Luc nodded. “So far so good.”
“And as I just found out—in a most unfortunate way, I might add—Isabelle, the owner of my favorite lingerie shop, was also involved. She was providing huge orders of her new collection—aptly titled Les Bijoux, because of the different colored jewels on the pieces—to the prostitution ring and was receiving a large sum of money in return for each order. She started dating Marcel Boucher some months ago, which was how she got involved in the first place.”
“Is this all true?” Luc’s mother asked him.
“Yes, I’m afraid it is,” he said. “There’s more, though.”
“I’m not finished,” I interjected. “Another player in this whole scheme is a man I had the misfortune of meeting for the first and last time today: Jean-Michel Boucher, Vincent’s identical twin brother. He’s the thug behind the scenes who takes care of anyone in the operation who’s getting out of control, and he’s also the main contact for everyone involved in the ring, so that nothing can be traced back to Vincent.”
Michèle shook her head, making a loud tsk sound with her tongue. “I always hated Jean-Michel.”
Sandrine turned to me. “You figured all of this out on your own?”
“Well, that last part I only figured out because earlier today, Jean-Michel pulled me into a car that I thought was a cab, knocked me out, and took me to Isabelle’s. Luc filled me in on his identity while we were at the hospital. They had to put my statement in the police report, of course.”
“So what happened to him after he left you at Isabelle’s?” Sandrine asked.
“He was waiting outside the store in his car when my team arrived,” Luc answered. “We arrested him on the spot. He’ll be facing many years in prison, but not as many as Vincent.”
“What’s happened to Vincent?” Michèle asked.
“Other members of my team caught him just before he boarded a plane to Rio,” Luc said. “He’s finally in prison, right where he belongs. I’m sure you’ve figured this out by now, but the money that Dad was convicted for embezzling eventually found its way back to Vincent, of course. It was at this time that Vincent originally set up the prostitution ring. He used a good portion of that money to buy expensive diamonds and jewels for the women to wear on the job. In his messed-up head, the use of these lavish jewels differentiated his women, making them high-end escorts as opposed to lowly prostitutes. And this is obviously how the title Les Bijoux was born. More recently, Isabelle’s line of jewel-studded lingerie was, of course, the perfect touch to Vincent’s operation.”
“So, you knew about Isabelle’s involvement from the beginning, and this is why you bought me something from her store? Because you were investigating her?” I said, thinking back to Luc’s first gorgeous gift for me from Chez Isabelle.
“Yes, chérie, but I didn’t expect you to become best friends with the woman.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said, feeling another pang of guilt. “I can’t believe I trusted her. I had no idea she could’ve been involved in any of this.”
Luc reached over and placed his hand on mine. “Of course not. This isn’t your fault.”
“Are the women in Les Bijoux forced to be involved?” Sandrine asked.
“No, the women enter the operation voluntarily, and they are allowed to leave whenever they wish. Many of them do leave once they score their first big film role, but they are required to sign an agreement that they will never speak of Les Bijoux to anyone else, ever. Vincent’s twin brother, Jean-Michel, acted as the main contact so that most of the women didn’t even know Vincent was behind it all.”
Michèle rubbed her head in her hands, looking as if she might be sick. “I can’t believe Vincent would organize something so degrading to women,” she said. “But then again, I can believe it. I’m ashamed I ever allowed someone with so little morals into my children’s lives. I’m sorry, Luc and Sandrine. I’m so, so sorry.”
“It was Papa too, you know,” Sandrine said. “He trusted Vincent as his business partner. You can’t take all the blame, maman.”
“Sandrine is right,” Luc said. “Vincent is a master manipulator. But he won’t be able to ruin more lives now that he is behind bars.”
“And what about Marcel?” I asked. “How did he know that his father was about to be caught?”
“A few months ago, when I learned of Marcel’s involvement in Les Bijoux, we cut him a deal. If he would provide us with intel and help us bust his father once and for all, he would get off with a lighter sentence.”
“That’s why he warned me to stay out of all of this?” I said. “Because he was working with you all along?”
“Yes,” Luc admitted. “I was the one who told him to give you that warning.”
“Wait, it was you he was talking to on the phone that morning in his apartment? The same morning of the tabloid disaster?”
Luc nodded. “Yes, I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you, chérie. I wanted to, but the only way to ensure your safety was to keep you away from the whole situation. As you found out today, unfortunately.”
“So is Marcel still going to get a lighter sentence for helping you?” I asked.
“Because of the recording you took on your phone today, we found out he wasn’t staying true to our agreement. He tipped off his father, which led to Vincent’s attempt to flee the country. Because of that, Marcel is back where he started.”
“Humph, so it was at least a little bit good that I stuck my nose where it didn’t belong?” I said.
“Yes, in that way, it was good,” Luc admitted. “But not at the cost of you being harmed.”
“What will happen to Isabelle?” I asked.
“Marcel had told us she was supplying orders of lingerie to the operation in order to keep her business afloat and support her daughters. Having Adeline, I understood the desperation she must’ve felt to do such a thing, and we were hoping to let her off easy. But after what she did today—kidnapping both you and Adeline—I am not sure what will happen to her.”
“I hope she gets the help she needs,” I said, wishing it could’ve turned out differently. I really did like Isabelle—that is, until she tied me up and threatened me with a knife. “She was obviously at the end of her rope. What about her daughters?”
“From what I understand, Isabelle has a sister in Lyon who will care for the girls. They will be okay, Charlotte. You shouldn’t feel guilty.”
“And Brigitte? Was it really true that she was involved in all of this?” Sandrine asked.
I thought back to the disgusting show of affection Brigitte had shown Vincent in his office only yesterday, but decided to keep that nasty tidbit to myself.
Luc nodded, the stress of the day finally showing in the lines around his eyes. “Yes, she has been arrested too. It’s never what I wanted for the mother of my child, but it was unavoidable. The minute Brigitte made the choice to involve herself with Vincent, she had to know it was going to end badly.”
“And was she one of Les Bijoux too?” Michèle whispered, almost as if she could barely bring herself to say it.
Luc clenched his jaw as he squeezed his hands together. “Yes, she was. That’s how she managed to land the starring role in her latest film.”
Sandrine walked over and placed a hand on Luc’s shoulder. “You did the right thing, Luc. Adeline can’t grow up around that woman. It would only be destructive. You have to protect your daughter.”
Michèle nodded in agreement. “You are very brave, my son. You’ve worked hard to expose the truth, and in doing so, you’ve saved our family. And you’ve saved yours.” She looked over to me, and for the first time since I’d met her, kindness flooded into her eyes. “I know I was skeptical of your quick marriage, but I understand now. The two of you have a love that is very rare, a love most people only dream of having. Charlotte, you are going to be the best mother to our little Adeline, and I am honored to have you as my daughter-in-law.”
A tear escape from my tired eyes, the emotion of wha
t had happened today finally breaking down my defenses. “Thank you, Michèle. You have no idea how much that means to me.”
Sandrine nodded. “I feel the same, Charlotte. You are part of our family now. And finally, this will be a family that isn’t based on lies and secrets.” She raised a brow at her brother before giving him a big hug.
“So what will happen to Dad?” Sandrine asked.
“The embezzlement case will be reopened, and we will provide the evidence that proves he was innocent all along. He’ll probably win a very large settlement for being wrongly imprisoned. But he’s already told me that he won’t keep the money. He wants to give it to all of us.”
A tear rolled down Michèle’s cheek as she squeezed Sandrine’s hand. “All these years, I’ve blamed him for everything. And all along…”
Sandrine hugged her mother. “Maman, you couldn’t have known.”
“Dad would like to have us all over for dinner soon,” Luc said. “He wants to clear the air, start over. Would you give him that chance?”
Sandrine and Michèle both nodded. “Of course,” Michèle said. “Do you have his phone number, Luc? I’d like to call him myself.”
The smile that spread across Luc’s face was bright enough to erase every last bit of pain still throbbing through my head. “He would love that,” Luc said. “You have no idea how much he has wanted to make this right.”
“Did Dad know about your job?” Sandrine asked.
“He suspected, but he didn’t know for sure until today. I called him from the hospital to give him the news. I’ve never heard him sound happier.”
“Thank you, Luc. Thank you for everything you’ve done to bring our family back together,” Sandrine said quietly.
I gazed over at my strong, sweet, sexy husband and realized I’d never had as much love or admiration for anyone as I did for Luc in that moment.
Even though we’d gotten off to a rocky start, it was clear now that marrying Luc hadn’t been a mistake. It had been the best decision of my life.
Later that night, after Sandrine and Michèle had left the apartment and Luc was helping me into bed, I remembered two final pieces of the puzzle that Luc hadn’t yet explained.
“Nicolas said there was something else in that envelope, something besides the proof of your dad’s innocence. What was it?” I asked.
Luc lay down beside me and placed his hand on mine. “I am so glad you waited until my family left to ask that question.”
“Why?” I said, stifling a yawn. “What is it?”
“It is something I have suspected for many years now, but only Nicolas was able to find proof.” Luc hesitated, the troubled look in his eyes making me fear whatever he was going to say next.
How could there be more after all we’d already learned?
“It turns out that in the early years of my parents’ marriage, my mother had an affair with Vincent.” Luc hesitated, then finally spit it out. “Soon after, she became pregnant with Sandrine.”
“Are you saying Vincent is Sandrine’s father?”
Luc nodded solemnly.
“Does she know?” I asked.
“No, and I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Are you sure keeping more secrets from your sister is the right thing to do?”
“In this case, yes, I am certain. Sandrine has already watched one father—her true father—be wrongly imprisoned. She doesn’t need to find out that her biological father is a womanizing criminal and that our mother has been lying to her all these years.”
“Does Vincent know?” I asked.
“Yes, he does. That is why my mother married him. She was hoping to give him a chance to get to know his daughter, to create a real family with him.”
“Clearly that didn’t work out as she’d planned,” I said.
“Obviously not.”
“Will you keep just this one secret, mon amour?” Luc asked me. “After all the work I’ve done these past several years, it is important to me that my family has a chance to come back together. And this truth will only serve to tear us all apart again.”
I thought about how I’d been turning to my girlfriends for advice from the minute Brigitte had stormed into our lives. And in the process, I’d been spilling all of the juicy gossip as it unfolded. Not that I wouldn’t ever confide in my girlfriends anymore, but today, Luc and I had turned a new corner in our relationship, and from here on out, I wanted him to know that he could always trust me to keep our private lives and his secrets between us.
“Of course, Luc. The secret is safe with me,” I promised as I cozied up to him underneath the covers. “You’re quite the family man, you know that?”
He laughed as he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me on the forehead.
“You are my family, ma belle. You and Adeline. And now that this is all over, I hope you believe me now when I say I will always protect you both.”
I smiled as I relaxed in Luc’s warm arms. “Of course. You saved my life today, Luc. I can’t thank you enough.”
His lips brushed against mine—soft, warm, and sweet, the perfect ending to an absolutely insane day.
“Just another day’s work for me,” he said with a chuckle.
“Speaking of work, is this how you were able to pay for our wedding, for the guests’ hotel bill, and for our lavish honeymoon? From your salary as an undercover agent?”
“It is so nice that I can finally be honest with you about this.” A look of relief passed through Luc’s eyes as he continued. “The truth is that I received a promotion and an extremely large bonus for the undercover work I did last year at the Cité Universitaire busting that drug ring, and I wanted to use some of it to make our wedding week special. Don’t worry though, chérie, there is plenty more in savings, so you can take as much time as you need to find a new job.”
“Wow, and all that time, I thought you were a poor graduate student. What are you going to do now that your cover has been blown?”
He laughed as he squeezed me tighter. “I am going to take some time off to spend with you and Adeline. And once you are feeling better, I have a few surprises for you. It is only day eighteen of our lune de miel, after all.”
“Eleven more days of bliss,” I whispered. “After what happened today, you better make it good.” And with that, I drifted off to sleep, wrapped in the arms of my sexy undercover agent husband.
TWENTY-SEVEN
It was day twenty-six of our honeymoon period, and true to Luc’s word, he’d made every single day since the lingerie store showdown nothing short of pure bliss. It had taken me a few days to recover from my concussion—not to mention from the stress of it all—but with the heavenly assortment of French pastries Luc served me in bed first thing each morning, and the endless supply of chocolate he kept by the bedside, I was feeling better in no time.
The only thing that was causing me worry these days was the fact that somehow, during the most insane twenty-four hours of my life, I’d lost the Paris journal where I’d been keeping all of my notes for The Girl’s Guide to Tying the French Knot. I’d been carrying it around in my purse that day, so it could’ve been anywhere. I’d ransacked our apartment and asked Nicolas and Lexi to search their hotel room. I’d even told Luc about my book idea, and to my surprise, he thought it was exactly the right path for me to take. He’d even asked his men to search Isabelle’s lingerie shop and Jean-Michel’s car, but all to no avail.
I’d spent the past few days holed up in our tiny apartment, typing up everything I could remember, but I was beyond bummed that I’d lost the original notes. Today was my first day out and about, though, so I pushed aside my concerns and headed out to meet the girls at my favorite crêperie in Vieux Lyon: Le Banana’s.
When I was only a block away, my cell phone buzzed.
“Allô?” I answered.
“Bonjour, Charlotte. It’s Mireille Charbonneau from Bella France.”
I hadn’t heard from anyone at Bella France since Vincent had been s
ent to prison, and I’d figured I would let the dust settle a little before getting back in touch. But Mireille had beaten me to it.
“Mireille, it’s so good to hear from you.” I was only hoping it really would be good to hear from her, but after everything that had gone down with Mireille’s lover, Vincent, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect.
“You were right about Vincent,” she said, cutting right to the chase. “I was stupid to get involved with a man like him in the first place. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“I’m sorry about how things ended up, Mireille. I hope you’re doing okay.”
“I’ll be fine,” she snapped, but the disappointment lining her voice let me know she probably wasn’t as strong as she was letting on. “The moral of the story is never to let a man get in the way of your career. On that note, I’d like to talk to you about your career here at Bella France.”
“Do I still have a career at Bella France?” I asked.
“Obviously with Vincent gone, we are restructuring, and it looks as if the new publisher is perfectly bilingual, so we won’t have a need for your translating or teaching services. We will, of course, still honor the contract we made with you and your language school.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I know you weren’t too keen on giving me a chance to write for the magazine, but—”
“You didn’t let me finish,” Mireille said. “I didn’t call to talk about your translating contract.”
“You didn’t?”
“I called to talk to you about The Girl’s Guide to Tying the French Knot.”
I stopped walking as a feeling of dread consumed me. “What? You… you found my journal?”
“That day when you were snooping around in Vincent’s office, it must’ve fallen out of your purse. After you left, I decided to do my own little search into Vincent’s affairs, and I found your journal on the floor next to his couch.”
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