"The Billion-Dollar Curse": Athina Onassis Resurfaces in Paris

Rarely emerging from the Belgian marshes of shadow, Athina Onassis, heiress to one of the Mediterranean's most notorious family fortunes, once again stunned Parisian high society with her unexpected appearance at a ball in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. The event itself was, of course, so exclusive that not even Aristotle's shadow was allowed in—only those who can keep from fainting at the sight of luxury.

This time, Athina appeared in a red dress with a plunging neckline that, rumor has it, would have left even Sofia Coppola speechless—the director was, in fact, responsible for staging the evening, which perhaps explains the cinematic effect of her presence. For comparison: Athina’s previous public appearance was about as recent as the last time anyone truly believed in a happy ending for the Onassis dynasty—that is, three years ago.

The irony of fate is that Athina, despite her billion-dollar accounts, continues to live in the shadow of the family "curse": her mother—tragically gone at 37, her father—constantly embroiled in scandals, marriages—with the obligatory package of infidelity and divorce. Love, it seems, like any decent inheritance, has bypassed not only Athina but her entire lineage. It makes you recall: money can't buy happiness—unless you try to buy yourself a new family.

Looking at Athina, the public instinctively searches for signs of the mystical: the same cheekbones, the same reserved gaze, the same stamp of jet-set loneliness. But the Parisian ball showed: she still knows how to make an entrance that gets everyone talking, even if she prefers to spend most of her time hiding behind the scenes of high society. It seems that at 40, Athina has decided to try the fashionable Western "restart": a new style, confidence, and maybe even a new attempt to escape the family script (spoiler: it usually doesn’t work).

For now, it all looks as if she’s decided: if you have to live under the "Onassis curse," you might as well do it beautifully. After all, billions mean you can order happiness to your door—it's just that the couriers keep losing the address.