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[mcktub]

   ― “ and i'm the person you think could help you overcome this crisis ? me ? ” vienna shook her head, a laugh of disbelief coming out as she laid back against the sofa, leaving the ice cream as an afterthought as she was certain the subject would not be ending there. “ julia roberts. ” she was in the mood for that kind of romance that particular night. the kind that matched the sweetness of everything they'd been eating since she'd arrived at her cousin's home. “ nothing you make ever is, that's why it worries me you want to give me that responsibility. ” because cinema was an area that, despite vienna having been a part of for a bit ( through nepotism, be it her uncle's influence or sabine's ), she didn't feel as comfortable being a part of like music. “ humour me: who are the options ? ”

            “ i told you, i need your expertise. ” a tub of ben & jerry's phish food remained on the coffee table, two spoons left that had dug a hole like sand at the beach, the center nearly hitting bottom. “ there is a casting crisis and i don't trust just anyone. ” neither did her father, vienna's uncle, the man producing the film, pouring money into this love child project sabine had claimed to be her pride and joy ... the deciding factor on the future of her directorial talents. “ so, whose films are we starting with? name the actress. ” sabine pulled at the fridge door, dark brown eyes scanned the shelves for something particularly sweet. “ the virgin suicides isn't going to be just another film. ” 

int. late evening, friday night's are for staying in not going out apparently. sabine's home in los angeles.　　featuring　vienna de vere　　( @mcktub )　　

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   ― had she been a less anxious person, this conversation would've been had the next day. but, then again, had she been a less anxious person, she would not have spent the night before awake trying to think of every possible and urgent reason he could have to speak to her about; she wouldn't have spent the entire fifteen hours long flight counting the minutes until landing so she'd finally find out or reliving every last interaction they'd had looking for the smallest clue. was this related to the divorce ? it should be. she was in brazil, she could've put some effort into finding out where they stood legally.

  she sat down as comfortably as nerves allowed her to be, which wasn't very, and looked up at him. “ i've freed up my entire weekend, i'll rest then. ” because there wasn't a single cell in her body that would be able to shut off until whatever this was got solved. it wasn't that dimitri had never been angry with her before, that would've been impossible, but her not knowing where it came from and his demeanour even through texts made her worried about the severity of the situation.

  “ i'm all good, thank y- ” her sentence was cut off by the random addition to his offerings. vitamins ? he continued to make no sense and she had to take another deep breath ― which she'd lost count of how many they had been since the ‘we need to talk’ text ― to ensure no cuss words would be leaving her lips so soon after her arrival. her looking at his facial expressions helped with nothing, she couldn't figure out what was going through his head this time. “ what am i doing here, dimitri ? ”

            her presence, though expected, was unsettling. he hadn't known what rendition of this conversation would play out just then, but as he looked at her, no, as he studied her, it was likened to truly seeing perola for the first time. uncertainty remained the underbelly of this exchange. even more apparent by the desire to fluff the pillow she was to perch herself upon at the request, though that had been a kept thought translated into a curt nod. she was ' tired ' there, of course, she was, just another silent confirmation he'd check off to support the mistaken text received. the very one that burned a hole into his pocket the device remained tucked away in.  “ you should rest, ” dimitri reminded, taking a seat on the plush chair directly across from the newly upholstered sofa. he sat on the edge, the entire weight of his body leaning forward in a position that read anything but at ease in his own home. and what was he to do? the grandfather clock, hand carved with a fine grain wood on the endangered list struck to the tune of a new hour. one that felt challenging to the man waiting for her to admit what neither seemed to want to start, the beginning of the end of division. maybe her more so than him.  “ can i get you anything? water? food? ice cream? ” the latter alluding to the very text that settled on the tip of his tongue, yet to fully be divulged as sweat-laden open palms came to rest on the tailored navy trousers covering his thighs as if he hadn't a clue what to do with himself. “ vitamins? ” 

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    los angeles, the sixth day of september in two-thousand and twenty-four at his home with dimitri vetrov … @scandcls

   ― countless restless hours had passed before the driver dropped pérola off at the house owned by the cause of every single migraine she'd had in the last decade. it was on that long flight back that she realised that the tendency to bend over backwards to accommodate his wishes had not been lost in the ten months since their separation and it only worked to make her angrier. though, this time, at herself. there should be at least one part of her that held some restraint when it came to the man but alas, there she was, after cancelling a party she'd planned days before and ending her trip four days sooner because he'd wanted to talk in person. if she knew a word stronger than pathetic, pérola would tattoo it somewhere on her body. it felt fitting.

  she'd landed an hour prior and didn't want to wait a second longer than necessary; a quick stop home to drop her bags and shower off the aeroplane smell was more than enough. it had been about fifteen minutes since a dry text was sent to let him know she was on her way. now there she was, walking into the home that was entirely too foreign to her and resembled nothing to the one she once shared with him. “ well... hi. ” she said once finally making it to the living room where dimitri stood, the greeting not exactly the warmest one she'd ever offered him. or anyone. almost hoping that would help her look less ridiculous for dropping everything and running back to him after he applied the smallest bit of pressure. “ mind if i sit ? i'm a little tired. ” she pointed to the sofa a little to her left.

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Manu Ríos as Biel de Felipe | Respira | S1.E8: Gota fría | August 30, 2024

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JASMINE TOOKES 📹 Bvlgari Allegra 2024

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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑

𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 : gustavo de castro furtado . 𝐚𝐠𝐞 : 58 . 𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 : retired marine biologist .

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑

𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 : madalena silveira belmonte furtado . 𝐚𝐠𝐞 : 57 . 𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 : retired maths teacher .

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐃𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐑

𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 : pérola belmonte furtado . 𝐚𝐠𝐞 : 30 . 𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 : founding ceo of fashion brand .

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃 𝐃𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐑

𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 : jade belmonte furtado . 𝐚𝐠𝐞 : 26 . 𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 : interviewer / internet persona .

gustavo had always been a very simple man. his own father was a fisherman, he grew up accustomed to being near water and the sea. and his mother, bless the woman, loved by everyone she'd ever encountered which included her bosses, the city's mayor and his family, for whom she cooked. it was for their love of the woman that they'd later on decided to pay for the man's education so he could do what he loved most and got from his own father: study ocean life. it was how he met his future wife too. madalena lived in one of the richest neighborhoods in the city, inside of an oceanfront house and sported a well known and respected surname. he only ever went to that side of town to surf and swim. and then he noticed her being present there almost every day and started showing up more often than ever before.

for gustavo it would always be a case of admiring from afar, he'd never really seen himself as someone madalena belmonte would date. of course he had no idea every money her family once had was lost by her father due to his gambling addiction and that house was the only thing they managed to keep. he also didn't know him visiting that beach she lived right in front of was the main reason she'd no longer spend her afternoons inside said house but now she took her towel with her to sit on the sand and watch him surf under the pretense of studying under the sunlight. two months was how long it took for the two to actually speak, and a couple more weeks until their first kiss. and then they knew that would be the person they'd be starting a family with.

they married and ended up living in that same house, both of their fathers dead by now and their mothers, craving company, moved in with them. the house certainly had enough space for all four and even more, the mothers-in-law helped a lot around the house, especially after the birth of their first daughter. pérola wasn't a handful, she wasn't a hard to deal with child but they did not have enough money to have either of them be a stay at home parent so the grandmothers took it upon themselves. madalena would be off to do her teaching and gustavo his researches while pérola spent a lot of her time learning to cook and sewing from her nanas.

jade was a nice little surprise for all of them: she wasn't planned but celebrated like nothing else. pérola kept asking for a sister ever since she learned to speak, the nanas now had another baby to spoil, madalena had always had enough love and affection to show and teach so now there was someone else to pass that to, and gustavo could finally give the first born a break from listening to his jokes and puns. the little girl grew up to be very different from her sister: while pérola is the overachieving people pleaser who could never hurt a fly, jade came with a backbone even if her demeanour is caring. when pérola would rather hurt in silence, the youngest has no issues putting people in their places.

they have the same sense of humour (that comes from gustavo) and the same warm nature (that comes from madalena). both girls will hug and kiss people with no forewarning, befriend just about anyone that speaks to them for longer than ten seconds, exude charisma in the most natural way. but while pérola channeled all of that into a creative setting, jade had always been better with people. so it surprised nobody when she (sponsored by the big sister, of course) started working as an interviewer. in her own little youtube channel at first, interviewing less important people until she got more recognition. she is now the person most artists expect to see holding a mic at every red carpet and wait for a call from when they have new projects to promote and her big sis couldn't be happier.

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JASMINE TOOKES 📷 Instagram

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I'm in love

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Click here to watch the entire show that happened during Paris Fashion Week on June 24th.

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Bruna Marquezine at a halloween party (October 25, 2023)

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𝐍𝐎𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐄 𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐀 𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐃𝐘

“it is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well.” ― René Descartes

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐒

𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 : noelle amelia kennedy . 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 : december 22 , 1987 . 𝐚𝐠𝐞 : 36 . 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 / 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧 : los angeles, california . 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 : jonathan & kathy kennedy . 𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 : jordana, mackenzie, jonathan, finley & eloise . 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 : cis woman . 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐬 : she + her . 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 : blue . 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 : dark brown . 𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 : 178cm / 5'9" ft . 𝐦𝐛𝐭𝐢 : entj ( the commander ) . 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 : bisexual + biromantic . 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 : married . 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 : noemi kartal ( 6 ). 𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 : retired equestrian / reality tv star .

𝐁𝐈𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐘

there's little to be said about her childhood other than she had one. the regular one most rich kids have: between mansions and servants, nannies and tutors, private everything and rarely ever hearing no. she was well aware of her family's power from day one and learned to use it to her advantage so early it is no wonder she's almost a master of the craft at this point. since, unlike masters, she isn't one to share her wisdom to those with less and in need ( which noelle considers to be everyone ). the level of pressure applied on a kennedy by other kennedy's toughened her faster than she learned to speak cohesively. but the counterpart was that she grew up with so many siblings it stole attention from her; she didn't have her parents' eyes on her all the time, they didn't have all their faith in her, she very quickly realised that if she'd done enough to keep them happy, noe could get away with just about anything. and that she did. contrary to what it may sound, though, she wasn't an evil child. just one not to be messed with. she wasn't one of the school bullies, but they would think thrice before attempting to bully her. if not for knowing the weight of her surname, for knowing the sharpness of her tongue and just how rarely she held back from slicing one up with it.

“except our own thoughts, there is nothing absolutely in our power.” ― René Descartes

her love for horses and riding them started so early noelle herself wouldn't be able to tell you how old she was when it was awakened. she simply knows once she sat on the poor pony's back, she realised that was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. thank god she was already manipulative enough back then that her actions kept her on her parents' good graces and they still didn't say no to her requests yet. soon enough she was practising every other day, and then every day, and then twice a day until she started competing. locally, unpretentiously, with no real motive other than enjoying it. that was her thought at least, her family had other plans which she knew nothing about. still, she made it far by just having fun. at mere sixteen she got the opportunity to qualify for national dressage, a huge deal. but then she didn't. she was just out, first on the list of people who almost made it but didn't. that was noelle's first ever real disappointment in life, the first time she felt helpless. being father's favourite comes with perks though: he didn't enjoy seeing her so desolated. not too much later the one who did make it one spot above her got investigated on doping because of an anonymous tip and wouldn't you know the tests not only came positive, but substances were also found in the locker room of her training center. noelle knew right and well how that had happened and why but she couldn't bring herself to care. she was in the nationals. she won. she made a name for herself and her career was consolidated. why worry about someone else ? her trophy room would end up being large and filled with shiny medals because of it. the ends justify the means.

“i desire to live in peace and to continue the life i have begun under the motto 'to live well you must live unseen” ― René Descartes, The Principles Of Philosophy

the reality show was never really her favourite thing but it was the family business and she understood why it exists. didn't change the fact that she'd rather be anywhere other than where filming took place that day. still, she'd put on a nice little face and play the part. unless she had valid excuses not to show herself; preparing for a tournament and had to practice long hours, couldn't film practices to not give opponents a look into her tactics. it was all well thought out, from how much time she spent on it to how she'd justify not appearing in every episode. the truth was that noelle was much more private than most assumed her to be. the one they'd see on tv a persona to make showrunners and her mother happy, nothing less. a fraction of her true self she was comfortable showing. she met soyer in 2013, when accompanying a friend to a football match she did not much care for. her friend had backstage passes and she went along. they met, flirted, exchanged numbers and he was on her hotel bed the next day. it was a fairly simple thing, not meant to last longer than the one week she'd be staying in madrid. and it didn't at first, but a couple months later she was just in italy and thought it wouldn't hurt to visit spain once more for a little fun. before they knew it they had come to an agreement. they were together as long as they were in the same city. anything that happened outside of that didn't matter. it just so happened that they found themselves in the same cities a lot after that. and it wasn't unintentional. that became clear once they started planning trips to see one another. it took the public a few months to catch on to it but, once they did, they were forced to put a label on it. being a couple felt like too much at the time, they barely spent any real time together and weren't even exclusive. but those were things they couldn't let the world know about so the title they claimed had to be the one they didn't see fit their relationship.

“divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it.” ― René Descartes, Discourse on Method

the first three years of their relationship, whatever that was, were turbulent. no one really knew when they were together and when they weren't. even they didn't. a classic on-again, off-again that lasted far too long to be taken seriously in any way. but she enjoyed two things it had to offer: time away from family and sex. enough to keep it going. but the public for some reason loved it, loved seeing them together and adored them as a unit. the reason why was beyond her. it was in 2016 that they decided to welcome the adoration with open arms. she came back home after the olympics announcing her engagement and that she would permanently be moving to italy. it was a way to escape everything she did not enjoy about her life, which all resided in california, and add new figurative medals to her collection by doing what would make her even more loved in the public eye. it wouldn't change much for her career; she already travelled too often for it, she could just go back for any national competitions, it was doable. and she did it. if you think the dynamics in their relationship changed after marriage, though, you are oh so wrong. it continued exactly the same way yet now with a more appropriate term: open marriage. and it wasn't an issue for either of them at all. the issue was that soyer had had a girlfriend before noelle. in fact, he had said girlfriend when they had met the first, second and third times. and noelle isn't a jealous person, she couldn't be with her track record and the way they conducted their marriage, but she did not enjoy having to deal with the bad press of his ex being at his games just a few chairs from her. or knowing they had gotten back in touch. the issue was there had been feelings there. for her, she knew her own affairs wouldn't ever hurt their marriage because she grew no attachment to any of them. and she was fine with him having his own affairs if they were on the same pretences. but alas he had added to his list a name he'd once seen as a potential wife. someone who'd be in her place. and noelle kennedy is nothing if not petty and vindictive. so she added to her list the name of one of his teammates and friends. they break up once more but it lasts all of two days, in their true fashion. this time, though, an entire discussion ensues and ends with the decision to close their marriage.

“each problem that i solved became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems” ― René Descartes

no more than two months later noelle got pregnant. noemi was born in 2019, in germany of all fucking places. noelle is now thirty-two and comes to the conclusion that she's had a good run, her career was beyond excellent and she could put an end to it now. so she announced she'd be retiring after the tokyo olympics the next year. stay-at-home mother wasn't a title she ever thought to attribute herself to but it somehow worked well in practice. the following year from her retirement though her husband decided to do the same and they had a long conversation that led to the decision to leave Europe and go back to the states in 2021. she knew it meant having to go back to the life noelle did not find the best one for herself but she now had no more excuses to give. no more career, no more husband with a job overseas she wanted to support. and so they moved back to los angeles to restart their life there.

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

"a raging fucking bitch." ― johnny kennedy.

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

unlikely friends : tbf it is unlikely that she has any friends so most people can fit this .

exes : anybody she could've been with before or during the thousands of break-ups with soyer / their open marriage. one night stands or short-lived flings, doesn't matter. definitely zero attachment on her end .

hateship : could be anybody from your mother to your dog, your hate for her is probably justified .

family friends : their relationship is tbc bc she does not care for her family's general consensus but i'm doing this bc i'm lost and don't know who the kennedy's are connected to so pls help <3 .

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𝐌𝐂𝐊𝐓𝐔𝐁 is a multi-muse roleplay blog associated to hillzhqs.

𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐨 𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐜 : biography | pinterest

𝐧𝐨𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝𝐲 : biography | pinterest

𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞 : biography | pinterest

𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐝𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞 : biography | pinterest

“if you accept such love with purity and humility, you will understand that love is neither giving nor receiving -it is participating.” ― Paulo Coelho, Maktub

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𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐀 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄 𝐅𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐃𝐎

“the secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.” ― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐒

𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 : pérola belmonte furtado . 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 : august 6 , 1994 . 𝐚𝐠𝐞 : 29 . 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 / 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧 : rio de janeiro, brazil . 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 : gustavo furtado & madalena belmonte . 𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 : none . 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 : cis woman . 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐬 : she + her . 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 : dark brown . 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 : dark brown . 𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 : 170cm / 5'7" ft . 𝐦𝐛𝐭𝐢 : infp ( the healer ) . 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 : heterosexual + heteromantic . 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 : divorced . 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 : none . 𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 : fashion designer / brand owner .

𝐁𝐈𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐘

it was the sixth day of august in the west side of the city of rio de janeiro, brazil, when pérola came into this world. her name almost a prophecy for what she'd become: a gem inside a hard and pretty shell. a pearl. she learned what challenges were from childhood. yes, she had a well-known and respected surname and lived in a big house with her loving family, but the surname lost its power and value a century back when a greedy ancestor managed to lose all their money gambling; the house only hadn't been sold for it had too much sentimental value to her mother and family history to throw away ( nothing that pérola really cared for ). all that was left was the love of her family and that she had much of. still, it didn't change the fact that she grew up in a neighbourhood her family would have never been able to afford had the estate not been passed down for generations, surrounded by people she had nothing in common with, feeling like she belonged anywhere but there. which only got worse as she entered adolescence. her friends spoke of and wore brands pérola had to pretend to hate. she was a belmonte after all, there's no way she wouldn't be able to afford them. except she couldn't.

“remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.” ― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

that's how the idea of starting to make her own clothes came to her: she already pretended to hate any and everything others made, at least she could afford to make her own and it would allow her to keep up appearances. she was a teenager after all, all she wanted was to fit in. so at thirteen pérola started learning to sew and design. she was terrible at first, it wasn't something one can excel at on the first try, but pérola was never the giving up type. by high school all her friends had requested their own pérola furtado original ( she used her father's surname exclusively back then, her mother's felt like a burden ). her passion paid off: she applied and got a full scholarship to the fashion institute of technology in new york after finishing high school. even though she did apply, pérola had already convinced herself that getting it was utopic and damn near impossible. yet there she was, moving to new york at eighteen to pursue her dream career. another massive opportunity for her to feel like she didn't belong, but, this time, she felt everything but. things were falling into place easily. she wasn't living in luxury — far from it. her apartment was so small she could barely take one step inside without hitting something, she had to get a job in the city immediately to afford to stay there and conciliating that with the studying and trying to define her own fashion style so she could start her brand was draining every drop of energy out of her. but she felt like she was on the right path. and maybe she was. it couldn't have been a coincidence that she got a paid internship in vogue of all places in her second year in the city. it meant something. the pay was far better than the barista job she'd done the year prior but still not enough to allow her to afford luxuries. yet, this time, she was doing something in her own field, something that helped with her purpose, something that could make a difference for her brand and her career. she managed to finally start it too, creating an online store for her designs. belmonte. ironically, after a long night failing to come up with a better one, she decided her brand would carry the name she'd rejected most of her life. pérola barely sold anything then though, not having enough influence anywhere in this country that people would seek her brand out. but she was happy nonetheless. rome wasn't built in a day, she was simply laying the foundation down.

“so, i loved you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you.” ― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

it was a random visit to the met that changed the course of her life. she was only appreciating the art on display when a man standing right next to her started voicing, not too loudly yet audibly enough, all of his opinions on the paintings and, for whatever reason, she chose to listen. and then ask questions. little did she know that hearing his critiques for art would become part of her everyday routine but, for that day, it was a new experience, and one she quite enjoyed. she had no idea who he was and what he represented in society, he was simply a stranger with lots of opinions who chose to voice them in a judgy manner that pérola found somewhat endearing. dimitri fell into her life like thunder: strong, loud, impactful, leaving a mark on everything it touched. by the time she figured out just how powerful he was, the power her love for him held over her was already too grand to ignore. it wouldn't really change anything, she thought. but it did. as soon as they became serious, she was no longer just a nobody with a nice job at a fashion magazine. her face appearing in one tabloid next to a billionaire made her name known overnight. suddenly her little online store was selling more and more, so much so that she had to start employing people for she couldn't handle it all on her own. soon enough she had to quit her job at vogue because it was all too much and she was overwhelmed. but she had dimitri to help her navigate through this new stage of her life. they got married after two years. she'd finished school, her brand was slowly becoming a fashion powerhouse, pérola was beginning to understand and feel comfortable in dimitri's world now, they were in love. it just made sense. and there were two groups of people in their social circle: the ones who loved and supported them and the ones who believed it all looked too suspicious. and could she blame them? a random girl with nothing to her name meets a billionaire and marries quickly leaves little to the imagination. and sadly his family fell into the latter category. there simply wasn't a world in which they'd approve of her and not think their relationship wasn't a ploy for pérola to jump-start her career and take advantage of their money and power through marriage. and she understood them to some degree, ignored their many remarks and jabs at her for her own peace of mind, none of it truly mattered while she had her husband by her side, to confide in and be defended by. until she didn't anymore.

“waiting is painful. forgetting is painful. but not knowing which to do is the worst kind of suffering.” ― Paulo Coelho, By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept

unlike his first coming to her life, the process of him leaving it wasn't swift. it was dragged out and painful. they were speaking less and less, spending fewer amounts of time together each day, he'd be focusing on everything but her when they weren't under the eyes of flashing cameras and known faces. she was able to handle all of the judgement and accusations when they were a unit but now she felt alone fighting a battle meant for two people. it was unbearing. his focus was on his art and she had no energy to try and save everything on her own. so, as much as she'd want to do anything else, the decision to file for divorce came from pérola. because she loved him, she didn't think she'd ever be able to stop, and trying to salvage it or stay in a relationship that seemed doomed had the power to ruin and taint all the amazing memories they'd made together. to sour out all the sweet feelings she had for him. she couldn't let that happen. the break was clean, they had nothing to fight over. even the lack of a prenup didn't turn into turmoil: she rejected any offers in the divorce settlement. pérola took nothing. she wanted nothing. not that it would change people's opinions about her, the only reason her brand was among the names people mention when speaking of high fashion was her association with her now ex-husband. it was for her own peace of mind. she left new york too, dimitri was the one who made it a home for her, pérola had no reason to stay put there now. the past few months were spent any and everywhere: milan, paris, london, back home with her family, her focus solely on her brand and work.

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

very early on in her life pérola learned to be adaptable, her social circles demanded that, and that gave her the ability to befriend just about any kind of person. she's sweet too, soft-spoken with a warm personality that invites people in. the kind of woman that will link her arm with yours then ask all about your last trip and be genuinely interested too. always with a big smile on. she loves people, loves being surrounded by them, hosting parties, dinners, game nights, brunch, anything that will allow her to interact with others and exchange experiences and stories. the list of kinds of people she'd have a deep dislike for isn't very long, it relies on a moral consensus. but god does she despise the rich who look down on others who do not have the same type of fortune as them. the snobs who think themselves better than everyone only because of their privilege. cannot even pretend to not be disgusted when near one. that's another thing about pérola: you never have to wonder about her emotions. they show on her face at all times and she doesn't hold back on harsh words when she feels like they need to be said. her honesty can sometimes be cruel which contrasts with the rest of her persona but she does not have the time to be tiptoeing around the point. she also could not care less for other's judgement. if she wants to wear haute couture to pilates on a random tuesday she will. mind your business. she's an overall very easy person to love or hate, you simply have to pick a side and stick to it.