“The show has already started!”, Luigi warns me, looking at his watch and realizing how late we are.
“I know. But I can't just go. I need a plan”,I keep walking back and forth to dispel the cloud of chaos that is gradually forming over my head.
I know that there is always a way out, but in this case it's a little impossible to find. Because it is certain that Adam will want to introduce me to his best friend and I can't just play dumb. And the first second Jean hears my voice, he will recognize me, and then it will all be over.
“ I've never seen you so eager, Francisca. Not even on your first opening night as your father's future successor”, he comments.
“ Yes, but it's diff
Before I entered the big hall, I tried to peek through the door and everyone was focused on the show that is undoubtedly a success. That "summer in the middle of spring" is told in the bright colors and light fabrics that make up the clothes of each of the models that walk on the catwalk and are greeted by petals falling from the sky. This no doubt inflames my ego for having my idea of the surprise I made for the CEO copied by him.And although the audience has its back turned to me, I am sure that Adam is not sitting in it, nor is Amelia, much less Jean.“The Lawyer didn't come. He really doesn't like shows and cameras”, I say to Luigi who is beside me waiting for me to show him the man marked for death, “ He has saved us a scandal for tonight. ““ I see, well, in that case I'll enjoy it. Aren't you coming?”“ No, it's not time yet, I'll try to sneak a peek into the dressing room. I feel that Amelia is up to something”, I say goodbye and discreetly enter through the hall's entrance d
“ What are you saying, Amelia?”, I walked in and purposely left the door ajar. Adam is about to arrive and if I can get Amelia to fight with me one more time, their friendship that is hanging by a thread will be torn apart for good.“You think I don't know that you've been hooking up with Jean posing as Suzy, the identity you used to get into his house the day of the dinner party. He asked me about you, insisting several times that I give him your phone number. I denied knowing you, but now, I have nothing left to lose, Francisca”, she threatens me, and it's a little difficult for me to hold back from laughing.“ Don't be stupid, Amelia! You think Jean won't wonder why you lied to help a woman who uses false names and, by the way, attends your events. - I try to persuade her, because if this bomb has to explode, I don't want it to be today.“ I don't care, I'll make up an excuse. You're not the only one who makes up good stories, Francisca!”“ No, but I always calculate my steps well,
“ Am I going to have to convince you?”, he asks. Poor Adam Arnault, the spoiled brat is not used to life's difficulties. “ You have no notion of what I am capable of risking…”, he answers and I can feel his ego being cornered by the need to override my expectations.“ Show me, Monsieur Arnault!”, perhaps the more I charge, the more he would give of himself.He didn't say anything else, he preferred actions, starting by taking back his glass from my hands to set it aside, thus leaving both my hands and his hands free, which pulled my body tightly, forcing my thighs to join around his body.And the same firmness that his hands had in touching my body, he used to clasp my hair between his fingers, which makes me let out a small groan. Then I realize that I have no choice but to stare into his eyes. “ Too hard, darling?”, he says confidently, but I am not willing to surrender so easily. “ Not a spark has come out…”,I whisper close to his mouth.Meanwhile, it is he who takes the init
I fell asleep in Adam's arms. Our naked, exhausted bodies stretched out on the catwalk that ironically is only used to show off who is wearing the best clothes that others wish to see, applaud and criticize. So I ask myself, if we are not dressed, why do I hear clapping coming from the audience?I raise my head to look and run into a spectator who is not enjoying our display of nudity at all.“ Anthony?”, I am in shock. A complete shower of cold water that makes me jump out of Adam's still sleeping arms. His sleep is deep, because he wakes up neither to the sound of applause nor to that of my voice.“ Playtime is over, Francisca!”, he gets up from his chair in the front row and starts walking toward us. “I cheated on you with Amelia, you're right, I shouldn't have done it. But, you've avenged me enough by cheating on me with his fiancé. We are even, I forgive you, and we can go back to our home as if all this had been a nightmare.”“ I didn't cheat on you, Anthony. I thought it was c
“ Call me by any name you wish!”, I leave the door and walk inside my small apartment.He follows me after closing the door, surely surprised that I am not in a state of panic just like the look on his face.“ You tricked me, girl, and you are not able to face me to make an apology?” “ Apology?”, I leaned against the kitchen counter and poured myself a glass of water. “ What fault do I have if you took an interest in a woman you barely know? For a criminal lawyer your innocence is hilarious..”, I drink from my glass very calmly while Jean is about to have a nervous breakdown.“No! It was always your plan to get into my house, to win me over, to be at the parties I was at, then to seduce my best friend to affect Amelia.”“ No, Jean! You're wrong.”, I put the glass on the counter, “ Everything was always about Adam Arnault. You were just an accident. And as for Amelia, you should review your friendships better. Do you really think she's such a victim?”“ Don't talk about her! She is a
A cell phone rings, it's CEO Adam Arnault's, and as he lets go of his left arm to reach for the device tucked in his pocket, it leaves our hug halfway through. “ It's a text message from Jean.”,he said after his eyes remained fixed on the illuminated screen for a few seconds, “ He says he needs to meet me, it's urgent.”, His other arm is detached from my body and he is anxious to know what unpostponable matter his best friend has to deal with.I am too, and I hope that this is just an excuse Jean is using to get Adam out of here so that he can get behind my counter and we can get this unpleasant encounter over with.“ I have to go, but can we meet tonight?”,the CEO invites me, “I can pick you up.”“Yes, I accept, but you don't have to pick me up.““ Isn't it a bit dangerous here?”“ If I live where danger lives, isn't it kind of obvious that I'm not some helpless damsel who needs the guy in the center to come pick you up?”, I don't have to pretend anymore like I did ten minutes ago.
“ I'll get the opener and the glasses for a toast.”, This is an excellent opportunity for me to be alone with Jean and find out what he wants with this circus.“Great! In the meantime, do you mind if I go to the bathroom?” “ Feel free, dear! Jean can show you around, I won't be long…”, he bids me farewell with a caress on my cheek, then lets go of my hand and walks away until he disappears into the corridor leading to the kitchen.“ Ladies first!”, Jean offers the way clear for me to go first.I prefer not to answer, just walk towards another corridor which is a safer place to hold any conversation between us without running the risk of Adam hearing us from wherever he is. Besides, I can't just act defensive, not until I know Jean's true intentions. So I would have to wait for him to make the first move. “ Merci!”, I answer with the same cynicism he received me with and am ready to enter the bathroom when I am barred by one of his arms.“ We don't have to pretend anymore, we are bo
Our gazes remained fixed for a minute, but it was enough to replace the words and his made every possible vow of revenge to mine.And my trial was only over, because Larissa turned around and went to say goodbye to Anthony, offering a long kiss that he didn't reject. And in the end, he said goodbye with a "see you soon," getting into his car and leaving after giving me one last angry look, although he tried to disguise it with indifference.It is a fact that on this night, everyone decided to rebel against me, and to see Larissa coming toward me with a debauched smile, makes me think that the list of busybodies for today is not yet closed.“ Your husband is very kind, Chloé!”, she says, standing in front of me.“Ex-husband! And believe me, that's not what you should be worried about him. You must be out of your mind to accept being the mistress of a guy like Anthony. But, that's not my problem. Have fun!, I turn my back on her, ready to go inside and head for my small apartment. Howe
I burst out laughing at the scene. She barely knows how to hold a gun. “ Don't be stupid, Larissa. I'm sure your only mission here is to cause me the displeasure of your company during my return to my home. A home that doesn't belong to Anthony, and certainly not to you. You are a mere pawn in this game that Anthony revels in thinking he can strike me. Now put that fucking gun away that you don't even know how to use and let's get out of here.”, I retrace my steps to meet my luggage. “ Don't move, Chloe! Or I'll shoot.”, she threatens, “You won't come home. You won't see your daughter. I know that if you come back you will convince Anthony to forgive you and everything will be fine for you as always.” I stop, not because I owe her obedience. But, because I need to watch how far she is willing to go: “Hum and what do you intend to do? Murder me?” “Yes, I will murder you. Tell me how it feels to be about to die by the hand of stupid Lari?”, she wants to match a crazy woman in some m
It wasn't long before my aunt's suspicions were confirmed to be idiotic, so dismissed by my happiness when not even nausea could stop me from feeling so willing, at least emotionally.The CEO revealed himself to have a hidden joking side or just could not see himself missing the opportunity for the first time to be in charge of a situation that in no way would I know how to handle myself. The dispute would only end with both of us accepting rewards, me with his blazer and him holding me in his arms. The silence joined the night that came and we stopped to look at the sky and would have taken our time if it weren't for an icy breeze irritating my skin.“ I'm staying with him!”, I wrap myself even tighter in his blazer.“ Of course you can take it!”, he grants not only the garment but also a kiss.“ I'll be right back!”, he walks away, no need to ask why. I see land in sight, and soon we are on what resembles a beanstalk. I soon find that my vision has betrayed me, and it is only 15
The CEO bet even though he knew the game was a farce, he preferred fun to lucidity, the turmoil of the losers, and the vanity of him being the first even though, deep down, it wasn't true. Wouldn't it be the same with our relationship? Are we both lying, I to him and he to himself even though the signs are clear? And that before long, he will reveal that from the beginning it was a game, he knows who I am and he loves my demons just as I love his ocean eyes. No matter how crooked the path to this point has been, but he is willing to take all the risks. Not like a prince saving his beloved, but like a true mobster, a learning that is not born in a week, let alone a day. A day that confuses me with seconds as I watch Adam dress in his usual black, rejecting the simplicity of the disguise we agreed to have here. He easily sets himself up as a target, and running away is definitely not an option. That's what we did by coming here, but distance is only an obstacle for those who need an e
California, dawn“Am I still welcome in your house and in your life?”, It's Luigi, who has sneaked in. It's not a surprise to me. In fact, I've been waiting for you since I left the casino and came home. Me, sitting on the porch and him beside me, the dawn spreads in the sky right in front of us and the sea hardly imitates a sound so as not to break the peace that surrounds us all. Luigi, also surrendered, decides to sit down, waiting for me to give him his final sentence. However, my internal judgment is lengthy. My senses do not wish to miss a detail of the spectacle. It is sublime and unbelievably, there is nothing that nature asks in return to give it to us.“ If you fear that I am going to throw you out of my life, should I consider that you have done something wrong?”, my eyes are satisfied and my attention is offered to the man next to me.“ No, you know I haven't. I just don't know to what extent what we have matters more than how you feel about Adam.”“ I recognize how much
“Don't you ever lose the habit of asking questions you know the answer to?”, I close the door behind me so tightly that it is enough to hide the rapid beating of my heart. My nostrils need air on behalf of my lungs desperate to bail out, my mind one step away from hitching its anxiety.“Our argument hasn't even started, and already reason has gone your way”, he smiles cynically, keeping the gun pointed at Adam's head, opting for circular motions on his leather to test my lucidity, “ You were raised to have it all, to own it all. The Great Frances! I thought that by taking everything away from you, you would come back to me. But no! You found it!”, he pulls the gun away from the CEO and sits down next to Adam's body lying on a couch, “Is he the one stopping you from loving me, Francisca? The son-in-law of your father's dreams who should be dead?”Anthony again positions the gun in his direction, and I know that his life depends on my answer. It's logical that I need to remain indiff
“ I have never seen such a sexy and sophisticated manager.... “, Adam is dazzled, I can see him through his reflection in the mirror, which reminds me of Anthony's presence in scenes like this, although their looks and gestures are incomparable.“ My job is a bit peculiar. I won't be there to serve, just pretend I'm a stupid, silly, rich girl they can pass off as. Then they will be attracted to spend money. A sort of camouflaged manager”, I shrug, swiping my lipstick.“ That's dishonest”, he assesses. “And entering a casino expecting honesty is naïve, Monsieur Arnault…”, I do the final touches, making sure there is not a grain of sand left on my scalp. It was an endless struggle to get rid of them. A sacrifice that left no regrets when it was two hours well spent of the purest pleasure. And I would love to continue it through these white walls and huge glass windows that bring the sea closer even though it is a hundred meters away. The house in no way resembles Arnault's residence
California, presentEvery day millions of people travel. For many, just another ordinary day of time saved by one of the greatest inventions of all time; for others, the airplane is not just a machine. It is our genie in the lamp, where we lean back, close our eyes and imagine the dreams we yearn to come true. And if distance is the only obstacle, the dream is one step away from our hands as soon as the plane touches the runway to our point of arrival. But when distance is not the obstacle, how can that lamp help us if the problem lives in us and we simply cannot run away from who we are?“There will be a car waiting for us.”, Adam says, bringing me back to the present.We are waiting to choose our bags among so many others.“ Hopefully without a driver, I'll love to spend some time alone with you…”, my voice is sly, accompanied by a mischievous smile.“ You are so complicated, Chloé! “, he looks at me like I'm a riddle, “ One minute you wish I had security guards and chauffeurs, the
One day laterToday the Desiré noire did not open. The tables are empty and the silence is frightening for those who are used to seeing a full house. It is clear that I will lose a lot of money by having the doors closed. But our reunion could not be in a place other than one of CEO Adam Arnault's favorite spots. The atmosphere would stir up memories for him, and to erase the bad ones, you need an extra dose of what makes you feel at home. So tonight, no more pubs or wandering the streets like two inconsequential teenagers.It will be drinking from the best in the bar and loving like the first time.Yet, with every passing minute, it gives me anxiety not to see him walk through that door. I can't believe that Adam would be so proud as to not accept an invitation from me. After all it has been a long time since our fight. And before anyone accuses me that 24 hours is not much time, in my defense, I will say that an eternity can happen in seconds. So there is no point in waiting for hi
“ You were really serious about hurting him. That can't have been pretty…”, appreciates Luigi as he finds me picking up the shards of glass from the floor and throwing them into a bag.He arrived ten minutes after Adam left. That was the time for me to put on some clothes, wipe my tears and drink a cup of pure coffee that would make anyone awake from the feeling of still being sleepy.“ I always do what has to be done, Luigi. You gave Anthony your word, I wouldn't make you break it a second time. I have a lot to thank you for, my friend.”, I say it sincerely and I just can't stand up to hug you because our time is short.“ You will always have my loyalty and so will your descendants.”“ What descendants? I have decided to live as if my daughter doesn't exist, and a second child is not in the plans.”, I continue to pick up the shrapnel while trying to keep my attention on her reasoning.“ Francisca, that day Anthony said that having you back is a priority not just out of spite, he nee