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The Queen's Return
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
The sweet smell of seduction The goodbye
Always before a new life, a death is necessary, not necessarily physical, but deeply existential, either to say goodbye to what is no longer part of our days or to what we once were and can never be again. “ Would you recognize her if you met her?”, Luigi is the first to throw away the silence that has prevailed since we left the Calderone mansion and drove to the cemetery. The normal thing is to bring flowers, but I carry with me a suitcase with my favorite belongings, used when I was Francisca. However, it's not me he's talking about, it's the photograph of Lorena Tatiane Calderone, still at the age of 17, very well preserved next to my father's photograph and both fixed on a cross.
The sweet smell of seduction The CEO's Companion
Paris, present“Is that his house?”We had to blink a few times to believe it. Either Adam Arnault is a man who invites danger into his life or an idiot who denies to himself that nothing can happen to him. Only one of these options would explain the fact that his huge residence does not have cameras or multiple security guards as was the case in Jean's house.The modern architecture alternating in glass, wood and perfectly finished walls that confuse any pair of eyes that it is wallpaper and not paint and cement, accuse it of being his own house and not one he inherited from his family.
The sweet smell of seduction A paparazzi
Luigi didn't have much baggage beyond the essentials. Always very practical and objective. He didn't bring his weapons or ammunition. That he could take care of once he arrived in the United States. So all that was left was a backpack with a modest amount limited by the legal restrictions governing the amount to be carried on trips.“ It's not goodbye!”, I speak excitedly, spicing up my promise to take my future business there.“I hope that in your case you can buy a couple of guys in uniforms”, he refers to the policemen, “Traveling as a good man does not suit an almost Calderone.”“ Not almost, you are a Calderone. M
The sweet smell of seduction Almost caught in the act
“ Bonjour, un café, s'il vous plaît!”I am the first to arrive at the café in front of the newsstand where newspapers and magazines are sold. Unfortunately, it is still closed, which suggests that my anxiety has managed to beat even the sun this morning. I sip my coffee while my fingernails are tapping on the small wooden table, marking the seconds that this employee is late.It is already the second cup of coffee and nothing from him. I take a deep breath, mentalizing that I cannot behave like a stressed-out boss who converts every minute into money. Because anyway, the people I care about reading the fantastic good news are still sleeping wrapped in their imported sheets. And thank heavens I don't have to order a third cup of coffee, the clerk arrives and with him
The sweet smell of seduction Three faces, one choice
“ Monsieur, Monsieur Adam Arnault is waiting for you in the living room. He sends word that you are running late”, Marise enters the scene, saving the day.“ I heard some noise from a cell phone ringing. It may have come from the garden.”“ Non Monsieur, it's mine. Sometimes I forget it, in the rooms of the house. Age is a fulminating thing for our minds. Please don't say anything to Monsieur Arnault.”“ D'accord, don't worry!”He decides to leave the room accompanied by the lady, but it is not safe for
The sweet smell of seduction CEO's secret admirer
The place where nobody wants to be found is not only a neighborhood, it is a hiding place for those who wish to escape from the light of the city, the rules, and who knows about themselves. Coming here in broad daylight exposes the cries of revolt left as soon as night falls, the mother of the lost and of those who find in darkness the best place for their demons to shelter. The graffiti resembles portraits of rebellion, where disorder is the only rule to follow. Smoke stains also bid Welcome, and bottles shattered across the floor are traces of a map of those looking for a hand-to-hand adrenaline rush. Because no matter if it's Paris, deep down, we are all human and it's enough to feel excluded enough to create our own underworld that opposes the perfect ideal from which we were rejected... “ So, this is it!”, warns Larissa as soon a
The sweet smell of seduction Meeting with gangsters
Refreshed walls, renovated furniture, and even a false bottom cabinet. Nothing too extravagant to arouse suspicion about my real financial situation beyond a mere saving that I will use as justification for this renovation and to have something to eat.“ There you go, mademoiselle! Lock changed. This is a good one, it will be difficult to open. Only if the door is knocked down.”“ I will test it…”, I speak to the locksmith and he looks at me with an incredulous look: "You think a mademoiselle can't open a door without a key?“ I, I…”
The sweet smell of seduction 48H not to be killed
Amélia's residence is what you might call a real apartment. With four spacious rooms and a failed attempt to imitate Adam Arnault's decoration, in a version in nude colors and a gray belonging to occasional objects such as sofas, pictures, and carpets. However, the bills left under the door deliver that everything here is not yet entirely hers. There are a lot of installments missing and some are overdue. But, the need to keep herself on another level puts what is essential in second place and drowns her in a sea of debts, which are not worse than the ones she will have to pay for me.After a brief reading, I put the correspondence on the glass table in the dining room and go to find the refrigerator in the kitchen at the other end of the house. It is as well equipped as Jean's, but a complete waste confirmed by my disappointment when I open
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The sweet smell of seduction Last chapter: The promise of return
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
The sweet smell of seduction The Last Night
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 sweet smell of seduction The Desert Island
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
The sweet smell of seduction A Secret Love
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
The sweet smell of seduction The Tenebrous Reconciliation
“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
The sweet smell of seduction The casino
“ 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
The sweet smell of seduction Arriving in California
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
The sweet smell of seduction The Goldmine
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
The sweet smell of seduction The Unexpected Visit
“ 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
