REVASSER ( charles leclerc ! ) ON HOLD

CHAPTER ONE

2005
monte-carlo, mónaco

MATILDA RIZZO WAS SMILING as her sandcastle finally looked like it was starting to form, trillions of grains built together like a vast building could make her happy, and that's why she wanted to show her dad, who was sitting on a bench next to Hervé Leclerc. The little girl ran towards her father, tugging on his shirt sleeve.

"Daddy, come look at the sandcastle I'm building, I'm almost done, but I want you to help me finish it," Matilda begged her father to come with her to the messy scene, but he didn't pay much attention to her because he was to talk to his old friend.

The Italian girl got very disappointed and gave up asking her dad, so she decided to get back to the playground; Matilda started walking with her head low, practically dragging her feet for her to keep moving, when she was about to kneel and get her knees filled with sand and who knows what else, a kid came running towards her castle, stepping on it, eventually destroying it.

When she was about to reciprocate the kid for what he had done, he recognized him as Charles Leclerc, the kid she knew all too well because of their parent's friendship, which infuriated her even more because he was supposed to be her friend.

"What is wrong with you, Charles? It took me so long to build that castle," The girl wanted to scream at the Monegasque in front of her, but he decided to defend himself too.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know it was yours!" Charles raised his hands in surrender while his new friends just stared at the scene in silence and with wide eyes.

"Even if it wasn't mine, you shouldn't be destroying people's stuff like you always do." She crossed her arms in her chest as she stared at him with pure anger. "I'm telling your dad."

"No, Tilly, please don't tell my dad," Charles implored the girl while he grabbed her arm, stopping him from walking any longer, "He's going to take me home, please."

"That's exactly what I want him to do." Matilda released his grip on her arm as she stomped towards the two male adults, who were alerted of her presence by the sound of her crocs.

"What's wrong, honey?" Her dad, Matteo, asked his daughter as he picked her up and sat her in his lap; then, he watched as Charles approached them, practically sprinting.

"Mr. Leclerc, Charles destroyed my sandcastle on purpose! And it took me too long to do it, which makes me mad and sad." Matilda exposed the action to Charles's dad, who looked at his son with disbelief.

"I didn't do it on purpose; I didn't even know it was Tilly's!" Charles's statement developed into an argument with both children until Hervé decided to stop them.

"It's enough! You," he pointed at Charles, "apologies to Matilda right now." But Charles just shook his head, not taking his eyes off of the girl. "Apologize."

"No." The Monegasque boy spat out harshly, to which Hervé was surprised, so he asked him to apologize to her again. "No, I won't apologize for something I didn't do intentionally!"

"Okay, don't apologize, Charles, but we'll never be friends again." Matilda jumped off her father's lap, staying face-to-face with Charles.

"Fine."

"Fine!" The girl stormed off the scene, and so did the boy. At the same time, their fathers were following behind.