Lockdown | Harry Styles | AU

Chapter 1

"Alors, avons-nous un accord, monsieur Alarie?" Aubrey asked the man sitting opposite her as she sat perched on the edge of the couch. [So do we have a deal?]

Mr Alarie smiled widely, causing the crows feet by his eyes to sink further into his skin, joining the wrinkles that already existed. He then casually tugged on the cuffs of his shirt, adjusting his position as he crossed his leg, resting one of his ankles on his knee. His broad hands running through his silvering hair before he rubbed his thin lips together.

"Oh monsieur Johnson, vous, les Anglais, vous vous précipitez si vite dans les choses. Vous voulez toujours tout finir et tout finir." Mr Alarie responded with a coy smile before he picked up his glass of crimson wine and took an elegant sip.

"He said: You English are so quick to rush into things. You always just want to get everything over and done with." Ruby told Mr Johnson who was sitting next to her, her attention moving from Mr Alarie.

"Oh really?" Mr Johnson chuckled faintly, "you're not making this easy are you?" His focus fixed on Mr Alarie the entire time, his eyebrows raised with amusement.

Aubrey tucked a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear before she quickly reeled off Mr Johnson's response in french, making Mr Alarie's smile broaden as he shook his head, his eyes still on Aubrey.

Unlike Mr Johnson, who acted as though Aubrey didn't exist, Mr Alarie looked directly at her when she spoke his native tongue. His pale gaze studying her as the words rolled from her lips so perfectly. He admired how good her french was.

But with the job she did Aubrey was used to just fading into the background. She was a translator, she wasn't supposed to be part of the conversation. Her soul purpose was to help others communicate.

"Rien dans les affaires n'est facile, Monsieur Johnson."[Nothing in business is easy] Mr Alarie spoke up with a smug expression before Aubrey translated it to Mr Johnson. "Et j'aime plutôt faire sauter les gens à travers des cerceaux pour moi." [And I rather enjoy making people jump through hoops for me]. Aubrey opened her mouth to repeat the last part in english but she was very quickly cut off by Mr Alarie.

"--Ne traduisez pas cette dernière partie." He smirked [Don't translate that last part]

Aubrey pressed her lips together, halting her speech as her eyes locked with Mr Alarie. While Mr Johnson darted his focus between them, clearly confused and suspicious of them both. A small silence falling around them before Mr Johnson cleared his throat and adjusted his tie.

"Dites-lui simplement que je vais examiner sa proposition et lui revenir." [Just tell him that I'll look over his proposal and get back to him]

"Mr Alarie asked for you to give him a few days to look over your offer before he makes a decision." Aubrey told Mr Johnson, breaking it to him in a more delicate way as she finally averted eyes from Mr Alarie.

Mr Johnson's jaw visibly clenched, his face very clearly showing his annoyance. He had working with Mr Alarie for a few months now and they have yet to come to an agreement. And as much as he wanted to tell Mr Alarie to go fuck himself, he needed his business. So he reluctantly wiped the irritation from his face and replaced it with a fake smile.

After a few minutes of back and forth the conversation was eventually wrapped up, meaning Aubrey was finally free to leave. Her body aching for a glass of wine and a nap as she felt exhausted from her awful night's sleep on a strange hotel bed for the past couple of nights. She also couldn't wait to get away from Mr Alarie's intense gaze, his observant eyes constantly watching her during the whole meeting.

Aubrey stood up from the couch, straightening out her black pencil skirt before wrapping her coat around herself and grabbing her handbag, just as Mr Alarie and Mr Johnson shook hands.