Page 263 of My French Love Affair

I swallow. “I know, but -”

“I can visit. Often.” His lips twitch, like this is the simplest thing in the world. “And why can’t you visit me here?”

I blink at him, processing, my heart hammering wildly.

“Idohave a home in Monaco, you know.”

I open my mouth to protest, but then I remember -

The villa.

No, thepalace,even; the one I first stepped into at the beginning of this trip.

His family home.

“You mean -”

“I mean, I have properties across Europe,” he says, reaching for my hand, threading his fingers through mine. “And there’s no reason I can’t invest in a place in London, too. In fact, my parents already have a home that they spend time in there. I'm sure I can find somewhere in between.”

I’m stunned.

Completely speechless.

“Besides,” he continues smoothly, rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand, “we haven’t even figured out whatyourplans are yet.”

I take a shaky breath, my mind spinning.

“I… I have one more year of university,” I say slowly, my voice feeling small in comparison to the weight of this conversation. “Then I want to work in fashion. Maybe secure an internship somewhere, or even -” I hesitate. “Even start up a brand of my own.”

His eyes gleam with interest.

“A brand?” I nod, and he tilts his head. “Tell me more.”

I chew on my lip, debating, before finally pulling out my phone and opening up my socials.

I don’t normallyshowpeople this. Not in real life.

But something about Frederic makes mewantto.

He watches as I scroll through my feed, where I’ve been posting my designs, sketches, and content of me wearing my own pieces.

“I’ve been really into this sort of… I call it ‘old-money’ aesthetic,” I explain, my fingers brushing over the screen. “Iloveclassic silhouettes and timeless cuts.Effortlessluxury. But there’s this real gap between having those quality pieces at affordable prices. So… That’s kind of what I’m trying to do.”

I glance up, expecting him to nod politely, maybe feign interest.

But instead, he smirks.

My brows knit together. “What?”

“I’ve already looked at all of this,mon ange.”

I blink. “You -”

“I’ve done my research.”

Warmth floods my chest, a slow, dizzying realization settling in.

He’s been paying attention.

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