Prevail - [Charles Leclerc]

Vingt-Sept

          Groans in unison sounded at the shrill alarm that went off. Sara buried her face further in the pillow, pushing it half over her head as she turned away from her sound. Charles sat up to turn it off, leaning on his elbows with a sigh. They had returned from their charter in Malaysia, and it was time to get back to work. "I don't even want to know what time it is," Sara huffed, hearing him chuckle lowly as Charles' arm wrapped around her to pull her into his chest. His warm embrace felt amazing, making her feel sleepy again right away. His hand caressed her side as he leaned over to press a few kisses to her cheek. Charles quietly got out of bed, pulling the sheets fully over her as he left. He went into the bathroom to take a quick shower before getting to work. There was a lot to do, as he had multiple requests from partners to go over, he had that meeting with Carlos in Milan this Friday, and he had a deal planned tomorrow. Charles washed his limbs with some body wash, washing it down before turning off the water.

He wrapped a large towel around himself, brushing his teeth above the sink, before he reached for his cologne. Charles got dressed soon after, seeing Sara had gone back to sleep as he went downstairs. "Good morning, Charles," Dennis greeted him. "Good morning," Charles nodded, walking past him to arrive into the kitchen, as Gisele just put down a coffee for him. "Thank you, Gisele," he muttered softly, and she gave him a small smile before she exited the room to leave him alone. Yesterday's paper was still on the table, and he only made an effort to look at the front page. He picked up his coffee, he had some breakfast as Gisele brought him some toast and fruit. The holiday life had been good with Sara, he truly had some nice memories from the charter. It had been great to just lay on a yacht and do nothing, seeing his wife happy with her friend. He assumed it also won't take long before they receive a wedding invitation from Carlos and Isa, although Carlos hadn't decided yet when he would pop the question.

Charles gathered his plate and his cup, leaving them on the table for Gisele to take as he went to his office. He opened the windows to let some fresh air in. His inbox was swamped with mails as soon as his laptop was started up. Charles let out a deep sigh, but rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and got to work. He was mainly responding to requests, invoices and scheduling products ready for shipping or pickup. His men would do most of the rest anyway. A shipment of illegal guns was on its way to Monaco, which he would handle in the marina in two days. And there was the penthouse he wanted to buy for him and Sara. He had requested a viewing, which was accepted for tomorrow. This weekend was a night in the casino, hosted by one of his partners. He put it all in his agenda, making sure he would receive notifications, because this was crazy busy. But, it was the start of the New Year, and he figured he could better be organized from the start. Charles' phone rung, showing an unknown caller ID. He picked it up, knowing it was about the marina delivery.

"Yes, I will be there myself," he confirmed as he got up from the chair behind his desk, moving to the window to see Monte Carlo moving beneath him. One of his hands slipped into the pockets of his slacks. "I will bring three of my men," he said next, raising an eyebrow. "Do you not trust me?" he asked, receiving an answer that satisfied him. "Of course I do, Charles," Fernando Alonso responded. "There's just something interesting I heard, I think it's important for you to know," his Spanish partner said. "What is it about?" Charles asked, his eyebrows furrowing together. "I've spoken to some of my crew from Valencia, they have stumbled upon a lead that may suggest that Matteo Abril is involved with the murder of your father," Fernando hesitantly said. Charles' jaw slacked as he felt his heart rate going up. "Is there anyway I could see that evidence?" He said. "I'll check what's possible, perhaps I could hand you over some documents tomorrow," Fernando responded. "When did you hear this?" Charles continued.

"Last week," Fernando answered. "I should have been informed right away," Charles said. "Lo sabe, Charles, but it's the father of your wife. And we're talking about Matteo Abril here, you want to have a serious case if you ever go up against him," Fernando said. "If he's involved with the murder of my father, then I don't care who he is,"  Charles bit. "I'll see you tomorrow, thanks," he finished the conversation and ended the phone call. Charles sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers. Sara couldn't know about this. Even though she despised her family after they practically sold her out to the Leclerc's, she wouldn't believe her father would be involved with such a thing. Charles shook his head, not sure how to approach it. He just had to gather more evidence and play detective for a while before he could come up with anything. But once he pointed a finger to blame someone for the murder of his father, there would be a war between two crews for sure. Charles checked the time and he decided he would take a break for some lunch. He had been working nonstop since he woke up anyway.