BLOODSUCKER

dix huit

The casino was stacked full of people, well it is to be expected on a busy Saturday. People had travelled from across the city and even travelled in to hear Maeve sing. Even some of the drivers that work alongside Charles had come down to see her perform. But that was the problem, she couldn't pin point Charles in the crowd. She knew he was here as she had seen him in conversation with Max and Carlos but right now as she was finishing the last line of her song, his face wasn't in the crowd.

Why did she constantly find her self searching for his face in a crowded room? Why did she find herself deflating at the fact he wasn't cheering her on in the front row? She could find Arthur, Lorenzo, Max, Carlos, Pierre and Alex but not her husband. Why did it bother her so much?

The room erupted into a round of applause in the same way it did that night she met Charles in the bar in the south of France. When he told her she had a talent and she shouldn't waste it. Well her she is centre stage, showing the city her potential and he's know where to be seen. Her first impression of him stuck to her look glue and no matter how had she tried to wash her hands the way he used to be he wouldn't leave her mind. She pleasantly thanked the audience and headed over to his friends to see if she can locate her darling husband.

'You sound like an angel.' Carlos complimented Maeve with his deep Spanish accent. She had always liked Carlos, he made her feel welcome from the moment she met him.

'Thank you. Do you know where I can find Charles?' Maeve asked hopeful he was still around.

'He's at the bar.' Pierre pointed behind his shoulder revealing Charles sat there alone with a glass of whiskey.

Maeve expressed her appreciation of them turning up to her performance and said her farewells.

'So how was I?' Maeve asked nervously as she stood by his side.

'I was right saying you had a talent.' Charles turned to face his wife with a small smile on his face. Maeve's mood swings had confused him but he was just happy to see her happy, it's all he really wanted when he thought about it. 'Your voice is beautiful, you had the whole room under a spell.'

'I came to say sorry for my outburst earlier. I shouting have done that in public, it was wrong for me to do as I know I couldn't have damaged your image.' Maeve sighed as she took the seat next to him.

'No I'm sorry, I said some pretty hurtful comments that I shouldn't have said. I'm sorry, I hope you can forgive me.' Charles looked at his wife hopefully. He was sorry but Maeve had no idea how sorry he was.

'All is good.' She smiled as she leaned forward to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. 'I'm actually dropping the whole idea of trying to find my mother. If she wanted to talk, she'd call or make an effort to visit, it's not like doesn't know where I am.'

'It's probably for the best.' Charles smiled feeling relieved at Maeve's statement. 'What you having to drink?'

'I'm actually going to head home to bed, I'm exhausted after today. But you should stay and hang with your friends since they made an effort to show up.' Maeve rubbed her hand on Charles shoulder.

'Are you sure?' He questioned with a raised eyebrow. Maeve's sudden shift in behaviour was concerning him slightly. 'I don't mind coming home with you.'

'I just need some alone time to be honest Charles. I've had a lot to process lately. I'm going to go home and have a bath and get some sleep.' Maeve spoke as landed a final kiss on his cheek before standing up from the bar. 'We will talk later.'

'Be safe.'

She headed to her changing room located behind the stage, making sure to lock the door behind her. She kicked off her heels and shimmied out of her dress. She opened her bag and pulled out a pair of black leggings and a black hoodie. She pinned her hair back in a ponytail and headed for the fire escape. Rain had started to fall in Monaco which just added ambience to what she was about to do. Before she knew it she was standing around the back of Mrs Leclerc's property. The house was in darkness as Pascale was on Vacation in the south of Africa. Maeve knew the winds in her office that she shares with Pascale is never locked, one of her children broke the locks when they were younger and she never cared to repair it. She found the window and she was in. Now it was just the hard task of opening the cabinet that was always locked, but tonight .... It's open. It almost feels too easy.

Pascale wasn't daft enough to leave the file under Larson, so the file must be under a code name. The following files were easy to find; Apple 1989, Danson 1991, Morganstar 2000, Nuance 1994. The file name August 1999 called Maeve's names as it was conisndenclnzly next to a file August 2020, the day Charles and her got married, the worst day of Charles's life as he calls it.

Contents of August 2020 flopped out on to the floor. The insides revealed a list of Maeve's movements throughout the years, the schools she attended, the subjects she had studied, the jobs she worked, the address she lived at. It even contained her likes and dislikes. It contained a lot of factual details of Maeve up until the day she married Charles. The contents of August 1999 were similar, but it was about her parents. The deals they had made in the late 90s, the operations her family ran. There was even background knowledge in her parents from there childhoods. Maeve flicked through it and nothing really jumped out at her until she made it to the last page: August 2020.

LARSON JAILED FOR FRAUD AGAINST LECLERC LIMITED IN SCANDAL FROM THE 90S.

Oh this family was good. The made a deal with her parents, Maeve marries Charles in exchange for her parents freedom. The Larsons agree. 20 years later, they're prisoned for her crimes. She did them over, Pascale promised there freedom and locked them away the moment Maeve married her son. It was unreal and slowly everything made sense. The secrecy, the hushed meetings, the lawyers, the locked cabinet all made sense.

But one thing didn't make sense, why make Maeve a shareholder? Why did Pascale want Maeve so badly? And what is Charles's role in all this?

A light from the other side of the door could be seen so Maeve shoved the filed down the front of her jacket and hurried back out the window, running through the properties estate like her life depended on it, because it did.

Charles was sat waiting at the table, worried sick about where Maeve could be. He should have left the casino with Maeve and walked her home, he shouldn't have left her alone in the street. Alas the door opened and slammed immediately behind it. The atmosphere in the house immediately changed. Charles knew hell was coming his way. How could he have been so naive for Maeve to drop the whole situation?

Maeve appeared in the kitchen dripping wet and out of breathe. She unzipped her jacket and slammed the files on the table. 'You owe me a hell of an explanation Charles Leclerc.'