A Woman's Empire

LXII

CHAPTER SIXTY TWO

Audrielle didn't end up spending the night at the penthouse, instead she went back to her hotel room and fell asleep in her own bed; alone. She was woken up to a loud knock on her door and quickly hurried out of bed to open it. It was no surprise that Leo was standing there, already dressed and neatly groomed so early in the morning.

"Good morning." Leo greeted and Audrielle couldn't help herself but yawn.

"Morning." She said in a groggy tone.

"I have some things I need to sort out. I thought because you haven't been to London before, you might have wanted to go shopping. Maybe get a dress or something to wear tonight for a planned dinner we were invited to." Leo offered, handing her a fancy looking card.

"Um, yeah sure. What time is dinner?" Audrielle asked, still sleepy.

"We'll leave the hotel at seven. I'll have three body guards associated with you while you're out." She rolled her eyes at Leo's protective behaviour and after discussing a couple of other details, she watched him walk down the hall to his penthouse before closing the door and getting ready.

It didn't take her long to get ready and before she knew it, she was heading out of her hotel room where a body guard in a black suit waited for her. "Good morning, Mrs. Amour, we have a car at the front of the hotel waiting for you."

"Hi, what's your name?" She asked, swiftly turning around to look at him.

"My name is Dominic." Audrielle smiled and patted him on the shoulder before pressing the button for the elevator.

"Nice to meet you Domino."

"Um, my name's Dominic, ma'am." He muttered and she turned back at him, grinning.

"And my name is Audrielle, not Mrs. Amour so please address me correctly next time."

"Right, sorry Miss Audrielle." Dominic apologized.

"It's okay Dominic, we all make mistakes."

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London was gloomy. Luckily, Audrielle packed warm and long clothing so the cold didn't affect her too much. People flocked along the streets of London, parents chasing after wandering children, teenage girls shopping their worries away and a young man with his dog busking on the corner, singing while he strummed his guitar. Audrielle had already been to several stores, designer stores too and the shopping bags in her hands proved that she couldn't care less about what she brought. If she saw something in the window she liked, she simply walked into the store and brought it. The price tag wasn't a concern of hers, even if it was well and truly in the thousands. After all, it was Leo's money and he had too much of it.

However, she still hadn't found a dress for the dinner that caught her attention. Sure, she had brought several dresses; some that were sun dresses that would be perfect for the summer but she hadn't found a dress she was willing to wear out to a fancy dinner with Leo. After stopping for a break at a café on the corner, Audrielle was back to shopping with the body guards following close behind. Dominic was the only one willing to talk to Audrielle and she found it comforting having someone to have a small talk with while they strolled down the street.

After buying some new makeup and perfume, Audrielle made her way to the next designer store, Dolce and Gabbana. Walking around the store, nothing caught her eye until they landed on a mannequin that was showcased at the back of the shop. It was a sultry black dress that was made out of layers of lace. Audrielle grinned to herself, grabbing one that was in her size and headed to the checkout, paying for her dress.