Chapter 8
Franz Rochefort had learned long ago how to be quiet when it mattered, though his stunning looks kept most people unable to look away.
From the corner of the sitting room, he watched Arianne standing by the window, engaged in small talk with Samantha. She hadn’t smiled since he’d seen her earlier. Her posture was straight and composed as if nothing could bother her.
But Franz had observed her long enough to know that was not the case. There was a slight tension in her jaw, the way she forced a smile to assure Samantha, and she did not relax.
Arianne was tired.
The twins were asleep upstairs. Lily had refused to leave Leo’s side until exhaustion finally caught up with her. The doctor had assured them that the fever was under control, but Franz knew better than that reassurance alone wasn’t enough to calm the young girl’s worries. Lily was afraid she might lose her brother, too.
Arianne knew it too. She had not left the estate since arriving. The rain had been pouring nonstop for the past hour and wouldn’t seem to stop anytime soon.
Someone knocked lightly on the door. Franz turned before Arianne could respond.
“I’ll handle it,” he said quietly.
He took the tray with a pot of freshly brewed coffee for Arianne and sugar-free cola for Samantha. He served the drink at the table, gesturing to the two women to join him for a drink.
Franz poured Arianne a cup of coffee, added just a teaspoon of creamer without sugar, and passed it to her.
Arianne watched him, curious about how he knew her preference for her coffee.
“You don’t have to do that, Franz,” she said.
“I know,” he replied.
She didn’t argue any further, but accepted the cup from him.
That, more than anything, was how Franz knew she trusted him at least. She simply accepted what he offered and moved on.
It was a habit she always had.
The thought crossed his mind, followed by a memory Franz had revisited many times over the past years.
He had been eight years old the first time he met her.
He was on his way to see his brother Alex so they could return home together. The school he attended was just one block from Alex’s. However, even before he reached the middle school his brother attended, Franz found him, Gilbert, and a young woman fighting off high schoolers in a deserted alley.
Franz had been terrified. He hadn’t encountered or seen a fight like that before. Alex and Gilbert fought with the older high school students who had taken a passing fancy to Arianne. They tried to harass her despite having been turned down earlier, only for Alex and Gilbert to step up to protect her.
Franz took a step back, intending to find an adult to help his brother and his friends. However, he tripped over his own foot, sending him tumbling to the ground. His action caught one of the high schoolers’ attention. A young man sauntered towards him and pulled Franz from the ground by his collar.
“Hey, look what I found here. Looks like another pampered young master from a rich family.” The young man laughed.
“Kid, why don’t you help this brother? Give me your allowance for this month, will you? I’m sure you can get more from your daddy, right?” He told young Franz with a mocking tone.
Before Franz could resist and refuse, Arianne suddenly stepped in, hitting the high school student with her steel water bottle, kicking his face with her heel, and connecting with his nose.
The young man stumbled back in shock, holding his bleeding nose in pain while Arianne stood protectively before Franz.
“Touch him again, and your nose wouldn’t be the only thing broken when you leave this place,” she threatened him.
Seeing that his companions were also beaten black and blue by Alex and Gilbert, the young man scampered to his feet and ran away. They knew better than to mess with Arianne’s group again.
“Franz!” Alex came running when he spotted his younger brother behind Arianne.
“Alex!” Franz met his older brother midway.
“You know him?” Arianne asked Alex curiously.
“He’s my brother,” Alex replied, sighing in relief, seeing that Franz wasn’t hurt anywhere except for the slight scratches on his knees.
“Thank you, Aria. I owe you one p>
“It’s nothing. You don’t owe me anything.” Arianne dismissed his words. “Next time, don’t recklessly play as a hero. I can deal with them on my own. You don’t need to interfere p>
Alex frowned as he held his trembling brother on his side.
“How can you say that, Aria? What do you take us for? How can Gil and I watch and pretend nothing is wrong when someone wants to harm you p>
Arianne furrowed her brows in frustration. Alexander Rochefort had been meddling in her affairs these days. What made him think they were friends now?
“I appreciate your concern, Rochefort, but I can handle myself just fine p>
She regarded him with his family name, clearly putting a line between them.
“I don’t want you putting yourselves in danger for me. Take your brother home. He seems shaken by what just happened p>
Arianne turned around and picked up her school bag and water bottle, which she discarded during the fight. She left without saying another word, but stopped when another boy showed up and ran towards her.
The Rochefort brothers and Gilbert could only watch as she smiled warmly at the boy, patted his head, and left with him.
It was a memory he would never forget. Twenty years later, this memory still burned in his mind. He, an A-rated, popular actor who played heroes on screen, had never forgotten his first hero. A young woman with a steel water bottle, who didn’t wait for others to save her and stood up for herself.
For others, what Franz felt for Arianne was nothing more than a childhood crush, puppy love. But for him who yearned for her since he was eight and now twenty-eight, wasn’t it better to say that he loved her for most of his life?
The only one who knew and understood his feelings for Arianne was Alex. If it weren’t for his older brother, Franz wouldn’t even met her.
His love might have stemmed from a childhood crush, but Franz hoped that someday, he would be strong enough to protect her in return.
Franz returned to the present with a slow breath.
Arianne was on the phone, standing by the window as she spoke with Aunt Estella. She was to spend the night with the Rocheforts because of the bad weather. For a moment, Franz wondered if she ever thought about that day at all.
Probably not.
She had always moved forward without looking back at him.
Later that evening, after the estate had settled into silence, Franz found Samantha in the corridor outside the guest rooms. She was holding a folded blanket, her expression thoughtful as she looked at the closed room where Arianne was staying.
“She’s stronger than she looks,” she commented, breaking the silence between them.
“I know,” Franz replied.
Samantha glanced at him. “You’ve always known p>
Franz did not answer her.
“She doesn’t see it,” Samantha continued. “Not yet p>
“That’s fine,” he said.
Samantha frowned. “You don’t intend to tell her p>
“No p>
“Ever p>
Franz paused. He’d once confessed to Aria when she was eighteen and about to leave with Alex to study abroad, but she’d mistaken his “I like you” as meant for Alex.
“There’s no need,” he finally responded. “She can choose to be with someone freely. I do not want to burden her p>
Samantha studied him for a long moment, then nodded.
“She’s lucky,” she said quietly.
Franz watched the door behind which Arianne slept.
“So am I,” he said, not bothering to explain further.