35. The Investigative Dinner.

[Claire]
"What do you mean he's not who he says he is?" I asked her angrily, I was already tired of her indifference towards Jean.
"I had him investigated and I—"
"You had him… what?" I got up from the couch enraged. "Why did you do that?"
"Calm down, Claire, I've been having a kind of feeling that he's hiding something and I'm right, he—"
"You know what, I'm not listening to this, he's coming over for dinner and I hope you can get to know him so you see him as I do," I argued.
"So you're just not going to hear what I found out?" She shook her head. "I was like you once, blindly in love, and I've learned to interpret the signs, I know when someone is hiding something."
"Can you please just stop this?" I pleaded with her. "He'll be here soon."
"Claire, listen to me." She tried again but I cut her off.
"Fine, I'll listen to you if you say what you have to say in his presence." I scoffed, there was no way she would agree to that.
"Fine." She said and I looked at her in shock. "I know he's hiding something because there is no Jean. L. D’aureville profile online that matches him."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked her, confused.
"What I mean is I had him investigated and there is nothing on him, it's like your Jean L. D’aureville doesn't exist." She revealed and I frowned.
"Well, he's a private person and he works in the palace, you know that the palace controls the media," I argued, refusing to believe her.
"Yeah, that might be true but it doesn't mean they would erase his life out of the palace, when I say there is nothing on him, I mean no medical records, no school certificate, no profiles, nothing." She waved her hands in the air like it would help me get her point more.
"I honestly don't know what to say." I dropped to the couch beside her. "I mean how do I even approach the subject with him."
"What do you mean, how do you approach the subject with him?" She used a mocking tone. "You just ask him."
"Oh right, I'll be like Jean, my friend had you investigated and she found nothing on you, why is that?" I rolled my eyes at her.
"So, what is wrong with that?" She frowned.
"I don't want to push him away is what's wrong." I raised my voice at her.
She was about to respond when the doorbell rang and I rushed to get the door.
"Bonsoir mon Coeur." Michele beamed at me as I opened the door.
(Good evening sweetheart)
"Hi, please come in." I smiled at him and he pecked my cheeks as he came in.
I was glad that someone else was around that could rescue me from Sophie's nonsense.
"Oh, oh, why is her face like that?" Michele asked.
"I told her," Sophie grumbled folding her arms around her chest.
"What, I told you not to." Michele frowned. "Someone not being on social media is not proof enough that they have something to hide." He shook his head.
"Fine, but if I am right, I am going to say I told you so."
I glared at Sophie angrily while setting up the table, she sat on the couch ignoring me as Michele came to help me set up the table.
A few minutes later, the doorbell rang and I felt butterflies in my stomach because I realized that it was Jean.
"I'll get the door," Michele told me and I smiled at him.
"You be nice." I pointed at Sophie and went to my room hurriedly.
I removed my apron and t-shirt immediately, then I applied some perfume and I wore a pretty blue dress, I brushed my hair and applied some lip gloss, then I hurriedly went back to the living room.
"Hi." I smiled shyly at Jean when I saw him, he looked handsome as always and he took my breath away.
"Thank you for inviting me." He smiled at me and stretched his arm forward.
I blushed as I walked into his arms and hugged him.
"You look so beautiful, I can't wait to have you alone with me." He whispered into my ear and I shivered slightly.
"Well, the food is getting cold, Claire," Sophie said rudely and caused us to separate.
"Yes, please have a seat," I told him and went to the kitchen to get the food. "Sophie, please can you come and help me with the food?"
"No, I want to stay here and entertain your guest, Michele can go with you." She replied and Michele stood up.
My anxiety increased as Michele followed me to the kitchen and I hurriedly packed everything I needed because I didn't want Sophie to be alone with Jean for a long time.
.
.
[Jean]
Claire couldn't have called at a better time, I had just decided that I wasn't going to marry Megan because my best friend was in love with her and possibly she was in love with him too.
My relationship with Claire was doomed on so many levels, first, she had no idea of my true identity and if she found out, she would probably hate me for deceiving her, second, she was a foreigner and even if I could get the King to cancel his plans to get me married to Megan, there was no way he would sign off on my relationship with a foreigner.
I wondered if ending my relationship with her was the best for the both of us but then she called and asked me to dinner with that soft and sexy voice of hers and I couldn't refuse.
***
It was Michele Claire's friend that opened the door when I got to her house. He was really nice and we got along very well so I wasn't disturbed by his presence.
When I got inside, I greeted his sister but she just glared at me, she was my problem, she didn't strike me as a person who trusted easily, and sometimes when she stared at me, it felt like she could see through my facade.
I smiled when Claire walked into the room, the room brightened with her presence, and warmth spread through my chest when she smiled at me shyly.
I was looking forward to having her alone because I wanted to kiss her lips till they were red and sore and I wanted to touch her body, both of which I couldn't do with the spectators present.
"I know that you're hiding something." Sophie accused me when Claire went to the kitchen.
My heart sank when she said that and it started to beat faster.
"What makes you say that?" I tried to keep my voice from shaking as I asked.
Did she know something?
Before she could reply, Claire came back into the room with the food and she began to serve it right away.
She seemed nervous and I wondered if it had anything to do with Sophie's accusations.
"What were you guys talking about?" Claire asked, taking a seat beside me.
Sophie was sitting at the head of the table and beside her was Michele, then me and then Claire.
"Oh, you know, just this and that." Sophie smiled at her and I began to feel fear.
"Sophie?" Claire called her name in a warning tone while her friend just chuckled.
"The food is getting cold please, bon appetit everybody," Michele said and began passing food around.
I tried to eat but I couldn't keep what Sophie had said out of my mind. I kept wondering what she had found out and what she was going to tell Claire.
My palms began to get really sweaty and I suddenly began to feel hot, I didn't want to lose Claire.
The turkey was really good but the tension I was feeling caused it to get stuck in my throat and I took a glass of water in an attempt to push it down.
"You know Claire, have you ever tried to google who your handsome boyfriend is?" Sophie took a glass of wine and brought it to her lips.
"Soph, please stop it." Claire chided her while I tried to push the turkey down my throat.
"Well, Jean." She turned to me. "Your girlfriend didn't do that, you know why, it's because she trusts you." She said,
"I do trust you," Claire said and squeezed my arm slightly.
I felt so guilty when she said this and I could only nod my head. I reached for a glass of wine and began to sip it slowly so I wouldn't have to say anything.
"But not me, I don't believe your crap and bullshit," Sophie said and I forcefully swallowed a gulp of wine.
It felt hard in my throat and I coughed slightly.
"I had you investigated." She added and I coughed out my wine, spilling it all over the table and my pants.
What the f*ck did she just say?