"Ed, I'm heading back to Brazil. I'll leave things here in your hands," Luca said, sitting on the couch in the Fifth Avenue shopping plaza's lounge area. There were a few shopping bags next to him, and Ed, sitting beside him, had some bags of his own. Clearly, they had spent the day carrying bags for others.
"How long are you staying in Brazil?" Kate asked, massaging her legs.
"It could be as short as a month, or as long as six months."
"Six months?!" Ed grimaced. "Why so long? Are you planning to move back to Brazil?"
Luca smiled softly. "Maybe. A few Brazilian movie companies sent me some scripts recently, inviting me back to act. I want to go and see what's up. I can make money shooting films in Brazil, and I won't get as much criticism."
Ed nodded. Brazilian films were pretty good, after all. Like *Central Station* in '98 and last year's *City of God*. Both were high-quality and even took home the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
But Brazil's film industry wasn't that developed, with little box-office potential, and it didn't really produce big stars. Staying in Brazil to shoot films seemed like a bit of a waste for Luca.
"What about those scripts I sent you last week? What did you think?"
Ed asked. Although rumors were circulating about blacklisting Luca, plenty of smaller productions still wanted to capitalize on his fame and actively invited him to play lead roles.
Luca shook his head. "Not great. Those scripts were completely slapdash, with no sincerity at all. They just want to use my fame to make money. But keep looking for scripts. If a decent project comes along, I'll still take it."
"Will do!" Ed replied, continuing to rub his legs.
"Dad, Luca, why are you still sitting there?" A little girl in a white knit hat came running over, looking at the two men with disdain.
"Ivy, your dad and I are tired from all the walking. Can't we take a break?" Luca asked.
"How can walking make you tired?" Ivy furrowed her thin brows, curious. "I don't feel tired at all, and I'm just a kid."
"That's because you're a girl. Girls, big or small, are naturally better at shopping than boys. It's a special skill," Luca teased.
"Really?" Ivy blinked. "Okay, fine. You can rest a little longer, but take care of these." She placed a few more shopping bags at their feet and happily ran back into the store.
Luca and Ed exchanged a helpless smile.
"Luca?" A voice called out suddenly.
Luca looked up curiously and saw a couple walking toward him with a few assistants and bodyguards in tow.
"Leon! Long time no see. Ms. Bündchen, you're looking more beautiful than ever," Luca greeted as he stood.
"Hmph!" Gisele Bündchen shot him a glance but didn't reply.
Last time, due to a scandal, she and Leon almost broke up. She later realized from the magazine photos that it was all part of Luca's scheme. She wasn't happy with him at all.
Leonardo DiCaprio laughed heartily. "Luca, long time no see! How's everything been?"
"Not bad," Luca replied.
"Really? I heard you had some beef with Pitt?"
"Just a misunderstanding," Luca said.
"Haha, Brad and I get along well. If you ever need help, feel free to ask."
"Oh? Thanks!"
"No problem. We're friends, aren't we?"
"..."
That was debatable.
"Leon!" Bündchen urged.
"Luca, say hi to Kate for me!" Leonardo patted him on the shoulder, laughed again, and walked away.
"Bündchen, we're thinking of going back to Rio for Christmas this year. Are you heading back too?"
"What's that got to do with you?" Bündchen huffed and walked off without looking back.
Luca shook his head. Family turning against each other—how unfortunate.
"Ed, do you think I'll ever surpass Leon?" Luca asked suddenly.
"Do you think Brazil will ever surpass the U.S.?" Ed shot back.
"..."
"Stop dreaming, man. Let's go, or we'll get scolded."
"Alright!"
---
The next afternoon, Luca and Kate boarded a plane back to Brazil. Joining them were Gina and two work assistants.
Kate wasn't just going back for a holiday and to spend Christmas, but also for a series of business activities.
On December 1st, *New Moon*, the second installment of *Twilight*, was released on Amazon's online bookstore and soon hit physical stores. After six months of promotional buildup, it debuted at number seven on the *New York Times* bestseller list, doing even better than the first book.
In Brazil, *New Moon* became the top novel on the charts in its first week, showing impressive sales.
At the request of Brazilian booksellers, Kate planned to hold several book signings in major cities.
Besides promoting her book, Kate also had to push the Sun fashion line. After fashion week, the Sun-Gucci line had hit Gucci's flagship stores, and sales were solid. Among Gucci's dozen or so new products, their line ranked in the top five in terms of sales.
With the income from royalties and fashion sales, Kate and Lima would take home 35% of the profits.
Between book royalties and fashion earnings, Kate could easily pull in thousands of dollars daily without doing a thing—a certified rich woman.
"..."
Luca thought about his own financial situation.
His house was mortgaged.
He had several million in loans to pay off.
The film director, Billy, was constantly demanding a bigger budget.
And that tiny startup he'd invested in in San Francisco? Barely three months old, and he'd already poured nearly a million dollars into it. More would be needed soon.
Thinking of all this made his head hurt.
"What's with the long face? We're almost home," Kate asked from the business class seat beside him, setting down her magazine. "Missing Britney?"
"No," Luca replied, stroking his chin. "I'm just reflecting on this past year, and it feels like I didn't achieve anything. A whole year of doing nothing."
"How could you say that?"
Kate chuckled. "This year, you walked the runway and became a supermodel. You starred in three movies and became a B-list celebrity. You started a film company and began working on a major motion picture.
You also wrote several books and made good money. You've done all that, and you're still not satisfied?"
Luca shook his head. "Let's not even talk about the books. As for earnings, I blew through all the money I made this year. I still owe the bank millions. And B-list celebrity? That's just for show. No film company is asking me to work right now. So, when you add it all up, what did I really do this year?"
Kate smiled softly. "You forgot one important thing."
"What?"
"Me!" Kate said seriously. "Without you, I wouldn't be a bestselling author. Without you, the Sun fashion line wouldn't have taken off, and I wouldn't be a designer, let alone the top earner on MDC's model income list this year.
Honey, thank you!" Kate said playfully, holding his hand.
Luca raised an eyebrow and smiled. "It's what I'm here for."
After hearing Kate's words, his mood suddenly improved. "Kate, we haven't been home in a while. Is our place still standing?"
Their family home was in Santa Maria, near Brazil's capital, Brasília. But after some family troubles, they had moved to Rio, where they had a small apartment for when Luca was recovering from illness.
The apartment was near a favela, and after two years of no one living there, it had likely been taken over by criminals.
"Don't worry. I've already taken care of everything. Don't forget, we're rich now. In Rio, being rich makes you a god. All you have to do is follow me and enjoy your vacation."
"That sounds good!" Luca said, feeling a sudden surge of excitement.
In Brazil, 53.74% of the population is white, 38.45% is of mixed race, and 6.21% is Black.
Brazilian mixed-race women are famous worldwide.
With the genes of Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans, they possess all the essential elements of beauty: curvy figures, healthy skin tones, thick flowing hair, and stunning faces.
Even more importantly, they radiate the unique passion and liveliness of Brazil.
Rio de Janeiro is a paradise for beautiful women. Walk down any street, beach, or nightclub, and you'll find women whose figures rival those of top models.
It's a paradise for men, and a hunting ground for wealthy men.
"Am I considered wealthy?" Luca smirked. With over 200 million people in Brazil, fewer than 130,000 had a net worth of over a million dollars, and only around 10,000 had a fortune in the tens of millions.
He was definitely a wealthy man.
Maybe this would turn out to be a fantastic holiday.
(End of Chapter)