Bonjour ma chérie || Charles Leclerc

•Chapter 30•

°Go ahead and cry, little girl
Nobody does it like you do
I know how much it matters to you
I know that you got daddy issues
And if you were my little girl
I'd do whatever I could do
I'd run away and hide with you
I know that you got daddy issues°

It's been some days since Diana's return. Life was going normally, like it used to before her holidays. The only change was the need to spend more time on her phone. This was the only way to talk to or see Charles, even though he was just on a small screen.

"They got me a new Media Instructor today. Her name is Jessica." Charles mentioned in one of the many phone calls that they had.

"Oh, did you have any problems with your previous instructor?" Diana asked out of curiosity.

"No, James was great, but he found a better position, so they had to replace him. Anyway, she acts like she knows her job." He commented.

"She probably does. I'm sure that Fred took care of this. I'm sorry I have to go now, I'm meeting with Bale. The prosecutor I have to work with you know. He wanted to meet up at a restaurant for some reason, and now I have to dress in such a formal way again." She complained.

"Are you sure that he is not hitting on you?" Charles questioned, suspiciously.

"I doubt that. He is a very professional person. Besides, he is in his mid 40's, almost double my age. I have to admit thought that he is very handsome, given his age." She said, trying to tease him.

"Oh, is he?" Charles said, defini,tely offended but tried to hide it.

"I don't know it's just that older men have something very attractive. Maybe it's their manners or their style. He clearly has both." She said and grinned, an expression that Charles was not able to see.

"Oh, so daddy issues there, I see..." Charles commented, knowing that Diana was definitely joking because of her tone.

"Seriously now, there is no need to worry." Diana said.

"I know, I trust you. I have to go now, Fred arranged an urgent meeting. Call me and tell me everything about this man." He assured her.

"Okay, talk to you later. Love you." She said and smiled as soon as she heard him saying the same words.

Diana walked out of her apartment in her dark green dress and got in a taxi, which took her straight to the restaurant that they had agreed to meet. She arrived right on time but she found him there.

Dean Bale, one of the best prosecutors in London, stood up immediately when he saw her approaching the table.

"Good evening, Miss Stanford." He said and shook her hand.

"Good evening, Mr Bale. It's a pleasure meeting you."

"The pleasure is all mine," He said as he moved Diana's chair slightly, who thanked him as she took a seat.

"So it's been some days since your return here, isn't it?" He asked, trying to kick off the conversation.

"Two days to be exact. I just had to meet up with some friends and family. I was gone for a pretty long amount of time, and since I'm not used to it, I wanted to take some time with them as well." She replied.

"You must have had a great time. You seem very relaxed and refreshed. Where did you travel, if I'm not getting too nosey, of course." He asked curiously.

"Oh, it's alright, it's not like I'm keeping that information to myself. I spent almost two weeks in Monaco and then four days in Monza." She answered and smiled.

"Oh, those are lonely places!" He exclaimed as the waiter came to the table.

Diana ordered pasta with chicken and a glass of white wine, and then Bale asked for a glass of red wine to accompany the fillet of salmon.

"What about you, Mr Bale? Were there any interesting trips during the break?" Diana asked.

"No, not really. I spent the break here in London all by myself." He replied.

"Oh, that's unfortunate." She said, full of sympathy.

"I wouldn't call it exactly unfortunate since I don't mind being alone. It just gets a bit boring, doesn't it?" He wondered, and Diana nodded in response.

The talk went on for hours. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was very friendly. Turns out that Mr. Wilson wanted these two to cooperate since he believed that Diana had a lot to learn from him. After summing up the whole case and agreeing that they were on the same page when it came to suspicions or clues, they decided that it was time to leave. Despite Diana's words, Bale insisted on paying the whole bill, making Diana take some steps back this time. She thanked him, and they left the place.

Dale offered her a ride to her apartment, but she politely declined and called a taxi. She came back and immediately got in the shower. She felt the cold water running down her body and took a deep breath.

After getting out, she grabbed her phone and called Charles' number as she sat on the couch.

"Hey, how did it go?" Charles asked when he picked up.

"It was good. We are definitely seeing eye to eye as far as the case is concerned." Diana said.

"You don't sound very excited." Charles said. She was like an open book for him. He could tell from her tone that something was bothering her.

"Well, as I said, the case thing was more than okay, and he was definitely a gentleman. He insisted on paying for the food and offered me a ride home, which I obviously declined, but I don't know something seems off. It might be in my head." She said swiftly.

"Chérie, it's going to be just fine. You'll experience him at work for the next few days, and you'll get a better view of the situation."

"You're right, Charles, thank you. Now tell me, how was your day?" She asked and kept talking for a couple of hours before going to sleep.

On he other side of London, Dean Bale got in his apartment and threw his jacket on the couch. He then loosened his tie and filled a glass with some whiskey. He slowly walked to the window and looked outside. London is a very busy city and its lights are bright. He took a sip from the glass he was holding and took out his phone. He began typing some letters, which formed the name "Diana Stanford," and he then pressed the "search" button.

Multiple results came up, most of them being around the hot topic of the last weeks, her relationship with the 2022 vice-champion, and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. Bale raised his eyebrows in surprise. He took a closer look at the articles and read everything about them, from when and where they announced their relationship to when they met. He even saw pictures of them at the paddock, post-race, and even at some party, all taken by the paparazzi.

Lastly, he watched the video of Charles revealing their relationship and lecturing the reporters for their unrelated questions. He then took another sip of whiskey and sat on the couch, processing everything he had discovered.