Fairy Tale

"What beautiful words... they were so intense! So your passion was born since your childhood! Listen, Kora... we at 'Les Parisiens' have investigated you a little bit, and we know that you have left University to dedicate yourself to the world of essences and create your own brand. Is that so? Did you do it all by yourself? The French audience that is watching us live would like to know how a young woman like you managed to wriggle out in such a complex world", the journalist said, bringing the microphone closer to Kora, trapped in her story.

"Well, as I was explaining a little while ago, It wasn't me who came close to the world of essences... the perfumes found me. Your information is true. I studied languages in Scotland at the University of Aberdeen, where I graduated from linguistic high school. My university career was going on smoothly, but I decided to turn my life around just over a year after my entry. Although I liked languages and wanted to continue with the University, the essences surrounding me somehow prevailed over everything. This is not just a job for me. It's part of my being. The perfumes I make are somehow an expression of myself, you know?"

"Of course, I understand! That's why your brand is having all this success! The French love 'Animosity' and some connoisseurs we interviewed confessed that what they found in your product far exceeded their expectations. They even compared it to Dior, Chanel and other significant names in the industry. Did you know that?"

"I had heard of it, yes. Competition is part of this work, and I think it's a natural and immutable issue, but... my goal is only to convey to the customer that wears Animosity the emotions that I feel when I create each of my perfumes, drop by drop."

"Animosity. This is the name of the brand that distinguishes you. It was born just under a year ago, yet it is already on the necks of many people, even today in this room", the journalist continued, moving her arm outwards and letting the cameraman frame for a few seconds even the people who were attending the speech. "Why did you choose this name?"

"Actually, it was my best friend who suggested it. I've always been terrible with names and that sort of thing. She's Naseefa, and she's not just my assistant. I met her a few months ago, and from the moment she decided to follow me everywhere, we have become inseparable. Despite her great humility and shyness, for me, her presence is indispensable," Kora replied, looking at her friend sitting next to her, who noticed that the camera was framing her face and timidly moved her hand forward, making the gesture of greeting.

"She chose the name 'Animosity'. The credit is hers. In any case, I agreed from the very first moment. In a nutshell, this word means hostility, antagonism, and opposition. All words with a negative meaning. Then you might ask me why I gave my product such a strange name?"

"That's right, you anticipated my question!" the journalist genuinely smiled, again leaving the floor to young Kora.

"Although I have lived quiet and serene adolescence, full of the affection of my family, as far as the world of essences is concerned, I feel strongly contrasting sensations. You know the tale of the Ugly Duckling?" she asked, moving her hair backwards and letting all the men and women in the crowd better admire her genuine beauty.

"Um... yes. I think everybody does. But what..."

The journalist's puzzling words were interrupted by the young artist's speech: "each of us is like the Ugly Duckling if you think about it. All its brothers and mates were white, but it's black. Everyone can fly, but its wings are too weak, and it can't. Each of us always aspires to have what he cannot have: a hidden desire, a never-realized career, a life-long dream. The white duckling and the black duckling are faces of the same coin, souls that coexist within our weak mortal bodies. They coexist, it is true, but in opposition to each other, always, immutably. This is the Animosity that makes us different from each other, Christine" Kora concluded, daring to call the journalist by name in order to increase the level of confidence between them.

The young talent's words vibrated in the air like tiny electric shocks and, as she grabbed her chalice and swallowed a high sip of wine to moisten her dry mouth, a faint applause echoed around her, turning into a real standing ovation and ending up attracting the attention of other journalists wandering the grand hall of the Academie Francaise de la mode , hungry for scoops.

"Once again, you leave me speechless, Kora Night. Did you hear that, viewers? There are two ducklings inside you! Hahaha! This young artist's mission is to give the duality that exists in your soul a chance of redemption, unprecedented freedom!" Christine exclaimed, looking once again into the camera and pointing to Kora with her hand.

During those moments helpful to Kora to win over her small audience and increase her fanbase, Naseefa slightly touched her arm, attracting her gaze. Kora's eyes bounced off those of her friend, who tried in every way to tell her that someone exciting was looking at her with apparent interest.

When Kora Night's gaze deflected from the camera's direction, only if just for a moment, it crossed paths with that of a man among the people.

His elegant white suit and the stately way he swung the white Martini's cylindrical glass with his right hand suggested his high-class personality, silently gleaming across the room.

Blonde hair shaved to the sides and longer in the middle, where a tuft hung forward and covered part of the right eyebrow, fulfilling the portrait of the rich and charming man, made such by an eye-catching look, while his smiling lips approached the glass to sip the cocktail.