao." She hung up the phone with a decisive click, and smiled at Matteo. "She is ours."
***