The Ritz Hotel often hosted gentlen and dignitaries, so it was no surprise that Aldrich found himself seated next to Armani, the famous Italian designer. After Aldrich gestured for him to sit, Armani took the empty seat beside him. Across from them, three glamorous won—Victoria, Hallie, and Emma—bent their heads together, gasping in unison, "Armani! Oh my gosh!"
"Are you here for the ferry tour?" Aldrich asked casually.
Maintaining his composed deanor, Aldrich was no stranger to seeing celebrities in London. If he wanted to, he could accompany his brothers to various events every day, easily infiltrating circles that blended entertainnt, politics, and business.
"No, I'm here to prepare for the autumn fashion show. I ca out for a al with a few models today," Armani replied.
Following Armani's gaze, Aldrich noticed a table nearby filled with stunning young won, a few of whom shot flirtatious glances in their direction—whether to please the boss or to catch Aldrich's eye, he could only guess.
Aldrich returned his focus to Armani and nodded, "I understand, Mr. Armani. If I may be so bold, what brings you to ? Are you looking to hire them as models?"
Armani smiled, "I can't afford them. Their appearance fee alone is enough for an entire team's annual budget. I'm here to talk to you, Mr. Hall. Every ti I open a newspaper in London, I see your na everywhere. So people are born to be models, and I believe you fit that description perfectly. Standing by the football field, you hold your head high with an aura of confidence and poise that isn't typical of younger players. It exudes an indescribable charm that captivates eyes. n will want to emulate you because it'll make them more appealing to won."
The trio of young won gasped in excitent once again, surprised that soone as prominent as Armani was aware of them.
Aldrich, however, simply raised an eyebrow and got straight to the point, "Thank you for the flattery, Mr. Armani, but you still haven't answered my question."
"How about endorsing Armani nswear?" Armani proposed.
"I don't have ti for comrcials, and besides, I only wear suits except in winter when I wear a coat," Aldrich responded.
"You don't need to do any advertisents. Just wearing an Armani suit every weekend, or an Armani coat in winter, will often get you in front of the caras. Of course, if you're willing, we can provide you with casual wear for free. You can wear whatever you like in your daily life, and I believe the paparazzi in the UK would love to feature you in so tabloid headlines now and then."
Aldrich couldn't help but smile at that.
The endorsent fees for football stars were rising, thanks to advancents in broadcast technology and the promotion of football culture. Unlike movie stars, the screen presence of sports stars was guaranteed; for example, footballers appeared almost every weekend, becoming focal points regardless of their performance.
As for movie stars? TV shows aren't replayed endlessly, and the cycle for films can be too long. Not every variety show attracts a broad audience either. In the UK, football was the most popular form of entertainnt, appealing to people of all ages.
Aldrich turned and pointed to the top left corner of his suit jacket, where the Millwall club badge was embroidered. "One last condition: any tailored suit or coat must have the Millwall club insignia on it."
After a mont of contemplation, Armani nodded, "That would actually make your outfit more unique and attract even more attention."
The Millwall badge represented a football club, not a clothing brand, so there were no conflicting comrcial interests. Armani had no issues with that; in fact, a coach who insisted on wearing his club's emblem would be all the more appealing—especially since it set him apart.
Aldrich pulled a pen from his suit pocket, jotted down a phone number on a napkin, and handed it to Armani, "Please discuss the endorsent fee with him. Andrew Hall, my brother."
"Got it, goodbye then," Armani replied, pocketing the napkin as he stood to leave.
As soon as he walked away, Emma leaned in excitedly and asked, "Aldrich, why are you not more excited? That's Armani, Giorgio Armani!"
Aldrich took a sip of water and replied nonchalantly, "If I fawned over him, he wouldn't offer an endorsent. What he wants is my confidence and maturity. Besides, if I ran into Maradona here, I might feel thrill, but seeing him? Sorry, I've t a few celebrities and have never been into fashion."
"You're so boring!" Emma shot back.
"Thanks, I don't like being seen as a clown in others' eyes."
"Are you calling a clown?"
"No, I'm just past the age of idolizing others."
"You're younger than !"
"But I'm more mature ntally than you are."
"You!"
Emma ground her teeth in frustration, while Victoria interjected playfully, "Aldrich, if you keep bickering with her, your maturity will vanish."
Aldrich nodded in agreent, "Exactly. If I keep this up, I'll be on her level. Ladies, it's getting late; I should head ho for so rest. Let call a cab for you."
As they exited the Ritz Hotel, Aldrich said goodbye to each of them. Just before parting, lanie smiled at him and said, "I'll be waiting for you in Liverpool."
"Better not; your whole family won't be happy about it."
"Hmph, what are you so proud of? Liverpool is not Arsenal; you won't just waltz in and take the win, especially at Anfield."
"We'll see about that."
After saying farewell to the five glamorous won, Aldrich drove back ho.
The next day, he received a call from Andrew, confirming the endorsent deal with Armani. They had agreed to a one-year contract at ￡500,000, which wasn't the least amount in this day and age. Aldrich accepted, and a couple of days later, Armani's company sent a tailor to take his asurents, then left, waiting for the custom-made clothes to be delivered.
In the second round of the Premier League, aside from Arsenal losing at the lion's den and Liverpool falling to Leeds United away, the reigning champions Blackburn also lost to Sheffield Wednesday on the road, drawing attention, while Manchester United got back on track with a win over West Ham, and Newcastle United took the top spot with two consecutive victories.
With a League Cup match against Grimsby in the following week, Aldrich planned to use the third round of the Premier League to face the reigning champion Blackburn. He placed great importance on the upcoming match at Anfield.
Starting midweek, he studied tactical strategies, repeatedly reviewing the videos of Liverpool's first two matches this season to develop corresponding ga plans.
Although last season he captured the League One title, the lads had achieved almost nothing in terms of honor. After drawing with Manchester United and beating Arsenal, their training attitude had beco more serious, hoping to prove themselves on the grand stage of the Premier League.
As the weekend approached, Aldrich led his team to rseyside.
This port city possessed unique charm, but Millwall had no ti to admire it. They took the coach to Anfield and ward up before heading back to the locker room, where Aldrich remained silent until it was ti to step onto the field.
Liverpool, donned in their traditional red kits, were already waiting in the player's tunnel. As Millwall's players made their entrance, Aldrich walked beside them and paused in front of a sign on the wall just before going down the stairs.
He looked up at the sign and called Lavarsen over, softly asking, "Henrik, what does it say up there?"
Lavarsen looked at the sign emblazoned with the Liverpool club badge, while the Liverpool players nearby wore smug expressions, as if to say: country bumpkin, you don't even know this?
"This is Anfield!"
Lavarsen said flatly.
Aldrich cupped his ear and muttered, "What did you say?"
"Boss, this is Anfield!"
Lavarsen repeated loudly as his teammates turned to look up at the sign.
"Indeed, this is Anfield! A great stadium, a legacy left by the legendary Bill Shankly of Liverpool. Here, they've lifted the European Cup trophy four tis, and they hold the record for the most top-flight titles in England. So, Henrik, what do you think it would feel like to take ho a victory from here?"
Lavarsen chuckled, "Indescribable!"
The entire Millwall team burst into laughter.
"Indescribable, indescribable! So, in ninety minutes, we will take ho this indescribable feeling. This is Anfield, and I love this place. Thanks to Liverpool for building this stage. Millwall, tell , what should we do?"
"Charge! Charge! Charge! Millwall!"
The whole team yelled in unison—a slogan they had grown accustod to during training.
Aldrich turned and walked down the stairs, giving Jamie Redknapp's shoulder a friendly pat as he passed the stunned Liverpool players and said with a grin, "Jamie, put on a good performance today. If you see your dad, tell him to watch today's ga. Millwall will also play like this against West Ham; let him be quiet. Frank and Rio have already forgotten West Ham."
Jamie Redknapp stood there, dumbfounded and unsure of how to respond.
His father, currently managing West Ham, was Harry Redknapp, affectionately referred to as Old Redknapp to differentiate him from Jamie's na.
The Liverpool players, observing the spirited Millwall players, couldn't help but recall another London team—Wimbledon.
That was a group of thugs, and Millwall, reputedly, was a bunch of hooligans.
Damn London teams!
Reviews
All reviews (0)