"Luca, why are you sweating again?" Kate teased, blinking at him.
"It's nothing!" Luca forced a smile, hugged both of them, and asked, "Dear, what are you holding?"
"You mean this?" Lima held up the "weapon" in her hand. "This is the trophy awarded to Kate and me by the Designers' Association. We won Best New Designers of 2003."
"Best New Designers? Wow, that's amazing!"
Luca let out a sigh of relief as he took the trophy and examined it. It was a more than one-foot-tall quadrangular pillar, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, with a sparkling and finely crafted design.
There were a few lines of gold text engraved on the trophy: "The 2003 Best New Designers Award presented to Ms. Kate Kelly & Ms. Adriana Lima by the New York Fashion Designers Association."
The New York Fashion Designers Association, much like the Screen Actors Guild in America, annually recognizes the most creative designers, best works, best newcomers, and more from the previous year.
The standards for selection were extremely high and very strict. For Kate and Lima to win this award was no small feat, on par with winning Best Actor at the Berlin Film Festival.
"Well, are we impressive or what?" Kate raised her chin and smiled smugly.
"Yes, you're both absolutely amazing!" Luca couldn't help but hug them again. "As your family, I feel honored and proud!"
"Haha, you played a part in this, and so did Britney. Where is Britney, by the way?" Kate glanced around and asked.
"Britney had to leave early for something," Luca cautiously glanced at Lima. "She also asked me to congratulate you both on her behalf!"
Lima snorted softly and turned her head to the side.
Kate laughed and put an arm around Luca's shoulder. "Dear, did you intentionally send Britney away?"
"Me? How could I?"
"Why not? Aren't you worried that Britney and Lima might fight?"
Kate teased.
"I heard you two get along just fine!"
"Heh, it's different when you're around."
Kate curled her lips and suddenly leaned in to whisper, "Find some time to reward Britney. She's been a great help to us."
"A great help?"
Luca raised an eyebrow. It was true.
Without Britney, Twilight wouldn't have become a bestseller so quickly, the Sun series wouldn't be as famous, and Kate and Lima wouldn't have risen to fame as designers so fast. Today's fashion show wouldn't have been so high-end either. Plus, someone got pretty close to Britney in the process.
But why use the word "reward"?
Was she treating her brother like some kind of servant? Luca gave her a resentful look.
Kate laughed, ruffled his hair, and disappeared into the crowd.
The fashion show was over, but the party continued.
The socialites kept mingling, enjoying wine, gourmet food, and the models walking around. The fashion show was just a beautiful interlude in the middle of the party.
Luca accompanied Kate and Lima as they navigated through the event, meeting many elites in the fashion industry.
There were esteemed guests invited by Gucci, powerful women from Kate's book club, and top designers, high-end media figures, and financiers.
After a few rounds, Luca felt like he had learned a lot.
But being beside a famous author like Kate and a renowned designer like Lima, he felt like a trophy husband.
Sometimes he wanted to remind everyone that the person standing before them was the most handsome man in Brazil and the youngest Best Actor in Berlin.
But then he noticed people like Julia Roberts, Al Pacino, and Sandra Bullock nearby and decided to keep his mouth shut.
"Sigh, I need to work harder!"
By 7 PM, the party had ended.
Kate left gracefully with Miranda on her arm.
Luca let out a sigh and got into Lima's car, feeling like a kept man.
"Dear, why do you look so troubled?" Lima asked as she started the car.
"I've realized you're too incredible. I'm lucky to have you."
"Pfft~" Lima burst out laughing. "You've come to that realization? I heard the media back home have been praising you non-stop lately, calling you Brazil's most handsome man, top model, sexiest man alive, and Berlin's Best Actor. I thought you'd be full of yourself by now."
Luca shrugged. "I was getting cocky, but in the U.S., I don't have much reason to be. Especially around you, I wouldn't dare."
"Why?"
"Because I'm afraid you'll kick me!"
"Hehe, are you feeling guilty?" Lima asked with a mischievous smile.
"Guilty? Haha, what would I be guilty of?"
"You tell me!" Lima suddenly stopped the car, grabbed the trophy, and lunged at him.
"Dear Lima, what are you doing?" Luca asked, alarmed.
"Beating you up!" Lima pinned him down, fuming. "You jerk! Who told you to cozy up to Britney, write songs for her, especially that kind of song? Do you know how I felt during rehearsals these past few days?
I was planning to wait until we got home to beat you, but I can't hold back anymore. I'm going to kill you right here, right now!"
Lima shouted as she hit him.
"Dear, didn't you agree to invite Britney? Aren't you two friends?"
"Yes, we're friends, but I'm still mad. I have to beat you. If it weren't for you, I'd still idolize Britney as my role model. But now, I just can't!"
"Ow! Stop hitting me, or I'll fight back. I'm a Brazilian man, and when I get mad, it's serious!"
"Hmph, go ahead! You think I'm scared?"
The fight escalated inside the car, which rocked wildly in the dark corner of the street.
Squeak, squeak~
What started as chaotic gradually fell into a steady rhythm, full of intensity.
Night had fallen. The neon lights along the street reflected on the car windows, casting a mesmerizing glow that added a sultry tone and rhythm to this district of desire.
It wasn't until the moon was high in the sky that the car restarted, slowly pulling away from the dark corner and merging like a streak of radiant light into the bustling main street.
"Darling, why are you dressed in formal attire today?"
At a small café that morning, Lima walked over carrying two cups of hot milk.
The comforting scent of warm milk mixed with her own fragrance. Another beautiful day had begun.
"I need to drop by the office later. I haven't been there in months, and there's a lot of work waiting for me."
Luca, now in his shirt, walked over and kissed her before starting breakfast.
Lima had insisted on making breakfast: toast, hot milk, a few slices of ham, and some fruit—a simple meal prepared by a beginner, but edible nonetheless.
"Do you want to read the newspaper today?"
Lima picked up a few newspapers, waving them with a pleased smile.
"Anything good?"
"Take a look!"
Luca took the papers and glanced through them. There were four in total, with The New York Times on top, followed by the New York Post, Tribune, and others.
He started with The New York Times, flipping through the pages until he found a small article in the society section.
The article was about the Sun-Gucci fashion show held yesterday at the Gucci Exhibition Center.
The writer objectively described the event, highlighting four different fashion collections and quoting comments from notable figures like Gucci's regional president, Wendi Deng Murdoch, and i-D magazine's editor-in-chief Hadis.
The feedback from these prominent figures was overwhelmingly positive—stunning, memorable, and outstanding.
At the end, the article mentioned two designers, Kate and Lima, providing a brief introduction to their careers.
Kate transitioned from model to writer and then designer, excelling in all roles.
Lima also made a successful leap from modeling to design.
The writer concluded with a quote from Claude Monet, president of the New York Design Association, describing them as "two promising up-and-coming designers."
Luca skimmed through the other news articles. The larger newspapers offered balanced coverage, some praise mixed with criticism.
"Darling, these are just objective reports; they didn't exactly shower you with praise. So why do you look so incredibly happy?"
Luca put down the paper, puzzled.
"Hah~ What do you know?"
Lima leaned over, tapping the paper. "Look closely. How does The Times refer to me?"
"Designer Lima!"
"Exactly!"
Lima snapped her fingers, smiling. "Before, I only made it into smaller papers with gossip about runway shows or endorsements. But now, I'm in The New York Times—and in the society section, no less.
"Before, they just called me Lima. But now? Ha! 'Designer Lima.' Do you see the difference? Oh, you definitely wouldn't get it. In the news, you're still just 'Luca,' not 'Mr. Kelly.' How could someone like you understand the joy we feel?"
Luca looked at her smug smile and slowly understood.
"You're bragging to me, aren't you, chubby?"
"Yes, I am! Is that a problem?"
Lima lifted her chin with a triumphant grin.
"No, of course not!"
Luca reached over and wrapped his arms around her waist, tickling her.
"Hahaha, stop it, let go! Don't—hahaha~"
Lima was extremely ticklish, and as soon as he started, she went limp, collapsing on the sofa like a soft, sweet marshmallow.
"Still want to brag, chubby?"
"Haha, yes! I declare that from now on, you will be a nameless person! Whenever the papers mention you, they'll just say you're the boyfriend of Ms. Designer Lima, Kate's brother, and Britney's rumored fling.
Ah, stop, I'm sorry! Hahaha, I won't say it anymore, okay?"
"Hmph, too late!"
"Mmph, you're bullying me again! I'm going to fight you!"
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