: ̗̀➛ part three of the
one for the road series
SNOWFALL / CL16
in which two childhood friends reunite. a formula one driver wants to learn how to snowboard and it just so happens that the daughter of his mum's be...
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✧ ˚ · . CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE. · ˚✧ all these people think love's for show but I would die for you in secret
paris, april 2023
The moment I sat down in my office and opened my inbox on what had first appeared to be an ordinary, slightly cloudy Tuesday morning, I knew something was wrong. Especially because there was a new thread, cc'ing Celine, from a client I had not wanted to lose that had a chill running down my spine. It's not the Sicily house—thank God—but instead it's the client with the chateau I had given up visiting Australia for.
Dear Arden,
There is no nice away around what I have come here to say, and therefore I won't beat around the bush. Unfortunately I feel the need to break our preliminary contract and continue my search for another interior designer. I know you were excited to work on my chateau with me, and I am very sorry that our partnership has to come to an end, however under the current circumstances I feel that you and your firm are attracting too much negative attention for me to in good consciousness work with you. I hope to return in the future with another one of my projects. You will find the necessary costs to the breach in contract sent to your account within a few days' time.
Yours sincerely, Declan Dubois
My stomach dropped instantly, turning to lead where it settled low in my belly until I could barely breathe. This was what I had been afraid of all along with the negative media attention that had somehow formed like a cloud over my and Charles' relationship. He kept acting as if we were in a bubble, safe from serious consequences but here I was: feeling the sharp stab of the consequences of someone else's cruel actions.
The sound of heels clicking on the floor caused my head to snap up, towards where Celine has just entered the office with two coffees in her hand and a bag swung over her shoulder. Judging by her expression, she'd read the email on her way here and stopped for condolences coffee. She handed me the take-away cup without a word said, instead taking a seat at her desk adjacent to mine.
"What do I do?" I asked, chewing on my bottom lip nervously. "What if Declan is only the start and I lose out on others? What if I lose out on the Sicily house deal?"
Celine shrugged her shoulders. This was the first time I'd ever seen her look actually lost throughout our business adventure together. Celine was a force of nature, always coming prepared with a strategy or a plan. Today, however, it seemed all she could offer was comfort caffeine.
"We'll figure it out," she said after a long silence. "All we can do now is respond as respectfully and calmly to Declan's email as possible, and hope for the best that he's the only one influenced by stupid tabloids. Because let's face it—they're stupid. Beaumont Interiors is still doing great, we're getting new partnership offers and client inquiries every day, so there's no reason to panic just yet. We can fix this."
