"Congratulations! And thank you very, very much for all your help. I am looking at you, Attorney Salonga!", said Christian as he was leading a toast.
"Lea, you have done it again. Your brilliance in the court room is always amazing. Thank you for making us win that case." Lea gave Christian a hug and whispered, "Parfois je pense que tu es mon seul ami."
Lea and Christian go way back. She has been his legal counsel for five years now. Christian has always been gracious to Lea and they have developed a trusting relationship.
She raised her glass and cheerfully said, "All in a day's work, my friend. It is a pleasure working with all of you. Here's to more battles to win over!"
The celebration was joined not only by the legal counsel of Christian but also his fashion executives and advertising team.
Yes, it is THE Lea Salonga. A world-renowned Fashion Lawyer and is known to be quite passionate about Intellectual Property. On Friday, she breezed through the case of Louboutin against Dutch rival vanHaren in the European Court of Justice, after a long-running battle. Although it has not been an easy feat, Lea was confident to win that case because it was pretty straight forward.
Louboutin, the staple footwear of powerful and influential women around the world has this signature scarlet soles on its products. (Lea personally loves these classic black courts. That idea may have actually be one of the reasons why she agreed to lead this case. She owns thirty pairs of Louboutin. Ha!)
The brand's trademark started some twenty years ago when Christian borrowed his assistant's red nail varnish and painted the soles of their products. That in itself was the very basis of Lea's argument in the court room. Christian initially thought of it as a signature, making red soles his own trademark. It cannot be in anyway part of the trademark law that forbids the registration of shapes where they add substantial value to goods as sited on the preliminary ruling.
"Your Honor, the defendant's use of the trademark lead consumers to believe that the plaintiff has, in some way, endorsed the defendant's products or is affiliated with the defendant and its products. The trademark being discussed protects the color red on a footwear that is not all-over red. Hence, the plaintiff, Louboutin, was not seeking to protect the shape of a shoe, merely the application of a colour to a specific part of it."
That was Lea's last statement in the court room and it resulted to their victory for this key legal case. In her head she thinks, "Salamat naman at nakuha na rin nila ang napakasimpleng punto ko. That was obviously a simple case of trademark infringement. Not today, vanHaren. Not today."
Saturday
0845H
*alarm beeping*
Sighing and grunting, she tried to reach her night stand to snooze her alarm (with both eyes still closed), making her notepads, books and pens drop all over the floor. She can't be bothered. She had so much fun last night. (Well, too much fun.)
~~
They had Grand Hotel Cravat's charming Le Trianon bar all to themselves as Christian requested it to be closed from the public just for that night. It has been a momentous occasion for the entire team as they finally hit the end of that long-standing strait.
After the toast, Lea went to the bar to have another glass of gin and tonic. She's being a wuss. She's having this drink to be on the safe side. She's in Luxembourg on her own so she cannot afford to get really wasted because she won't have anyone to drag her to her hotel room if that happens. And she's quite sure her mum will be ringing her anytime soon so she must at least look sober enough.
"Congratulations, Attorney! I knew you'd nail it.", said a voice coming from a man standing behind her. Her eyebrows furrowed, forming creases on her forehead as she wondered who could this man be. She slowly turns, making her face the incredibly handsome features of Christian's Executive Fashion Photographer, Aga Muhlach.
The two always bump into each other when they are in Christian's building and they actually have common friends. They practically have the same circle of friends but the two never got a chance to know each other very well. However, Aga always offers a smile each time and Lea secretly gushes over that face he makes when his dimples show up.
"Oh, hi, Aga. Uhm, thanks! Ah—uhm, would you like to sit down?" (Lea, what the fvck are you doing? You cannot be flirting with this man. He is too gorgeous).
"Okay lang ba? Napapagod na ako kaka-ingles kausap ang mga 'yon", pointing to the rest of their team who are chatting in the middle of the room.
Lea chuckled. "So, you're quite happy to know that having another Filipino in the room would actually save you from all the small talk? I'm so sorry to disappoint you but my Tagalog is not that good, I should say."
"Alam ko naman 'yon. Ang cute nga ng Tagalog mo, e. Pero at least hindi ko kailangan mag English sa'yo kasi nakakaintindi ka naman ng Tagalog. 'Yon lang naman." Then he gave her a wink.
(Nampvcha naman Aga, why are you doing this to me?)
Lea smiled slyly as she tucked her hair behind her left ear. She has never been this close to Aga's face—superbly gelled spiky hair, high cheekbones, perfect skin and oozing with so much charm—and she is absolutely loving it. (Holy kamote ang guapo talaga!)
They have been talking the entire night. Aga likes Lea so much and tries his hardest to keep the conversation going. When he sees that it's dying down, he then comes up with a new topic. Lea on the other hand, didn't want Aga to stop talking to her. They were lost in their own little world as they listened to each other's stories. It was a night to remember.
At about three in the morning, they decided to call it a day. "Hatid na kita", says Aga.
As soon as Lea stood up from her chair, her phone rings. It was her mum. While she was on the phone, Aga sings in the background,
Oh, I'll never want to be without you
So, just stay with me, I will love you endlessly
Those are the best days of my life,
Those are the best days of my life
Lea cringed. He then realises that singing was a mistake. A stupid idea probably.
Both just laughed their heads off as they were on their way to the lift. Aga tried to encircle his right arm on Lea's waist but he hesitated as they were walking in.
"You can do that, it's okay." Lea offered a smile.
A voice inside her head said, "Ang harot, Salonga."
~~
She looks at her phone, squinting because the sunbeam is getting through her window, and a message from an unknown number read,
Are you up? Coffee?
She smiled upon reading it. Her heart felt like it was doing a somersault. She slides a quick reply.
I am now. 😉
She immediately regrets replying with an emoji. Ang rupok mo naman, Salonga, she mentally scolds herself again. She is certain it was Aga sending her this message. Who else could it be?
Are you able to get ready in half an hour? Let's grab some coffee.
Way too demanding, Sir. But I can try. Meet you at the lobby?
See you, lovely. 😍
Lea is wearing a very laid back outfit today, just in her striped button-down shirt and a pair of denim shorts. Summer in Luxembourg is too hot for her but she's enjoying it as she can be very casual when she goes out. While Aga, conversely, is effortlessly refreshing. He is looking ridiculously gorgeous in his black shirt and khaki shorts. Both are wearing plain white trainers because they find it ultra comfortable.
They went inside Golden Bean to have their morning caffeine fix— Lea's bulletproof coffee and Aga's flat white. After Aga paid for their coffee, he started a conversation with Lea.
"May gagawin ka ba today, Attorney?"
"You can call me Lea. And no, I don't have any plans for today actually."
"Tamang-tama. Tara!", showing a couple of train tickets to Paris.
With them just being a few inches apart, Lea looked into Aga's eyes and she smiled sweetly. She then buried her face on his chest. "Ang galing naman magpakilig, Muhlach."
