Ultimate Spider-Woman: Change With the Light

Chapter 65: Family Reunion

"I'm sorry, kid," the Calvin Klein representative shook her head, "but we've already gotten everything booked. Your portfolio's nice and all, but we're already on a tight schedule as it is."

The response sounded more than a little fishy to Gwen Stacy, although she did her best to keep a calm face as she nodded and thanked the agent for her time. Turning around with a sigh, she headed for the exit, wondering where else she could make inquiries for work.

The Calvin Klein representative's answer was bullshit. Gwen knew it, and she suspected the agent knew it, too. The month of July had just started, and most of the bigger shows did not start for a good three weeks yet. Indeed, Gwen saw a group of other girls, all clutching their portfolios, walking into the building to apply for a job modelling the fashion house's fall collection. Despite her best efforts, Gwen had already missed getting a job modelling any of the summer collections, and she wasn't having any more luck for the fall collections.

I get why I'm having so much trouble getting acting roles, Gwen thought glumly as she made her way down the stairs to the subway station. That fat cow Carol Jannetty has a lot of pull. But what gives about my not being able to find any modelling work? Nobody wants to give me a straight answer-they just dance around the question, or they say that I'm not good enough, or that I don't have enough experience.

Like hell, I don't! Gwen fumed in annoyance as she made her way onto the subway platform. I might only be twenty, but I'm damn good at what I do.

So what gives?

SPIDER-WOMAN #65

"FAMILY REUNION"

"So all the changes were made?" Roderick Kingsley asked into his phone. "And you removed her from the list? Beautiful. Don't worry, your transfer's on its way," Kingsley assured the person on the other end, before he hung up.

While Kingsley was known as the "sneering lizard of the fashion world", particularly with all the sleazy and illegal tactics he was rumored to use to keep Kingsley Cosmetics on top in the fashion world, he hardly cared about that. In addition to all the clout he wielded because of his company, he also had his fingers in many of his competitors' companies, owing to the stock he either controlled or owned outright. He often used that to his advantage, either to strengthen Kingsley Cosmetics, or to settle more personal grudges.

One such grudge was the one he harbored against a little blonde snip by the name of Gwen Stacy. She'd once been one of Kingsley Cosmetics' newest talents, but when she slapped Roderick for groping her, he'd since made very sure she'd never work in this town again.

He'd spoken to every modelling agency in New York, pointing out to them that if they accepted Gwen as a client Kingsley Cosmetics wouldn't be doing business with them anymore. As a shareholder in other companies, he'd been able to use his clout to prevent them from hiring her directly. It all worked so much better than simply trying to smear Gwen, which had been his initial way of getting back at her. Most of Kingsley's contemporaries hated him, so they generally ignored his smears of Gwen.

Of course, when Kingsley backed up his words with his finances and influence, they were more willing to listen.

Thoroughly satisfied with the day's work, Kingsley stood up and went over to his office bar, visions of a whiskey and soda dancing in his head alongside the other ideas he had on how he could make Gwen's life miserable.

When Gwen returned home, she found that she had the place to herself. Her Aunt Nancy Stacy, her mother Helen Stacy and her cousin Jill Stacy had all gone out, so Gwen decided to make the best of it by checking the website she had set up to reach out to any potential siblings she might have had.