Chantilly, Northern France

(Lizette's POV...)

I sighed, feeling the unmistakable pounding in my head. I would need another cup of coffee, thanks to these mischeivous children who have been running all day. If only they could do as they were told.

But, as soon as I turned around, I knew my coffee trip would be cut short. A few meters ahead, was my director, standing like he expected a conversation out of me.

"Bonsoir, Jacques. What brings you outside on a Wednesday?" I asked him, half expecting his answer.

That's how Jaques was. He was normally a kind man who had founded this orphanage because he wanted to devote his life to little children who had been abandoned by their parents. But one of his really bad habits was talking endlessly once he started.

I, as his employee, and as someone who had known him for a long time, didn't want to discourage his ceaseless rambling. But sometimes, it was just too much for me to bear. Especially, when I prized peace and quiet like they were the most endangered things on earth.

Or perhaps, they really were.

"Ah, there you are!" He exclaimed. "Je t'ai cherché, Liz."

I sighed. I'd have to ask him the reason he was looking for me, even when I already knew the answer.

"Quelque chose ne va pas?"

"No, but someone is here to meet you," he said.

So, Jacques didnt want to have his usual weekly chat, but was here to inform me about someone's arrival. As much as I remembered, I hadn't promised to meet anyone at the orphanage. Who could they be?

Jacques gestured for me to follow him, so I did as he told. We walked from the kids' dormitories towards the small garden at the front of the orphanage. This garden was the source of our pride. It was quite a simple, but a well maintained place, and bloomed with pretty flowers of all kinds.

The grass was cut meticulously and glowed a bright green, and the fresh air all the tall trees brought refreshed one's soul through and through. In my eyes, it was a mini paradise. The open area was covered with four small tables and chairs, covered with an umbrella each. It was the perfect place to have a little chat, to have your morning or evening tea, or to just relax under them.

As I followed Jacques, I saw someone peculiar. It wasn't their presence in the orphanage which was peculiar, it was the fact that they wanted to talk to me personally.

The man who was waiting for me, stood up promptly as he noticed us approaching. He was a quinquagenarian, and had a tall frame. He sported the same slicked back white hair, salt and pepper beard, and a kind smile on his face. Even after seeing him from the sidelines a these years, he hadn't changed one bit.

"Good afternoon, Lizette. It's so nice to see you again," he said in his deep, familiar voice, which had been scarred and marred with lots of cigars.

Even though it had been five years since I'd first met him, his larger than life presence in this small town still brought me immense shock. It was still hard to believe that he was this humble and connected to his roots. Even after gaining immense popularity, fame and wealth, he hadn't changed one bit. The founder and owner of Panache, the largest fashion brands in the world, was like that.

I greeted him back. "Mr. Beaumont, it's always a pleasure meeting you. When did you arrive in Chantilly?"

"Its been a week. I'm going to leave tomorrow, but you know I don't leave without visiting this orphanage, so here I am."

I smiled. "Of course, you don't. It's all thanks to you, that these children receive more than they could have imagined. We're always grateful to you for your generosity."

Florian smiled in return, but didn't say anything. He just wasn't accustomed to boasting about himself.

"Its been a while since I saw you too. Come, let's have coffee together. I'm sure you need one right now." He proposed, and I couldn't refuse.

His offer seemed like a light inside the black hole, so warm and inviting. How could I say no to coffee when I'd myself been craving it for ages? I smiled and nodded.

Moments later, Mrs. Walker, the lady who worked in the orphanage kitchen, came out promptly with cups of coffee and sugar along with it. I smiled at her and thanked her for her service. Her sweet smile and delicious treats were my energizers every morning. She even acted as a motherly figure for me, always lending me her ear and listening to everything I babbled about.

After we had coffee, Jacques left us two alone, saying he had some work to attend to. I knew he was lying, just by looking at his fidgety hands. Sometimes the man forgot I'd spent five years with him. Florian noticed me trying to figure out why my director left me alone with him, and he smiled.

"You're right, Miss Lizette. I requested him to leave us alone. I hope you will give me some of your time."

His words had me feeling more bemused and clueless than ever. What was it that he had to tell me in private? We might have met several times before, but our meeting never extended past the casual pleasantries.

"What's so private, that you wanted to talk to me alone?" I asked him, not able to control my curiosity.

He said, "You know my name, and my occupation. I've worked in the fashion industry for at least four decades now, always running, always working. Always aiming for something higher. But that eventually took a toll on my personal life. Sure, I got married and had a son. Then, I remarried, and had another son.

"But that's not enough. I should have been a little more attentive to them. I should have spent some more time with them. I should have taught them everything they now today, instead of leaving them to fend for themselves. Sure, they had all the luxuries in the world, but I forgot children needed much more than that. And, I'm constantly reminded of what I've missed to give my sons, whenever I come here and look at you guiding these children."

I was frozen in place, once again. I had absolutely no idea of what he was talking about, and my confused face must have been a dead giveaway.

Florian spoke up again.
"One of them took the right path on his own, but the other one is still such a nuisance. So much so that I'm forced to borrow a favor from you. In return, I'll offer you a job at Panache, since I know you're a fashion design graduate. If you listen and agree to my terms, I promise you that I will take care of any other concern of yours. Anything."

This man had taken my breath away, and I was now hyperventilating. What could be so serious and scintillating in me, that he offered me a job at Panache? And even offered to give me anything else I needed? Did he even know what he was offering? Or better yet, was I really suited for so much kindness and grace he was showing me?

What was this favor he wanted to ask me? What price would I have to pay to get anything I want?

Hesitantly, I asked him. "What... what will be the terms that I have to agree on?"

"You have to marry my son, André, for a year. And discipline him in a way that he forgets what being spoiled is. That's all you have to do," he answered.

And, this was what I meant, when I said there were no miracles in this world.

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