Faded Love - Charles Leclerc

Chapter 1: Return to Monte-Carlo

🎶 Ava (Sped Up) - This World Is Primal, My Grinding Jaw — MADAX 🎶

"Darling have you seen my passport?" I shouted while rummaging through my drawer.
"It's in your crossbody bag!" Bobby shouted back.
Right, I had put it there yesterday. I closed my cupboard door and walked to our kitchen/living room area where he was sipping on his coffee and reading the Boston Globe.
"What's new in the world?" I asked him and took the coffee he had lovingly prepared for me from the counter.
"King Charles was hospitalised yesterday night" he told me, while continuing to read.
"Well, Oli better propose, his wife could move up a place soon in the line of succession" I chuckled and Bobby closed his newspaper to laugh.

"Ready for the big trip?" he asked and smiled brightly at me.
"Big trip? I'll be away for two days!" I replied.
"And those two days will be awful without you!" he replied and stood up to walk towards me.
"I can't wait to join you in Hyannis Port on Sunday" I said and kissed his lips.
"And I can't wait to finally make it official then" he said and caressed my left ring finger, where he had placed an incredible diamond ring just a few weeks ago.
"To be honest, I am a bit nervous - but then, I always am when your grandfather is around" I chuckled.
"Oh, so the big TV stations are no problem, but Grandpa is?" he laughed.
"Shut up" I joked and kissed him again.

"Ok, let's go now, the car should be here any minute." Bobby said and pushed my Rimowa suitcase out of our Uptown apartment. Downstairs, the usual shiny black car was already waiting for us and my fiancé was riding with me as the office was just on our way to the airport. He also was a partner at McKinsey and we met two and a half years ago when I had started there. We were just friendly colleagues in the beginning but our annual office regatta brought us closer and we started dating a bit less than two years ago. This July, on our holidays in Greece, he proposed and I was over the moon. Bobby was everything I could have ever wished for and the timing with which he stepped into my life couldn't have been better.

"This is me" he suddenly said and I woke up from my daydream of him.
"Goodbye darling, have a safe trip today and greet everyone at the Compound on my behalf" I said and leaned in to give him another quick peck.
"I will. And you say hi to Carmen and George and congratulate them, I can't wait for their wedding next month!" he said and with that he got out, closed the door and sent me one last wave.

When I arrived at the airport, there was already a United Airlines valet waiting for me in front of the entrance for First Class check-ins.
"Good morning Miss" he greeted me friendly.
"Good morning" I replied and sent him a smile.
"Nice today?" he asked while he was unloading my suitcase.
"Yes, special occasion in Monaco" I replied and gave him a ten-dollar note as a tip before making my way inside with him following suit.
At the counter, I checked in my luggage and then made my way through security control and towards my gate. Unfortunately, I had to take a connecting flight from Newark, as there was no non-stop one from Boston, but there was no rush.

Everything went smoothly and due to time difference, I arrived at 10am sharp the next morning in Nice. When I stepped out of the airport and the warm, familiar sea breeze hit my face I already saw an overly ecstatic Carmen waving and standing next to a Mercedes G-Wagon.
"Finally!!!! Ahhh, I missed you so much!" she said as she hugged me tightly.
"I missed you too, Carmen" I replied and hugged her back.
"Come on, let's go, you must be starving and the ceremony will be at three already!" she said and got into the car.
She drove me to George and her's apartment and I left my luggage in their guest room.

"Hey, I quickly cooked you some scrambled eggs, George should be here any minute too" Carmen said, peeking her head into the guest room.
"Coming!" I said and followed her.
I sat down at the table and she looked at me expectantly.
"Are you going to tell me or do I have to pull your tongue out?" she asked with a grin.
"I don't know what you're talking about..." I said and blushed, exactly knowing what she was talking about.
"Kennedy!" she almost shouted.
I nodded and grinned.
"Oh my gosh!! Show me the ring!!" she screamed.
"I don't have it with me" I said and showed her my empty left hand.
"What?! Why?" she asked.
"We're announcing it next week at the Compound. His grandfather pulled all the strings, national and regional television, journalists, and a whole bunch of the family will be there" I said.
"Is it that serious?" Carmen asked.
"Elections for Congress are in less than two years and what better publicity than a wedding?" I shrugged.
"And you're ok with that?"
"They're like the American Windsors or Grimaldis. If you marry into that family you have to accept their lifestyle. I did the equation and I'm ok with it" I said and smiled.
"And I'm over the moon for you. Bobby is the best guy for you, he loves you and treats you like a Queen, not like-" she said but stopped herself in time.
"Like Charles?" I chuckled. "You can say his name, it's not like he's Voldemort. It's a chapter I closed a long time ago" I added and smiled.
"I know, but it's never nice to be reminded of your ex. He's coming to our wedding just so you know..." Carmen said.
"I know, I'm doing the seating chart for the dinner, remember? It's ok, really, Bobby knows everything, he is a huge as fan of his nonetheless" I chuckled.
"Despite that whole contract thing?" Carmen asked incredulously.
"No! I told no one except you guys about that! And it should stay like that, please. I'm not sour about it and I stand above all that pettiness from the side of the team. Maybe I should tell Lando though as he's already wondering why I'm replying with a vomit emoji every time he sends me a picture of him with that red suit or car." I chuckled.
"Well, I can't wait to see Bobby and you at the wedding, it's going to add a whole other level of glamour" she laughed.
"Oli is bringing his girlfriend who's a niece of the King - as if that isn't glamour enough" I joked.
"Yeah, I was meaning to ask you: how on earth did he manage to pull that?!" she asked incredulously.
"Don't ask me! They met when he sold her her apartment in Mayfair, he's already met the family and everything, it's quite serious" I replied.
"Unbelievable - oh shoot, we should start getting ready." she said and quickly stood up.

In that moment, George entered the apartment and immediately greeted me happily.
"You owe me 20€!" Carmen's shouted to her fiancé.
"What?! Where's the ring?" George exclaimed.
"Not here. It's not official yet - wait you guys bet on us getting engaged?" I laughed.
"It was only a matter of time with how he looks at you" George said and smiled. "I'm really, really happy for you two, he's worthy of you" he added.
"Thank you George" I said and hugged him.

We got ready and then we were off to their civil wedding ceremony or as I called it, a simple contract signing. It was just me, the couple and George's best man. He had chosen, no one knows why, Lando for that and I was surprised on the one hand as he was still stuck in puberty, but on the other hand I was so happy to have him stand next to me when George and Carmen signed their papers, making her officially Carmen Russell.