Mysterious Secretary✔

Chapter I

On the morning of her thirtieth birthday, Scarlett Johansson paused thoughtfully in front of the mirror. Around her mouth she could see small wrinkles, and around her eyes, when she smiled, discreet crow's feet. Mixed with the golden hair, which fell to just below her shoulders, some white strands insisted on standing out. She wanted to rip them off, but she hesitated. She was now a grown woman, approaching middle age, and she needed to remember that.

She touched the soft skin of her face. It had been difficult to always protect her from the sun and wind, but the sacrifice had not been in vain: she looked much younger than her thirties.

Owner of a slender body, health and happiness, what more could Scarlett want?

The last six years had been exhausting, and now they were a thing of the past.

The death of her husband, Romain, had left her with a heavy burden: her twin sons, Jamie and Christian, and her father-in-law, Paul. For them, she worked like crazy, becoming a model of efficiency.

She lived only for the happiness of her family, leaving little for the vibrant woman she had locked inside. With her husband's death, her illusions had faded. Sometimes she had the feeling that all her sensuality had gone with him.

Not that Scarlett was unhappy, but something was missing. Not even a boyfriend could bring her back the joie de vivre, the euphoria, which were once her trademarks.
There was Colin, Scarlett thought as she examined the still-strong abdominal muscles that gave him an enviable waist, always considerate of children, but he was just so...unfunny! If she agreed to stand by him, she would have to resign herself to the simple role of wife and mother.

However, Scarlett didn't consider herself as comfortable as Colin. She wanted to take a world of adventures with her hands, she wanted to find joy, pleasure, to possess everything that life could offer.

Marrying Colin was a practical and even predictable decision. On the other hand, she knew that by doing so she wouldn't find the answer to her own yearnings. She had a special affection for him, and she knew he loved her well.

But security is not everything to make a marriage happy. Scarlett didn't care if she had enough money to pay her debts, she didn't want to give up hope of falling in love again, in a way so intense that nothing else would make sense.

Her father-in-law's call woke her from her morning reveries.

- I'm leaving, Paul.

After putting on the navy blue blazer, Scarlett spread the light foundation on her face, followed by powder and a discreet lipstick. She pulled her hair up into a bun, the ideal hairstyle for the woman who doesn't want to draw attention to herself.

Instead of highlighting the contours of her green eyes, she hid them behind glasses she didn't need to wear. The gray tone of the photochromic lenses canceled out the vivacity of that face, making it somber and extremely serious.

On purpose, for the past three years, she'd repeated the same ritual every morning, transforming the attractive woman she was into another, austere, almost lacking in vivacity.

Another call surprised her as she searched for her bag, and she ran down the stairs, past the narrow room and into the kitchen.

Unlike the bedroom, the kitchen received the morning sun and was filled with the aroma of the buns that were still in the oven.

- Good morning, Paul! - Scarlett kissed him softly, before examining the table, already set for breakfast. - I didn't need to scream so much, I can tell the time.

- So, chérie, why are you always late? - the father-in-law asked, joking.

She admired the man serving her coffee. Paul was short and so nice that people forgot he wasn't handsome.