You Should Have Chosen me

Chapter 3

It all seemed like a dream at first. I had graduated from NYU and I had started working at Ernst and Young.  Every day before I went into work which was strategically in Times Square, I would head to the Starbucks that was around the corner. At first, I never noticed the lady who had scouted me until the cute barista boy told me about it. That's when I walked up to her and asked her why she was asking about me.

Then she explained her interests and gave me time to think about it. When I did, they wasted no time with me. From being my previous size 12, I was now a healthy sized 4 and standing at 5'11", the lady who scouted me had said she hit the jackpot. She told me that my jawlines were perfectly pointed, my high cheekbones would make me an inspiration to designers.

So I decided to give it a shot. Why not right? I always had my degree to fall back on. The first few months were a whirlwind for me. They kept me busy by taking many pictures of me to set up my own portfolio and they started sending them to Paris and Milan. Before I knew it, the response was amazing.

According to Martha, the lady who scouted me, my life was about to change drastically. There was one problem at first though. My father. I thought my mother would be the problem but it was my dad. I grew up in a strict Italian house and our values were important to us. Yes, my father who was my best friend ended up not talking to me.

Before I left for Paris, my first ever show was for Chanel, I sent a letter to my dad. It just had my thoughts and opinions on why I wanted to do this badly. Being a model gave me confidence. I wasn't the quiet fat girl anymore. People thought I was not only great looking, that I had style. I wasn't an airhead like people seem to stereotype models. That letter actually had the reason why I didn't want to get married a long time ago.

I pretty much got over Logan Henderson and what he said about me. The last time I heard, he was partly running the empire my dad and his dad conquered.

 When I was opening the show for Chanel and I walked down the runway, I knew this was for me. I had that confidence I never had. I still didn't think I was good looking in real life. But on the runway, let's just say, my alter ego seemed to think she was the best damn thing in the room.

Being the understanding father he was, he was sitting there at my first show with my mother and brother. They whooped and hollered for me and I nearly cried but I stayed focused. After that first show, I was pretty much Europe's favorite model. I was fully booked. From the Louis Vuitton show to the Alexander McQueen show. To top that, I was always the opening model.

After the hectic months in Europe, it was time for the auditions for Victoria's Secret.

I stayed positive and told myself to be who I truly am and to enjoy the experience. It was an honor.

Little did I know.. they ended up loving me at the audition. They liked my laid-back personality, they knew my history and they thought I was a perfect fit. 

  I was to be the opening model for the main theme and would wear my very own wings. In preparation to that, I kickboxed and exercised the life out of myself to make sure I had perfectly toned arms legs and most importantly, a flat stomach.

I lived my life normally, I never bragged because I hated it. I still hung out with my best friends from my New York private school and some Yale friends. My best friend Anthony was a guy who was gay and the best damn person in the whole world. He's been to everyone one of my shows and we share everything together. 

"So.. can I come to the show please?"  he pouted.

"Umm I'm confused, I thought you were gay." I scratched my head lightly.

"Honey please. Of course, I am. But do you know how many sexy men will be there front row? I could at least sit next to them." he winked.

I couldn't help but laugh "Of course you can come. So that's you, mom, dad, and Mario." I said. We were chilling in my brand new very own loft which overlooked Central Park. I moved out of my cousin's loft because her boyfriend moved in.