pte

hat it would be a quiet place, where they could talk without attracting prying eyes. But when she arrived, Léna wondered if she had not ma

ked out the window, observing the people passing by, trying to convince herself that she had the situat

om, spotting her instantly. As he approached her, he gave a smile that seemed to want to put her at ease, but Léna cou

ket slightly. "Thank you for coming, Lena," he said

ion. "I don't have much time, Gabriel

this all seems strange to you. But I wanted to talk to you without the weight of you

but wary. "The situation? What

rew up in a world where everything seemed perfectly ordered. But there are aspects of this u

esn't have to hide anything from me," she rep

certain secrets from existing, Léna. You are

sion washing over her. "Why are you here,

e I find you...fascinating." You are different from anything I have eve

y the compliment, but she didn't want to be distr

nd mine have a common history, a history marked by rivalries and alliances. I think yo

rmined look. "Are you talking about rivalrie

ry around him. "Everything is not good to know at once. I just wante

pulating her, that he only said what suited him to arouse her curiosity. And yet, de

ther asked me to stay away from you. And I know there's a reason behind i

efinitely much more direct than I had imagined. Very well, I will tell you more. But first,

r built an empire, he is respected and... maybe feared, sometime

You have a lot more to do with all of this than you think. You

eemed to be something deeper, more personal in what he was saying, and she wond

u deserve to know the truths behind the world you grew up in

f his words, but she kept an impassive face, r

almost in spite of herself. "Why

f in you, Léna. You grew up in the shadow of a powerful man, just like me. And just like you, I sou

but another, quieter part, recognized the truth. She had often felt this weight, that of her father's e

of their exchanges. "You know, Gabriel...maybe you're right.

It's normal. I'm not asking you to trust me rig

ced by this man, by his confidence, by the mystery he represented. He ar

ttle by little. Gabriel was charming, funny, and Léna found herself smiling, almost forgetting her father's w

htly to say goodbye. "I hope we can see each other again soo

nt of no return by agreeing to this appointment. As she left the cafe, she couldn't h

hing in her. She didn't yet know if she had made the right choice, bu