9 Business Card

The applause of the audience continued unexpectedly, and just as everyone was preparing to approach the side tables of the room, they found themselves celebrating the fourth winner of the contest.

"The new perfume star, Kora Night, wins the fourth place thanks to her brand 'Animosity' and in particular thanks to 'Eucalypso', worn by the beautiful models of Versace and Valentino! Miss Night, join us on stage!" Lucy Donovan smiled, moving her hand toward Kora and urging her to climb the five steps a few feet from her position.

Naseefa spread her arms, letting go of her friend and joined in the applause, looking at her with eyes of admiration.

Kora moved her long loose hair backwards, knowing that all the cameras present would try to frame her face as she made her TV debut.

Her dazzling smile and elegant and refined bearing, adorned with the magnificent red dress of London cloth, continued to attract the eyes of those present, whose gazes were fixed on her.

Despite wearing shoes with heels, she was able to move nonchalantly, and, step by step, as if wearing comfortable sneakers, she took to the stage, grabbing Lucy Donovan's hand and positioning herself next to the three winners who congratulated her.

"Congratulations, Mrs Night! I'm glad a young talent like you gets the attention she deserves! Brava!" Giuseppe Cavanna exclaimed, the third-place finisher, ajar his eyes in a smile and gently grabbing her hand, like a gentleman of another time.

He was a man of a certain age, about 50 years old: hair and eyes as black as night, with a classic black suit and dark green shirt under the jacket. The light green tie emphasized the contrast with the traditional clothes, recalling the colour of his python loafers, of the same shade, as bright as two emeralds under artificial lights.

The other two runners, Houdin and Moitessier, turned their hands to her.

The Parisian woman shook her hand without adding anything, while Mr Moitessier dedicated himself to uttering kind words of encouragement, noticing from Kora's gaze the terror of those who are new in that sort of thing.

Kora had never had a real idol to follow, someone portrayed in a poster above the bed to admire day and night. But Antoine Moitessier was probably the person closest to that ideal, with his incredible career in fashion, one of the longest and most flourishing in the world.

When Kora Night shook the prestigious designer's hand, she realized how polite his manners were and how fascinating they made him, despite his very advanced age.

Grizzled, bushy white hair was tied by a small pigtail behind the nape of the neck and a perfectly drawn goatee around his mouth down to the chin enhanced the slightly age-scarred facial features, making him very attractive.

Moitessier's heavenly eyes intersected with those of Kora, who from an early child had the gift of being able to see and feel people's souls, their sincerity and their desire. Moitessier was a good man, and his success had not made him a different person from what he was before doing that job: humble.

From the hundreds of journalistic articles read on his account, she had learned that he was the son of a shoemaker from Grenoble, the French city who would later inspire his first clothing line, created when he was only 11 and launched when he was 21.

In the heavenly eyes of that man had been trapped his childhood, his joy of living despite the difficulties, his 'never giving up'.

"My sincerest compliments, Miss Kora Night. I venture to call you by name just because of my age, but I know you understand that. You look like a brilliant, smart girl," Antoine said, stroking Kora's hand and leaving her soon after as if he was a father greeting his little girl before going to bed.

"Thank you very much, Mr Moitessier. Your clothes and perfumes have always inspired me, and I do not hide from you that I have curious a lot about your life. I have never met in person anyone as honest and humble as you, despite your high position in society", she replied, making a kind of princely bow in his presence, softening the audience and the presenters, who interpreted that gesture as very respectful and did not immediately interrupt the conversation between the two.

"Well, you do what you can! Hurry up and create more perfumes, Kora! Even though I'm young inside, my body is getting older and older, and I don't know how long I'm going to be able to live at these rates! Hahaha! If you want to collaborate with me, you have to do it soon!" Moitessier replied, pulling out of his pocket a small business card of thin cardboard and handing it over to Kora, who looked at it stunned.

*Moitessier, Antoine, +33 06758487905*

"It's my private number. Only my closest managers and family members have it. When you are ready to introduce me to your best work, do not hesitate to contact me. You will join me, everywhere in the world and together, we will organize the greatest event of all time!" Antoine smiled again, as the applause of the audience gradually began to fade.

"Working together? Your personal number? But..." Kora stammered, clutching the business card in her hands. "I... I thank you very much, Mr Moitessier!" she exclaimed when a hand of Antoine grabbed her shoulder and made her turn towards the audience, putting an end to that conversation.

"One more round of applause to our four winners, ladies and gentlemen!" Lucy Donovan said aloud, handing over the envelope of the verdicts to a staff man and giving the floor to the main presenter, while Kora looked excitedly at the entire audience in front of her, still incredulous that Antoine Moitessier himself had offered her a future collaboration.

Although the spotlight turned on the stage, making the audience little visible, the attentive eyes of the young Kora sum up all the faces of the people who were looking at her: some admired her smiling, and others peered at her from head to toe, feeling a sincere contempt mixed with envy.

That's what becoming famous meant: earning supporters and haters, as every celebrity in the world and Kora Night was slowly realizing it.