𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐬 [charles leclerc]

chapitre noeve

       "That is only if you gamble poorly." The girl winked back as she stacked the chips before letting them drop satisfyingly from her fingers one by one.

       And gambling poorly was not something for Colette. Yes, the Blanchet empire might have shares in the Monte Carlo casino, but her opponents never expected from the golden girl of Monaco to read the played card games so easily. The bets were raised each round, but as the stakes were rising, so was the girl's confidence. She noticed the complications and contemplations from her four opponents with ease whilst she played each of the gentlemen until they gave in. By the fourth time Charles had lost to the girl next to him he finally gave up; every round he had been convinced that she would fold before him, only to suffer with terrible cards and a great gambler seated next to him.

       "Putain," Charles threw his cards on the table as Colette had yet again bluffed her way to a win. The girl snickered slyly once she saw his useless cards, not showing her own cards as she was dealt an even more horrible hand that round. Her lies and charming smile had carried her throughout each game. "This cannot be."

       "Of course it can," Colette answered, a tone as if she was talking to a frustrated child as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. The chips she had gained that round were pushed her way by the croupier and she stacked them neatly on the ones she had won prior from the whole table. "You seemed less upset Saturday when you wrecked your car during qualifying."

       "I don't like losing," He huffed, pushing his stool back to stand up. He had played his last tokens and decided to watch from her winning side. His seat was filled rather quickly by an enthusiastic tourist who dared to participate in the next round. Meaning Charles shuffled closer to reigning winner of the poker games before leaning over her shoulder to huskily murmur in her ear. "Especially to you."

       "Why's that?" Colette leaned her elbow on the surface, her head propped on the palm of her hand as she curiously gazed up at the Ferrari driver with a lazy grin on her glossed lips. The intimacy of the two forced the girl to inhale in his musky scent of cologne. Probably way too expensive for a fragrance, but the scent would linger for hours around her, even when the two were not near.

       "Because," Charles shrugged his shoulders, pushing a hand through his already tousled brunet hair. Colette nodded for him to continue his words, a youthful glimmer in her eyes as he was searching for the right words. "You're a sore winner." The girl snickered softly as she slid her newly dealt cards to her view.

       "You're not much of a graceful loser either." The girl shook her head, her new cards in hand and a quick look around the table to eye her competitors. "Whilst you were out on the karting track, eating dust from Verstappen," Charles rolled his eyes at her exaggerated version of the story. "I was learning the tricks and tells for playing cards. That reminds me," Colette's hands went to her head where she had perched up her expensive Prada sunnies. "Put these glasses on."

       "Why? I'm out." He took the shades regardless to hide his telling green eyes.

       "I am not, and you have seen what I got dealt," Colette simply answered as her eyes flicked over to the other men around the table, placing her cards face-down on the green surface. "You're too easy to read. Lower your eyebrows, Leclerc," She had noticed his eyes flicker to her cards through the reflective sunglasses of the middle-aged man in front of her. "Fold." The girl stopped the round as the man on her side gave away what she was dealt, awaiting a new round where Charles did not offer her opponents any insights.

       "Sorry," The driver answered sheepishly, figuring he had spoiled her round as she shook her head at his antics he was unaware of. "I'll be right back," Colette merely nodded as she focused back on the game. The driver had left the table for the bar, a Colette thing to do he thought. "A vodka martini, s'il vous plaît." As his order was getting prepped by the bartender, he leaned on the bar top with his elbows as his eyes, still shielded by the expensive glasses, trailed the gaming room of the casino. The slot machines, extravagant people, and craps tables did not interest him as much as the brunette Blanchet girl where his gaze finally settled. Even from the distance he could read her confident posture as she was about to play the elder men yet again at a game they believed they owned. Charles shook his head with a small smile as he took notice of the fist bump Colette made underneath the table when they fell into her well thought plan, taking the drinks he had ordered from the bartender.

       "Bien," Colette accepted her cocktail without rebuttal, and was pleasantly surprised he had noted her distaste for gin when she took her first few sips. "You see that gent over there," She never pointed to the man in front of her, rather let her eyes wander away from her cards to quickly analyse the attitude of the middle aged man seated across. "He has been overcompensating way too much—too loud, too eager, too descriptive. He must have never been told about a pokerface," Charles let his eyes follow the description of the man who had been raising his bets greatly each turn. "To his left is sir Revello," Colette nodded to the elder, greying man at the table. "He still doesn't know how to play poker after all those years, simply enjoys participating. And that lad, I have never seen him here before," Colette shrugged her shoulders, face expressionless as she was thinking about a new move for her next turn. "But he has been trying to intimidate you."

       "Me!" Charles blurted out in a pitch higher than he intended to. Colette tried to hide her grin as a heat of slight embarrassment flushed his cheeks. He continued in a lower tone so only the girl on his side could hear him. "Why me? I don't even play anymore."

       "True," Colette nodded, taking another sip from her drink. "But you're awfully close to his opponent who he's tried to charm the whole set." The girl raised an eyebrow at the brunet who wore her black Prada glasses before looking at the dirty blond stranger, earning a playful wink which was more meant to annoy Charles.

       "I think you mean he's overcompensating, clearly a fraud." The driver beside her grumbled as he removed his hand that had settled on her side and moved it to the backrest.

       "Clearly." Colette endorsed with mockery, her eyes leaving the table to look up through her long, dark lashes at her company. Company she had spent nearly more time with that evening than her actual friends.

       "You should have stayed on the karting tracks rather than spent time with odd figures in here," Charles shook his head as the dealer was giving out new cards. "You had so much potential as a race driver, I don't understand why you stopped." He continued his ramble that was fuelled by the slightest bit of envy. Due to his grudge he never noticed the girl tense up over his words and sigh deeply before mentally tuning out of his monologue.

       "All-in," The girl pushed all of her chips to the pot in the centre of the table, regaining everyone's interest and attention in the game. The three gents the girl played poker with had difficulty with hiding their surprise as it was quite the bet she had made. "Quinte flush royale." Colette turned the cards in her fingers over and showed the best possible hand in poker. The croupier congratulated the girl with another win before pushing the whole bet to her side, earning grumbles and mumbling from the opponents who lost again to the young girl's insight of the card game. She, however, took no notice to their exasperation as she was quick to gather the tokens and stand up from her stool at the table.

       "Where are you going?" Colette's face remained neutral, and Charles could not be more confused by her sudden need to leave the premise after she had seemingly been enjoying her night rather well with her riches. Not aware of her state, he walked after the girl to the exit of the casino. "Blanchet ?"

       "C'est un urgence—Pierre texted me." She did not falter in her steps, nor did she turn around to face the man who had unconsciously hit a sensitive nerve with his words.

       "You haven't looked at your phone all night." Charles reasoned as he pursued her outside, also because he then would have expected a text from the French driver as well. Hurrying down the stairs behind an upset Colette seemed to be a whole exercise as she was surprisingly quick in her dainty high heels that must have cost an average month's rent.

       "I just did," Colette abruptly stopped in her tracks, making Charles nearly bump into the girl. "I've got to go," She looked at him for the last time that evening, finally meeting his green eyes again as he had hung her glasses on the collar of his shirt. Charles was taken aback to see her beautiful dark eyes so vacant of any emotion. He was used to meeting her affectioned, glimmering eyes he had admired for the past seventeen years. Her last glimpse left when she halted a taxi near the entrance to finalise her depart from the casino, but especially from him. "Bonne nuit."

       "Right," A perplexed Charles Leclerc nodded his head as his eyes followed the taxi drive away from the Casino Square, confusion laced in his tone as he stood lonely in the buzzing city. "Colette."