Chapter 194 194
Jacqueline knocked once on the door before a voice from inside called out for her to enter.
She twisted the handle and stepped into the office.
“I was expecting you, Ms. Jacqueline. Please, have a seat,” the lawyer said.
She offered him a restrained smile before walking in and settling into the chair across from his desk.
Mr. Vidal had been Julien’s lawyer.
“My condolences for your loss,” he added politely.
Jacqueline gave a small nod.
“I’m afraid I only have unpleasant news,” Mr. Vidal continued, his tone measured.
Her brows drew together slightly.
“What do you mean?” she asked calmly.
“Mr. Bourdon had been facing a financial crisis for nearly a year,” the lawyer explained. “His company was on the brink of collapse. To maintain his public image, he took several large loans from various banks. Unfortunately, with his sudden death, the company has officially declared bankruptcy. As compensation for the outstanding debts, the bank has seized all of his assets and heirlooms.”
He paused briefly before adding bluntly, “In simpler terms, neither you nor your brother will inherit anything. I’m truly sorry.”
Jacqueline stared down at her hands resting on her lap and sighed quietly.
She hadn’t expected millions.
All she had hoped for was enough money to pay for Mathieu’s treatment.
But it didn’t matter.
She would manage.
She could find a job and take care of her brother herself. She didn’t need Julien’s money to survive.
Rising from her seat, she thanked the lawyer.
“If you need any help at all, please don’t hesitate to contact me,” Mr. Vidal said.
“I will. Thank you,” she replied softly.
She was about to turn and leave when he suddenly stood up and walked around the desk to stand in front of her.
Placing a hand on her arm, he smiled.
“I imagine it will be difficult for you to arrange proper shelter or even food right now,” he said.
His hand slowly began sliding up and down her arm as his smile shifted into something unpleasant.
“If you’d like, I could rent a penthouse for you. You and your brother could stay there comfortably.”
Jacqueline stiffened.
She pulled her arm away and stepped back.
“All you’d need to do,” he continued with a smug tone, “is spend a few… devoted nights with me. I’d even pay you well for it.”
Rage erupted inside her chest like molten lava.
“Do you want me to call the police?” she snapped, venom dripping from every word as her hands tightened around the straps of her handbag.
“I’m only presenting you with a job offer,” the fifty-five-year-old man replied casually. “The choice is yours. I’m simply trying to help.”
Her blood boiled.
For a moment she truly felt capable of killing him.
“People like you deserve to die horrible deaths,” she hissed, glaring at him with pure disgust.
Without another word she stormed out of the office, slamming the door so hard it rattled the entire room behind her.
The nerve of that disgusting man.
Because of people like him, countless innocent lives were ruined.
The moment she stepped outside the building, reporters swarmed her from every direction.
“Was someone responsible for the fire at your house?”
“Do you suspect foul play?”
“Where were you during the incident?”
Questions flew at her from every angle.
Jacqueline let out a slow breath.
“I just lost my family,” she said loudly. “And today our lawyer, Mr. Vidal, offered to make me his mistress because I have no money left after my stepfather’s company went bankrupt.”
The reporters immediately froze.
“I demand justice,” she continued sharply. “How dare Mr. Vidal make such an offer to me?”
Just like that, the media had their headline of the day.
Within seconds the reporters rushed toward the building, flooding Mr. Vidal’s office.
He should have thought twice before making such an offer.
Jacqueline didn’t stay to watch the chaos.
She walked back toward Gilles’s house on foot. Thankfully, it wasn’t far.
When she arrived, the news about the incident was already circulating on television.
Gilles looked furious.
“Why did you go without telling me?” he demanded.
“I’m going to sue that bastard,” he growled, already dialing a number on his phone.
Jacqueline quickly grabbed the phone from his hand and ended the call.
“That won’t be necessary,” she said quietly, handing the phone back to him. “I’ve already dealt with him.”
She couldn’t help wondering what would have happened if she had ever told her friends about the things she endured daily.
They would have helped her without hesitation.
But Julien had built such a powerful and terrifying image in her mind that she had stayed silent, afraid that speaking up might put the people she loved in danger.
“Listen,” Gilles said suddenly.
He turned toward her with a rigid jaw and a completely serious expression. The only time she had ever seen him look like this was during his matches.
“Stop doing this,” he said firmly.
“We all admire how strong you are. But you don’t have to fight everything alone. We’re here for you. You’re not alone anymore.”
A small, genuine smile appeared on Jacqueline’s face.
“Aww… when did you become so mature?” she teased.
Gilles immediately flushed.
“Shut up,” he muttered, blushing as she burst into laughter.
The following day Jacqueline found a job at a small restaurant nearby.
Gilles had told her countless times that she didn’t need to work, but she refused to depend on anyone.
At the same time she began searching for apartments to rent.
In the end, Gilles insisted she stay in one of his mother’s apartments a place she had once used as an art studio but had since left vacant.
Jacqueline finally agreed.
However, she made it clear that she would still work.
Soon she moved into the apartment.
It was modest two small rooms, a living space, and an open kitchen.
Strangely, the place reminded her of the house where Damien had once kept her in his town.
Fanny and Thérèse helped her clean the apartment thoroughly.
Laurent stocked the kitchen with groceries despite her repeated protests.
All of them hated the idea of her living alone like this.
But Jacqueline was stubborn.
No one could win an argument against her.
The only compromise they managed to secure was convincing her to continue attending university. Since her tuition for the entire year had already been paid, she could easily finish the semester.
Gradually, life seemed to be settling into place again.
But deep down, there was someone she missed terribly.
The one person who had become everything to her.
He never came looking for her.
A single tear slipped down her cheek.
She wiped it away and sighed.
Tomorrow, she told herself, she would begin her new life.