Filthy Rich, Morally Bankrupt.

“ he REALLY had me convinced that he was above it. ” giselle wished she had written down some of the harshest things arnauld had spat at her during her divorce — and some of the comments he had had of roman in the beginning of her relationship. “ it can be the timing as well. it’s dawned on him that he needs someone next to him. but if it were that simple, he would have found a replacement already. i warned him about that, you know. i said he’d end up comparing. ” the people who surpassed fanni in many areas would stumble in another. either they were meeker but not accomplished enough, or they were more intelligent but too difficult. “ i think he likes that she’s good. ” it was the one quality that set her so starkly apart from the d’orléans and their inner circle. the tenseness of the conversation made giselle uncomfortable. they were thinking too hard, speaking about things that were far too delicate for a casino night. “ or he’s just as shallow as the rest of the men we know and likes her looks too much. ” 

“…Yes.” The best way to avoid having to lie was to avoid having to elaborate. That much she had learnt in her lifetime. “No, not about that, but I always jump at the chance to do so,” she assured Mimi. “Ah…” Damn. Part of her was chanting yes, yes, yes, and the slightly more sensible part of her was telling her to sleep on it and to do a cleanse the next morning. “Sure!” It couldn’t hurt too bad, right? “But I’m craving lemonade if you have some? I’m curious about your sudden interest.” In anything other than fashion, boys and diets. “A…” No… She didn’t like this at all. At all, at all, at all. “Now? I don’t know if I have the energy for a detour, Dominique.” She did not want to hear the word ‘drugs’ come from anyone’s mouth. Not in that moment.

tvkla​:

“ so if we win big by complete accident, we’re donating the proceeds… right ? that’s what’s supposed to be happening ? ”   [  @hshqstarters​ ]

“It would be very generous and always appreciated. But, as we all know, education begets many other societal goods. So, a personal charity of choice is also in the same spirit.”

“ truthfully,  i never really gamble at these events so i don’t know what the fuck i’m doing. ”  ( @hshqstarters​ )

“ and as we know, arnauld is EXCELLENT at sharing attention. ” the person needed to be beautiful and impressive enough to be a prize but modest enough to keep the spotlight on the king. “ i see… ” giselle’s friends weren’t great options either. either too old or too married. “ he mentioned a friend. in what context ? ” 

“ i CAN’T tell if he’s stupid or just sad to look at, ” giselle mumbled as she filled the spot next to mimi. her eyes were on her brother and his blonde problem. [ &&. @hshmimi​ ]

Out of all the people she could have run into, Dominique was not the worst option but she was not, by any means, a preferable option. Fanni kept blinking her dry eyes and cursed the princess for one thing and one thing only: getting in the way of her and her cold glass of water that was waiting for her in her room. “Oh, Dominique. Lovely to see you.” The first notes of her speech were brittle. She tried to make up for it with a warm smile. “Oh no!” A loud note of laughter echoed down the hallway. “I’m heading to my room. I was just…” She pointed behind her into the corridor, not exactly offering any information. “I actually don’t know where these are from…” She planted her shaky hands on her thighs and gave the white fabric a good look. She really couldn’t recall. “Why did I think you lived on a higher level? At least a few stories up…” 

“Ah, late night meetings?” Mimi nodded. She’d had plenty of those, lately. Usually she’d be annoyed by it, but she supposed it was better than flitting around her empty apartment alone. “About the Danube? You’re really making some waves with that. --Pardon the pun.” It wasn’t much of one; rivers didn’t have tides, did they? Mimi cleared her throat. “I was actually hoping to speak with you about that. Or, rather, not the Danube specifically, actually, but the way you led the cause,” she explained. “I don’t suppose I could invite you back for a nightcap, and pick your brain a bit? --Though I understand if you’re tired, or just tired of talking about it,” she added quickly; in case Fanni thought the idea childish, and would prefer that everything go through assistants .Or not go at all. “But I do have some decent Merlot in.” Stolen from Arnauld, natch. “And I’ve been teaching myself how to mix cocktails. It’d be nice to have someone to show off to. --Someone who wouldn’t be just as happy sucking the alcohol out of a can of deodorant, like my friends.”

“ OH, mimi ! stop ! ” giselle had to cover her mouth to hide her teeth as she burst into laughter. what a day it would be to witness the grünenbergs without pennies ! “ oh ? and you think his dark hair, his not-yet-mature frontal lobe and his masculine appendix will finally get arnauld to settle down ? oh i’ve had it so wrong ! ” she couldn’t think of a more incompatible pair than her brother and the young swiss prince. at least the prince wasn’t the first to have such impossible aspirations ! “ no, no he is not. not that i know of. are you thinking of setting him up ? ”

“bring her your nice wine, for gods sake. maybe some whiskey to soften her up… or dull the pain — i guess.” she shrugged, it was an unthinkable enough for her to be in such a situation, there was no use in trying to empathise. dahye would never be foolish enough to put herself in a place where a man could treat her that way. “i’d rather be here and fly out places instead of being in new york where absolutely everyone could reach me…” princesses were supposed to be out of reach and mysterious, for gods sake, it would not bode well if the upper east side housewives decided that they could keep ‘bumping into her’ at bergdorfs. they might decide that they could just talk to her! “i’m thinking east 72nd to 76th? i’m love the view from my penthouse but i’m tired of fucking elevators.” at the mention of transdanubia, dahye couldn’t help but to freeze — just for a split moment — the word still leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.

“i’m fine. i haven’t bumped into him yet.” an outright lie. anyone who was within earshot of them during the new years party could notice the tension, it wasn’t as if they were being subtle about it. “anyway—” with a decisive little flick of her ipad, she focused her attention back to the pictures. “remember my little apartment in monte carlo?” four bedrooms in monaco was certainly wasn’t little, by any means. “i’m thinking of letting that go, i’ll get an amazing price for it.” everyone is always clamouring over real estate in monaco — hardly anyone ever sells. “and i stay with you when i come over anyway.” 

“Me, too,” Mimi hummed her agreement. “Only because it’s so painfully awkward to be stuck in an elevator with, say, the Czar, for fifteen stories. Like, what am I supposed to talk to him about? I bet he doesn’t know a thing about the early seasons of America’s Next Top Model.” And Mimi almost wouldn’t even be able to point to Russia on a map, if it weren’t so fucking big. “I think about that a lot,” she hummed, “about how when this is all over I’m going to buy a terrace house in Paris and live there alone.” As alone as one ever could be with a full staff, of course. Mimi wanted an easy life, not a normal one; she certainly wasn’t about to learn how to make a bed or brew coffee for herself. --But the idea of running away and removing herself from public life...It had started as an inside joke, and become a sincere, secret wish. Recently the thought of it was the only thing sustaining her, some days. 

he didn’t – couldn’t really – dodge this projectile fast enough; it nicked his shoulder, and he gasped, as if she had induced upon him a greater insult. “it’s not a – she did! she said she was fine with it! i could barely get out of the croy situation without the whole transparency thing. i had to give her something. just –,” he scoffed and picked up the fallen case – might as well get something from such a grievous injury – “i can’t –,” muffled by the cigarette between his lips. he closed the case shut and threw it by her lap. art took the liberty of looking through her bedside table for a lighter, amid the mess in there. he decided to shut his mouth about it the same, quick way he closed the drawer.

he took her place in bed, making himself right at home, shoes and all on her sheets. “look, maybe i’ll go back with  you, but only to pick up morgana. you think your father’s going to be here long? i don’t want to make things awkward, but if i become both their sugar babies, i might as well get myself adopted.”

“ i think it will keep its superlative. i don’t think there’s been an incident involving a runaway groom before ! ” with a stunt, arthur windsor jr had secured himself a spot in a history book ! it wasn’t the most remarkable mention but a mention all the same. “ AH ! mr boytoy… it’s QUITE astonishing that they let him out of the door like that. can’t the swiss afford stylists anymore ? ”

“ if you care about your future, you will keep it up. ” he was not looking forward to another conversation about drug abuse. with mimi it would sound like preaching. “ have you thought about doing a high profile project. something very proper. people are unwilling to take you seriously and they will remain so until you’ve given them a reason to reconsider their stance. turning your friends into business partners only works for so long. ” and such relationships had their own complications. keeping things strictly business had its perks. “ ah. ” for the duration of his sip, he considered the offer before shaking his head. “ no, i don’t want to get more involved… but– ” it was better for fanni to have a safe option. he was not sure what would happen if she was cut off cold. the safe option, however did not need to be… “ perhaps make sure arthur is keeping to himself. ” was there a possibility that she was using him instead of the norwegian ? he had the creator’s right to the problem, did he not ? it was better to be safe than sorry. arnauld couldn’t resist making sure the man was out of the equation.