Apex | Charles Leclerc

Chapter 47

It's a bit late on my end, but I wanted to post this before I got busy tomorrow :)

Please keep an eye for some typos

Enjoy!

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August 17, 2025 - France

Marseille is probably my favorite so far. For the two nights we were staying here, we weren't going to sleep on the boat. One of Max's friends was spending his summer in Thailand and let Max borrow his apartment for the next three days.

It was absolutely gorgeous with it being on the top floor and having an amazing view of the city. There were only two rooms— the master bedroom which had an en suite bathroom and the guestroom which was only big enough for me and Gabby. Heidi and Daniel would be taking the master bedroom while Charles and Max set up their sleeping area by the living room.

There wasn't any concrete plans for our stay here but I did want to visit Notre Dame. I looked up the other tourist spots we could visit and I made a list which includes Chateau D'lf, Vieille Charité, Parc Borély, and Palais Longchamp.

I don't know if I'll have the time to visit all of them, especially Chateau D'lf since I'll be going there alone. When I told them about the places I researched, they weren't really excited about visiting an old prison but my intention was to see one of the important places in The Count of Monte Cristo. I scheduled that for last so that it wouldn't be difficult for us all to split up.

With the amount of cameras Gabby brought for this trip, she was able to lend me one of her film cameras for my solo expedition to the small island while they visited the beach. I wasn't really up for just lounging around while we're in Marseille, so I promised I'd meet them back at the apartment to get ready for dinner. Besides, there was a big chance that they'd get recognized and I didn't want to see photos of me with Charles online. Gabby said a few have already been leaked which mainly defeats the plan of our agreement to have a quiet breakup.

I took a bunch of pictures during the ferry ride, standing by the deck beside other tourists who wanted to see the old prison. A tour guide was with us to keep us from getting lost and wandering to parts of the prison we weren't supposed to visit. We went through the outdoor area first before moving on to the courtyard which held the well and the rooms of the prisoners. There were a few holding cells left open for the public to walk in and visit and I couldn't help the eerie feeling that crept up my spine when I entered one. Not wanting to spend much time there, I turned around to go back to the group and ended up bumping into someone's chest.

"I'm sorry—" I said, stepping back and looking up. I stopped when I met familiar green eyes that would've been hard to notice because of the navy blue cap over his head. "What are you doing here?" I raised an eyebrow at him, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Going on a tour." Charles replied, following behind me as we caught up with the group.

"Are you following me?" My voice was irritated and I'm sure he noticed it when he glanced at me by his side. If he wanted to come with me, he could've just said so instead of going incognito as if he was my bodyguard.

"I was worried you'd get lost. You're not exactly fluent in French, Nova." He smirked and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him.

"Je suis tenté de t'enfermer dans une de ces cellules de détention et de te laisser pourrir ici." [I'm tempted to lock you inside one of these holding cells and leave you here to rot.] I replied back, watching in satisfaction as Charles' eyes widened in surprise. "I think that was pretty good, hmm?"