DAYDREAM → PAUL LAHOTE

° 27

"Matin tout le monde." Mera greeted her Aunt and Mateo as she sat down to eat breakfast "Tu es en retard." Mateo said and sliced his bread before stacking it into his mouth "Mes š'excuse." Mera said and rolled her eyes, Coraline was too busy reading the newspaper and she seems not too pleased with what she was seeing in the morning.

"Hello? Mera?" Mateo whispered as he wave his hands in front of Mera's face "Fuck off." Mera said and push Mateo's hand out of her view "Language, young lady." Coraline said as she put down the newspaper beside her tea "Oui, c'est vrai, pas besoin d'être grossier." Mateo said, quite happy. He's been smiling, well, he always does but this past six months has been hard for him. Some gossip started to spread that Gael Pierre disowned his only legitimate son, Mateo Pierre.

"What's with you speaking too much French today?" Mera asked, annoyed. Mateo speaking French wasn't bad he was quite fluent. He was born and raised here in France though he spent ten years of his life in England before he move back to France again when he was eighteen.

"What about you? Are you having a daydream, the sequel?" Mateo asked
"What?" Mera furrowed her eyebrows at him "I mean, it looks like you were having a daydream yesterday and maybe right now, you are having a daydream, the sequel." He explained, "You're weird." Mateo whispered, "You're weirder." Mera scoffed.

"Louise, come here." Coraline called Mera's assistant "Is there anything you need, mademoiselle?"Louise spoke and she walked quietly between Mera and Coraline "I want you to call the company and tell them all my meetings needed to be canceled," Coraline told her.

"Right away, mademoiselle," Louise said as she tilt her head down before leaving then, Coraline went back to reading the newspaper which Mera cannot understand why.

"Why does your maid look like she's always tired?" Mateo asked "I don't like calling her my maid, she's more likely to be my assistant" Mera answered.

"Can I ask you something?" Mateo asked, she rolled her eyes. Mateo can be so random at many times, asking too many questions which Mera isn't very fond of "you're already asking." Mera said.

"who's Paul?"

She paused.

Coraline put the newspaper she was reading down for a second time and take off her reading glasses.

"What?" Mera dumbfoundedly asked
"When I came to your room last night just like what you asked me to. when I arrived there, you were already asleep and you were whispering a name, the name Paul." Mateo told her as he shrugged, unsure if he remembers it correctly.

"I don't know who that is, must be a stranger I met in my dream." Mateo looks at her for a second "Probably." He replied. Coraline cleared her throat before sipping her tea. Mateo turned his head towards Coraline before speaking "What theme do you think should we have for the party we're gonna be hosting?" Mateo asked Coraline. Mera— who does not know what Mateo is talking about— nearly dropped the utensils on her hand when she heard him. It is kind of dramatic but, another party? She can't believe what she is hearing.

"Wait, you're hosting a party again?" Mera turned to both of them "Do we need to show off?" Of course, she knew what this is all about. "We have money, better let people know it so they won't forget who they're dealing with," Coraline answered.

"They know that you're one of the most powerful women in France, everybody knows." Mera cannot remember how many times she reminded her aunt that they are known.

"You're on the tv multiple times, Aunt Coraline." Mera mentioned, reminding her Aunt once again that she is very well known "Gossip wouldn't stop spreading if I wouldn't lift a finger, I already made a call." Coraline said.

"Can you handle this all, Hemera?" Coraline asked, "I want an answer." She added, "Of course, I will." Mera smiled softly  "When you walked in where everyone is, I want a smile and a genuine face." Coraline told her, demanding what she wanted. Mera didn't answer and instead pour a glass of juice for herself.

"I'm talking to you, Hemera," Coraline said "Yes." Mera answered quietly "Well, just hope I won't need to punch every man visitor you have every time they tried to hit on me."

"Hemera, that is not how a lady act." Coraline lectured her most of the time on how a lady act and believe it or not, she is getting sick of it.

"What do they do? Sit tight and let men disrespect them? I'm not gonna be one of those." Mera can't help but to talk back, but isn't that how the conversation works?

"Why don't you love a man— not me? so this will be all over." Mateo suggested "Elle l'a fait une fois, mon garçon." Coraline told him
"Belle blague, Aunt Coraline" Mera chuckled as she grip her utensils.

"Please, let's change the subject, I do not like talking nonsense while eating," Mera said.

She's starting to lose her appetite but of course, she cannot say it like a good proper lady should. Frances is good yet it was hard. Being an heir from a noble family is harder than everybody thinks. They expect so much from you to the point you just wanted to give up.

In her six years in France, she had a rough time but she preferred here to every other place. Cause here, she gets what she wanted, she's in control but not when her aunt is here because Coraline's the master and Mera is still a learner.

"Aunt Coraline, why do I get this feeling that this party will be held on the day of my birthday," Mera told her aunt about her thought because any time soon she might just kill herself if she ever finds out any plans of her Aunt about her from another person.

"Because it is." Coraline smiled "You're turning twenty-two and yet you're not in a relationship." Here she goes again, Mera could just blind herself if she ever needs to see those men again "Because I probably will not be in one forever." Mera chuckled as she excuse herself to be in her bedroom.

She is quite tired even though she just woke up, she is not physically tired but emotionally. Just thinking about the party made her cry. She hated the crowd and nothing could ever change that.

She always hides from everybody when there's a party going on because she felt like she's being caged around mad people. Coraline tried to comfort her about their situation but it does not work.

She is not comfortable and hated the crowd. She love how luxurious her life is but hated the people around her. If she can, she would probably tell her aunt already to find better friends because the ones that Coraline treated as friends were nothing good.