Late night at Kelly Manor, the living room was brightly lit.
"Why are you back so early?"
On the sofa, Kate was lounging in a white lace nightgown, legs crossed as she asked.
"The party wasn't much fun. I wanted to come back early and spend time with you," Luca replied with a smile as he changed his shoes.
"Good boy!"
Kate curled her lips into a smile. The past few days had been busy for both of them, rarely having time together. It was nice to finally have a moment to just relax, watch TV, and chat.
Kate had something she wanted to talk about as well.
When he came out after a shower, Kate poured him a cup of coffee and placed it on the table.
"It's been almost a month, hasn't the movie wrapped yet?"
"No, still a little more to go."
Luca sat down and took a sip of coffee.
"I watched your footage, you did great. What's taking so long?"
Kate was growing a bit impatient.
This whole filming process had been exhausting for Luca, and he had lost a noticeable amount of weight, making her anxious too. She used to think acting was glamorous, but now realized it could be really tough.
"Why not quit? You're handsome enough to make a living off your looks. Why put yourself through this?"
Kate gently touched his face as she asked.
Luca smiled softly, "Kate, acting isn't that hard. It's just that Director Babank wants to push me, so he's being extra strict."
"I want to give it my all, which is why I keep pushing myself."
"But don't worry, I won't take unnecessary risks from now on. I promise!"
"Hmph, you better keep your promise. Next time, it won't just be a couple of punches to calm my anger."
Kate playfully tapped his waist, smiling faintly, "I'll break your back, right here. A complete fracture, and then I'll keep you at home. Let's see how you plan to push yourself then."
Luca felt a chill run down his spine. "Honey, I wouldn't lie to you. We have so many goals left to accomplish; I'm not about to wear myself out."
"Good! I'm glad you understand."
Kate smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder. To her, nothing mattered more than Luca's well-being. As long as he was okay, everything else could be ignored.
"Kate, I've been awarded the 2003 Most Valuable Model. Do I need to go to the U.S. to accept it?"
"No, there's no ceremony, just some photos to take."
The living room was brightly lit as the two cuddled on the sofa, discussing work matters.
The year 2003 had officially ended, and various industries were starting to announce awards.
Luca and Kate had become the most dazzling couple in the fashion world.
In 2003, Kate earned $35 million, securing the top spot on Forbes' list of highest-paid models. Luca earned $6.5 million, becoming the highest-paid male model.
The siblings both taking the top spot in the same year was unprecedented, causing quite a stir in both the fashion and entertainment worlds, with the media rushing to report on them.
"Darling, Forbes, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, and several other magazines want to interview us. When are you available?"
"Can we do them all on the weekend?"
"Of course, they're the ones chasing us. We hold all the cards."
Kate clenched her fist and smiled confidently.
"Exactly."
Besides her awards in fashion, Kate had also won numerous accolades in literature, including Publisher's Weekly "Best Book of the Year," Amazon's "Best Book of the Year," and Brazil's National Book Gold Award.
Her popularity was skyrocketing, making her a media darling.
People Magazine named her one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World," and Brazil's Time called her the "First Beauty of Brazil," praising her as a woman who combined both beauty and talent.
Luca had certainly benefited from all this attention as well.
As they continued talking, Luca's phone buzzed with a message.
The Oscar nominations for the year had just been released: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Lost in Translation, Master and Commander, Mystic River, and Seabiscuit were all up for Best Picture.
Among them, The Lord of the Rings had an unprecedented 11 nominations, dominating the list. Lost in Translation received four, and the others had their own nominations, but with The Lord of the Rings in the mix, it would be tough for anyone else to take home the awards.
One of the nominations caught Luca's eye—Monster, for which Charlize Theron had been nominated for Best Actress.
He thought for a moment and then found Charlize's number, sending a one-word message: "Congrats."
"Jealous?"
She replied quickly.
Luca raised an eyebrow, surprised. In the past, whenever he sent holiday greetings, Charlize had been distant, usually ending the conversation with a short response.
This time, she replied with a question.
Was it really her?
"What are you smiling at?"
Kate curiously leaned over.
Luca chuckled, replying to the message as he explained, "Charlize got an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, so I sent her a congratulatory message."
"Charlize?"
Kate raised her sharp brows, intrigued. "You two still keep in touch?"
"Yes, just through texts."
"You didn't hook up again?"
Kate sounded a bit disappointed.
Luca shook his head. "That one time was just an accident. We were emotionally drained after filming, had a bit too much to drink, and it just happened."
"Haha, I know. A one-night stand. But don't you want to sleep with her again? She's quite the South African diamond."
"No, I don't want her taking advantage of me again."
"She took advantage of you? Hahaha!"
"Didn't she? She's seven years older than me. I'm this handsome and cool. Of course, she took advantage of me!"
"Good point!"
Kate smiled, leaning on his shoulder while watching him text.
After a while, she scoffed, "You're terrible at texting girls. Saying you have no emotional intelligence isn't wrong."
"..."
Luca rolled his eyes. "I was asking Charlize for advice on acting. How is that lacking emotional intelligence?"
"It's nighttime. Who wants to talk about serious stuff now?"
"You want me to talk about something not serious? That would be inappropriate."
"You've already slept together, haven't you? Never mind, I'll handle it. I'll flirt with her for you."
Kate playfully smacked his head, grabbed his phone, and started typing quickly. Soon enough, she had crafted a teasing, flirty message and sent it off.
Luca watched nervously.
"Kate, isn't that a bit much?"
"It's fine. You don't understand women, but I do!"
Kate smiled confidently.
Ding!
Another message came in.
Kate opened it, laughed, and said, "Darling, how about that?"
Luca rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "Kate, I really don't want to get involved with other women anymore."
His back ached just thinking about it.
"Then just be friends. The kind that sleeps together."
Kate curled up on the couch, rapidly sending more messages, her face flushed with excitement, an almost devilish smile on her lips.
Luca shook his head, finally understanding.
Kate wasn't helping him flirt—she just enjoyed the process herself.
Oh well.
As long as Kate was happy.
(End of the Chapter)