A Woman's Empire

XXXIX

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE

It was the middle of winter in North Carolina. As Leo sat on the bed, he stared out the large window. Everything as far as the eye could see was blanketed in a thick cover of pure snow. The tall trees that perimetered the property were no longer the burnt orange colour, and instead there were barely any leaves on it. The snow was refreshing and enticing, yet it was cold, and could kill you if you were outside for too long.

Leo missed Audrielle. But she decided to stay in Italy with his mother and younger sister. Maybe she's safer there. Leo's inner thoughts and voices were annoying. They kept him awake the majority of the night, constantly reminding him that it was his fault, that he had scared Audrielle away and now that she had a taste of freedom, she was hooked and wasn't coming back anytime soon.

It had been almost two months since he had last seen Audrielle. That meant she had been gone for three months. And Tanner was surprisingly still alive. Although Tanner was still living, Leo rarely saw him and decided that he wasn't a problem anymore that he needed to worry about.

After buttoning up his shirt, Leo left the bedroom, not even bothering to make the bed or pick up the items of clothing he had scattered around the room. Why should Leo have to do something when he literally pays maids to do that stuff?

Downstairs stairs was quiet. Christian and Emma had escaped to New York for New Years Eve as a Christmas gift for Emma. Normally, Leo would spend his Christmas at the Amour manor and then fly to Italy straight after to spend a few weeks resting and spending time with Camilla and Stella. However, that didn't happen this year. On Christmas Eve, Leo got a phone call from his mother. She had basically uninvited him from spending the New Years period with them, simply because she didn't want him anywhere near Audrielle.

After receiving that phone call, Leo wasn't happy but he knew it was for the best. Besides, he had plenty of work to catch up on and with his father leaving the state, that only meant that Leo had more things on his plate.

Leo sat at the dining table all by himself with a cup of coffee in his hands as cleaners quietly worked to remove all the decorations from last night's party. It was the first of January. The New Year. Soon it'll be Leo and Audrielle's one year anniversary, but as Leo played with the ring on his left hand, he started to wonder if there was even any point continuing the marriage.

Sighing, Leo stood up and made his way towards the front door. Before he left, Leo grabbed one of his coats hanging on a rack near the entrance. A few minutes later and Leo had zoomed off, heading into the city where a pile of paperwork awaited him and the important meetings took place.

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"Are you sure this is the best decision?" Camilla asked Audrielle. Smiling sadly, she nodded her head. Audrielle knew that she needed to do this. Camilla pulled her in for one more hug while Stella wrapped her small arms around Audrielle's legs. The airport was buzzing with people, like honey bees in a hive.

An announcement over the intercom broke up the lovingly hug between the three. "I should get going." Audrielle mumbled, a tear running down her cheek as she took a step away from the two.

"I hope to see you soon, tesoro."

(Translation: darling)

"Ti Amo!" Audrielle replied as she walked up to the flight attendant who smiled and scanned the plane ticket.

(Translation: Love you)

Audrielle tried to not look back for too long, knowing that if she saw Stella pout or shed a single tear, she'd go running back to them in a heartbeat. But now that Audrielle was an adult, she had to do adult things. Like face her fears and her problems by herself. She couldn't cower away and let her parents fix things anymore.