Cyanica

ENVY: 1

Giovanni hung up the phone and reported back to Mistress Marino regarding Ms. Taquo's invitation.
He was genuinely disappointed that Ms. Taquo had turned down the invitation, as it was his one chance to talk with her alone about the way he felt. But there was no time for that. The guest of honor for Mistress Marino's gala wasn't coming, and he had to inform the Duchess that Ms. Taquo had declined.

"Mistress Marino! I have important news for you regarding Ms. Taquo's invitation to the gala!", he shouted. His voice rang throughout the walls of the mansion, as it had so many times before.
"I'm out here, Giovanni!", Amani shouted back.

Giovanni went out to the garden in the back of the mansion; more colorful than the one in the front, and twice as large. In one corner of the garden, large grape vines wrapped around each other, fresh for harvest and processing into fine wine.
In another section, gorgeously vibrant roses lined the fence surrounding the property, hiding the dark, unsightly metal with beautiful flowers.
And in the middle of the garden, surrounded by a koi pond filled with exquisitely colored fish and lotus flowers, was a singular blueberry bush. This was the first thing that Amani had planted when the estate was left in her control, and it was only to be touched by her hands. Giovanni never dared to ask for permission to try one of her berries, and frankly, would more than likely never ask for as long as he was under Amani's payroll.
"So, did she accept?", Amani asked enthusiastically.
"No, ma'am, she did not. She cited her work on the Winter Collection for this year, as well as your gown for your wedding in October, as reasons for her decision", Giovanni said, the disappointment in his voice making it softer than usual.
"What a shame!", Amani exclaimed.
"You can't have a gala without a guest of honor, and honoring yourself is tacky and in poor taste. Is there anyone else I could make the guest of honor, Giovanni?", she said as she thought of other designers that were as influential as Ceruli Taquo.
"Off the top of my head, Mistress, I could not tell you.", Giovanni stated.
"If you wish me to, I can find an up and coming designer that has been working hard to get recognized. It will be good for your image as well as their reputation, being honored by the Duchess of Castelletto herself."
"Yes, that would be a wonderful idea. Hop on that immediately, Giovanni. I need a guest of honor.", Amani agreed.
Giovanni did as he was told, and left to go find another designer whose work was worthy of being honored by the Duchess herself.

———

In Naples, there was a designer who had been trudging away at the ever nerve wracking task of getting recognized. Mikhail Kuznetsov, going by the professional name Michal Net, was a Russian designer whose parents had moved from Moscow to Italy when Mikhail was seven months old. His designs were very structural, blunt, and yet, elegantly executed.
While out shopping for new and experimental products, he met Ceruli Taquo and his heart next to stopped. It was late at night though, and he didn't want to alarm the icon.
Mikhail was about 6'6", 230 pounds, with bright white hair and dark green eyes. He knew how he looked, especially after dark, so he tried to quickly get past Ms. Taquo. But as soon as he started to move, she started to run towards a black car in the parking area. Not wanting to get in trouble with the law, Mikhail ran off in the other direction, back to his small studio in the back of his parents estate.
His sense of style was largely due to his fascination with the brutalist architectural style, and the fact that long flowing skirts were impractical if you were trying to run from anyone.

The studio that Mikhail worked out of was small, about the size of a large walk-in closet, and one box fan in the corner of the room was what he called an A/C.
All of the finished pieces were placed in garment bags, vacuum sealed, and put away in a mid-sized box that sat on a shelf in the studio. And he was perfect.

Giovanni quickly drafted an invitation for Michal Net, and had it sealed with the Duchess's custom wax stamp to make sure that he would show up.
Two days later, Mikhail had arrived at the gala, wearing a suit he custom designed to fit his style and body. Formalities were exchanged, and eventually Mikhail made it to where the Duchess was resting.

"Good evening, my lady Duchess of Castelletto! A fine night it is indeed!", Michal exclaimed.
"That it is, Michal Net. Please, join me at my table. This gala is being thrown in your honor", Amani said as she invited him to the table at the front of the party.
All Mikhail could think about was where Mistress Marino had picked up all of the extra tables.

"So, my lady, you say this gala is thrown in my honor, but why on such short notice?", he questioned. Foreign he may be, Mikhail wasn't stupid. He knew that this whole thing came together because Ms. Taquo had declined. And he was planning to exploit that to every degree he could to claim the top spot in the Milan fashion scene.

Ceruli Taquo was the best known name in Italian fashion, and had been on top since her debut way back in 2012. It was time for some fresh blood to take over, at least in Mikhail's mind it was.

"So Michal", Amani asked, "When did you start designing clothing?"
"I've been designing since 2018, my lady. You probably haven't heard of me because my pieces aren't as high quality as Ms. Taquo's.", he stated.
"I do love hearing about up and coming designers, but the name Michal Net hasn't been mentioned once to me", she retorted. How had she never heard of this designer before, being as up with the fashion trends as she is.
"This is because I was going under the alias Alan Werth. I wanted to have an English name so that people could look for me on the internet. It's much easier to search Alan Werth than Mikhail Kuznetsov", he replied.
"Oh yes, now I remember your work!", she exclaimed rather loudly. "You were the plucky young soul who claimed to be the King of Naples, isn't that right?", she asked.
"You know", she went on, "Ceruli is a wonderful designer, and a good friend of mine as well. Perhaps we can set up an arrangement?".
The question was out there now. Would Mikhail accept the invitation and meet his fashion icon, or would Ceruli decline again? A sudden change in the crowds mood interrupted Amani's train of thought.

"This is quite the party, isn't it, Amani Marino?", said a figure in the crowd.
"To you, sir, that is Lady Marino", barked Giovanni from across the room.
"Such disrespect will not be tolerated at this event, and in my presence no less", said Amani. The way she said this was completely different from her usual happy-go-lucky tone of voice. It was regal, and a voice she saved only for asserting her dominance over ruffians such as this one.
"I mean you no disrespect, Lady Marino. You may refer to me as Cyanica", the man replied.
"This gala is invite only, and I'm afraid you will have to leave now", said Giovanni. This tone was also quite different than usual, but in a much deeper register.
"Very well then. I wish your guest of honor all successes, and congratulations for getting recognition, Mikhail Kuznetsov", Cyanica said as they were escorted out by the on-site security team.

The mood of the party was different, becoming more curious and worried that someone of such a nature could just waltz into a place like this.
And Amani was well aware of the danger of an unhappy crowd, so using her royal tone of voice once again, she shouted,
"My friends and honored guests! I do apologize for that Cyanica person barging in here without notice.
So for the safety of my lovely patrons, I ask that you all head home for tonight. Please make sure to grab your coats from Giovanni, my butler, on your way out."

Ending a party of this caliber was not unheard of, but it was a rarity, especially for the highest level of party throwers like Mistress Amani Marino. She did what she had to for the safety of her guests, and if that meant losing her reputation as party queen of Castelletto, then so be it.

After the guests had all left, and the caterers and custodians had cleaned the tables, Amani was thinking back on the events of the night. She hadn't told anyone that wasn't already RSVP'd that Ceruli would not be in attendance, so how did this Cyanica person know Michal Net's full name?
"Giovanni, please put me through to Ms. Taquo. I need to speak with her about this Cyanica individual", she said.
"Of course, Mistress Marino. If it's not out of line, I'm very worried about your safety as well. Perhaps you should invest in higher levels of protection?", he responded.
"I shall get on that first thing in the morning. First, I must speak with Ceruli", she said softly.
"As you wish, Mistress Marino", he said.