At night, Elise sat down in front of her laptop and stared at her chat history with Alexander. After
hesitating for a moment, she finally typed out the message she wanted to send him. ‘Mr. Griffith, I’ll be
going overseas in a few days’ time. We’ll have to stop the Arisian classes for now, and I’ll inform you
once I’m back in the country.’
When Alexander received the message from Sare, he didn’t get the chance to respond immediately as
someone knocked on his door just then. Cameron hurried into the room moments later. “President
Griffith, I’ve booked the flight tickets to France and the entrance tickets for the French Grand Prix.
Here you go.” Alexander nodded. “You can leave them there.” Cameron obediently placed the tickets
by the side before he continued speaking. “The president knows that you’re going to France, and he
specially requested for you to visit an old friend on behalf of him while you’re there. This is his friend’s
address—he told me to pass it to you.” Cameron pulled out a piece of A4 paper that had a series of
French words written on it.
Alexander frowned as he glanced at the French address. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Grandpa talk
about his friend in France. Well, I guess I should follow his orders since he’s my senior. “Just let
Grandpa know that I’ll be sure to visit his friend,” Alexander finally uttered. “Got it, President Griffith! I’ll
excuse myself now.”
Once Cameron left the room, Alexander shifted his focus back to Elise’s message on his screen. ‘I
happen to be busy too. We can get in touch once you’re done with your business,’ he replied. After
sending the message, Alexander picked up the flight and entrance tickets that had been left on his
table.
He held it tightly in his hands while he glanced out of the window to look at the night sky. Fragments of
the past flashed across his mind, and he thought, When will I be able to see you in an international
competition again, Sue? … Three days later, Elise and Jamie boarded a flight to France.
Before they took off, Elise removed her makeup in the airport’s bathroom and returned to her usual
self. She looked fresher and livelier once she was done. “You’re both pretty and cool when you’re your
usual self, Boss. I don’t understand why you prefer making yourself look like a complete loser.”
Jamie couldn’t help but protest her actions. Elise merely smirked in response. “What do you know?
This is my way of experiencing life. In other words, you’re also saying that I have really impressive
makeup skills, right?” Jamie had to agree with her. As Jamie thought about their trip to France, another
question popped into his mind. “Boss, have you ever considered joining another international
competition?” he muttered.
Elise didn’t respond to his question this time. “Let the past be the past,” she said with a smile. After
approximately ten hours, their flight finally landed in Paris. It was already past midnight when they
landed, and a gust of cold wind welcomed them the moment they stepped out of the airplane. Elise
shuddered in response, and Jamie hastily took his jacket off to put it on her.
“I’m afraid you might catch a cold, Boss,” he uttered. A surge of warmth filled Elise. “Thanks, brother,”
she replied. Jamie felt oddly bashful after hearing her words. “You don’t need to be so polite with me,
Boss.” “Let’s go to the hotel first! We can drop by the manor tomorrow,” Elise suggested. Jamie didn’t
have much of an opinion, so he followed Elise to the hotel.
They each got a room for themselves. “Don’t forget to lock your door, Boss. Try not to sleep too
soundly! I’m worried for you since you’re all alone,” Jamie uttered as a reminder before they parted
ways. “Alright. Don’t worry. You should get some rest too. Goodnight,” Elise replied in a reassuring
tone.
They both retired to their rooms. After being on a ten-hour flight, Elise was completely exhausted. She
took a shower and fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow. Elise only woke up when it was
nearly noon the next day. She checked her phone to find a text from Jamie.
‘I have some matters to handle, Boss. You can go to the manor on your own. I’ll see you at the race
tomorrow!’ She checked the time of the message to see that it was sent at 8.00AM. It had been almost
four hours since Jamie texted her. ‘Okay,’ she replied through text. Before she knew it, Jamie had
responded with a series of voice messages. “Why did you sleep for so long, Boss?” the first one said.
“There’s a restaurant in the hotel.
Don’t forget to eat!” the second one said. “Don’t starve yourself. You’ll get gastric!” the third one said.
Elise was speechless after listening to all his voice notes. ‘Jamie, since when did you get so good at
nagging?’ she finally replied through text. Once she sent the message, she put her phone aside and
freshened herself up before ordering some food up to her room.
That afternoon, Elise brought her luggage and hailed a cab to head to the manor in the tiny town of
Provence. The manor was a piece of property she had purchased in France three years ago, and she
had gotten professionals to care for it ever since.
She hadn’t visited the place in the past three years, so stepping into the manor made her feel as if she
was entering a whole new world. “Miss Sinclair!” Elise turned to the source of the familiar voice, and
she curled her lips into a pretty smile when she saw an equally familiar figure. “Helen!”
Helen thought she had gotten the wrong person at first, but she finally trusted herself when she heard
Elise’s unmistakable voice. It’s true! It’s the person I’ve been missing for so long. “It really is you, Miss
Sinclair! You’re finally back.” Helen was clearly getting emotional as she had been waiting for Elise’s
return for the past three years.
Now that Elise is really back, I can’t be happier! “Are you guys doing okay?” Elise asked. Helen nodded
rapidly. “Yes, of course! We’re all great! The old woman has been asking for you, and everything’s
going well with Linus. Prince just gave birth to a whole lot of puppies. I’ll update you about everything
else once you come into the manor.”
Both Helen and Elise held hands as they strolled into the manor. All of the maids hurried over to help
Elisa carry her luggage. “Hello, Miss Sinclair!” “Welcome back, Miss Sinclair!” All of the maids took the
initiative to greet Elise. While Elise was smiling back at them, a white dog wagged its tail while rushing
over to her.
Joy spread across Elise’s face as she knelt down to pat its head. “You’re so big now!” she exclaimed.
Helen smiled as she gazed at Elise. “I clean your room every day, and I’ve changed brand new sheets
for you. You can rest for now. I’ll tell the kitchen to prepare dinner,” Helen uttered. Elise merely nodded
in response.
“Okay. Thank you.” After that, Elise lifted Prince, the dog, into her arms and strode toward the second
floor where her room was. Once she was in the room, Prince flailed its paws as it wanted to be put
down, so Elise lowered it before she walked toward the windows.
She opened a window and looked out to find stretches of lavender fields that painted the ground a
sharp purple color. A warm smile found its way to Elise’s face as she thought, Everything looks just the
way I remember it to be.
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