Discovered (7 page)

JULIEN

I had done everything I could
think of to get a hold of Emily but she hadn’t pick up her phone or respond to my ten text messages. Apart of me, the man my father had groomed me to be, wanted to just give up and believe that last night meant nothing to me but something inside of me just couldn’t let well enough alone. I needed to talk to her, to make her understand my situation but I didn’t know how, especially since she was obviously avoiding my calls. The woman was stubborn indeed!

I hadn’t been back into the bedroom since the morning, hiding out in my office instead. I couldn’t
stand to look at the bed and not remember our making love earlier that day. She had surrendered herself to me completely, obeying my commands. She was a goddess, my queen to ravish in any way I wanted and that drove me utterly mad. Was I losing my mind to allow one night to affect me in such a way? I wasn’t sure but what I did know was that I couldn’t let this end just yet, not until I had explored all that could come from our… relationship?
I need a drink!

I
pushed off from my desk, got up and walked over to the bar, gabbing the scotch bottle, not bothering to pour it into a glass. Placing it on my desk, I stared at the bottle recalling the conversation I had earlier with Charlette.

I wasn’t really nice to her when she walked through the house, practically singing my name in search for me
. My emotions were all over the place. I was upset that Charlette’s text had made Emily run off, that Emily had gotten hurt by my not telling her, but mostly that she didn’t give me a chance to explain… instead she left me… no one leaves me!

So when Charlette strutted into my bedroom, smiling from ear to ear…
I held nothing back!

“What
in the hell do you want Charlette,”
I barked at her, glaring at her with what was undeniably a look of pure evil.

Her smile immediately fell but her annoying attitude was still intact,
“Is that the way you speak to your wife Mr. Belmont? What would your father to say?”
she said with her head slightly tilted up, showing her snobby ways.

Wife… t
hat one word pushed me completely over the edge as I walked straight up to her, mere inches away from her face,
“Call whomever you please Charlette, I don’t care! Let’s get this perfectly clear… this is just an arrangement, you are not my real wife… I just want you to leave me alone! C'est c'que je veux. That's what I want. So unless we have an event to attend… stay out of my life!”

I knew I was being harsh with her. It wasn’t her fault but at the time I just needed someone to blame, someone I could hurt because of how I was feeling. I had never experienced this type of pain and hurt before and I couldn’t hold on to my emotions. I knew my father would chastise me if he ever saw the way I was behaving but I
needed to let this out.

For a minute I thought I saw sadness in her eyes but she quickly steadied herself and responded, still holding my
gaze
“Is this about that girl standing in the driveway? Is that why you’re behaving this way?” she asked, puckering her red lips.

Emily? Was she still outside?
I ran to the window and just as I adjusted the curtain, I saw caught a small glimpse of her climbing into a black Toyota. It had never occurred to me to see if she was still outside and I kicked myself silently for being so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t think to check.

I backed away from the window when the car was no longer in sight, bringing my hands to my head
, when Charlette did something I hadn’t expected.

“
À la fin! Enough! You cannot lose yourself over one little woman my dear Jules. This woman, whom ever she might be, you must forget about her!” she announced before walking up to me. She placed her hand on my shoulder, “I have never seen you like this and I must say this behavior would not please your father. It’s obvious that she has done something to you to make you behave like this but no one woman is worth…”

“She is worth everything! The Julien Belmont I was before, I can never be again Charlette…”I murmured as I strode pas
t her, retreating to my office and slamming the door shut behind me.

I stayed in the office even after I heard her leave, calling Emily, texting her and trying to research all
of the restaurants in California to find her, but I had no luck. Maybe Charlette was right, maybe I needed to let her go. Somehow this woman had made me come, undone and it scared me.

CHARLETTE

Jules behavior regarding the American woman was shocking to say the least. Christopher, the investigator I’d hired to follow Jules for the past three years, called me last night to inform me of Jules’ newest conquest. Initially I wasn’t alarmed, but as morning came, he reported that woman hadn’t been sent away after their night together. Jules never allowed his mistresses to spend the night. So when this Emily woman hadn’t left, I decided to take a trip back to California to visit with Jules.

She was nothing special! Just an average young girl who seemed t
oo naïve to think that Julien could be interested in her for anything more than just a fling. I hadn’t expected for her to see my text to Jules but I couldn’t help but to enjoy the horrid look on her face as I drove up to Jules estate.

For the past three years I have watched a variety
of women rotate in and out of Julien’s bed and never has it lasted more than a few months. Surely this Emily woman would be just the same.

I had to admit that Jules seemed a bit more interested in the
briseuse de ménage
, home wrecking whore. I wasn’t worried. Like the others, I would handle her and soon my plan would be in effect. All I had to do was track her down. It didn’t take long for me to find out who she was. I am Charlette Delacroix after all. There wasn’t anything in the world outside of my grasp.

When I arrived at the address
Christopher gave me, I wasn’t surprised. The apartment complex was as bland as her. The beige building was lost amongst a sea of similar complexes. The only thing that differed was the patterns of the cracked paint. Nothing about the place screamed the type of luxury that Jules and I were used to.
Was she some kind of charity case?

As
I stood in front of her obviously run down door; I went over the speech I had prepared. If my plan was going to work, I needed to sound as convincing as possible. Emily would never be the wiser and Jules… well he wouldn’t know what hit him until it was too late!