CHAPTER 15

          Isabelle looked at her watch and realized that she would arrive at the villa too early if she continued the journey by car. The girls were never out of bed before nine in the morning. She still had a good half hour to enjoy a little walk, so she asked the driver to stop the car. After a while, Isabelle saw the villa and stopped to admire it. It was not just a gigantic house made of bricks, granite, and marble, but also a house made of love, trust, laughter, sweetness. The bond that Marie had with her husband was strong, sweet, full of love, and respect. All this could be felt since the first second spent inside the Grayson’s house.

           To have a house like this had always been a dream of hers, but both her mother and her father had never been able to get along very well. Her father, too busy with his job and his company, and her mother, too taken by her days at the spa, her fashion shows, and going out with her friends, had preferred to focus on material things and so their house had never been full of warmth and love, had never been a home. But now it was too late. Michelle was dead, her father had lost the right path and she was treated as if she was a stranger to the person who was genetically build to love her more than anything else in the world.

           Isabelle started walking slowly along the driveway that was leading her to the main entrance. The air was full of the scent of the roses, Marie's favorite flowers. She stopped and smelled a beautiful white rose, but paid no attention and the sleeve of her shirt got caught between the thorns. She didn't want to damage the little rose bush and she tried to get rid of it very carefully but to no avail. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shawn's black Ferrari advancing towards her. This was the last thing she needed...

        The car stopped next to her, still trapped in the rose bush. Shawn looked at her puzzled and then began to smile derisively, as usual.

“What are we having here?! The damsel in distress... Ma petite Belle, before trying to take things that don’t belong to you, you should ask permission. This isn't your house, you know that?” he said and got out of the car.

“I wasn’t trying to steal anything, I just wanted to smell this beautiful rose and my sleeve got caught in the thorns of the rose bush. I didn't want to tear up my shirt and I didn't want to destroy the roses,” she said defending herself from his wrong accusations.

"It's just a cheap shirt," he said helping Isabelle to free herself. “Besides, you have other shirts that are just as ugly and old as this one. You could easily replace this one and no one will know the difference.”

           Shawn didn't miss a single opportunity to insult her. First, he had called her a rose thief, and then he said to her that her way of dressing was ugly... How dare he? Who did Shawn think he was? Isabelle wanted to insult him too, but she didn't want to stoop to his level.

“You should hurry to start your workday, aunt Marie is waiting for you. The girls are already awake and she needs you. If I remember correctly, you are paid to take care of Frannie and Diana, not to take morning walks and take things that don't belong to you,” he added and got into his car leaving behind him a giant cloud of dust.

                And the insults kept pouring on her... Now she was accused of not doing the job she was paid to do... Oh, she hated Shawn Grayson so much! Unfortunately, she couldn't tell anyone what were her feelings, let alone Marie. So, Isabelle took a deep breath and started walking towards the villa.

               Once she arrived at the house, Isabelle went directly to the terrace where she discovered that Marie and the girls were having breakfast. When they saw her, Frannie and Diana got up from the table and ran towards her. Isabelle held them in her arms and, for a moment, what had happened with Shawn a few moments ago, erased from her thoughts. Marie smiled at Isabelle inviting her to sit down with them.

"Sweetie, I know you're not a breakfast fan, but at least drink a cup of coffee, please?" Marie asked her and handed her a cup. “I have received wonderful news and I am excited to share it with you.”

"Belle," Frannie said, taking Isabelle’s hand and forcing her to sit down, "we made all the pancakes this morning. It was so much fun…"

"Yes, all of them!" Diana added, sitting next to her. “Granny left us in the kitchen with Rosa. We prepared everything and Rosa gave us a hand with everything else.”

"And you did a wonderful job, mes chères," Isabelle replied, smiling at both of them. Then she took the cup of coffee Marie had prepared for her. “Thank you so much, Marie. Tell me, what news did you receive?”

“My best friend gives a big party for her youngest daughter's birthday. This morning I received a phone call from Erica and we all have to go to this big party. With all that happens here lately, I was forgetting that it was this week,” she said in a happy tone. “Erica Spalding is one of my best friends. She has three children, but Caroline, her youngest, is the one she adores. This year she turns twenty-one and she will have her amazing birthday party, as usual. We have to go. I absolutely need to distract myself for a few hours and stop thinking that it's only been three days since Chris and Billy left. I miss them so much and I can't wait for them to come back home.”

               Isabelle didn’t answer immediately but started to help Frannie slicing a large piece of pancake that the girl was trying to cut and to eat.

“Fantastic! I am so very happy for you,” she said to Marie. “You can stay as long as you would like. Now that I can stay here overnight, I'll keep an eye on the girls, you won't have to worry about them.”

“No, sweetie, you don't understand ... We all have to go: Shawn that will go together with Danielle, that awful, hateful woman, me and... you, of course.”

“And Diana and me too, granny?” asked Frannie clapping her hands happily.

“I am sorry, baby, but this is a party only for growing-ups,” Marie answered caressing her sad little face.

“It’s all right, granny,” Diana replied coming closer to her sister and hugging her just to comfort her. “I will throw a little party here, just for Frannie, so she won’t be sad anymore.”

“Baby, I promise you that the next time we, the four of us, will go to a party,” Marie said to her two granddaughters. “So, Isabelle, you will have to be ready for this Friday evening. Just prepare your dress, shoes… everything.”