One last Chance

No more words

*Charles*

"I swear to you, Charles, if you don't get off your ass soon...", Lorenzo started, but he interrupted himself when Mella dropped down next to me on the sofa and leaned against my shoulder.

My brother obviously rolled his eyes.

"Charles? Are we going to Monaco tomorrow?"

"Why?", I asked, trying to slide away from her a bit, but she slid right behind.

"Well Aly needs some new clothes! You should go shopping with us!", she said it as naturally as if it was my duty.

"Aly has more than enough..."

"Yeah, but none of that looks nice. She's so... It doesn't fit us and our lives," she said.

"Shut up, Mella!", Lorenzo blurted so unexpectedly that even I cringed a little.

Mella gasped for air to say something back, but my brother interrupted her before she could even open her mouth again "I'm serious. No one else in this house may tell you this, but I do! SHUT UP! Charles only brought you because you wouldn't have let Aly come here otherwise. He wouldn't have let you anywhere near the house otherwise. Totally justified, you money-grubbing bitch!" he snorted "And if you don't learn your place here soon, I'll see to it, because I'm not going to let you torpedo my brother's relationship! He has a beautiful wife up there who is lovingly caring for your daughter. More than you, by the way, even though you are so interested in her doing well and Evi doesn't really care in your words. She is the only one who has taken care of her at all since she has been back here. And with that I'm also addressing you Charles. Shame on you!" he slumped back in his chair "I swear to you, if Evi moves out because of you, I'll move with her, because I can't stand the both of you. And you can be sure that I will then find a way for us to take Aly with us. Because you two don't deserve a child or Evi right now," he said, pushing himself up, "I'll drive. But I swear, if you don't start getting a handle on her," he nodded in Mella's direction, "I won't be able to help you either."

Then he left. I heard the front door and closed my eyes. It was all just too much for me.

"You let your brother talk to me like that?", Mella sat up "you better make sure he apologizes to me, because otherwise..."
"Nothing will happen," I growled, "He's right! You're not here for Aly, but that's perfectly clear to me. You want money. You don't care about anything else. And our daughter anyway. But she was a good way to get at me. My money," I opened my eyes and looked at her seriously now, "but if you ruin things with Evi, then..."

"I won't have to Charles. You do that yourself. All the time. I'm actually just waiting for her to move out because you treat her like shit." a laugh from her "Eventually she'll give up and then you'll have no one to blame but yourself. And we all told you, you just didn't listen.".

I got up from the sofa and gasped. I was furious and would have preferred to scream, but before I gave myself that exposure, I decided to turn my anger into energy.

I went upstairs, put on my gym clothes and went for a jog. I jogged down to the ocean and enjoyed the peace and quiet there.

The sound of the waves made all the thoughts disappear from my mind and seemed to wash one more weight off my shoulders with each impact on the sand. For a moment I closed my eyes until I could hear a voice near me "Isn't that Charles Leclerc over there.".

I really wasn't in the mood to talk to fans right now, but was also too polite to just leave. So I pushed myself up just to be able to say I had to go on.

"Hey Charles!" two girls came running up to me. They had to be in their teens like that.

"Hey.", I nodded politely.