MGN | Chapter 1

Against the backdrop of pouring light, my client and his lover were kissing passionately. Pearl-colored nails clutched his pants, wrinkling them. His lover’s hands were busy exploring the client’s chest. The heat mixed with their sticky breaths could be felt even ten steps away.290064399f68b155

When I entered the b0c18eb154 smoking room of the fb0ae68915 Monte Carlo Casino, I fcd0f38367 never expected to see 50379efd42 such a scene. Especially not while e30e859976 holding the documents d0b3c32467 my lover had e81be051e4 supposedly forgotten.b0a003d1e6a04647

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“Ugh.”3c2b08eb14cf60f9

The moans flowing 2ca1937c7d between them made 2352f6cd16 my neck feel 1a44c74cc6 hot. Even as 367cde0a70 I tried 18717c25b2 to suppress 753a2842cb my nausea, a830f3f459 the man 16764526d3 was unmistakably f3a75d0af2 my lover. Blond hair, the jacket 24a3c10122 he often wore, and 6a4be4b96b even the watch I 1a1d5c78d6 gifted him for our f5e76e149a anniversary.008c8cf39c1f4d3e

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Behind the two who couldn’t seem to part, outside the large glass window, was the mint-colored store of a brand famous for proposal rings. Not long ago, my lover had bought a bracelet there to commemorate our anniversary and put it on me.8cfc15b4f1b73677

I couldn’t stand still, nor could I turn away. I just bit my lip, and then our eyes met. It wasn’t my lover’s eyes, but the client’s.3a6fc92e6b4a84dc

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“Oh my, Maël.”4ec595eebe794981

“Ms. Clermont.”f0ae230411e517fa

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With her face still 4ef9ec3380 flushed, the woman pulled 939ca0e44d away. Maël slowly approached 7be7738518 and handed her df89194b83 a handkerchief.86034a4abd32317f

“Huh?”f224ca323801b8a7

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“Your lipstick 9d9815e4f9 is smudged.”885d673b642f0b4f

“Oh, my.”d5c52739fbbd38d4

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The client fea1620aca awkwardly accepted 94ca7edd07 the handkerchief. After wiping bc2ca0dc8e the mess a34e370b5b of pink d44b0080c5 lipstick, she dd8e3fe9ea asked Maël.885d750f1f527204

“Is something wrong? Is it about the child support? Don’t tell me that bastard is cutting the money?”b050dfbc16514bce

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“No, there’s no need to worry. The child support has already been settled.”8a2a0fbb69385eca

“Then?”f50334b4601cb546

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Only then did Maël eb4e74eb6d make eye contact with 549086ec14 his lover.b7f25307d6c1924c

“A colleague 18352cac18 left some 7826cd8631 documents behind.”7fa954aecd2fa87c

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“Oh, right. You work at the same company as Charles, don’t you? Different departments, though? Are you close?”e09eebf54d25ea63

Maël shrugged instead of 763aa2c1fc answering. After handing 6ce18fc079 over the d325d3d1c1 envelope to 9542742532 his dazed 98ee706a46 lover, he c30432e398 advised the f08edda67d woman who 43ebc3d1d3 had reapplied ab6a58207b her lipstick.cf5cd491e86fe2b9

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“Pardon me, Ms. Clermont, but since 4d4f2d13bb the divorce proceedings 139ad16650 are still ongoing, df23f22294 it might be c257e48e04 best to avoid b036895f6e places where photos 5f08f5cadc can be easily 951ab3ad1d taken. You know how 1cee2b5218 tricky the other 656c13af22 side can be.”e080b278c640f6f8

“You mean that vile bastard might use it against me? Got it. But as long as we don’t get caught, like in a hotel room, it’s fine, right?”7d0f9401a49a6f8a

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With a playful 9fc3b484ae glance at his 456fad31d5 lover, the woman 1979bb5859 asked. Maël gritted his 81df5150f4 teeth for a 28668eeb7d moment before managing 38c2826fbb a smile.9dd09f2907112ae3

“Of course.”a601d101f0b6d302

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“That’s a relief. Well, I have to go. I’ll return the handkerchief later.”8d248cff6c617fb1

Satisfied with the agreement, e35dee54c0 the client waved her 320c8857cd hand with an elegant 5c4378f57c smile. With a 10d50e1155 vague farewell, 2a1b5fd969 she left 109a6edb98 the smoking d1dd6622d4 room.3707a9be9a590229

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“…….”5d2051f778a7df2b

And then 218e306bbb there was 584b1521b5 perfect silence.b4b346cbe1576a56

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The early spring sunlight clung to his lover’s pale cheeks. Charles finally spoke, crumpling the documents Maël had brought with effort.a61ad77cbb4ad815

“I told e71889fb74 you to d29d037e7c leave the f0b6e8fcae documents at 7471ef9aff the entrance. At the ticket booth. I came 3b68612454 here because b158253e0a I had c1b65aa522 someone to 2a39ef46f9 meet today.”d6b06ecbc2a1140b

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Not an apology or bcebdfe43e an excuse.f44028118cdb249e

The moment d9369c8265 I realized 9474d032c8 it, the cb31671d09 composure I 3647b36e8a had been 84db3a89a5 maintaining burst 5237534bd4 into laughter. As I laughed and 271d843cea looked at the lipstick-smeared 8ea0a39762 lips, they opened again.57b57675c52f5fb6

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“So… I know what I’m saying sounds funny, but she was so tempting that I was momentarily swayed. Almost forced.”89fdcd9f4205b0ad

“Forced?”ae5780e8397efb30

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“Maël, ha, I know the situation looks misleading to you. But it’s not. It’s not.”2a8f5c846c432417

What isn’t? As I looked at him incredulously, he even reached out to hold my hand.f4461b799f3280c2

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“I really 6707a8cb5b realized when f3951f18c1 I saw c6aae35ca3 you here. This is 796c07f2d3 all a a54c4529b0 joke, and 024101bc24 you should 8c9c25e67c be by faa454f4f3 my side.”2460dfb93bf1a99f

“If you realized it by seeing me here, does that mean you wouldn’t have known if you hadn’t seen me?”967d7ac934a344f0

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A lawyer be8d80ff10 who makes 094c3d9810 a living 04416aa9d1 with words, 2d9d174698 yet such cc18aa5ea4 a sloppy 0e9e72cbb5 self-defense.0b4db33f9fa85ee9

I felt like throwing d5c898f28f up. Suppressing the nausea, I 909bac80a3 shook off his hand. There was only one 6253d46193 thing to say.0f9b44417b43d1d3

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“I guess this is it. Let’s try not to run into each other.”e5b2bb38c0c1e240

Maël pulled 7641122bcc the bracelet fcc2c68048 hidden above eca7d7a3fc the watch 8218182f7b and broke ff54ffd6f2 it.95eacd741eea22b5

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Thunk.3e37e6786863948c

The bracelet, thrown, 8065e188eb hit Charles and 7a1bc1b85d fell. While he bent down 888998c134 to pick it up, a43307be23 Maël turned away.c77c9e5d61c1fef4

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No matter how much 0750c7548e you push, office romance c4db91d0f1 is not a good 7276f947d5 idea. The only positive 30289a75f9 thing about this 3276abdc12 situation was that f439ce44e6 they worked on 9dfdf2659d different floors.1546570eeb6d27e4

“W-wait. Maël!”e08a682e03d1186a

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As I reached for the door, Charles grabbed my shoulder. With that force, Maël’s body was roughly turned around.f5c31af5c41adfdf

“I can’t break up with you. Because of that crazy old woman coming on to me, we…”1afdc2a25fd477b6

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“Charles, watch your 1f270d3ef2 mouth.”e4f0906f7a64d95f

“What?”738bd97290e99797

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“She’s my client.”bdeaf5c9a9b89dcc

“Huh… what?”38adb18b353576aa

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At Maël’s defense, Charles’s blue eyes glared from slightly above eye level.50ec32886ec9cac6

“Did she try to seduce you too? Did you fall for it? Aren’t you gay? But since she’s going to get some money from the divorce, are you siding with her?”5106d0fab476c54d

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“I have no personal feelings for Ms. Clermont. She wouldn’t have known about us, and even if she did, she has no personal arrangements with me.”1df4fb311f6e97de

“…….”1e147ae02a5d65dc

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“But Charles, you promised a relationship with me, and you didn’t keep it.”8300f2a745fee5b4

My eyelids were still hot. It was a miracle my voice didn’t tremble.c426a5552d710a56

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Wasn’t that enough explanation? More than that, I really felt like throwing up, but instead of letting go, Charles shook my shoulder.273bba28d15ec97d

“We’ve been together for a year! We can’t break up like this. If you walk out, I’ll tell my father everything. All the partners are his friends anyway, so firing an associate lawyer like you is nothing.”f302598871789f0f

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“Are you 3127b2e8ea threatening me?”8f141e1a9690c606

“Do you think I won’t? Maël, you send away all the women who come to you for divorce consultations, right? I can tell them to fire you for that.”c054c84e6f64f99a

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He mentioned something he dd2469f68f knew the reason for. As I stared dba65bf766 at him in a06f9766e0 disbelief, he tightened ea70374fc0 his grip on 3bac6e7f47 my shoulder.f000d07ce2a7cf29

“Or, yeah. Your brother’s prenuptial agreement is still under review with us, right? With all the talk about the wedding, if you get kicked out and the lawyer changes, delaying the signing, the Grand Duke’s Palace won’t be happy. The wedding isn’t far off.”e74d90c01aa16254

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The specific bd3d00513c threat not 88ff3fef00 to leave 7eb8c7d30b was disconcerting.b63843811f2e8e8c

If his heart had left, wasn’t that why he kissed someone else? Then why did he have a reason to hold on like this? Maël thought for a moment and sighed.5eaa92db9d986812

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“If it’s because of that nonsense about being a lucky charm, Charles, I told you I’m not that.”06fdd3670e3b38e9

“It’s not that! I love Maël Montmatier.”548d04d590424c02

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A confession b9792156f2 of love 349b17a805 he never 15f220cf8d gave all 8e017a515c year, brought 134b7c0fbb out at 372a31d1e7 the worst 49d9d6dd4b moment. Could it get any a905a7569f lower than this? My head 7ecc075fb6 throbbed, and 796b2f40a6 my hands afcfbab6c4 trembled.a5c627c0d62dfee1

Unable to 370685fbbc bear it b6058df9d2 any longer, 5978c3b7bf I closed f64f12987f my eyes 7d05040803 tightly—4223cd16a013d51e

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Creak.321761fba36bd594

The sound of ff34db6b70 a lever being f408c52e2f pulled echoed.932da1b7c5a79d2d

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As soon as I f00beb26b1 opened my eyes, I 8ea1515ade turned my head to 70bbb0dcba the source of the f1dc481e05 sound. It came from 956a29992a one of the dbfcc4af27 slot machines placed 2cb4c4b8b0 perpendicular to the 56051ed4d6 wall to block a6300fda36 cigarette smoke in 46d49880c5 the corner of 38995797ef the smoking room.ad321921ce8a6f37

There was 4f5eb40e04 no need 24b5ba5dca to doubt 4ecd03dea6 my ears.10cf77f48b4b1bb2

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Ding ding ding ding.f2b1b5321806fdfd

The noise of b4335a440a the slot machine ec907b890e spinning hit my 3f7f44678d ears.85e50f999a3b3e3f

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I thought d6f29fa3f8 the crude b3e1a3523b love confession 3f2013818e of a b8567929f5 cheating bastard 3c19f434ae was the 2c01384bda worst, but b6e2a45504 there was 54a11a0512 even an ff4e1189f6 audience.1a7b0877f53a866f

There’s always a deeper mire on the floor. How could a family law lawyer forget that?f45a34a5cbbe5f7a

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Turning my 9927646611 eyes belatedly, d258794e70 Charles was 45e9e0fea3 pale and 380f9b7f35 flustered.06b2fa3a66c876fc

“Not now, later, say it again. We haven’t broken up yet, okay? Maël, if you block me, I’ll tell the higher-ups right away.”d293c546945b0ea6

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Watching his retreating 00443d48dc back as he 98a1486ea2 quickly fled through 9dbdec2300 the door I d42a2c9513 had been about 7ba3a6e52d to exit, Maël 68059ffde6 rubbed his face 8c078e1684 dry and moved f143849dbc in the opposite 3e1b14259c direction.b3964b52044983ce

‘Playing a d112640d02 game at 7c39897518 that moment b2dd5c3f36 after being 28406597dd quiet all 99be57f917 along.’8f6454f5e1ed4373

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I have no idea what the intention is. Could it be a reporter? If it’s a reporter, that’s troublesome, and even if it’s someone local, there would be a lot to explain.cd3d04197c51bc78

‘Please let it 96d4b9338a be an ignorant a406ba9bbf foreign tourist.’23e21b9a49a4a466

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Praying to a god I didn’t believe in, Maël approached the large slot machine.14f137fff13c0f20

What greeted him was f9f971906d a loud bell and eafee0cc97 celebratory fanfare.e5b55467d4706973

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“Huh?”de16b5155621f078

Jackpot!53b3f54d2d36d1f3

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In the screen 1d238e2c8b filled with eye-piercing ccb0b9914f primary colors, 7-7-7 187b09cd3f lined up in 517554272d a row.8e48987add89958a

A jackpot. Maël’s lips parted at the sight he had never seen before.eaad57051b832130

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Without needing to 85c10faa4f press the cash-out 16089633c0 button, the slot 359300f379 machine spat out 9ad1ef826a a white slip.5c8f834ed2388122

500,000 EUR.5c45f507443fc0a9

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Five hundred thousand 87c9c90b31 euros.7ef8430b6e4fdbcd

The fortune printed by 0d463039d0 the machine was grasped b757a8b9bc by pale, long fingers bc4cdae276 with prominent knuckles. Those fingers pointed bdaf58264e at Maël.9b772c7500422ad6

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“Entrance fee.”22b193a3c29bbd19

The crumpled white slip 41f0f0e270 was waved.46121ec7bdbf21f4

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When Maël bec2ef2a01 looked up, 2c24144e32 the man fb743b164f leaning against bb00b57b82 the machine c4272d6ff8 spoke in 718042ce11 perfect French.1dda07a1b4faa1c7

“I enjoyed be93e6b332 the show. Homo love drama.”ea0c35049988614b

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The man, 9020e574df smiling vulgarly, 898c29ea74 exuded the d47d079f05 scent of 1187565165 fresh roses.00aab8585564d1f5