Chapter 195 195
“Mathieu, come on, wake up. You’re going to be late for school,” she called softly, shaking her brother’s shoulder until he stirred.
The principal of his school had reached out to her earlier, offering his condolences. Thankfully, Julien happened to be friends with the man, and because of that connection, the principal had kindly arranged a scholarship for Mathieu.
“I’m going to make breakfast. Hurry up and get ready,” she added.
Mathieu pushed himself up slowly, still groggy, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Jacqueline left his room and wandered into the kitchen, beginning to prepare breakfast for the two of them.
By the time she finished, Mathieu emerged from his room already dressed in his uniform. Thérèse had been the one who brought clothes for both of them, while Gilles had taken care of buying Mathieu’s school uniform, his books, and a new school bag. Jacqueline couldn’t help but feel grateful. Her friends truly were a blessing.
The siblings ate their breakfast together before leaving the apartment.
Jacqueline walked Mathieu to his school and saw him safely inside before continuing on foot toward her workplace. Since there was still time before her first class at the university, she decided to stop by the restaurant and speak with the owner about adjusting her work hours.
She stepped into the small, cozy restaurant and made her way toward the office. Knocking lightly, she pushed the door open just enough to peek inside. The owner looked up and welcomed her in.
Fortunately, Mrs. Navarro agreed without much hesitation to let Jacqueline work the night shift.
Relieved, Jacqueline thanked her and soon headed for the university. Returning after such a long absence felt strange. Exams were approaching quickly, and she had an overwhelming amount of material to catch up on.
Luckily, Gilles and Fanny were there to help her. She would ask Gilles later if he could lend her his notes.
Jacqueline slipped into the classroom and quietly took a seat in the back. For several seconds, everyone stared at her before their attention slowly drifted away. She could almost hear the silent questions lingering in their minds where had she disappeared to, and why had she suddenly returned right after her stepfather’s death?
A few minutes later, Gilles and Fanny entered the room. The moment they spotted her, they hurried over.
Jacqueline greeted them with a small smile, though Fanny wasted no time piling a stack of notes onto her desk. The amount was almost overwhelming, and Jacqueline had barely begun to sort through them when the professor walked in.
Everyone quickly settled into their seats.
Even though she tried to focus on the lecture, her attention kept drifting. Her gaze repeatedly slid to the empty seat beside her the place where Damien used to sit.
A loud knock suddenly echoed through the classroom door, followed by the heavy sound of footsteps.
Still lost in her thoughts and staring at the vacant chair with quiet longing, Jacqueline didn’t notice the approaching presence until someone stopped beside her desk. She looked up and froze.
Her eyes widened, her lips parting in a silent gasp as her gaze locked with a pair of dark olive eyes. For a moment, she forgot something as basic as breathing and had to force herself to inhale.
Damien.
Without saying a word, he looked away. He pulled the chair back, the legs scraping loudly against the floor, and sat down with casual indifference.
Jacqueline had to force herself to look away.
She inhaled sharply when Gilles nudged her arm with his elbow. Turning toward him, she tried to compose herself.
“He disappeared the same day you did,” Gilles whispered quietly. “Kind of strange that he’s back on the exact same day you are.”
Jacqueline simply shrugged, though her heart was racing.
She took several slow breaths, trying to steady herself. The entire class passed in a tense blur. She was painfully aware of Damien’s presence beside her.
He was back.
And yet he behaved exactly the same as before cold, distant, untouchable. Mr. Frosty.
Maybe he planned to pretend that nothing had ever happened between them.
The thought lingered in her mind until the lecture finally ended. Determined, she decided she would at least greet him.
“Dam—”
The name had barely left her lips when he stood abruptly, irritation flashing across his face.
The words died in her throat.
Before she could gather herself again, Jacqueline hurried out of the classroom.
Her heart pounded wildly as she climbed the stairs to the rooftop. She needed air. She needed space to think.
Standing beneath the wide open sky, she took a long breath as the wind brushed gently past her braided hair. For several minutes she remained there, letting the cool air calm the chaos in her mind.
His face had been so stoic. Almost completely devoid of emotion.
And those eyes… cold as glaciers.
With a quiet sigh, she eventually forced herself to return for her next class. Now that Damien was back, pretending she felt nothing would become far more difficult.
He shouldn’t have returned.
Her letter had made it clear she wasn’t ready to face him yet.
Yet here he was.
Her heart continued to pound, thoughts colliding endlessly inside her mind until she simply shut everything down, retreating into numbness.
The rest of her classes passed in the same stiff, distracted state. By the time the final lecture ended, she felt exhausted.
Gilles told her he would make copies of all his notes for her. Jacqueline thanked him sincerely before saying goodbye to everyone.
It took her about twenty minutes to reach Mathieu’s school. Once she picked him up, the two of them walked back to their apartment together.
She served him lunch and instructed him carefully to remain inside the apartment. She even went over a few safety precautions and warned him not to go near the kitchen. Still, the idea of leaving him alone unsettled her.
Eventually, she decided to take him with her to Gilles’s place.
After dropping Mathieu there, Gilles happily agreed to keep an eye on him. Grateful, Jacqueline thanked him before heading to the restaurant.
It was her first day at work.
The head of the staff, Isabella, greeted her and led her into the locker room. She handed Jacqueline a server’s uniform short, though not overly revealing.
Jacqueline thanked her and changed quickly. Once she returned, Isabella explained the basics of the job, and within minutes Jacqueline was moving between tables, taking orders with a polite smile.
During her shift, she began learning the names of some of the other waitresses and one of the chefs. The restaurant only employed female servers there were no waiters. The male staff worked in the kitchen as chefs, while a woman in her thirties handled the temperance bar.
Jacqueline quickly realized that balancing multiple plates at once wasn’t easy. Because of that, she made frequent trips back and forth to the kitchen. She moved carefully, determined not to drop anything or cause a disaster on her very first day.
By dinnertime, the restaurant was completely packed.
“Jacqueline, someone’s waiting at your Table 2,” Camila, another waitress, called out.
Jacqueline nodded and walked toward the table.
“Good evening. Welcome to Cherryblock Cuisine. What would you like to order?”
She lifted her gaze and her smile faltered instantly when her eyes met a pair of opaque olive ones.