Luca put down his cup and walked toward the long table.
The table was filled with a variety of Japanese cuisine: grilled Wagyu beef, tuna sashimi, chicken curry hot pot, papaya salad, tempura shrimp, avocado vegetable salad, and more—a feast for the eyes.
However, most people were too busy chatting and making friends to pay much attention to the food.
In the middle of the long table, Kate was softly talking to a pale-faced man.
The man had fair skin and was dressed in a Zegna suit, paired with a crisp white shirt. He looked quite presentable.
As Luca slowly approached the table, he heard the man, with exaggerated enthusiasm, saying:
"Wow~! In just over a month, *Twilight* has sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide. Wow, wow~! That's an incredible achievement.
Ms. Kelly, the news says you'll be the next J.K. Rowling. But no, I think they're underestimating you! You're much younger than Rowling, and your future achievements will far surpass hers. I believe you're the next Emily Brontë."
"Emily Brontë?"
Luca walked up and calmly asked, "Sir, do you think Kate will become the next Emily Brontë?"
"Oh, it's Mr. Kelly. Hello, Mr. Kelly!" the man stood up, politely greeting him.
"I'm not doing well," Luca said with a stern face.
Kate smiled slightly and pulled him to sit beside her.
"Mr. Kelly, have I offended you in any way?"
"Heh, you just said Kate would become the next Emily Brontë, right?" Luca asked seriously.
The man was taken aback, confused. "Emily wrote *Wuthering Heights* in her twenties. Kate is equally brilliant, having written *Twilight* at just 23. Amazing! They're both genius female authors. What's wrong with that?"
Kate rested her head on her hand, looking at him. She had already dealt with eight suitors earlier and was quite tired of it. Luca's arrival was timely.
Luca snorted lightly. "Sir, do you know how old Emily Brontë was when she died?"
"Uh..."
"She didn't even make it to 30," Luca said flatly.
The man's face darkened. He quickly explained, "Kate, I was talking about talent. You're both incredibly talented."
"Hmph, do you know how Emily Brontë died?" Without waiting for a reply, Luca tapped the table and said, "Emily Brontë had a brother named Branwell. They were very close, and Emily adored him."
Kate couldn't help but smile, thinking how she was quite like Emily. But then she heard Luca continue, "But Branwell died at 24, having fallen ill from years of alcoholism and drug addiction."
"Oh~" Kate covered her mouth, looking at him in surprise.
"Not long after, Emily died of a broken heart," Luca shrugged. "Comparing my sister to her, are you saying I'm Branwell?"
Swoosh~! Kate's face suddenly turned cold.
Luca used to struggle with alcoholism and drugs and had nearly died from it. He was better now and more important to her than ever. She couldn't imagine what her life would be like without him.
"Apologies, Mr. Kelly, I was just using a metaphor. I meant no offense," the man said, wiping his forehead. He shot Luca a resentful glance, then smiled at Kate. "Kate, you know I was only speaking about your talent. Mr. Kelly misunderstood me."
"Leave," Kate said coldly.
The man's face darkened.
"Ha, ha~ okay, okay," he said with a sarcastic smile, walking away with a scowl.
"Kate, why were you talking to someone like him for so long?" Luca asked, eating a piece of sizzling Wagyu beef.
"He said he's a travel writer and wanted to exchange writing experiences. Since I'm practicing my writing, I thought, why not?" Kate shrugged.
Luca chuckled. "Someone who doesn't even know Emily Brontë's story—what kind of writer is that?"
"Are you talking about me?" Kate asked with a cold expression.
"Uh~ no, not at all," Luca quickly offered her some tea to make amends.
Kate snorted lightly and, furrowing her brow, asked, "Did Emily Brontë really die of a broken heart because of her brother?"
Luca nodded. "That's what the books say. But the Brontë family had hereditary lung disease. Historically, none of the six Brontë siblings lived past 40, so don't overthink it."
Kate let out an "oh," slowly smiling.
"Hey~ Luca, Kate, are you talking about me?" Hanli walked over and sat across from them.
Luca was momentarily confused, then remembered her name was also Emily.
"Emily, we were talking about Emily Brontë," he explained.
"Oh, her. I could never match her talent," Hanli said with a smile. She pulled out a black leather bag and took out two light green slips, pushing them over.
"What's this?" Kate picked them up, surprised. "Two hundred thousand? Is this from book royalties?"
"Ha ha, yes. This is the first batch of royalty transfers. The money's already in your account. You can check with the finance department later," Hanli said.
Kate nodded. "This is the first batch?"
"Yes. More will follow—a second and third batch. This time it's two hundred thousand. The next could be five hundred thousand or even a million. Congratulations, Kate! You're a young millionaire now."
"A millionaire~ that sounds nice!" Kate smiled. "Luca, look, we're rich now."
Luca waved his hand dismissively. "Don't show me. I'm not interested in money. To me, it's just a number."
"Is that so? I'll halve your monthly allowance then," Kate teased.
"NO, that's absolutely unacceptable!" Luca exclaimed.
"Didn't you say you weren't interested in money?"
". . . I was just talking," Luca said sheepishly. He quickly changed the subject to how they should use the money, suggesting they buy a villa and invest in tech stocks.
As they were discussing this, Nina walked in from outside.
"Kate, Emily, an important guest has arrived. You need to greet them," she said.
"Who?" Kate and Emily both asked, curious.
"Mackenzie Bezos," Nina replied calmly.
"Mrs. Bezos?" Luca was surprised. This was the future richest woman in the world, the wife of Amazon's CEO. He had just been talking with Kate about buying Amazon stock, and now, here she was.
After a while, Felix walked into the room, leading a woman in her early thirties. She was stylishly dressed, tall, and carried herself with great poise.
As soon as she appeared, many people couldn't help but stare at her, whispering amongst themselves.
"Why is Mrs. Bezos here?"
"The publishing house and Amazon bookstore are partners. Of course, she's here to congratulate them."
"Not necessarily. Mrs. Bezos is also an author."
"Yes, but her book sales are terrible. Maybe she's here to ask Ms. Kelly for writing advice!"
"Hahaha~ makes sense!"
Luca chuckled to himself. So, the future female billionaire had once been a struggling writer?
(End of Chapter)