Saturday – 2019/09/21 | 14:56 | Paris
On a sunny autumn afternoon in Paris, the sky was a soft blue, and sunlight gently poured over the cobblestone sidewalks, while the air carried a faint scent of roasted chestnuts and dried roses.
The city's quietness was striking on that particular street—no car horns, no pedestrians—just three black cars moving in perfect coordination. One led the way, the second trailed behind, and in the middle, a vehicle with tinted windows clearly indicating someone important was inside.
In the backseat of that middle car sat a woman unlike anyone else, yet impossible to mistake.
Bella Leclaire.
She wore a simple black formal suit, perfectly tailored to her body. No blazer—just the white shirt underneath, slightly open at the collar. Her sunglasses rested on her head, adding a touch of stylish indifference. Diamond earrings dangled lightly from her ears, catching the light sneaking in through the window. Her lips were painted in a dark shade, as if she were speaking to the world without uttering a word.
She held a small tablet, watching a funny short video of awkward wedding moments or children falling in a comical way. She didn't smile, didn't laugh, but her eyes followed the screen with quiet focus, as if trying to empty her mind before facing what was to come.
After a moment, she set the tablet aside, sighed, and pulled a small bottle of mineral water from her bag. She drank a little, then returned it to its place. She reached out to open the window slightly, just to feel the outside air, then closed it again after two seconds—as if remembering that Paris didn't understand the silence she needed.
She stared silently ahead for a few seconds, then finally spoke, addressing herself in a soft but firm voice:
"Five months were enough. If he still doesn't get it, there's no point in waiting any longer."
Her tone was decisive yet quiet, like she was reminding herself that this visit wasn't emotional—it was procedural. A deadline. Irrevocable.
She opened her phone and pulled up the notes app. A list appeared, titled "Things to Say to Amory." It wasn't long—just three points. She read them aloud in a low voice:
"1. The deadline is over.
2. I don't want discussion or justifications.
3. The divorce is happening today."
She closed the notes and set the phone beside her. She wasn't affected. No sign of anxiety or hesitation. She looked more like a soldier on a precise mission—then returning home.
Suddenly, a chime rang inside the car. The driver was speaking via radio to the security in the lead vehicle.
Bella turned calmly to the front glass and asked:
"Is everything alright?"
The driver responded gently while glancing at her through the rearview mirror:
"Yes, ma'am. The road is clear. We expect to arrive in twenty minutes."
Bella nodded without a word, then glanced at her wrist. The time was 2:55 PM.
She whispered, as if speaking to Amory's mansion itself:
"Let me finish this… then go back and have a banana-strawberry smoothie at Amélie's."
Silence returned, save for the hum of the engine and the faint classical music coming softly from the sound system—playing an old, familiar tune, yet without emotion… just like Bella now.
Minutes passed heavily, as if time itself was yawning on its wheel. The streets gradually widened, and the elegant Parisian buildings faded behind tall trees and iron fences—signs of entering a wealthy district.
The three cars continued in silent formation. No horns. No rush. Everything seemed quiet… maybe too quiet.
Bella remained seated in the back, barely shifting since the beginning of the trip. She took out a small box from her bag, opened it, and began wiping her nails with a scented cotton pad. It wasn't for beautifying—just to kill time. Or more precisely… to distract her mind.
She muttered in a weary tone:
"Really... even time refuses to pass."
She set the box aside, then picked up her tablet, but she didn't return to her comedy clips. She opened her email inbox, scrolled through a number of messages, deleted three, and replied to one with a single word: "Agreed." Then she closed the app with a cold tap.
Her phone rang suddenly. She looked at the screen... it was Amélie.
Bella sighed and answered calmly, with a slightly lazy tone:
– "What is it, darling?"
Amélie's voice came through low, but she tried to sound cheerful:
> "I just wanted to make sure you haven't backed out and gone home."
Bella closed her eyes for a second, then smirked lightly and said:
– "Me? Go back? After all this patience? On the contrary... I'm on my way to file for divorce."
Amélie giggled lightly:
> "Just don't act recklessly. Don't break anything… and don't raise your hand, understood?"
Bella leaned forward slightly and replied with a mischievous tone:
– "I won't touch him, don't worry… but if he says something provocative, I might break one of his precious paintings… by accident, of course."
> "Oh My… Call me the moment it's over. I'll be waiting for you."
Bella ended the call, set the phone aside, laughed to herself, and whispered:
"She tells me not to be impulsive… When have I ever been impulsive?"
The driver's voice came calmly:
"Madam... we've arrived."
Bella looked out the side window and saw the tall iron gate, and behind it, the large white mansion that looked more like a fortress than a home.
She took a deep breath, raised her collar calmly, adjusted the diamond earring on her ear, then murmured softly:
"Let's end this chapter of the novel."
One of the guards from the rear vehicle stepped forward to the gate, spoke with the estate's personal guard, and moments later, the gate began to open slowly.
Bella's car entered the tree-shaded driveway, followed by the other two vehicles.
The sun had started to descend toward the horizon, and the shadows stretched across the grass in a way that suggested the place was awaiting a silent storm.
Inside, Bella put her sunglasses back on—not to hide her emotions, but to create distance between herself and the world... for there are moments when isolation isn't a weakness, but a necessity.
Because the one word in this world that demands the most composure… is:
"I want a divorce."
One of the guards approached the car with measured steps and opened the back door with a practiced bow, as if opening the gates to a kingdom, not a car.
Bella stepped out slowly, with steady steps, and as soon as her foot touched the ground, all the guards who had accompanied her from the other two cars bowed… a short bow, but full of meaning: respect, loyalty, and recognition of status.
Bella lifted her gaze calmly to the large white mansion that still seemed to carry traces of the past. Her eyes wandered across the tall windows, the quiet balconies, and the heavy doors that once opened for her with smiles of love… then began to close on her with a cold sound.
She showed no emotion on her face, but her mind didn't let go of those memories. They played like a silent reel in the background of her thoughts:
Laughter on the grass.
Midnight conversations.
Whispered words spoken in one of the corridors.
A promise... followed by disappointment.
And after a moment of inner silence, she raised an eyebrow and muttered to herself with a generational scoff:
"Nah."
As if she were tossing all those memories into a recycling bin.
She pulled a neatly folded paper from her pocket. It was a copy of the divorce papers, accompanied by three pens. She wasn't sure Amory would sign easily… but she was ready for every scenario. Even her pens were chosen carefully:
A luxurious black pen,
A simple blue pen,
And a red one… just a symbolic warning.
She began walking toward the mansion, her footsteps making a soft echo on the stone-paved ground. Halfway there, her head of security approached—a large man in a black suit with watchful eyes.
He spoke respectfully:
– "Ma'am… would you like us to accompany you?"
He knew it wouldn't be easy. And he knew that Bella, despite her visible strength, was walking into an emotional battle more complicated than any security mission.
But Bella looked at him calmly, with a touch of firmness, and said:
– "If I call any of you… it means I need help.
And if I come out on time… it means I'm fine."
The guards were silent for a second, then bowed to her again—this time without words. They fully understood what that sentence meant… and respected it.
She gave them a small smile—one that said, "Thank you, I appreciate your presence, but this is a war I have to fight alone."
Then she turned, and began walking steadily toward the entrance of the mansion.
The breeze and the tree shadows danced over the polished marble. Her steps were soft, but every step said:
"I'm not who I used to be.
I'm here… to end what I started."
Bella ascended the stairs with measured steps. She wasn't rushing, as if giving the place one last chance to feel… familiar. The sound of her light heels echoed on the white marble like the ghost of old footsteps that once walked here in a different time.
She reached the large black door, adorned with winding silver engravings… she knew each one of them. She extended her hand and pressed the metallic doorbell.
It rang once, twice… then silence.
The response was delayed slightly, and just as she lifted her finger to press again, the door opened slowly before she could.
There stood "Lisa," the old maid. A familiar face from many days gone by… she hadn't changed much, only looked more tired.
"Lady Bella?!" she said with quiet surprise, then bowed quickly.
"Apologies… we didn't expect…"
Bella interrupted her with a calm voice, accompanied by a small smile that didn't reach her eyes:
"I know. Just tell him his wife… has arrived."
Lisa bowed again, and said softly, a bit flustered:
"I'll inform him right away… please, come in."
Bella entered without waiting for permission. The door shut behind her with a deep sound… as if swallowing the light from outside.
•••
POV: Bella
Inside Amory's mansion.
Everything is the same.
Same carpet, same mirror, same walls… the same coldness that wasn't from the weather, but from the place itself.
Strange… how everything stayed the same, while I changed?
How long has it been? A year? Less? More?
I don't know… but I no longer belong here. Not anymore.
I closed my eyes for a moment. Took a deep breath.
The smell is still the same: old wood, faint men's cologne, and jasmine traces from some candle.
"Lisa" left me and said she'd go call him.
Will he be surprised?
Will he be happy?
Or will he cling to me as usual… like an idiot?
.
.
.
Hmm… the third option seems most likely.
Either way… this meeting isn't for him. It's for me.
I calmly walked toward the small lounge on the right… the same place I used to run to whenever I felt the mansion was choking me.
I sat on the brown couch and placed the bag on my lap.
I was still holding onto the divorce paper… like it was the only real thing in this lying house.
I looked around.
As if the mansion was watching me.
The eyes of the furniture… the walls… all listening to my breath.
.
.
.
Are there demons in here?
Hmm… I hated this furniture from the start anyway.
Everything is still… still in a disturbing way.
I took a deep breath, muttered to myself:
"It's okay, Bella… just hand him the paper, and start with Plan A: Politeness. If he refuses, move to Plan B: Threats. And if he keeps acting smart… Plan C: Punch him in the face."
.
.
.
Hmm… is it okay to use force… who cares, it's not me anyway.
Hahaha. I'm amazing.
End POV Bella.
•••
Elsewhere
In one of Amory's mansion corridors
The yellow lamps cast their glow on the tall walls, leaving slanted shadows drifting across the polished marble floors.
Lisa, the old maid, was walking at a pace that nearly touched the edge of running. Her long skirt fluttered behind her, and her soft shoes made barely a sound on the velvet red carpet. Her heart was pounding violently, beating against her chest like fear banging on the doors of the sane.
She whispered to herself in fear:
"Oh God… he won't spare me this time…"
She reached one of the heavy doors, hesitated for a second, then began knocking with clear nervousness:
"Sir? Sir Amory?! Sir!"
Her knocks fell like quick rain over a glass window on a winter night… tense, anxious, irregular.
Suddenly, the door opened.
Amory stood before her, shirtless, his body glistening with drops of sweat, his black hair messy as if he had just come out of a battle. He wore nothing but loose trousers, still unfastened. His face was frowning, deeply annoyed… who dared to interrupt him at this moment?
He stared at her for two seconds, eyebrows raised, then opened his mouth, about to shout:
"How many times have I told you not to—"
But his voice cut off when Lisa blurted it out all at once, in a trembling voice:
"Sir… Miss Bella… has arrived."
…
Time froze.
It froze in place, as if the word had slapped his heart, not his face. He looked at her, then at the floor, then at the long corridor behind her, as if his brain refused to believe.
Then he murmured, his voice barely audible:
"What did you say?"
Lisa swallowed hard and whispered faintly:
"Your wife… Lady Bella… is downstairs. Waiting."
His body didn't move. He remained standing, but his expression suddenly changed… his eyes, which had been filled with a strange coldness, flipped into something that resembled shock… or madness.
•••
Side Hall – Downstairs
Bella sat on a brown leather couch, her legs crossed, one foot moving lightly in a sign of impatience. She stared into space with half-closed eyes and muttered sarcastically:
"The one thing I forgot to bring… was my phone."
She sighed slowly and leaned her head back.
"Who's the genius who comes back to face her ex-husband… without even a source of entertainment?… Me."
She turned her head toward the table in front of her. A vase of violets, and a golden clock that had stopped long ago.
"If only there was at least a chessboard… or a cockroach I could amuse myself chasing…"
Suddenly…
The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. Fast, harsh, approaching with force.
She raised an eyebrow in annoyance and adjusted her sitting position without hiding her irritation.
She looked up… and there, on the marble staircase, Amory appeared.
He was running, shirtless, his hair disheveled, his gaze burning like he had just seen the ghost of his first love… or his only love.
Bella stood up halfway, crossed her arms, and whispered with soft sarcasm:
"Oh… the clown has arrived."
Amory stopped at the bottom of the stairs, his breath heavy, his face caught between shock and childlike joy. His eyes were glued to her, as if she were an unbelievable illusion.
He took two steps forward, then mumbled something close to a tremble:
"Bella? Is it… really you?"
Bella looked at him, her eyes not without longing… but wrapped in doubt and sarcasm. A quiet side-smile formed on her lips, like a gentle slap to the cheek of someone who thought himself safe.
She said, in a soft voice, like a stab without raising the knife:
"I was worried you wouldn't recognize me… without your usual perfume of betrayal."
He hesitated. He wanted to smile, to laugh, to run to her… but he froze.
He took a step forward… then another.
"Bella, I… I can't believe you're here. You're really…"
"Yes, not a ghost, not hallucinating from low blood sugar. I'm here, flesh and blood and… paper."
She raised her hand and waved the divorce paper between her fingers lightly, as if showing a ticket to a ridiculous play.
Bella (in a colder voice): "Here you go, my only request this time doesn't include tears or drama… just your signature, Amory."
He took another step… now close enough to see the details of her face.
That face… which was his dream, his night, and his problem all at once.
His eyes leaned toward sadness.
"Bella, don't do this… you don't know how much I missed you. I dreamed of seeing you every night. Everything lost meaning without you. Even this mansion…"
Bella (cutting him off with a sarcastic tone): "Even betrayal lost its meaning? Or were the ones you cheated with just boring?"
He lowered his gaze, his hair falling over his forehead like a child who made a terrible mistake.
"I… I admit I was a fool, more than a fool. But I never stopped loving you, Bella. I couldn't."
She went silent.
She looked at him for a long moment. In her eyes, there was a war: between a woman who wanted to slap him and another who wanted to believe him—just for a moment.
Then she sighed. Her voice this time was soft, low, but still stabbing:
"You love me… but you weren't afraid of losing me. That's the problem with men who love too much but are not skilled at keeping."
He moved closer, sat on the floor in front of her, his knees on the carpet.
"Give me a chance. Just one. Let me prove to you… that I've changed. I swear I—"
"Stop, Amory."
She raised her hand, her voice very calm.
"I don't want proof. I was your chance."
Then she handed him the paper and looked straight into his eyes:
"Sign it."
He hesitated.
His hand rose, slowly, then stopped.
Amory (with a broken voice):
"If I sign it… will I see you again?"
Bella (softly, with a touch of mockery):
"Maybe on magazine covers… or in your dreams."
A moment of silence.
The clock on the table let out a faint sound… as if marking that everything had changed.
Bella stood up.
She rose with complete composure, as if she had never been his wife, but merely a visitor from a golden past whose expiration date had passed.
Amory remained seated on the floor, staring at her as if she were a sunset he didn't want to lose.
Bella (walking toward the door):
"I'll be waiting for the paper… signed. In an envelope. On my desk."
She stopped at the threshold.
She turned back, for one last moment.
"And don't you dare mail it."
Bella had already turned her back and was about to leave with steady steps… but then, the sound of high heels echoed down the stairs, accompanied by a sharp perfume that forced everyone in the mansion to pay attention—if only begrudgingly.
"Ah, Amory! I've been looking for you everywhere! Is this really the time to flirt with ghosts from the past?"
Bella turned slowly, her eyes blinking with total disinterest, like a fly had just landed in a fine dinner plate.
The girl was a young woman overly made-up, wearing a short dress that suited neither the hour nor the place, her hair styled as if she had just stepped out of a shampoo commercial—but lacking both the shine and presence.
She descended with exaggerated steps, then clung to Amory's arm like gum stuck to a luxury shoe.
"It's good you found your way to the door, Bella. Mansions aren't built for visitors from the past."
Bella (with a cold smile and a tone more peaceful than necessary):
"Oh, I didn't know there were still people who talked like that in the twenty-first century."
She looked at Amory and added mockingly:
"Strange… I thought that species had gone extinct."
Amory raised an eyebrow, then sighed, and gently pulled his arm away from her with feigned politeness.
"Carla, not now."
"Why not?" the girl said with exposed annoyance, her smile frozen.
She came closer and whispered to him in front of Bella:
"Would you rather talk to a woman asking for a divorce… than think about your future with a woman who loves you and wants you?"
Amory (calmly, oozing coldness):
"A woman who loves me? I don't remember requesting that offer."
Then he looked at Bella, speaking with a casual tone, as if forgetting everything between them:
"Do you remember when we were talking about the most annoying creatures on Earth? I think I've found the top candidate."
Bella laughed—a short, clear laugh. She raised her hand politely to cover her mouth, then said:
"I thought you were exaggerating when you said parasites could talk."
Carla flinched.
"You're talking about me, aren't you?"
Bella raised her eyebrow, without turning around: "Is it normal for someone to feel the conversation is about them, even if their name wasn't mentioned?"
Amory (mercilessly):
"Carla, it's better if you go to your room. Bella and I are talking."
"Talking?! After everything I did to you?! While she's asking for a divorce and doesn't care about you—"
Bella (cutting her off, stepping forward steadily):
"Oh, darling… don't involve yourself in a war where you have no weapon. What's between me and Amory is far too complicated… beyond your understanding."
Then she added, as if whispering to him but intentionally loud enough for Carla to hear:
"Funny how we were just talking about insects… then one walked in."
Carla's face turned red, then she turned quickly, lifting her chin with shaky arrogance, and said:
"You're both idiots."
And she left… her high heels striking the floor like a declaration of defeat.
Bella looked at him and said calmly while standing at the door again:
"Were you really in a relationship with her?"
Amory (with a hand gesture as if waving off a disgusting memory):
"I clearly wasn't in my right mind."
Bella (with a short laugh):
"I hope that's a convincing enough reason… for your psychiatrist."
Only seconds had passed since the castle doors shut behind Carla, but something in the air suddenly changed.
Bella, who was standing at the door, was close to Amory with amused features… but she stopped when she noticed it. She didn't turn her face, but her eyes slid sideways lightly. A quick glance in his direction.
Amory was still standing there, with a strange smile on his face.
A smile… not sarcastic, not victorious, but very natural… like a child seeing something beautiful in something simple.
And her expression, the moment she saw that smile, changed.
As if someone had silently slapped her.
A heavy silence… her heart pounding so loud it drowned out the noise of her thoughts.
Then, with a nearly trembling voice, she said:
"I think… I should go now."
But she hadn't taken two steps before she felt his hand grab her wrist.
His hand… warm, steady, as if warning her that staying is dangerous, but leaving is also impossible.
She looked at him quickly, her eyes wide, searching in them for any justification… but he was still smiling.
A simple smile… free of drama, free of anger.
One second…
Two…
Three…
Scene Transition – Fast Cut
Streets of Paris.
Crowds… Global brands sparkling on every corner, cafés are packed, and people walk in a crisscross of urgency and pleasure. The scent of coffee and life fills the air.
Bella was standing, stunned.
Her elegant suit had been replaced by regular jeans, an oversized gray sweater, a black baseball cap… and a mask hiding most of her face. Her hands in her pockets, looking around like a madwoman who had lost her way.
Next to her was Amory… wearing a black jacket, the same mask and cap, and his face still held that smile.
He was paying the taxi driver.
Bella looked at the car, then at him, then at herself…
Then said in a faint voice, barely audible:
"I… was inside a taxi?"
As if she had uttered a forbidden word.
Amory shrugged while waving to the driver, then said lightly:
"First time?"
She looked at him sharply:
"I don't think I've even touched a taxi door before."
Then whispered to herself: "Mama would have fainted if she saw me like this."
Amory laughed, a small laugh that came out of his chest without thinking, then said:
"You know… I've never seen you this normal before."
She looked at him, still stuck in a state of unreality, then raised an eyebrow:
"Oh, thanks for the insult… I guess."
"No, no… I mean, not Bella-the-director-the-fashion-lady or the granddaughter of the Duchess of France. Just you… human."
She looked at him, trying to respond, to philosophize, to mock… but she failed.
She felt like words had betrayed her. Or maybe, she didn't want to ruin this… weird thing.
So she said quietly:
"Did you plan this?"
Naively: "No."
Then turned to her, his eyes sparkling behind the mask:
"What?"
He was still smiling spontaneously, despite her.
"I don't know… the idea of taking you on a walk so we could think together—and it looks like I made it worse?"
He went silent, then said in a voice closer to a whisper:
"I didn't marry you… to leave you."
Bella was standing at the street corner, her hand frozen in the air since Amory had placed the money in the taxi driver's hand, while he hummed a strange tune that didn't belong to France or Earth.
She slowly looked up at him as if she was just now discovering that this man was not only insane… but was dragging her into madness with him.
Bella (dryly):
"Really, Amory? This… was your genius solution? We ride a taxi… flee the palace… and stand here like two crazy thieves?"
Amory (smiling with confident pride):
"Oh, Bella, don't be negative. We are now… free."
She slowly pointed to the noisy street, then to her high heels, then to her face mask that made her breathe as if she was climbing a mountain.
Bella:
"Free?! Amory, I literally don't know this neighborhood! If you leave me here, I'll get lost and sold at the lost-and-found auction."
Amory (softly laughing):
"That's why I kept you with me… Don't worry, I'm the human GPS."
Bella (muttering):
"I think you're a GPS headed straight for disaster…"
But suddenly, something on the street caught her attention.
A tall young man, with messy blond hair, was standing near one of the cafés, engrossed in his phone, about to walk in and order his evening coffee. His steps were familiar… his back was familiar… his innocent green eyes when he looked at the door?
Bella (in surprise, with a soft tone like a mother seeing her son return from war):
"…My baby?"
Amory (stopped breathing for a moment):
"…Sorry, what?"
But Bella didn't answer him. She had already started running—yes, running—forgetting the heels, the street, and her fake identity, and stopped in front of the young man to hug him with clear longing.
Lucien (his body stiff like an ice cream left out in winter):
"…Who… who are you?"
Bella lifted her head, looked into his eyes, smiling with confidence, expecting him to say: "Lady Bella, what a surprise!"
But he said it with a trembling voice:
Lucien:
"Eline…?"
Bella blinked.
She blinked again.
Then looked around as if waiting for a hidden camera to reveal this was a prank.
Bella (in a low voice):
"…No."
Calmly, she pulled the mask from her face to reveal her familiar blue eyes and a small smile mixing embarrassment and pride.
Lucien (opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again):
"…Oh my God… you're you? Bella? Lady Bella Leclaire?"
Then he suddenly bowed deeply as if greeting the Queen of England, his hand over his chest:
Lucien:
"I apologize… I didn't notice I mistook you for someone else! I… I'm lucky to have met you here… grateful… a little shocked?"
Bella (laughing cheerfully):
"And I'm lucky you didn't faint just now… I would've been embarrassed."
While the conversation continued with kindness, cheerfulness, and some shyness from Lucien's side, another figure stood just a few meters away.
Amory.
He was standing, watching, his lips tightly closed, his shoulders tense, and his face…
His face looked exactly like someone who just saw their favorite toy being stolen in front of them.
His eyes were fixed on Lucien, as if in a spy movie, assessing the enemy.
In fact, it was strange how Lucien suddenly felt a chill crawl up his neck, as if someone were drawing a map to kill him with a laser.
He turned around in fear… and saw a tall man in a mask and glasses, standing like an electric pole in a thunderstorm… staring at him.
Lucien (whispering to Bella):
"Who's that? He looks a bit scary."
Bella (with a soft laugh):
"Oh, don't worry… that's just Amory."
Lucien (smiling innocently):
"Your husband, Mr. Amory?"
Amory (suddenly stepping closer, placing his hand very gently on Lucien's shoulder):
"More than that."
Lucien (whispering to his soul):
"I'm going to die today…"
•••
The weather indicated it was three in the afternoon, the street was crowded… and Lucien?
He wished he were an ant so he could crawl and hide under a tile.
Bella stood to his right, radiating a smile and light.
Amory to his left… radiating tension and an energy that threatened a nuclear explosion.
Lucien (stammering as he extended his hand to Amory):
"Nice to meet you, sir… I'm Lucien, just… just a small employee in the marketing department."
Amory (looked at the hand as if it were a shady offer):
"Hmm."
Then he completely ignored it, and instead placed his hand on Bella's shoulder, a killer smile forming on his face as he stared at Lucien like he was challenging him to a hidden duel:
Amory:
"So… a small employee. Strange how you know her well enough for her to call you my child."
Lucien (almost choking):
"Nooo no no no sir! She said that! She's the one who… I was just surprised! I even thought she was a completely different girl!"
Bella (laughing, trying to save him):
"Enough, Amory. Lucien is like my little brother… he works hard, he's kind, and calm… not like you at all."
Amory (looks at her suspiciously):
"Kind? …And calm? …And who even likes kindness these days?"
Lucien (trying to support himself with a weak smile):
"I'm only kind because I don't know how to be anything else?"
Amory (leaned toward him slightly and whispered):
"Learn. Quickly."
Lucien (with wide eyes):
"I'll try, sir! I'll be terrifying starting tomorrow!"
Bella (with a childish laugh):
"Lucien, don't listen to him. He's breathing jealousy right now."
Amory (raises an eyebrow):
"Me? Jealous? No, Bella, I just… adore field interrogations."
Bella (grabbing Lucien's arm kindly):
"Don't believe him. When he's jealous, he smiles that creepy way… did you notice?"
Lucien (looking at the trembling Amory):
"I noticed. Very much."
Amory (puffs out his chest like a lion threatened by a chick):
"And what are you doing in this neighborhood, our little employee?"
Lucien (raises his phone):
"I was looking for the nearest café with hot chocolate, I believe it's the cure for all stress."
Bella (excitedly):
"I love hot chocolate too!"
Amory (calmly, with a burning gaze at him):
"And I also love… black tea. Only."
Bella (turns):
"Lucien, let's go into this café! I'll drink hot chocolate with you, a treat for your excellent work days."
Lucien (confused):
"Really? My lady? You're inviting me?"
Amory (with silent internal rage):
"What's the problem… won't this ever end, first that fool and now this dimwit."
Amory (with a fake soft voice):
"Yes, excellent idea, Bella. Let me be the one to buy… two cups."
Bella:
"Lucien drinks without sugar, by the way."
Amory (with implied threat):
"Oh ho… I'll make sure from now on he starts putting three spoons in it."
Lucien (trembling):
"I… I suddenly like sugar, no problem!"
Bella (laughing from the depths of her heart, placing her hand gently on Lucien's head):
"My child, don't worry… he'll calm down soon. Or… at least, that's what we always say and lie."
Amory (with a terrifying smile):
"Ah… I'm always calm. Just don't touch her again. Or even dream."
Lucien:
"I don't even dream! I'm already facing nightmares, thank you!"
Inside the café
The three sat at the table near the window.
The weather outside was sunny... and the weather inside?
Like a creepy basement with sad piano music in the background.
In front of them were three cups:
Hot chocolate × 2
Black tea × 1
And a fancy piece of dessert in front of Bella, almost glowing.
Bella sat elegantly with her mask, sunglasses, and large hat, like a secret agent enjoying dessert on a covert mission.
Each bite she took melted her into another world, and every bite drew a heavenly expression on her face, as if she were tasting the sweetness of life after a century of war.
Bella (whispering while chewing):
– "Ah... this bite holds the secret of life."
On the other side...
Amory sat forcibly on the chair Bella had pushed him into, beside...
Poor Lucien.
The scene resembled:
> A professional executioner sitting next to a trapped mouse in a boxing ring.
Lucien didn't raise his eyes, barely breathing.
He tried to drink the hot chocolate, but his hand trembled and he spilled half of it on the table.
Amory? He looked at him.
Not like a human looking at another human... but like a cat staring at a stolen chicken dish.
Amory's gaze?
It seemed to say: "You're walking on fire. Breathe, and I'll fry your lungs."
Lucien (internally):
– "Oh God, please let me melt with the chocolate and disappear... or send me back to the statistics exam, at least that pain was scientific and methodical."
Finally, after several scorching laser stares...
He dared to ask:
Lucien (hoarsely whispering to Bella):
– "Madam Bella? Is… is Mr. Amory… I mean… is he… a sorcerer since I hear spells coming out of his mouth?"
Bella (smiling, replying thoughtlessly while cutting a piece of dessert):
– "Ah? No, no… he only starts speaking spells when he sees prey that angers him."
Lucien (goes silent for five seconds then whispers):
– "P–r–e–y???"
His eyes widened as if someone told him the chair he was sitting on was electrically wired.
Lucien (whispering while staring at his cup):
– "Me? Prey? God, I'm a vegetarian... I have nothing to do with predators!"
Amory (low whisper like a growl, speaking in unintelligible words):
– "Telium… Flickra… Argnos… Shatline…"
Lucien (in real terror, whispering to himself):
– "Dear God… I swear these are spells… he's summoning a demon against me!"
He tried to avert his eyes, but for one second, his eyes accidentally met Amory's gaze...
And he froze.
Froze like a wax statue in minus thirty degrees.
Bella (casually, while dipping a piece of dessert in the chocolate):
– "If he stares at you for more than ten seconds… it means he's thinking about which finger to break first."
Lucien (immediately turning his face toward the window, whispering to himself):
– "Oh... my pinky toe is yours! Just let me leave here alive!!"
And suddenly...
Bella (with genuine joy as she wipes her mouth):
– "Lucian, you've really grown up! You've become handsome—well, you were always handsome! Remember the first training day? You looked like… a squashed cake."
Amory (quietly banging the table with a smile):
– "A… burnt cake."
Lucian (swallowing hard):
– "I wish I had stayed squashed… it was safer…"
Bella (laughs):
– "Oh no, don't worry. Amory only loves from afar… with a hammer."
Lucian (trembling):
– "I can already feel the hammer swinging behind my head…"
And so… inside a quiet café in Paris, a simple employee sat, trying to survive the wrath of a man who looked like a mix between Dracula and an evil chemistry teacher.
As for Bella? She was living in a candy world, unaware that right beside her, a horror-comedy movie was playing with two free seats.
•••
Minutes later…
Bella had finished the chocolate dessert with full grace and satisfaction.
She lifted the napkin and gently wiped her lips, then stood up calmly and elegantly, as if bidding farewell to a royal banquet.
Bella (with a dazzling smile):
"I'm heading to the ladies' room. Don't kill each other in my absence."
Lucian (in panic, as if she told him she's leaving him in the jungle):
"No no no! Don't leave me! Madam Bella, please!!"
He clung to her arm dramatically like a child being pulled away from his mother on the first day of kindergarten.
Lucian (with teary eyes):
"I can't! He'll eat me! Literally, his eyes are eating me alive!!"
Amory (laughs softly like an angel):
"Ah, Bella… don't worry. We'll be fine, I promise."
Then he slowly turned to Lucian, the smile vanished…
And his face transformed into something you'd only see in "The Silent Killer Who Smiles Before the Crime" movies.
Amory (in a soft voice, but with eyes that screamed):
"I promise… we'll beee just fine…"
Lucian (whispering as he puts his hand over his heart):
"He means I won't be fine. He means I'll disappear. I'm the next missing person on the news…"
Bella (looking at both then laughing):
"Oh my god, stop exaggerating, Lucian. He's just… protecting his territory."
Lucian (crying internally):
"Protecting it from me?! I'm not even the same species!"
Then Bella gently released his arm, and he desperately grabbed the edge of her coat, but she gave him a royal glance:
Bella (with a mighty calm):
"Lucian, you're a man. Stay strong… just five minutes."
Lucian (whispering tearfully):
"I can't even stay strong for one minute…"
Lucian let go of Bella, and she gave him a light smile before walking toward the restroom.
And at that moment… Bella walked into the restroom door and disappeared from sight,
While outside, she left two very different animals in the same jungle:
A frightened mouse… and a smiling lion.
Amory transformed from a cat to a hungry lion, staring at his prey sitting just 20 centimeters away.
Lucian froze in place… trying not to breathe… not to blink… not to show any sign of life.
Amory (softly whispering while stirring the tea):
"Lucian, did you say something earlier?"
Lucian (nodding like a broken robot):
"Never… I don't even speak… I only stay silent."
Amory (smiling):
"Good. Keep it that way."
Lucian (internally):
"Keep what? Keep dying slowly?"
Inside the ladies' restroom – soft pink decor, gentle music, and Bella… in her own world.
She stood in front of the mirror, checking her makeup with half-drowsy, half-glowing eyes. She pulled out her small golden mirror and reapplied her lipstick with the precision of a fashion designer judging every detail in the universe.
Bella (whispering to herself):
– "Perfect... as if the war never happened, even my eyebrows survived the battle."
Then, with the indifference of the universe, she slightly pulled down her mask to breathe... a very simple breath. But...
Unknown girl from behind (muffled voice):
– "H-Huh... H-HEYYY!"
Bella turned slowly. The girl, eyes wide as if she had just seen a mythical creature crawl out of a fashion magazine poster.
Girl (in a trembling voice):
– "You… YOUUUU… Be-Bella Leclair!!!"
Bella (gently raising her mask):
– "No, I'm… Camellia Leclair. Calm down darling, we're in the bathroom."
Girl (voice rising):
– "You caught meee!! BELLAAAA!!!"
Bella (with a deadpan look):
– "I should never leave the house without a disguise… even in the bathroom?"
•••
Outside the bathroom – at the table... the place turned into a scene from a movie: "Calm Before the Nuclear Bomb."
Amory sat like a king, but his eyes were those of an untamed tiger. Beside him sat Lucien… the sweating deer, just trying to stay alive.
Amory (calmly, sipping his tea):
– "Lucien… just a simple question.
Is it possible for you to be attracted to a woman like Bella?"
Lucien (swallowed hard, then tried to laugh):
– "Huh? No no… I mean… um…"
Then he looked down, his eyes starting to sparkle as if recalling every moment he ever had with her.
Lucien (shy and honest, hand on his heart):
– "Honestly… she's amazing.
Strong… smart… when she smiles, it's like the whole world lights up… and when she gets mad? I'm stunned!
Even her walk, it's so majestic it's like she's not even walking… more like floating!
Every time I work with her… I feel like a little student in front of a beautiful, strict teacher."
Amory (internally):
– "Floating…? FLOATING?! I'll float your soul out of your body, you bug."
Every sentence from Lucien was a knife dancing in Amory's heart.
"Floating"? Who says "floating" about a woman? Did he just write a poem?!
Lucien (innocently):
– "And I love when she calls me 'my child'… her voice when she says it? My God…"
Amory (smiling but with eyes like burning coals):
– "Really?"
And suddenly...
Amory stood up in pure rage, the chair flew back and hit the wall, the crash made everyone in the café turn. The waitress almost dropped the tray, and a kid in the corner started crying for no reason.
Amory (in a loud, terrifying voice):
– "I've had enough."
Lucien (startled, heart dropped into his socks):
– "W-What?"
Lucien tried to stay calm, to understand, but before he could breathe...
Amory grabbed him by the collar and yanked his head forward, his other hand wrapped around Lucien's neck. It wasn't a full choke… but more like a message:
"You are now a painting of your own ending."
Lucien (in panic):
– "Wait! Wait! Bella only loves me as an employee!! I'm nothing! I'm dust in her world!!"
Amory (in a demonic voice):
– "And I'm about to sweep that dust away… now."
Then he dragged him off the chair, and the violent dragging scene looked like a bear pulling a tiny rabbit into the woods…
•••
The girl who, a moment ago, was about to scream in a hysterical fit, was now standing beside Bella, chatting like old friends.
Girl (shyly):
– "Sorry, I really thought you were Bella Leclair… you look so much like her!"
Bella (lightly laughing while calmly putting her mask back on):
– "They say everyone has a look-alike, darling. But I do wish I could be like her someday."
Girl (innocently):
– "Really?!… But honestly, you move just like her… and your voice is just as elegant!"
Bella (jokingly while checking the mirror):
– "That's why I live the role. But don't tell anyone, I have a fan club in my imagination!"
The girl laughed, and Bella smiled to herself. It was a rare moment… to speak like a normal person—no cameras, no titles, no businessmen chasing her with questions.
Bella (quietly as she exited the bathroom with the girl):
– "How about we grab coffee again sometime? My treat."
Outside the bathroom
Bella walks calmly, chatting with the girl about lipstick and winter fashion trends, while scrolling through pictures on her phone.
Everything seems normal… except for the table she had been sitting at, which has turned into a miniature arena.
People are gathered, phones raised, one of them shouting, "Record it, Abed!! Record it!!"
Lucian? Flat on the floor like a squashed pie, and on top of him is Amory, holding his neck like he's trying to extract a password from a human vault.
Lucian (in broken voice):
– "T-this... is n-not... how we... express... j-jealousy!"
Amory (angrily):
– "What's the name of this bracelet? Speak! Is it a gift from her? Speak, you parasite!"
Everyone is trying to separate them, but Amory clings to Lucian like an old grudge-pillow.
And suddenly…
Bella walks past them… without even looking. She just says to the girl:
Bella (calmly):
– "You know? Burgundy is really in fashion this year."
Lucian (choking as he sees her pass):
– "Be... Bellaaaa!"
Amory (eyes widening):
– "Shut up… you loser?!"
Bella stopped for a moment, turned halfway, looked at them like a mother talking to two kids fighting over the last piece of chocolate, and said:
Bella (with soft coldness):
– "When you're done wrestling, come…"
Then she continued walking, as if she hadn't just left a scene fit for a circus behind her.
Lucian and Amory exchanged looks,
The first still trying to breathe, the second feeling disappointed… not by her, but by her indifference!
Amory (looking at the ground):
– "...She ignored us."
Lucian (weakly):
– "I feel like she ignored me a little more… but I can't prove it."
•••
Outside the café – under the golden Paris sun
Bella stands at the café door with the girl, saying goodbye with a soft smile.
Bella (adjusting her mask):
– "It was a nice meeting, you seem like the kind of person I could talk to for an hour without getting bored."
Girl (happily):
– "Me too! I felt like I've known you forever. Let's meet again sometime!"
Bella (with a wink):
– "Maybe… who knows?"
She waves at her as she walks away… then stands still, waiting for the two troublemakers.
Bella (to herself):
– "They're late!… Should I step in?… Nah."
A few minutes later…
The mask is on her face, but now she's smiling beneath it. No one notices except her eyes, which glimmer with calm sarcasm.
Behind her, the door opens suddenly...
Lucian comes out first… his hair disheveled, the collar of his T-shirt twisted, his eyes drifting into space like someone who just survived the fiercest love battle in a Korean drama.
Right behind him, Amory… as elegant as always, except he was fixing the wrinkles in his jacket — wrinkles that reminded everyone he had just tried to strangle someone minutes ago.
Bella (calmly, looking at them):
– "You took so long... I was about to call the ambulance or the circus."
Lucian (grabbing her jacket like it's his final moment):
– "Bellaaaaa… he almost killed me!"
Amory (indifferently):
– "He's an adult. I was just performing a medical exam on his breathing efficiency."
Bella (placing her hand on her hip):
– "Oh, and does a breathing exam require squeezing the trachea with an iron grip?"
Amory (looking at the sky):
– "Modern medicine is advanced, my lady."
Bella (turning to Lucian, eyeing the battle marks on his shirt):
– "And you? Didn't you learn any self-defense?"
Lucian (trying to defend himself without daring to look her in the eyes):
– "I was really calm… until he asked me about… about…"
(sighs hopelessly)
Bella (raising an eyebrow):
– "About what?"
Lucian (looking down):
– "Nothing."
Amory (from the corner of his mouth, sarcastically):
– "Idiot."
Bella (takes a long breath, then):
– "I don't understand what you two are talking about… but you, Mr. Amory, should've acted wisely. He's just a teenager."
Amory (looking at Bella calmly, trying to ease the tension):
– "Bella… I didn't mean to cause chaos. I just didn't like the tone he used when talking about you."
Bella (surprised):
– "The tone he used about me? What do you mean by that?"
Amory goes silent.
Lucian looks at Bella, embarrassed and afraid she'll find out the real reason they almost killed each other.
Bella turns her back, starts walking.
Bella (with an annoyed but firm tone):
– "Today's outing is over. I have a royal dinner party at the Palace of Versailles, so we need to head home quickly."
Then she continues walking.
Lucian looks at Amory, then whispers to him as he walks behind her:
Lucian:
– "I won. I'm alive."
Amory (responds while fixing his hair):
– "You're alive… temporarily."
•••
The place: inside a small taxi, at six o'clock on a cold evening in Paris, the street lights reflect on the trembling window glass, while silence hangs over the three passengers.
Bella blinked twice slowly, as if waking up from a long dream... only to suddenly find herself in the back seat of a cramped taxi, wedged between two bodies no less tense than hers.
To the right, Lucien... sweating in anxiety, trying his best not to let his arm touch hers, even though the space between them couldn't even fit air.
And to the left... Amory, sitting in terrifying silence, his eyes shooting arrows toward Lucien, stern, sharp looks, almost saying:
"How dare you touch her?"
Lucien (silently talking to himself while biting his lips):
> "I'm not even touching her... the car is tiny! What should I do? Roll out the window? We're two big men and the seat can't take all this!"
Amory (finally speaks in a low voice laced with threat):
"Your arm... is touching her."
Lucien (tries to twist his body in a nearly impossible way):
"She's the one sitting in the middle, sir... I'm a victim of seat planning, nothing more."
Bella, for her part, said nothing... she pulled out her phone and pretended to be busy, while her eyes enjoyed the free theatrical show, as if she were in a café offering rare, improvised comedy.
Then, after minutes of walking in heavy silence, the car stopped in front of a simple two-story house, surrounded by flowers, with warm lights shining from its windows as if comforting those inside.
Lucien moved immediately, reaching for his pocket: – "I'll pay the fare, the least I can do after all this..."
Bella (quietly as she opens the door):
– "No need, Amory will pay."
Amory (freezes, looking at her as if she asked him to take on a crime that's not his):
– "Me?!"
Bella (lightly pinches his arm without the driver seeing):
– "Yes, because you're the reason for all this mess. Take responsibility, at least."
Amory exhales silently... pays the driver without further discussion.
Lucien (gets out of the car, turns to her with a soft smile, then looks into her eyes):
– "Thank you... for today. And for... everything."
Bella, behind her mask, smiles… that kind of smile that can't be seen, but is understood. She nods in farewell, in a silence that speaks more than a thousand words.
Then Amory returns inside, sits next to her.
Driver (with his usual calm voice):
– "Where to now?"
Amory (speaks with a calmness resembling cold iron):
– "Billy-Rose du Noir district."
The driver raises his eyebrow slightly in surprise... observing the modest appearance of the passengers, then turns his gaze back to the road, where the buildings shift from ordinary to magnificent, the lighting becoming warmer and more dazzling, until it seemed to him that he was driving through an oil painting, not real life.
Driver (whispers to himself):
"Did I lose my way? Or are these... thieves in second-hand suits?"
The car stops in front of a massive gate of a palace unlike anything he's ever seen. An architectural masterpiece surrounded by trees, with an old engraving above it that reads:
> "Château Élan de Lys"
(Élan de Lys Palace)
Owned by the French Duchess Leclair family since 1763.
The driver stares… then turns to Bella, asking her with suspicion mixed with curiosity:
– "Miss... what do you want from this place?"
Bella (gets out calmly, speaks coldly):
– "I live here sometimes, only on important occasions."
Driver (tilts his head):
– "You live here?!"
Bella almost said: "I'm Bella Leclair," but her mind caught the situation at the last moment...
She smiles faintly, artificially, then says:
– "I work here... as a maid."
Amory (intervening quickly with a firm voice):
– "Yes, and we're already late. Thank you."
The driver was still looking at Bella, his eyes examining the mask, the glasses, the gloves... everything about her said she wasn't a "maid."
But in the end, he just sighed, started the car, and drove away.
Bella looked at the palace… and sighed.
But as she approached the gate, she was stopped by the guards in a strict official tone:
– "Entry is prohibited. Please provide identification."
She fell silent… slowly raised her hand, then removed the mask from her face.
In one moment, everything changed.
The guards (immediately bowing in unison):
– "Miss Leclair! We apologize, we didn't know... please enter, the gate is open."
Bella entered the palace gates, her steps as still as water, and her eyes never stopped observing.
> "What a long day… "
Then with a faint smile that carried the sarcasm of indifference… she disappeared behind the doors of Château Élan de Lys, where another story begins.
To be continued...
If you liked this episode, please tell me in the comments which one you think is better to Bella, Lucian or Amory.