:12 PM

Smile. Pretend you dont know why so many people are interested in your name. Walk as if you were walking on a red carpet, not a catwalk. Careful, other people are arriving, your quota of time for photos is over, its best to keep moving. However, the photographers insist on calling out her name, and she feels embarrassed because the next persona couple, in facthave to wait until the photographers are satisfied, which, of course, they never are, always looking for the perfect angle, the unique shot (as if such a thing were possible), the shot of her looking straight into the camera.

Now wave, still smiling, and walk on.

As she reaches the end of the corridor, shes immediately surrounded by a crowd of journalists. They want to know everything about the huge contract shes just signed with one of the best-known couturiers in the world. Shed like to say: Its not true, but instead she says:

Were still studying the details.

They insist. A television reporter approaches, microphone in hand, and asks if shes happy about the news. She says she thought that after- noons fashion show had gone off really well and that the designer and she makes a point of saying her namewill be holding her next show during the Paris Fashion Week.

The journalist doesnt appear to know anything about that after- noons show, and the questions keep coming, except now theyre being filmed.

Dont drop your guard, only give the answers you want to give and not the one theyre trying to get out of you. Pretend you dont know the details and just say again how well the show went, about it being a long-overdue tribute to Ann Salens, the forgotten genius who had the misfortune not to be born in France. A young man, whos a bit of a joker, asks how shes enjoying the party; she responds with equal irony: Well, if you give me a chance to go in, Ill tell you. A former model, now working as a presenter on cable TV, asks how she feels about becoming the exclusive face of the next HH collection. A better- informed colleague wants to know if its true that her salary will be more than six digits.

They should have put seven-digit salary on the press release, dont you think? he says. More than six digits sounds a touch absurd, dont you think? Or even better, they could have said that its over a million euros, instead of making us count the digits, dont you think? In fact, instead of six-digit salary, they could have said six-figure, dont you think?

She doesnt think anything.

Were still looking into it, she says again. Now let me get a little air, will you? Ill answer what questions I can later on.

This, of course, is a complete lie. Later on, shell get a taxi straight back to the hotel.

Someone asks her why she isnt wearing a Hamid Hussein dress.

Ive always worked for . . . and again she gives the designers name. Some of the reporters there note it down, while others simply ignore it. What they want is a piece of publishable news, not the truth behind the facts.

Shes saved by the pace at which things happen at parties like this. In the corridor, the photographers are already shouting out someone elses name. In an orchestrated movement, as if under the baton of an invisible conductor, the journalists surrounding her all turn and see that a bigger, more important celebrity has just arrived. Jasmine takes advantage of this hiatus and heads for the lovely walled garden that has been transformed into a salon where people are drinking, smoking, and walking up and down.

Soon she, too, will be able to drink, smoke, look up at the sky, thump the parapet, turn round, and leave.

However, a young woman and a very strange-looking creature like an android out of a science-fiction movieare staring at her, blocking her path. They clearly dont know what theyre doing there either, so she might as well strike up conversation with them. She in- troduces herself. The strange creature takes his mobile phone out of his pocket, grimaces, and says hell be back shortly.

The young woman is still staring at her with a look on her face that says, You ruined my evening.

Jasmine is sorry she ever accepted tonights invitation. It was deliv- ered by two men, just as she and her partner were getting ready to go to a small reception put on by the BCA (the Belgian Clothing Association, the body that promotes and regulates fashion in her country). But its not all bad news. If the photos are published, her dress will be seen, and someone might feel interested enough to find out the designers name.

The men who delivered the invitation seemed very polite. They said that a limousine was waiting outside and that they were sure a model of her experience would need only fifteen minutes to get ready.

One of them opened a briefcase, took out a laptop and a portable printer, and announced that they were there to close the contract. It was simply a matter of fine-tuning the details. They would fill in the conditions, and her agentthey knew that the woman with her was also her agentwould sign.

They promised her partner every help with her next collection. And yes, of course she could keep her name on the label and even use their PR service. More than that, HH would like to buy the brand and thus inject the necessary money into it to ensure that she got good coverage in the Italian, French, and British press. There were two conditions. First, the matter had to be decided right there and then, so that they could send a note to the press before the newspapers were put to bed for the night.

Second, she would have to transfer her contract with Jasmine Tiger to Hamid Hussein, for whom Jasmine would then work exclusively. There was, after all, no shortage of models, and the Belgian designer would soon find someone to replace her. Besides, as Jasmines agent, she would earn a lot of money.

I agree to the transfer of contract, her partner said, but well have to talk about the rest.

How could she agree so quickly, the woman who was responsible for everything that had happened in her life, and who now seemed per- fectly happy to lose her? She was being stabbed in the back by the person she loved most in the world.

One of the men took out his BlackBerry.

Well send a press release now, in fact, weve written it already: Im thrilled to have this opportunity . . .

Just a minute. Im not thrilled at all. I dont even know what youre talking about.

Her partner, however, started editing the text, changing thrilled to happy and opportunity to invitation. She studied each word and phrase. She demanded that they mention some absurdly high salary. The men disagreed, saying that this might inflate the market. No deal then, came the reply. The two men left the room to make a phone call and returned almost at once. They would put something vague about a six-digit salary, without mentioning an exact sum. They all shook hands; the two men complimented both the collection and the model, put laptop and printer back in the bag, and asked the designer to record a formal agreement on one of their mobile phones as proof that their negotiations regarding Jasmine had been successful. They left as quickly as they came, both talking on their mobile phones and, at the same time, urging Jasmine to take no longer than fifteen minutes to get ready; her presence at tonights party was part of the contract.

Youd better get ready, then, said her companion. You dont have the power to decide what I do with my life. You know I dont agree, but I wasnt even asked my opinion. Im not inter- ested in working for anyone else.

The woman went over to the dresses scattered round the room and chose the most beautiful onea white dress embroidered with but- terflies. She spent a moment considering which shoes and handbag Jas- mine should wear; there was no time to lose.

They didnt say anything about you wearing a dress by HH to- night, which means we have a chance to show off something from my collection.

Jasmine couldnt believe what she was hearing. Is that why you did it? Yes, it is. They were standing facing each and neither of them looked away. Youre lying.

Yes, Im lying. And they fell into each others arms. Ever since that weekend on the beach, when we took those first photographs, I knew this day would come. It took a while, but youre nineteen now and old enough to accept a challenge. Other people have approached me before, but Ive always said no, and I never knew whether it was just that I didnt want to lose you or because you werent quite ready. Today, though, when I saw Hamid Hussein in the audi- ence, I knew he wasnt there simply to pay tribute to Ann Salens and that he must have something else in mind, and that could only be you. Sure enough, I got a message saying he wanted to talk to us. I didnt know quite what to do, but I gave him the name of our hotel. It was no surprise when those two men arrived with the contract.

But why did you accept?

If you love someone, you must be prepared to set them free. He can offer you far more than I can, and you have my blessing. I want you to have everything you deserve. Well still be together because you have my heart, my body, and my soul. And Ill keep my indepen- dence, although I know how important sponsors can be in this world. If Hamid Hussein had come to me with a proposal to buy my label, I would have had no problem in selling it and going to work for him. However, the deal wasnt about me, it was about you. And if I accepted the part of the proposal involving me, that would mean being untrue to myself.

She kissed Jasmine.

Well, I cant accept either, declared Jasmine. I was just a fright- ened child when I met you, terrified because Id perjured myself in court, wretched because Id been responsible for letting criminals go free, and so depressed that I was seriously considering suicide. Youre responsible for everything thats happened in my life.

Her partner asked her to sit down in front of the mirror and, before doing anything else, she tenderly stroked her hair.

When I met you, Id lost all my zest for life as well. My husband had left me for someone younger, better-looking, and richer, and I was forced to become a photographer to make a living, spending my week- ends at home reading, surfing the Internet, or watching old films on TV. My great dream of becoming a designer seemed to be moving ever farther off. I couldnt get the necessary financial backing, and Id had enough of knocking on doors that never opened or talking to people who didnt listen to what I was saying.

Thats when you appeared. And that weekend, I have to confess, I was only thinking about myself. I knew I had a rare jewel in my hands, and could make a fortune if I could get you to sign an exclusive contract with me. I seem to remember that I even suggested I should become your agent. I didnt do that out of a desire to protect you from the world. My thoughts at the time were as selfish as Hamid Husseins. I would know how to exploit my treasure. I would get rich on those photos.

She gave a few final touches to Jasmines hair.

And you, even though you were only sixteen then, showed me how love can change a person. It was through you that I discovered who I am. In order to show off your talent to the world, I started de- signing clothes for you to wear, clothes that had been in my head all the time, waiting to be transformed into fabrics, embroidery, accessories. We lived together and, even though I was more than twice your age, we learned together as well. Thanks to all these things, people started noticing what I was doing and decided to invest in it, and, for the first time, I began to realize my dreams. We traveled here to Cannes to- gether, and no contract is going to part us.

She went to the bathroom to fetch the makeup case. Her tone grew more businesslike.

You need to look really stunning tonight. Models rarely rise to stardom out of nowhere, so therell be a lot of media interest. Just say you dont know the details yet; thats enough, but theyll keep asking and trying to get you to say things like: Ive always dreamed of work- ing with Hamid Hussein or This is a very important step in my career, etc.

She went with Jasmine down to the hotel lobby, where the waiting chauffeur opened the car door.

Remember: you dont know the details of the contract yet; your agent is taking care of all that. Enjoy the party.

At the party, or rather, supperalthough she can see nei- ther tables nor food, only waiters walking about, proffering every pos- sible kind of drink, including mineral waterpeople form into small groups, and anyone arriving alone looks somewhat lost. The event is taking place in a vast garden furnished with armchairs and sofas; there are also several pillars about three feet high on which half-clothed models with perfect bodies are dancing to the sound of music that emerges out of strategically positioned loudspeakers.

Celebrities continue to arrive. The guests seem happy; they smile and greet each other as if theyd known each other for years, although Jasmine knows this isnt so. They probably meet now and again on oc- casions like this and always forget each others names, but they need to show how very influential, famous, admired, and well-connected they are.

The young woman, who initially looked so angry, reveals that she, too, is feeling completely lost. She asks for a cigarette and introduces herself. Within a matter of minutes, they know each others life story. Jasmine leads her over to the balustrade overlooking the Mediterra- nean, and while the party fills up with strangers and acquaintances, they stand there gazing out to sea. They discover that theyre now working for the same man, although on different projects. Neither of them has ever met him, and for both of them, everything has happened during this one day.

Men occasionally try to engage them in conversation, but Gabriela and Jasmine ignore them. Gabriela is the person Jasmine needed to meet, someone with whom to share her sense of having been aban- doned, despite her partners loving words. If she had to choose between her career and the love of her life, she would choose love over career every time, and she didnt care if such behavior seemed adolescent. Now it turns out that the love of her life wants her to put her career first and seems to have accepted HHs proposal simply so that she can feel proud of everything shes done for her, of the care with which shes guided her steps and corrected her mistakes, and the enthusiasm shes put into every word spoken and decision taken, however difficult.

Gabriela had needed to meet Jasmine too, to ask her advice, to feel less alone, and to see that good things happen to other people too. She confesses that shes worried that her companion has just left her there, when hes supposed to be introducing her to various people she needs to meet.

He thinks he can hide his feelings, but I know somethings wrong.

Jasmine tells her not to worry, to relax, drink some champagne and enjoy the music and the view. Unforeseen things are always happen- ing, and theres a whole army of people ready to deal with them, so that no one ever finds out what really goes on behind the scenes of all that wealth and glamour. The Star is sure to be here soon.

But, please, dont leave me on my own, will you? Im not staying long.

Gabriela promises that she wont leave her alone. Shes her only friend in this new world.

Yes, her only friend, but Jasmines so young that Gabriela suddenly feels too old to be starting out on a new track. The Star had shown himself to be utterly superficial during the limousine drive to the red carpet; all his charm had vanished. And however much she likes the young girl by her side, she needs to find some new male companion for the night. She notices that the man who came into the bar earlier on is standing, like them, by the balustrade, looking out to sea, his back to the party, oblivious to everything else going on at this gala supper. Hes charismatic, handsome, elegant, mysterious. When the opportu- nity arises, shell suggest to her new friend that they go over to him and start a conversation, it really doesnt matter what about.

After alland despite allthis has been her lucky day, and it might include finding a new love.