Prevail - [Charles Leclerc]

Huit

Sara leaned over the desk, her eyes gliding over the jewelry in her jewelry box. She picked two golden rings and a necklace out of it. Sara moved the rings around her fingers, stretching them out to see what they looked like with the fresh, white acrylics she had gotten today. She reached for the necklace, and heard a knock on her door. "Yes?" She asked. The door opened, revealing Charles. He was dressed nicely, ripped jeans, a tight-fitting polo shirt, his hair styled. "Are you ready to go?" Charles asked, looking at her when she turned back to the mirror. "Almost," Sara hummed, fiddling with the lock of the necklace. She wore a short, black dress with long, mesh sleeves, and white heeled sandals on her feet. "Can I?" he suggested taking the necklace to put it around her neck. Sara nodded, handing the fine golden necklace over to him. She moved her hair aside, ignoring the shiver that ran up her spine when his fingertips brushed over her neck. He locked it in one go, and the pendant rested on her collarbone.

"Thank you," Sara said, turning around to grab a small clutch. "You look beautiful," Charles complimented. "You look nice too," Sara replied, and he wasn't sure what she wanted to do when her hands reached up, but he relaxed when she just fixed his collar, her hand tapping on his chest with a small smile. Charles and Sara got downstairs next, and Lando looked up at her when he saw her walking down the steps. "Okay, Miss Long Legs," Lando grinned. "Lando, why don't you open the door for us?" Charles interrupted, not sure where the tone was coming from, but Lando's reaction to Sara's appearance annoyed him. Lando opened the door for them, and Charles walked out first, mocking him behind his back, and Sara suppressed her smile when they exchanged looks. There was a car ready for them, and the driver opened the door to the backseat for them. Sara got in first and Charles followed. Charles hadn't told her yet which restaurant they were going to, but she was sure it would be fine.

If she had learned anything these past two weeks was that Charles did have good taste in restaurants. This was the first time they were going to dinner together, but the lunch they had with Carlos and Isa was in an amazing restaurant as well. Le Grill was the restaurant Charles picked for tonight, and it's close to the casino. The driver opened the door for them once more, and they got out. Sara felt more comfortable now they didn't have to pretend to be a couple. It was just a dinner, no hand holding, no awkwardness. Charles guided her into the restaurant, and the hostess took their names. Their table was on the second floor, near the windows. The view was breathtaking. Charles moved a chair back for her, and she smoothed out her dress before sitting down. A waitress came by their table to take their orders for some drinks. Charles ordered a bottle of red wine, while Sara choose a mojito. The menu cards were placed on their table as well. "So..." Sara started, tapping her nails on the hard cover of the menu. "So..." Charles mimicked, making her chuckle.

"We're getting married next week," she stated. "Where's my ring?" Charles rose his eyebrows, sensing she was joking. "Do we have a honeymoon?" Sara asked. "Do you want to go on a honeymoon?" Charles asked, and they briefly leaned back when the waitress returned with their drinks. "I'm not sure," Sara said. "Being stuck with each other wasn't something we handled well," she said. "Maybe it's good to go somewhere," Charles suggested. He had ordered a plate of appetizers for them meanwhile. "Where?" Sara asked. "Anywhere you want," he shrugged. "I got no explanation either, you know?" Sara suddenly started, which made him look over at her again. "My dad just told me we were invited for the birthday of a business partner, and we would stay in Monaco for a night before traveling back to Valencia," she explained, thinking back of the moment they had entered the restaurant where Charles was supposed to give his birthday party with partners and family. "When he embarrassed me, and you, in front of the whole restaurant by just blurting out that we're getting married... I just wanted to vanish into thin air." Sara snapped with her fingers.

"You left, so, you must have felt the same," Sara said, recalling the way Charles had barely looked at her and then pushed through the doors. "I did," Charles nodded. "I've been the young one since my father died, nobody took me seriously when I took over the crew. I had to fight for my position in this world, even though my mother was confident. I don't take things being decided for me very lightly," Charles said. "I hated you that day," Sara said. "Aren't you good with words, Abril," Charles commented, and the corners of her lips slightly curled upwards. "Do you still hate me?" Charles asked, his elbows leaning on the table. "No," Sara said. "I don't." She took a sip of her mojito. "Do you?" She asked. He shook his head. "I'm just not in love with you," Sara said. The look on his face slightly fell. "Don't tell me you're disappointed," Sara muttered. "We can't fall in love in three weeks, especially not the three weeks we had," she added. "No, you're right," Charles nodded. Their conversation paused as the waitress brought the appetizer. "Are you at least attracted to me?" he asked, a small smirk on his lips.

"What kind of question is that?" Sara glared over at him, leaning back in her seat as she crossed her legs. "You're handsome," she admitted then. "Don't get cocky now," she warned, which made him chuckle. "Well, you're beautiful, Sara," he said.

The dinner with Charles was surprisingly nice. After their conversation where they opened up on some things, they decided to keep the topic light, and they just talked about all sorts of things, hobby's, friends, lifestyle in an attempt to get to know each other a little better. They finished their dinner by sharing a piece of cheesecake, and it was actually quite late when Charles asked for the bill. Sara didn't realize they had been talking for so long. She was a little light-headed as they had finished the bottle of wine, but she was still steady on her heels when she got up from the chair. She draped her coat over her shoulder, and they walked out of the restaurant. They crossed the road, seeing the car driving down the road meanwhile. Sara leaned against the balustrade of the pavement, looking over Monte Carlo while it was lit up. Charles looked over at her, a fresh breeze brushing some hair out of her face, and their eyes crossed paths next.

"The car is here," Charles heard himself saying, to which she nodded and moved away from the balustrade. The driver opened the door for them again, and they crawled onto the backseat. The car ride back was quiet, but it wasn't awkward like the last time. Sara leaned her head on her hand while they drove back. She was tired and wanted to take her make-up off and head to bed. The gates of the Leclerc residence opened when the driver arrived, and he let them out of the car as soon as it halted. The front door opened, and Charles went into the house first. "That's a quiet entrance," Lando commented under his breath. "You want me to make a scene?" Sara asked, which made him laugh and shake his head. She put her foot on the first step of the stairs, but Charles asked for her. "Sara, there's something I want to show you," he said. Her eyes lingered on him for a second, but she stepped down and made her way over to him while he went into his office. The large doors fell closed behind them.

Charles switched the lights on. "Have you been in my office before?" he asked. "Once. How could you forget?" Sara asked. "Right," he let out a huff of air. He walked up to a picture frame on the wall. "This is my father," he pointed at the man who was seated in the middle of the family picture. Three young boys were seated around him, Pascale Leclerc standing next to him. "He was kidnapped, poisoned and shot after three days. He suffered before he died," Charles said. "I understood that I had no father on quite an early age. But the realization that he was killed came later. There is no day that I don't spend on trying to find out who was behind it." Charles walked to his desk, reaching for the drawer that was locked. He took the gun that he got for his birthday, which belonged to his father. "This was his," Charles explained. "And I will use it when I take my revenge." Sara looked up at him. "My crew means everything to me. I'm following my dad's footsteps, his legacy. Our marriage was forced on us, but it saved my crew," he said, the look in his eyes softening. It was a completely different way of thinking than two weeks ago.

"I don't want the word spreading that we don't fit together. I don't want useless gossip spread about how Leclerc's girl is flirting with other mobsters. Your father doesn't want to hear his surname when we have a raging fight in a club," Charles summed up. Sara looked away from him, swallowing hard. "I'm sorry this is happening to us, to you," he continued. "There's no other way than accepting it." Sara nodded, lifting her eyes up again. "I understand," she said. "And what I said two nights ago-..." Charles shook his head. "It's alright," he muttered. "Because I do care about the consequences, I'm terrified, actually," Sara said, stepping closer to him. "I'm scared of everything's that going to happen," she said. "I might look careless, but I'm really not." Charles looked down at her, figuring this might be the first time she actually opens up to him about it. "I know," he replied. "In a couple of days we have the ceremony, then a lot of pressure will fall off our shoulders," Charles said.

Her eyebrows furrowed together for a second, and she nodded again, gnawing her teeth into her bottom lip. His hand reached out to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear, and they were both a little surprised by the movement, however, she didn't say anything about it. "I'm going to get ready for bed," she softly said, taking a few steps back. "Yeah, me too," he agreed. Sara turned around to get to the door, but she halted before left. "I liked our dinner, by the way," she told him with a small smile. "Me too," he said. "Goodnight, Sara." "Goodnight," Sara said and she left his office to go upstairs to her room. Charles heard the door falling closed while he sat down in his chair, leaning back in it. There was no way he had seen himself getting married at his twenty-fourth, but it's happening next week. He sighed deeply, not looking forward to it. However, he felt a little more confident that he and Sara were going to be alright.