Ch. 579: Mr. Edwards’ Unraveled Life Chapter 579

Chapter 579

“Cooper!” the woman called out, waving as if she had nothing to hide.

She didn’t seem like a human trafficker at all.

Since his parents hadn’t arrived yet, Cooper wasn’t allowed to leave the school gate. The woman passed a bag of food to him through the fence.

Norah hurried over and stopped him. “Cooper, have you forgotten what Mommy taught you?”

“I didn’t forget, Mom. That’s Aunt Luella. The other kids said she used to teach dance here.”

Cooper was honest. From what he heard, she had worked at the school before, so he didn’t consider her a stranger.

But he’d only started school this semester—he didn’t actually know her.

Before Norah could respond, the woman extended a hand politely. “You must be Cooper’s mom. I’m Luella Goyette. I really did teach dance here before, but now I work as a talent agent. Here’s my card.”

The business card read clearly: Luella Goyette, Talent Agent, Yunji Entertainment Co.

Norah didn’t completely trust her, so she returned the card and asked calmly, “So you’re an agent? I heard you came by yesterday, too. What exactly do you want with Cooper?”

“To be honest, I was going to reach out to you even if you hadn’t shown up today,” Luella said candidly. “Cooper has the kind of look that’s perfect for the screen. I think he could do really well in the entertainment industry. I was hoping to see if you’d be open to it.”

Luella seemed sincere—there were no telltale signs of lying in her expression.

“That depends on what he wants,” Norah replied evenly.

Her son didn’t need to enter showbiz for money. Whether he joined or not didn’t matter.

Luella knelt down beside Cooper and gently explained what working in entertainment meant. Then she asked, “So, Cooper, what do you think? Want to give it a try?”

“Can Grandpa watch me on TV?” Cooper asked. He hadn’t seen Pharaoh in a while and missed him.

Luella laughed. “Of course. And when you become a star, everyone will know who you are—and you can do lots of things you like.”

“Mom, I wanna do it,” Cooper said, tilting his head up eagerly.

Norah gave an awkward smile. “Well, it’s a big decision. I’ll need to talk to my husband first. Is that okay?”

“Of course!” Luella handed her another card. “Give me a call after you two talk. I’ll work on a child star plan tonight—we can go over the contract tomorrow.”

Norah still had her doubts, but seeing Cooper so excited, she chose not to shut it down right away.

Later at home, Norah told Kevin everything. He immediately had someone look into Luella and confirmed she was a real agent—not super famous, but credible.

“So, what do you think?” Norah whispered, not wanting Cooper to overhear.

Kevin smiled, pinching her nose gently. “If he likes it, let him try. He might lose interest quickly. Just tell Luella to start with a short-term contract. That way, we have an easy out.”

Norah agreed. She called Luella the next day and explained the terms.

Luella seemed surprised but accepted.

After serving Norah tea, she left the room to get a fresh copy of the contract.

On her way back, she bumped into someone at the door, and the papers fell. The other person picked them up and scoffed at the contents.

“Seriously, Luella? A short-term child star contract? What if they bail after a month? You’ll lose money and time. I know you’re broke, but are you really that desperate? Trying to make a quick buck like this—watch out, or you’ll just end up deeper in debt.”

“This is none of your business, Ms. Fortier,” Luella replied sharply, grabbing the contract and walking into the tea room with a forced smile for Norah. “Sorry about that.”

“No worries,” Norah said. “I thought the entertainment world would be different—but I guess it’s just as messy as any other industry.”

Looking at the contract, Norah decided to be upfront. “You know how young Cooper is. He might think this is just fun and games. Don’t set your hopes too high.”

“I’ve thought about that. By the way, what should I call you?”

Norah had only signed the contract herself—she hadn’t filled in Kevin’s information.

She didn’t want Cooper to succeed just because of Kevin’s name. She also didn’t want to draw too much attention to him. Without real talent, fame would only bring jealousy and trouble.

“You can call me Sister Norah,” she said with a smile.

“Alright, Sister Norah. Since we’re all set, can you bring Cooper by tomorrow for an audition? It’s for a commercial—nothing too hard. I’ll send you the script later.”

Luella sounded nervous, like she feared Norah would change her mind.

Norah patted her on the shoulder. “It’s fine. We signed the contract, so we’ll follow through.”

“Thank you so much.”

Luella walked her downstairs. Along the way, Norah noticed all the judgmental stares and couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

The entertainment industry really wasn’t for the faint of heart.

The next day, Cooper went to shoot his first commercial—for children’s shampoo. His naturally soft, smooth hair made him the perfect choice.

Everything at the photo studio was new and fascinating to him. As soon as they walked in, he looked around like a curious little explorer, eager to touch everything.

Luella gently pulled him to sit down on the couch and explained what he needed to do: when to smile, when to look at the camera, when to move.

Norah scanned the studio. Two groups were filming. Their setup was pretty simple, but the other group’s was extravagant—clearly for a big-name star.

When it was time to shoot, the director called Cooper over. He caught on fast and needed almost no guidance.

The shoot was scheduled for an hour but wrapped in thirty minutes. The footage looked great.

The director was full of praise, which seemed to upset the other team.

A woman from the other side came over, watched the playback, and shook her head disapprovingly.

“Director Lacroix,” she said, “you’re always too kind to newbies. But being overly nice isn’t doing them any favors. It lowers standards.”

“You’re wrong, Ms. Fortier,” he replied. “This ad turned out really well. It’s going to be a hit.”

So that was Ms. Fortier—the same woman who mocked Luella the day before.

Ms. Fortier’s expression shifted as she glanced at Norah and sneered, “Another mom trying to get rich off her kid. There are so many of them these days—completely ignoring their child’s well-being just to satisfy their own ambitions.”

Norah gave her a frosty smile. “You’re absolutely right. But with a son like mine, wouldn’t it be dumb not to cash in?”