ma chérie | cl16

chapter twenty-eight

"So, here's the thing," Adeline's boss Janice looked into her laptop camera, which was the only way she could communicate with Adeline. "Hunter Bamford wants to cancel the restraining order, and there might be a court hearing. You have to be prepared to speak about it again," Janice let out a sigh, watching the blonde woman on her screen.

"Why is he doing this? It was already hard enough to talk about it years ago, and now opening it up after so much time..." Adeline shook her head, taking a deep breath.

She certainly hadn't imagined this scenario. She hadn't even thought about the possibility that even after six years, she'd be sitting with Janice, discussing Hunter, the restraining order, and her past. Far away from London.

Adeline remembered vividly the very first time she had met Janice. It had been a couple of days after being released from the hospital. Pierre had been the one to discover Janice, one of the most skilled lawyers in the particular field. She had been in her late thirties, having her own law firm. And Adeline had needed someone like Janice. Calm, patient, and kind. Someone to trust, when her parents had failed her.

Janice had secured justice for Adeline, managing to obtain a restraining order. When Adeline had decided to pursue a law career to help people facing... similar situations, Janice had been more than happy to offer Adeline a placement for her qualifying work experience. And seeing how hard-working and ambitious Adeline had been the whole time, Janice had proudly offered Adeline a full-time job in her firm.

This whole situation was breaking Janice's heart. She knew Adeline's past very well, and she also knew how hard it had been for Adeline to open up about it in the first place. On the other hand, she was giving Hunter zero chances to succeed. There was no way anyone would agree to cancel the restraining order, not after Hunter's history. But there was a high chance of getting this case to court again, and Adeline would be required to speak about all of those horrible things again. She needed to be prepared for that.

"Addy, he has no chance. He's simply trying to make us nervous," Janice tried to comfort Adeline. "I'll make sure it doesn't get to the court in the first place, and I'll try to talk Hunter's lawyer out of this," she smiled at Adeline, tucking a lock of red hair behind her ear. "Still, if he really approached you, which is something we will use against him to stop this, you should stay abroad with Pierre. Is that okay?"

"It's no problem," Adeline nodded. For a workaholic like Adeline, it was hard to stay away from work. But now, she was finding other ways to keep her mind occupied. In fact, she didn't need to find other ways. Her mind wasn't full of her past or Hunter. It was full of Charles.

Janice let out a relieved sigh. "That's perfect, Addy. I have to go to a hearing, but we'll catch up later."

"Sure, we need to go to the airport, anyway," Adeline waved at the screen, saying goodbye to her boss and dear friend. After that, she closed her laptop and directed her gaze toward the suitcase she had packed for Rouen.

She was excited to reunite with Pierre's family again. And, most importantly, to see Charles. She had no time nor mood to think about Hunter.

It was all going to work out.

At least that was what Adeline believed in.

:⋆*･ﾟ⋆*･ﾟ

"You two are making me sick," Pierre growled, stepping out of the car, playfully remarking about  the journey from the airport to his house. The constant giggles and unstoppable chatter between Adeline and Charles filled the backseat. Pierre wasn't serious, though. Seeing his childhood best friend laugh with his best friend from the grid was heartwarming. Even though Pierre wouldn't admit that aloud.