ITALY...Afternoon, Madison park the car in front of their house next to her father"s truck, her parents arrives home then.
"They come back earlier than they had planned," she murmured to herself.
"Expecting someone?" Levi asked her who was seated in the pa.s.senger seat.
"And who that be?"
"A boyfriend," Levi stared at her seriously.
"I don"t have a boyfriend!" She snapped out.
"That"s good then," he smirked.
Madison glared at Levi. "Good? What he is talking about?" She asked herself thinking how weird is this guy. She steps out of the car and rushed towards their low height steel gate of their front house.
"Mama, papa?" she calls out.
"Maddie, where have you been? Why you left your phone home? We"ve been worried if something happens to you!" Her mother hysterically asking her questions right the moment she steps inside.
She just remembered, out of her excitement, the only thing she able to grab is her driver"s license and a few bucks. Her cell phone was out of her mind.
"Am fine, mama, do not worry. Am just out driving with, oh right… let me introduce to you," Madison just left Levi in the car.
"Honey," her father looking behind her with a funny expression. " Who is he?"
"Ah…" Madison give a look like "what are you doing here? You should wait till am calling you out here" but Levi just ignored her.
"Good afternoon, sir and madam…" he greeted politely. "I am here to conduct your daughter"s interview and a tryout for--" Levi paused, he saw Madison is glaring him like telling him to shut up.
"Tryout? For what?" Marco asked their visitor then look at his daughter. "Maddie?"
"It"s about the job I applied, papa!"
"What kind of work is that, honey?" Her mom, Allison asked.
"About cars mama! You know," she glanced at Levi.
"Oh, forgive for my rudeness, ma"am, sir… my name is Levi Montfort from Montfort Motor Industries," Levi stretches his hand for a handshake.
The couple dropped their mouth. It was Madison"s father who quickly accepts his hand and does a handshake.
"Welcome to our house, Mr. Montfort!" Marco gladly meeting him. Who aren"t familiar with the Montfort? As he owns a small Auto Repair Shop, he has enough knowledge to fix even a sports car and his daughter Madison grew up with the shop.
"Hoping you would consider my daughter, sir," Marco still hasn"t let go of Levi"s hand.
"Papa!" Madison using her mouth pointing their hands.
"Oh, I am sorry. How about us taking a seat," Marco asks their visitor.
"Thank you, sir. And you can just call me Levi," he told the man who is in his 50"s.
"Ah, then just call me, Marco!" He said while laughing. "Allison? Why don"t you--" Marco was surprised when his wife just leaves them without saying a word. Why she is acting strange now? He scratches his head.
"Am sorry, she must still be tired from our long travel. I"ll go check on her," Marco excuse themselves. "Honey, why don"t you offer a drink for our guest?"
"No problem, papa." Madison quickly answered like she more like her father to leave now.
She watched her father climb the stairs when she makes sure he"s inside the master"s bedroom she face Levi.
"What are you doing?" she asked Levi afterward.
"What? I am also here to talk with your parents or family members," he answered amused at how she reacted.
"Is this all about Shun Williams Crow?" Madison gave him a doubtful look.
"Of course not," Levi answered. Truly he has another purpose of coming here, but it"s not about Shun Williams Crow or about Carlisle Williams. He is here to know about Charles Montfort and what happen then of Marivella"s daughter, Madison"s granny from many generations before her.
"Don"t tell me, you didn"t tell your parents you were applying to become a race driver of my family"s company?"
"Sshh!" Madison gestured to shut him up. "I just wanted to surprise them if I pa.s.sed. I don"t want them to have high expectations then I would fail in the end. Besides, my mother is kind of sensitive about it, but Papa has given me all the support for anything I wanted."
"Okay, then let me talk to them and explain a little."
"Don"t dare mention to them!" she warns him.
"Of course not… you have to come to Paris for the program and stayed for a couple of weeks, your parents must wanna a.s.sure you will be fine, right?" Levi explain.
Madison"s gazes are like measuring him, Levi truly has this impression of her. This girl is truly interesting, he thought.
Upstairs at Madison"s parent"s bedroom, Marco talks about Allison"s behavior.
"What"s the matter? Are you okay?"
"Nothing, I am fine. Don"t worry," she answered her husband.
"I know why you acting like this… why you worry so much?"
Allison looks up to her husband then sighed. "Am not really worried, am just a bit surprised... and feels weary when the time has actually come."
"Okay… however, we are not holding their lives. Their fate has already been decided." Marco also trying to understand and acted like a wise man as Madison"s father.
"I know… you should go back and talk to our visitor."
"Are you really okay?"
"Yes, don"t worry about me…"
"Alright, I"ll go back downstairs then? I still wanted to know what kind of a person he is."
"Yes, thank you."
After her husband left, Allison looks for her phone to call her older sister.
"Marie? Yes, we"re back now…"
"When you will going to visit granny?" the other line asked.
"Tomorrow, we will come for a visit…"
"Is something wrong, Allison?" Marie could sense a difference in her sister"s voice.
"No. It"s nothing important…"
"I know you," Marie insisted.
"Charles…"
"Who?"
"Charles Montfort… he is downstairs."
Marie becomes speechless. She glanced at her granny who is resting at her rocking chair...
"Who is it, Marie? Is that Carlene?" Alesia asked her granddaughter.
She loves to call Madison as Carlene because she believes, Madison is the reincarnation of Carlene, the daughter of Carlisle Williams and Marivella Chen, her very own ancestors... and Charles Montfort;
He is the one who named their daughter and the one who raise Carlene as his own until he found himself falling in love with Marivella"s daughter... however, everything just becomes a tragic one in the end.
Carlene got to hated him with her whole life because of the truth she learned...
• • •
The next day, after Madison has formal and final talks with her mother, they dropped her on the train station and send her off to her Paris journey.
Allison sighed. In the end, she still fated to be with Charles, like the very beginning he helps her granny Marivella of giving birth and named her daughter after she died. Then raised her as his atonement then falling in love with her. Is this fate?
Paris, France... Madison could now see the famous Eiffel Tower. All her life, France is the place she hasn"t visited yet when it is just in the neighboring country. She wonders why her parents avoided coming to Paris, she always curious and wanted to ask them but chooses not to in the end.
But then, now she is finally here! Madison anxiously to step out from the train when it stopped. She pulled her backpack and put it on her shoulders. She jumps at the last stairs of this train station. Of course, she may look like a kid, but this is finally her own journey.
Every woman in her family was raised too strict, gladly, her father is spoiling her. But she can"t leave Italy alone... this is the first time. It was like, her family finally letting her go to seek her future, and she was blissfully happy.
Madison inhaled the Paris air... she choke it when she noticed the man leaning on a flashy car across the street who watching her amusingly. She truly remembered that she sent him a message of her scheduled time to arrive in Paris but she did not expect that he will go to pick her up at the station.
Levi wave at Madison when she noticed him. He immediately spotted her the moment she comes down the stairs and like a little girl playing her steps.
She is really an interesting girl... Levi thought while crossing the street as Madison just nailed her feet on the ground where she stood.
"Hi... Welcome to Paris, mademoiselle..."
* * *
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