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parisianprinceling · 2 years

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Rêvant de Toi VI - Premières Impressions

(On AO3)

MC heads back to the office after accidentally spending the night at Vincent's and gets to finally meet a few important people. Also Marion shenanigans.

The first thing she noticed when she woke up was the pounding in her head.

With a groan, she turned over, burying her head into the safety and darkness of the couch, trying to evade the sunlight that was streaming through the windows. After shielding herself, she immediately noticed the unfamiliarity of her surroundings and pried her eyes open, slowly lifting her head to glance around the room. Had she…stayed the night?

With a sense of panic, she quickly checked herself, sighing with relief when she realized that she was still fully clothed, though incredibly disheveled. A dark green blanket had been draped over her at some point during the night but now lay crumpled up at the end of the couch, displaced by her movement as she slept. The remnants of last night were nowhere to be seen, likely cleaned up by Eugene when he came in the morning. As she paused for a moment, trying to listen for an indication that anyone was home, she heard nothing but silence. She sat up, her feet finding the soft rug beneath her and supporting her as she pulled herself up slowly, taking some time to gather her bearings and ground herself before starting to move.

She folded the blanket at the end of the couch, not wanting to be discourteous, and started towards the kitchen, wincing when the rug beneath her feet gave way to cool hardwood and then tile. The kitchen was similarly empty, except for a small paper bag sitting on top of some folded fabric. She frowned softly as she approached the sight, glancing around one more time before peeking into the bag.

A delicious smell greeted her nose as she pried into the bag, finding a croissant, once warm but now cool from sitting on the counter for some time. How long had he been gone for? She set the bag to the side to inspect the garment underneath, ignoring the rumbling in her stomach just long enough to notice a small piece of paper tucked under the bag, the elegant scroll running across it was addressed to her.

Miss Prince,

I apologize that I won’t be there when you wake up this morning, but duty calls, of course. I didn’t want to be so rude as to leave without a goodbye, but I could hardly bring myself to disturb your slumber. I hope this can make up for my lack of good hostmanship and however I may have composed myself last night. I’m not usually so forward, but I fear the wine may have dulled my sense of restraint. I shall strive to be more courteous at our next meeting.

Also, the city is rather chilly this morning. Try your best not to catch a cold–I’ve left something behind to help.

Affectueusement,

Vincent

Affectionately? Is this what he called affectionate?

She frowned as her eyes scanned the message, having to reread his words over again to make sense of his apology. Did he feel…bad about what he had said last night? Did he regret it, or just how quickly he acted? She didn’t miss the slight tinge in her heart when she noted the formality of his tone, the ease of conversation from the night before all but absent from his note. It wasn’t like he was outright taking back anything he had said the night before, but she couldn’t help but feel as if he had closed the door on her again, keeping her at arms length from whatever she was trying to deduce about him.

She set the note aside, distracting herself from his wording, not wanting to read too much into it when he wasn’t even here to explain what he meant in the first place. It was better if she didn’t think too much about it anyways. She eyed the fabric finally, running her hand across it and noting its softness before holding it up, trying to see exactly what he had left her. Looking over it, she blinked in surprise when she realized it was one of his blazers and held it gently up to her face, taking in the faint but comforting smell of him that adorned the material.

At least he had cared enough to leave her something. He wasn’t throwing her out to the wolves just yet.

But while she appreciated the thought, was she really supposed to wear a men's blazer into the office? One that clearly didn’t belong to her? It was hard to find another option in her situation, and it would help hide the fact that she was still wearing yesterday’s outfit at least. It wasn’t like it could be traced back to him either, given that half of the men in the city wore blazers everyday. His just so happened to be a little more tailored than the rest. If anyone asked, she would say it belonged to an old friend and she was just trying out a new look, surely that would suffice. The city of love was the city of fashion, after all.

She studied the blazer for a moment longer, admiring how structured it was before pulling it on, letting out a soft laugh at how much it dwarfed her, the tips of her fingers just peeking past the cuffs of the sleeves. She would definitely need to use her belt to cinch it at the waist if she wanted to pass it off as a statement piece, but at least that was manageable. She could make it work for a day.

Her train of thought was suddenly broken as the ding of the elevator came through the silence, quickly followed by the sound of jangling metal and murmured french–a clear sign that someone had joined her in the apartment. She flushed at the thought of Vincent finding her in the kitchen, engulfed by his jacket as if she had broken into his closet and stolen his clothes in some kind of pathetic attempt to dress up. Quickly, she began fumbling with the buttons, desperate to take the garment off before he could see her, but had only just made it to the last one as footsteps reached the kitchen–some coming from the patterning of tiny feet, and the other ones slower, more confident as they strode through the penthouse, heading in her direction.

She looked up, momentarily frozen with fear until her eyes settled on a crop of red hair and she let out a sigh of relief.

Thank god, it was just Eugene.

He paused in the doorway, watching her for a moment with a look of confusion until his eyes went wide with recognition.

“Miss Prince, you’re awake!”

His accent was slightly thicker than his employer’s, missing the slight English tinge that Vincent often had while speaking, but was still perfectly enunciated.

“Ah, yes…” she started, her hands pulling the blazer tighter around her in an attempt to shield herself from his gaze. “Sorry, I wasn’t trying to be nosy I just…” she flushed, finally letting go of the fabric and motioning towards the bag on the counter. “He left this behind.”

Eugene stayed silent for a moment before an amused expression crossed his face, and he shook his head.

“Of course, Miss Prince. He intended for you to take it, and you certainly wouldn’t be doing a very good job at snooping around if you had only made it to the kitchen.”

He cracked a smile at that and she felt herself relax a little more, the tension from her shoulders lifting when she realized that this wasn’t his employer she was dealing with. The valet was much more down to earth, thankfully.

“No, I suppose you’re right. Though truth be told I’m still glad you’re the one that came in instead of him. I’m not sure I could handle any more embarrassment this morning.”

She laughed and leaned against the kitchen island, watching as he leant down to unclip his companion–the small pug she had met last night–from his leash, freeing him to come and greet her once more, his tiny feet pattering against the tile as he looked up at her excitedly with a whine. She smiled, bending down to scratch him between the ears.

“And a good morning to you too, Esteban.”

Eugene waited for her to stand back up before he spoke.

“Mr Karm wished for me to escort you to work, if you’d find that agreeable. The metro is usually horrendous at this hour. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemies.”

Something in his tone and the haunted look in his eyes told her it was something he felt strongly about–perhaps coming from a bad personal experience or two.

She nodded, smiling gratefully.

“Sure, that’d be wonderful. Let me just finish up this croissant and then we can–”

She paused, her eyes going wide as she glanced over at the clock on the stove for the first time that morning, realizing just how late for work she already was. She was supposed to be meeting the boss today! Why of all days…

“On second thought…we should probably get going.”

She quickly pulled the blazer on, trying her best to multitask adjusting the fabric while grabbing the paper bag with her only free hand, rapidly making her way to the elevator.

“Ah, Miss Prince–”

Eugene scrambled after her, meeting her in the elevator and pressing the button to take them to the ground floor. The door closed after a moment and he looked back over at her, finding her fumbling with the belt she had tied around the blazer in an attempt to look slightly more presentable. She paused, glancing up at him before dropping her hands with a sigh as he raised an eyebrow.

“Sorry…I didn’t realize how late it was. I should have looked at the clock earlier, but I was a little distracted if I’m being honest…” she shook her head, tucking the paper bag under her arm and straightening her posture with a deep breath. “I know I’m probably not…exactly what you expected…”

“What I expected…?”

“I mean… in terms of Vincent’s soulmate. You probably expected someone a little more…refined. I’m not exactly up to date with the nuances of French opera, or the latest art exhibition unveilings…and I’m hardly put together…”

He watched her for a minute as she glanced away, refusing to make eye contact, before he let out a laugh. She turned to him quickly in confusion, clearly not expecting his reaction.

“What…?” she questioned, raising her eyebrow almost in defiance, but found him watching her with the same tickled expression as before.

“Miss Prince, I think you might be exactly what he needs,” he trailed off, his gaze turning to the doors of the elevator as they opened, and he led them out and towards the car. “It’s really not my place to say, but Monsieur Karm has been stuck in this…”–he paused, gesturing to their surroundings as he opened the car door–”routine, for as long as I’ve worked for him. You’re a surprising breath of fresh air, believe me,” he closed the door, moving to let himself into the driver's seat and meeting her eyes in the rearview mirror. “I for one, am very glad you’ve thrown him off his rhythm,” he smiled and started up the car, finally looking towards the road and beginning the drive to her office.

She watched him for a moment, running his words over in her head before a gentle smile crossed her lips and she turned to look out the window, feeling more at ease at the valet’s affirmations. Unspokenly, she was grateful for his voiced opinion, knowing that even to others, that maybe, just maybe, their connection wasn’t as far-fetched as it seemed. He was closed off for now, but that she could work with, if he would only make the effort to let her in.

Besides, even if it didn’t work out, she could always make friends with Eugene instead.

—

Arriving at the office, she thanked Eugene quickly before hurrying out of the car, anxious to get into the building before anyone could notice exactly what kind of car she arrived in. She sighed a breath of relief once she had made it to the elevator unnoticed and checked her watch, relaxing against the bar behind her when she realized they had made it in less time than she thought, luckily only late for the start of her day and not for the scheduled meeting with the CEO that was supposed to be taking place in thirty minutes.

She let her eyes close as the doors of the elevator did, relaxing in a moment of silence that was suddenly interrupted as a hand shot through the doors and they opened once more, a man hurrying inside and taking his place beside her.

“Sorry,” he mumbled in French, catching his breath. “Late for a meeting…” he trailed off, running a hand through his hair and leaning against the back wall just as she was.

He was clearly in as much disarray as she was, that was obvious. He held a stack of loose papers under his arm as he straightened his glasses which had gone crooked in his frantic hurrying. He hardly seemed to notice her at first as he straightened himself out, and she got the feeling that this wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for him, if the state of his outfit was anything to go by. He was dressed well, but not overly so, going for the ease of a tucked in white button-up and dark pants, aiming for neatness but lacking the careful attention that she noticed in Vincent’s attire, his collar unbuttoned and folded to the side. He seemed familiar, but she was having trouble placing exactly where she had seen him before.

Finally, he glanced over to the elevator buttons, tilting his head as he noticed that they were headed to the same floor. He glanced over at her, his blue eyes studying her for a moment before going wide in shock.

“Oh! I didn’t even recognize you!” He added, this time in english. His face eased into a welcoming smile and he held a hand out for her to shake. “You’re Isabelle Prince, right? The new journalist?”

She watched his hand for a minute before reaching out cautiously to shake, a little uneasy about the fact that this man seemed to know exactly who she was while she was still having a hard time placing his face. At least he seemed nice enough…

“That’s me. Ah, excuse me, but I’m not quite sure I recognize you…”

He tilted his head curiously for a moment before letting out a soft laugh.

“My apologies, I should have introduced myself first.” He shook her hand in turn. “Raphael Laurent,” he announced, letting go of her hand and straightening the papers under his arm once more. “I must admit, I’m rather relieved to see you here…I thought I was the only one who was going to be late to our meeting, but I’m glad to see we’re both here at the same time!”

Her eyes went wide in realization that she was standing in front of her boss, having forgotten what he looked like and almost shutting him out of the elevator after arriving at work over an hour late. Though if he seemed to care, he hadn’t shown it. For once, she was grateful that her boss wasn’t as put together as she had expected him to be…

“Ah, it won’t be a habit, I promise. My first week here in the city has been rather…disorienting.”

He laughed as the elevator chimed, motioning for her to step out first before he followed. It seemed he had bought her excuse–either he was overlooking her choice in fashion or he was blissfully naive about its implications, but either way, she was relieved that she had managed to escape any questioning glances on his part.

“Don’t worry, I completely understand. Paris can be a labyrinth at the best of times, even for us natives. But I promise, it does get better,” he assured, sending her a small, encouraging smile before he glanced around the room, ensuring that everything had been running smoothly in his absence. Seemingly satisfied, he turned back to her, adding, “I’ll give you some time to get to your desk and get settled. Feel free to come knock on my door as soon as you’re ready to talk.”

“Right, I’ll be there shortly then!” she nodded and trailed off, glancing over to her side of the office but not stepping away in case he wasn’t finished.

He smiled again, this time a little more strained as the awkward silence stretched between them, the both of them seemingly unsure of whether or not they should say anything else. Finally though, he sent her a small nod and went his own way, and she let out a breath of relief, making her way to her desk and setting down her bag.

Well that could’ve gone better. At least he hadn’t made any comments about her fashion taste–something she knew she’d have to deal with once Louise laid her eyes on her.

Gathering her thoughts, she sorted through her bag, pulling out the notebook she often kept on her for any haphazard or investigative notes, the sturdy cover worn from heavy use over the last few months. It took her another moment to locate her lucky pen–a turquoise pilot G-7 that Kat had given her to study for exams with back in their undergrad days. She had used it on almost every investigation so far, and she couldn’t imagine trying to start a new case without it, especially not in an unfamiliar city.

She had just tucked her bag away beneath her desk when a voice came from behind her, and she jumped, her head nearly missing the edge of the desk as she stood back up, turning to face whoever had snuck up on her with a harsh glare.

Of course. She should have known.

“Glad to see you didn’t actually fall off the face of the earth. I wasn’t sure if you were going to show up today.”

Marion watched her with crossed arms, an amused expression twinkling in her eyes as she studied the journalist’s outfit, no doubt running her own calculations in her head. Isabelle rolled her eyes and straightened her outfit before mirroring Marion’s stance, crossing her arms and shifting her weight onto her back leg.

“You know, it’s common courtesy to announce your presence when someone’s busy, especially when they’re in a precarious position.”

The other woman let out a laugh, her posture relaxing as she looked Isabelle over, her eyes narrowing as she eyed the blazer Isabelle had on.

“Oh, I bet you were in a precarious position. Is that why you’re late to work?” she teased, beginning to circle her as a shark would its prey. “Whose closet did you steal this from…and where can I get his number?”

“Marion please,” she sighed and rolled her eyes once more, pulling the blazer tighter around her. “It’s not what you think, alright? Just a…clothing mishap…a mistake…it happens,” she trailed off, doing her best to try and redirect the conversation. It was better that Marion think it was something casual anyways–the last thing she needed right now was for her coworkers to find out she was seeing the competition, especially when said coworker had been drooling over the competition just the day prior. “Besides, I didn’t miss anything important, did I?”

Marion watched her for a moment with an incredulous expression before sighing and rolling her eyes, making her way back to her own desk.

“Not really. Louise is out today anyways, so you got lucky. Something about finding a babysitter,” she trailed off, sitting down and crossing her legs with a bored look. “The only exciting thing I’ve heard today is that apparently the boss is in, though I haven’t gotten the chance to see him yet. I’ve heard he’s handsome too…” she hummed, wiggling her eyebrows with a laugh.

Isabelle rolled her eyes but cracked a smile nonetheless, pushing her chair back under the desk.

“Is that actually all you care about?” she laughed, raising an eyebrow. “You’re working at one of the most prestigious magazines in the city and you can only focus on how hot your boss is. Honestly…” She shook her head with another grin.

“Hey! I’m just looking out for my future. You can’t fault a girl for trying to set herself up!” She frowned, tilting her head as Isabelle turned and began walking away. “Wait, where are you going?”

She had a point, Isabelle supposed. There was certainly nothing wrong with trying to find herself a catch, the journalist just had other priorities, though she wasn’t sure how biased she was given that she had already met her soulmate, and he already ticked most of the boxes for what a person could want in a partner…or at least, what Marion wanted in a partner.

“I’ll be back. I’ve got a meeting with the boss,” she grinned back at her, sending her a wink before turning and continuing on. “I’ll let you know if you’re right or not.

She heard Marion let out a small gasp before she rounded the corner, leaving her line of sight. She would certainly be getting an earful once she got back, but she really couldn’t help herself from a little bit of teasing when Marion made it so easy to begin with.

But that was a problem for later. Now, it was time to finally find out what she had been brought here to do.

She hoped the job description hadn’t been lying when it had promised the adventure of a lifetime.

#rêvant de toi #chapter 6 #colp #cityoflove #vincent karm #cityofloveparis #mcxvincent #vincent x mc #soulmate au

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