"A lot of men are very possessive and they want to control you. But as you grow older, you attract people who are on your wavelength and who understand who you are."
-Marisa Berenson-
***
She put down her luggage and sat down on the bed. Touching it for the first time, the cotton had felt soft against her skin. It really tempted her to lay down and just sleep away all of her exhaustion, but Clara knew she needed to unpack her belongings first. She laid everything on the floor and as Raphael had suggested her, she did not bring that much with her, it was probably enough for a week. The rest of her belongings would take several days to arrive and she had to deal with what she had.
Or so she thought,
When Clara opened the closet to put down her clothes, she quickly realized there have been several pieces of clothes inside along with a few pairs of shoes in her size and handbags, some were high street but most were design
"It's a father's duty to give his sons a fine chance." -George Eliot- *** A cup of tea was placed on the sturdy mahogany desk in Archard Desroches' in house office. The old house servant had asked him if he needed anything else. On a normal occasion, he would gladly ask for something else, but that day he thought he had enough of service. He raised his hand to dismiss her and she left the room without uttering any other words. The Desroches mansion was full of silent that day. Everyone was outside on the weekend except for Archard Desroches. The old man had gone through papers after papers and it had only been lately which he explored different methods using his computers. Back in the day whenever he wanted to buy the latest profitable stocks in the market he had to go through several procedures, but thanks to the advancement of technology, he was able to expand his empire at a touch of his fingertip. Literall
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." -Marcel Proust- *** The sound of the alarm had managed to wake Clara up. Her biological clock usually woke up at six A.M on a regular basis but since adapting to her new life, she had set an alarm for 7 A.M because she found no reason to wake up so early when she slept so late at night due to unpacking and organizing everything and settling herself in. She flipped over her blanket and found a bouquet of white lilies and a short good morning letter on the bottom end of her bed. She slowly grabbed the bouquet and placed it beside her bed and read the note. "Bonjour, Mon Amour, Today I have work until the evening, I will see you at dinner tonight. I have asked the cook to make you a spec
"Men get to be a mixture of the charming mannerism of the women they have known." -F. Scott Fitzgerald- *** Warm ray of sunlight welcomed her at the exit, she still had some time before lunch, and thought that she might be able to visit one more place, picking up her guide book, she flipped through the pages and searched for the most popular places in the neighborhood. As she was reading around Clara approached by a teenage boy, who was probably around sixteen, had brown hair and freckled face. No one had ever taught her that she had to be cautious when talking to strangers on the street, while it was supposed to be a common sense, Clara had been a bit too naive. She should have listened to her gut feeling because soon she would learn all lesson she would never forget. In short, he asked her if she needed any help around since she looked like she was searching for something, Clara tucked a strand of her hair behind he
"One of the greatest gifts you can gift to anyone is the gift of attention" -Jim Rohn- *** After exploring Saint Germain des Pres, Clara went back to Raphael's house by taxi. She mostly only had time to explore a few smaller boutiques and souvenir shops where she bought a few vintage items she found interesting, which would compliment her new room. When she entered the gate, she saw Raphael's white Porsche which he used for work parked inside the garage. She entered the house and found Raphael seated casually on the couch in the living room, his fingers moved as he typed things into his phone. The sound of her step clanked on the marble floor and it announced her presence. Raphael lifted his head, the moment he saw her, he immediately stood up and approached her. "Where have you been?" His facial expression showed concern. He crossed his arms with his fingers facing outside in a semi interrogating manner. Clara told h
"Whoever said that money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping." -Bo Derek- *** Clara had wondered for a while at the car regarding wherehe would take her, she should have guessed when he mentioned somethingabout transformation. Raphael had thought things through and although Clara had been looking so much better ever since she left Bordeaux, there were still room for some improvement. She told him the story about cutting her own hair, and she did a decent job, but it could still be fixed. Not only that, he felt like buying her a few gifts. Her closet was still rather empty and he did not want his woman to be seen wearing the same outfit over and over again, he liked variety and he knew she would look good in pretty much anything. He brought to the golden triangle of Paris,Champs Elysees, Montaigne, and George V. Their first destination wasthe beauty salon, Clara had sligh
"There's always a side of a woman that likes a man from the other side of the track." -Laura Dern- *** Before long, the chicken was ready to be served served along with the soup. They took their seat while the cook who had been standing away from them returned to do the dishes. Clara took a piece of the chicken and placed it in her plate. She took a spoonful of the soup and blew it gently before shoving it into her mouth. It warmed her body and she stared at him with a kind expression. Clara had started to feel a little bit more comfortable around him. There was a little bus of hope in her heart that wished her moment together with him would never end the way it did. Raphael could sense Clara began to relax around him as well, and he felt slightly relieved. All the efforts he had made for her did not come to waste. Before they managed to get into their main dish, the doorbell rang and the housekeeper rushed from the l
"Our greatest joy and our greatest pain come in relationship with others." -Stephen R. Covey- *** Clara had been avoiding Raphael's gaze the next day, she still felt hurt from what had happened the previous day and he was fully aware of it too. She would not come out for breakfast although the housekeeper had tried knocking on her door several times on Raphael's order. Sometimes when she was out of her room and he was also home, he would try making conversations with her but she always tried to find excuse for something else. Most of the time she would just lock herself in the art room, her cold attitude drove him insane. He felt hurt and rejected at the same time and it was not even entirely his fault. He thought he was starting to lose his mind. Raphael knew he messed up, he should n
"Sisterly love, of all sentiments, the most abstract. Nature does not grant it any functions." -Ugo Betti- *** A week had passed since she avoided Raphael, although Raphael still tried to talk to her, she just had not forgiven him yet, it was one of her bad habit, she was not an all forgiving woman, especially if that person is someone who she trusted a lot, but considering what had happened to her recently, she found that she had every right to be upset. Many would say her behavior was rather childish, but when one looked at things from her perspective, it should be clear why she acted that way. Raphael himself had been busy with work and did not come home as often as he should, perhaps he was still feeling guilty for his attitude that night. Other than that, because Clara kept on ignoring him, he decided that he would let her be for a moment until she would calm down on her own. Life had been quiet, Clara pret
"I don't care how hard being together is, nothing is worse than being apart." -Josephine Angelini- *** "Good morning, Mon Amour. I made breakfast for you" Clara was still sleepy when Raphael came over with a tray of food and drinks. She felt a bit dizzy when she tried to sit and straightened her bed. With her eyes still closed, Raphael kissed her which woke her up in an instant, mixed with the scent of a freshly brewed cup of coffee which managed to restore her vigor. She took the glass of water and gulped it down in one shot, then she picked up a cup filled with honey and herbal tea which supposedly could help her heal faster. Once she was done, she lifted up her face to meet his. Raphael had appeared exceptionally dashing that morning, he was nearly half naked if it was not for the robe that covered part of his abs but his muscular chest was exposed for her to enjoy. Clara had to admit, she would not mind waking up every da
"Being a family means you are a part of something very wonderful. It means you will love and be loved for the rest of your life." -Lisa Weed- *** Everybody was gathered at Desroches main manor, the place was crowded with family members of the Desroches, along with Clara and Dennis. It was new year already. Time had passed by so fast. Clara's recovery had been amazing. She was discharged from the hospital much faster than they had initially thought. The poison in her body had not completely gone yet and the doctor said they still needed to watch over her, in case she experienced any post medical issues. So far, she had been fine. Since they could not celebrate Christmas together, at least they could celebrate New Year together. Originally, they wanted to go outside together and celebrate New Year at a hotel, but they cancelled the plan for Clara, she was still unsteady to go outside at the moment, and it was also his family's
"Everything's a story. You are a story. I am a story." -Frances Hodgson Burnett- *** Dennis Bellavance had gone to Paris for the second time in a month, three days after she had woken up they had allowed her out from the hospital. Her body stabilized rather rapidly for someone who had gone unconscious for three weeks, and the rest of her system were functioning as normal, but they had given her a few prescriptions which had never been part of his plan, but as soon as he received the call from Raphael he had to come. He had prayed days and night for her to wake up, and it must have been a miracle for her to wake up right on Christmas day. Clara had lived inside Raphael's house again, he was a bit worried after he had heard what was going on between them, but judging from Clara's voice from over the phone she seemed to be doing just fine. He went through the whole process over and over again, but this time Raphael had spared so
"Quarrels are a natural part of relationships. Making up is always the best part." -Maureen Johnson- *** Clara slowly opened her eyes, her light green eyes had darkened slightly, perhaps due to the effect of the poison on her body, although her head was still pounding, she did not allow it to prevent her from coming back to reality. When she was unconscious, she could hear voices of people calling out for her. She did not know if she was dreaming or not, all she knew was she needed to wake up. It took her a couple of minutes to fully took a grasp of her surrounding, first when she opened her eyes completely, all she saw was a blank hospital ceiling mixed with white hazy fog which she assumed came from her eyes trying to adapt to light again after being closed for God knew how long. Then a few
"Nothing is in the middle of somewhere, surrounded by everything, where everyone is someplace and still lacking someone I need the most." -Anthony Liccione- *** Just like what Celine had told him, two hours before the party started somebody picked him up from the hospital, and Celine had arranged for a nurse to watch her for the night. He should have known his family was not going to give up on persuading him. His ties with them were quite strong after all although he was not feeling particularly excited about it. At first Raphael was still doubtful about his family's decision since his gut had told him that something just did not feel quite right, yet he did not wish to disappoint his family members. Thus he decided to go. It's just one night. He arrived at the Desroches family manor, the main house where his parents resided in. Once he stepped in he could already see the work of his sister that had decorated the pla
"Christmas is the one day of the year when it's most obvious someone's missing. It had to become less about the presents." -Jeff Brazier- *** "Tomorrow is Christmas's Eve, Raphael. You need to come, we could hire someone and pay them extra to look after Clara. Everyone in the family would be there, You don't want to miss our annual Christmas Eve's dinner party, please, just come." Celine was on the phone with Raphael. She was dressed in a casual black winter gown which she loved to wear during at home during the season. Meanwhile, Eduard was in the background trying his best to keep the children from interrupting their mother because he knew Celine hated to be distracted when she is talking to somebody. "I have told you I can't. I need to watch over Clara." He insisted. "No, you have to come. Someone will pick you up at the hospital two hours before the party start. We would be waiting for you. If you don't come, you
"Sacrifice, that's the thing we do for the people we love." -Gayle Forman- *** Raphael and Corentin had been waiting in a building on the rural area of Paris. For the first time they were seated beside each other eagerly waiting with the same goal. The building itself belonged to Corentin's family and it was used for emergency meetings. Because the location was far from the public's eyes. No one else would have cared to know more about it. It was a rare occasion for them, who have enjoyed a position of comfort their entire life to bother with the street work. But just this once, they were willing to get their hands dirty. Keep in mind, these two men were sophisticated members of society, who had an immaculate reputation, but each man have their own dark side, including them. When combined, it became even more deadly. The door slammed open and the men they have sent came inside the room with Renee with them. They pulle
"Monsters are real, ghosts are real too. They live inside us and sometimes, they win." -Stephen King- *** "Where did you go last night?" Renee was sitting down on the porch of her house with Rainier beside her. It was a cloudy day in Paris, perhaps it would rain soon. Though they were outside, the whole atmosphere was dark and gloomy. She took a sip of her honey tea and turned to him. Her eyes were cold, empty, and interrogating. Renee always had a habit of waking up in the middle of the night, it was her body's biological programming. Each time, she would come and check on her brother to see if he was truly asleep. She had the housekeeper that was assigned to him to give him a sleeping pill each night, that way she would always have him under control, for during the day, she always had someon
"Truth is rarely pure and never simple." -Oscar Wilde- *** Rainier stood in front of the hospital room. He squirmed his hands together, admittedly, he was nervous, anxiety filled every fiber of his being. He wondered if he made the right decision, but he had gone so far and he had no choice but to take a step forward. It was difficult heading out from his window without her sister knowing, he thought he was going to die, but there was a certainty in his mind, he needed to do it. He knocked on the door and after a moment, Raphael opened the door. He had known about Raphael, he was pretty famous after all, and his sister had shown him a picture of Clara with Raphael. But of course he was welcomed with a confused look from him. Behind them, on the couch, Corentin had also woken up from the noise, he had high sensitivity toward noises. Both men were now fully alert, Rainier knew they would be suspicious of him, first thing he did