"Is his name Frank? What was his last name again?" Hugo's memory was also jogged by Joseph's hint; the man before them was Frank Garner, the manager of the Armani branch on Rodeo Drive.Since being snubbed at the Armani branch at the beginning of the year, Hugo and Joseph had had no further contact with Armani. On one hand, their schedule was busy and there was no opportunity for contact; on the other hand, Hugo had quickly put the matter behind him, so naturally, there were no chances for a direct meeting. Armani had originally vanished from Hugo's sight, but he hadn't expected them to reappear at this unexpected moment Today.Joseph frowned and thought for a moment, but finally shook his head and gave up; he couldn't remember Frank's last name either. Joseph recalled the list of clothing brands Paramount had handed him, but forgot if he had read it carefully.In fact, matters like clothing sponsorships are usually handled by a PR agent, but since Hugo temporarily didn't have one, Joseph was handling these things for now. This wasn't Joseph's specialty, so his performance was naturally a bit weaker. For instance, this time Paramount had taken the initiative to make requests and found sponsorships for Hugo, finally handing the list of brands to Joseph for Hugo to make the final selection.Joseph turned and whispered to Hugo, "Should we just ask them to leave?"Hugo couldn't help but chuckle softly. Life was truly strange. Before, they had taken the initiative to visit hoping to buy an Armani suit, only to be looked down upon; now, it had turned into Armani hoping to become Hugo's sponsor to gain more attention through him. Although as a big brand like Armani, they didn't need to beg Hugo—it was just a common sponsorship—after all, Hugo hadn't reached the top level yet, and couldn't even be called A-list. Hugo wasn't qualified enough for Armani to lower their status for him. But it had to be admitted that this change in positions was quite interesting, especially set against the backdrop of the Hollywood Vanity Fair; it became increasingly thought-provoking."No need." Hugo shook his head, disagreeing with Joseph's suggestion. "They didn't really do anything to us, did they?" Strictly speaking, Armani's refusal last time was a subtle slight, and Hugo had suffered in silence—his popularity and reliability simply couldn't compare to Richard Gere's. So there was no need for Hugo to have a direct confrontation this time. "Besides, even if we refuse directly, they won't lose anything. I'm not some rare, sought-after Actor."Hugo's self-deprecating comment made Joseph chuckle. His first reaction upon seeing Frank from Armani was to get even and let Armani taste the feeling of being rejected, but after hearing Hugo's words, Joseph realized he was being a bit too hasty. However, Armani's fate Today was already sealed; it was just a matter of how it would happen. "Will you do the rejecting, or should I?""I said last time, I'll give the opportunity to you," Hugo said with a smile. "You have to seize the right moment later."While Hugo and Joseph were chatting, Frank was actually suffering quite a bit at this moment.A brand sponsorship meeting like Today's shouldn't have required him to show up in person. As a branch manager, his main responsibilities were at the store. However, last month the head office intended for him to start handling high-end brand clients, which was essentially exclusive service for top Hollywood Actors. The prosperity of this segment was full of business opportunities, and as the manager of the Rodeo Drive branch, Frank's connections and professional abilities were recognized, making him one of the candidates. Currently, the head office was still in the evaluation phase, giving several candidates opportunities to prove themselves.Today was Frank's first evaluation opportunity. But who could have predicted that the first opportunity would actually be Hugo Lancaster?Perhaps Hugo didn't remember clearly, but Frank had to remember; it was one of his essential professional skills. Hugo was a smart man, and Frank knew this. It could be seen from their encounter last time—the contempt Frank hid under politeness and rules had been seen through by Hugo, which was not a good thing.So one could imagine that Today's meeting would definitely be full of difficulties. But for Frank, he couldn't back down, not only because it concerned his promotion, but also because it was an unavoidable lesson in his career. Situations like Hugo's played out almost every day in Hollywood.Maybe someone was a nobody yesterday and became a superstar Today; conversely, maybe they were high and mighty yesterday and fell from grace Today. The ups and downs of clients were almost unpredictable, so brand exclusive services had to handle these differences in attitude and treatment well. If Frank was worried about being rejected or felt embarrassed, he might as well pack up and go home; even his position as the Rodeo Drive branch manager wouldn't last long. Therefore, Frank had no room to maneuver; he had to face the challenge head-on.Frank took a deep breath, looked at the representatives of other brands in the meeting room, and then proactively walked toward Joseph and Hugo. "Good afternoon, gentlemen. I am Frank Garner, the manager from Armani."Hugo looked at Frank and gave a smile—a polite and humble smile. The smile was so sincere, yet in Frank's eyes, it was so piercing. Then Hugo turned his gaze to Joseph. Joseph pursed his lips slightly and said gently but firmly, "Nice to meet you, thank you for coming Today. However, the presentation hasn't started yet. There will be a specific time for you to introduce yourself later." Joseph gave him a subtle rebuff. "I think it's better to take a break for now."With the same polite manners and the same gentle firmness, Frank felt as if he had run into a rubber wall—it didn't hurt, but it was embarrassing. This was how Frank had treated Hugo back then, and now he was tasting this beautiful reciprocity."Of course. I look forward to the specific presentation later," Frank said, still elegant and polite, and then turned to leave, though he couldn't help but start cursing in his head. Frank wasn't angry at Hugo's counterattack, but rather the way it was done—it was truly frustrating.Frank still had to adjust his mood to prepare for the upcoming presentation, but just then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure walking toward Joseph. It was Cadis Glova, the high-end client representative for Givenchy. Frank watched as Cadis began talking with Joseph and Hugo. Hugo still had a sincere smile on his face, but that smile was clearly in full bloom, radiating a sunny vibe. In comparison, Hugo's treatment of Frank just now was clearly much more distant.Frank couldn't help but bite his lower lip. He remembered that after Armani rejected Hugo last time, Hugo chose a Givenchy suit for the premiere. He had to remember because at that premiere, the male lead Richard Gere was completely ignored, and Hugo stole all the spotlight. Even the talked-about film 'basic instinct' at the time had much of its thunder stolen. Armani choosing Richard was not a mistake, but they had missed out on Hugo—in March, Givenchy's sales rose by another two percent on top of their original base.Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Frank reminded himself, "I was mentally prepared before setting out Today. What's needed now isn't regret, but doing my absolute best."There weren't actually many brands attending the presentation Today. Besides Armani and Givenchy, there were Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, and Gieves & Hawkes. A total of five brands. These brands were currently members of the top-tier international brands, but not necessarily the elite of the elite. It could still be seen that Hugo's level had not yet achieved a breakthrough. Of course, compared to the terrible situation before the release of 'scent of a woman', this was already a huge breakthrough.Among the brands that arrived Today, Gieves & Hawkes was the most eye-catching. Although its international fame might not match the other brands and its level wasn't particularly outstanding, it was a menswear brand with a British Royal Warrant. With a brand history of over two hundred years, its heritage was something no one could ignore.Gieves & Hawkes started by designing British naval uniforms, and Today it is most famous for its suit tailoring. Of course, even when making suits, Gieves & Hawkes never strayed from military elements. Their suits more or less retained traditional military uniform elements, and they had always been one of the preferred brands of the British Royal Family.Paramount had specifically invited Gieves & Hawkes because of the nature of the movie 'a few good men', hoping to create a suit—or even several suits—suitable for the movie's promotion. Of course, this was only a hope; whether it would happen required further communication and selection.Once all the brands were in place, Hugo and Joseph began browsing through each brand one by one. The first to give a presentation was Gucci. Since the new designer Tom Ford took over Gucci in 1990, the brand's sexy and retro style had gradually formed. Tom had a great deal of insight into how to showcase the enchanting charm of the male body. The suits used bold colors and gorgeous cuts, with a very distinct style.With Hugo's physique, wearing a Gucci suit had a unique, dashing flair. Being a natural clothes horse, he could indeed easily carry off any outfit. However, it was clear that this didn't quite match the premiere of 'a few good men'. Even if he looked incredibly handsome, they couldn't make an immediate decision.Dolce & Gabbana's cool yet luxurious designs weren't quite right for Hugo. In fact, Dolce & Gabbana didn't launch their first menswear collection until 1990, and their style in the past two years was still not distinct enough, relying more on fabrics and overall style to lock in their consumer base.The greatest characteristic of Givenchy suits was elegance and refinement. Hugo's previous outfit had brought out these traits to the fullest, and Today was no different. Hugo took a fancy to a double-breasted, wide-lapel black suit. The streamlined cut and perfectly fitted design, paired with a black patterned shirt, was classic and grand, indeed very outstanding.Although the choices for men's suits were largely similar, differences in detail indeed brought about different effects. Hugo's impression of Givenchy was very positive and friendly, but there were still two brands left Today. It wouldn't be too late to decide after seeing them. Next up was Armani.
