Dangerous Love (girl x girl)

Chapter 38

I took it without hesitation and let her lead me to the west wing where the office was. As we walked through the hallways, I noticed how empty they were. She hadn't been exaggerating when she said the west wing had been cleared.

Once we entered the office, Isabelle unlocked the door and I stepped in behind her. The room was well-maintained, but it also looked like it had not been used in quite some time. The desk was clear, unlike her father's office where papers were scattered around everywhere. However, there were a ton of boxes around. Perhaps it was used as a storage room.

Isabelle turned to face me. "I need to go check with security so that they know who they're letting in and what the procedure is after. I don't want our informant getting intimidated. Why don't you clear up some of that stuff?" She gestured to the boxes and I nodded absentmindedly.

Isabelle leaned down and cupped my cheek with her hand, kissing me on the forehead. "I'll be back soon, mon amour."

I gave a slightly nervous smile, biting my lip, and was met with her warm smile of reassurance. This made me feel a bit better. I stared after her for a moment as she left the room before getting to work shifting the boxes. I decided to just stack them up against the back wall so that they would at least be out of the way.

I wasn't entirely focused on what I was doing and stumbled when I was carrying a particularly heavy box, spilling some of the contents onto the floor. I groaned softly as I bent down to gather the things that had fallen out. Something caught my eye and I gently flipped it over. It was a photograph of a woman who looked so much like Isabelle, but with darker hair. She was holding a little girl in her arms and smiling.

Elena Versailles.

I gasped softly in realization. Instinctively, I looked inside the box to see the other contents. There were a bunch of photo albums, what looked like a box of letters, a half-full bottle of perfume, some other trinkets, and a silk scarf. My expression softened. I carefully put the photograph back, being cautious not to touch anything else. I sat on the ground for a moment before deciding to move that box aside and just continue stacking the other boxes. I wondered if there were more of Elena Versailles' things. Was this why this room looked like it hadn't been used in awhile? Did Isabelle and her father just not want to come here and be reminded of her? If that was the case, why was the meeting being held in here?

"Arielle?" I jumped suddenly before spinning around. My cheeks flushed in mild embarrassment when I saw Isabelle looking at me quizzically.

I walked up to her wordlessly. She smiled softly again and wrapped her arms around my waist to bring me closer. "Is everything ready?" I finally asked after a moment.

"Yes, he should be arriving soon, in fact. You know to wait in the room next door?" I nodded. "Très bien, mon amour. I will come get you once we are done. You are to stay in there, do you understand?" I nodded again. She slowly released my waist. "Shall we get going over there now?"

I hesitated before reaching for her hand and pulling her over to the box that I had set aside. Without saying anything, I reached into it and pulled out the photograph that I had found. Isabelle stiffened for a moment as she reached to take it from me.

Her expression softened as she slid her thumb over her mother's face in the photo. "I'd forgotten that father kept some of maman's things here." Then, to my surprise, she turned and smiled softly at me before reaching to take my hand in her own. "I do wish you'd gotten to meet her. She was a lovely woman, and she would definitely have liked you."

Now it was my turn to blush. "Do you think of her often?"

Her smile turned sad. "Everyday, mon amour. I think about whether she would be proud of me now or what she would think of the life that I've built for myself."

"I-I'm sure she would have been extremely proud of you." I heard my own voice speaking softly, but it almost sounded foreign to my ears.

She leaned down and kissed my forehead again. "Merci, ma chérie."

Isabelle leaned down to put the photo back inside the box before covering up the lid. "I will show you these photos another time. For now, we need to get you to the other room before our informant comes." She started to lead me out of the room by my hand. We entered the next room and it was another office. This one also had a lot of boxes, but it did seem like it had been used. Isabelle led me over to the couch on the side of the room and I sat down, looking up at her nervously. She smiled reassuringly at me again. "I will be back as soon as I can. Please be good."

I nodded again and she let go of my hand, turning to leave. I heard the door click shut and I sat there silently for a few seconds before deciding to message Celine to distract myself.

After about ten minutes, I could hear footsteps down the hallway. I looked up from my phone to stare at the door for a few seconds until I heard the door to the office next to this one click shut. I sighed softly, trying not to let my curiosity wander too much. Isabelle would tell me what they discussed later, I told myself.

I went back to my conversation with Celine and it was another half hour before I heard the door to the next office click again. I stood up and walked to the door. I didn't move as I heard footsteps walking along the hall again.

Then, I heard something that made me freeze. There was a sound of something falling to the ground, but it was what I heard after that shocked me. "Sh*t." A familiar voice muttered.

My next actions were instinctive. I threw open the door and stuck my head out. Both Isabelle and the person with her turned around. Isabelle looked horrified and when she saw me, her eyes narrowing.

However, I wasn't focused on her. The other person and I locked eyes. Nothing was said for a few seconds as he opened his mouth and closed it again. It was I who spoke first.

"Trey."

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*edited*

Hi everyone!

I am really sorry that this chapter took so long to get out. I started a new job about a month ago and I have just been really busy. I will update Blood Bonds next weekend.

Lots of love,
-Cindy