ma chérie | cl16

chapter twenty-six

song for the chapter: shameless — camila cabello / moth to a flame — the weeknd (choose your fav)

author's note: a little spicy content at the end, indicated by 🌶️

"I wish I could wear a pantsuit," Adeline kept looking at her reflection in the mirror.

She was wearing a short dress, which felt a little short after only wearing pantsuits for quite some time. Pierre, however, convinced her that the dress was gorgeous. It had long sleeves and wasn't revealing much, except for a minor rip on the neckline that exposed some of Adeline's skin.

"Shut up!" Pierre didn't understand why Adeline was so nervous about her appearance. She looked amazing. "Lando's jaw will drop to the floor. Even though he's not the one you're thinking of, right?"

Pierre watched Adeline roll her eyes at the last sentence while she was putting on her silver earrings. "You already know the answer to that. And it's not a date, I'm just Lando's plus one. It's not a big deal," Adeline glanced at herself in the mirror for the last time. She saw Pierre's reflection there—he had a wide smirk on his lips.

"Charles is bringing Pauline," Pierre said, watching Adeline's red-painted lips set in a hard line. "She's his friend from Monaco. I just wanted you to know."

Adeline tried to ignore the strange feeling in her stomach. She felt almost sick. Adeline thought that if Pauline was from Monaco, she definitely looked gorgeous. The secret simply had to be in their water.

"That's fine. He's allowed to bring whoever he wants," Adeline shrugged her shoulders, taking a small purse into her hand. Even though she was trying not to let it show, Pierre could see that Adeline cared. Deeply.

A loud knocking interrupted Pierre and Adeline's conversation. Adeline immediately knew who it was, and she went to open the door. As she swung it open, Lando stood before her with his infectious smile radiating warmth. His jaw almost dropped to the floor when he laid his baby-blue eyes on Adeline.

"Wow, y-you look so hot," Lando stuttered as he stared at the blonde woman standing in front of him.

"You don't look too bad yourself," Adeline gave Lando a soft smile. He was wearing a simple outfit—a black suit with a white shirt, but his vivid red tie immediately caught Adeline's attention, captivating her gaze.

"Hey, wait a minute. You're wearing high heels!" Lando exclaimed, his finger pointing toward Adeline's shoes. Adeline frowned a little, but then she remembered Lando's request not to wear high heels.

"Gosh, stop overreacting. Joe Jonas is shorter than Sophie Turner, and does it look bad? It doesn't," Adeline rolled her eyes, not seeing a big deal about that. She couldn't care less about what others might think of her being taller or Lando being shorter.

"But they're a couple, that makes things better. We're friends," Lando lifted his eyebrow, making Adeline groan in annoyance.

"You're lucky I'm looking forward to free food and drinks. High heels are a must, so deal with it!" Adeline shook her head, looking behind her—Pierre wasn't there. He was probably in the bathroom again, checking his reflection in the mirror. He was so full of himself. "Are you in the bathroom again, Pedro? Nothing will help your hair today, just give it up! Hurry!"

Pierre gave Adeline a death stare as he walked out of the bathroom. "Mon dieu, stop screaming. Nobody will care about us being late."

Adeline, Lando, and Pierre were the last ones to arrive at the place where the event was held. It wasn't that far from the hotel, and it almost looked like a smaller palace. Adeline loved culture and art, and historical buildings had a special place in her heart.