𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐊𝐈

" you went back to school? " her mouth gapes open. " is that why i haven't seen you at any events? " she shakes her head— " oh wait, yeah, xiuying. " the crush lasted only about a few months. " so like, who are you hanging out with these days? still oli? "

“ astro-fucking-physics. ” it always scared her that she'd tell people what she studied and they assumed she'd be the type to watch the big bang theory. it would be better to be known as a high school drop out. “ yeah, same old people plus the nerds i now work with. it's great though, they kiss my ass because they believe i'll ever introduce them to other royals. ”

" has your publicist given any notes yet? " he seats himself at the table, waiting for the hostess to leave the private room before continuing. " she had a lot to say about my body language last month. i think i kind of nailed it this time. " ( @mcraki )

“ you may blame the internet conspiracy theorists. she saw a few videos speaking on how you must absolutely hate me based on your posture, with thousands of comments agreeing, and that was enough to have her spiralling. ” she shook her head. “ you should wait on the verdict before making such bold claims. ”

" bernard! " she paused at the doorway of his office with slight confusion. " are you the one i'm supposed to be talking to? " she assumed it would be with the hiring agent who was annoyingly persistent on getting her to come in for one meeting. " how are you? " she takes her seat on the other side of his desk. ( @mcraki )

“ miss wenyi zhao ! that is me, yes. bernard alderidge, it's a pleasure to meet you. ” he would've gotten up from his seat to at least shake her hand if she hadn't sat down so quickly. “ i'm doing great, thank you for asking. and yourself ? ” politeness was necessary. “ i'll go straight to the point then: hearing you were looking to get back to business was a very pleasant surprise, i personally followed your work up until the point you decided to take a step back. are you still in search of a team to join ? ” please, say yes.

" take the fucking hint, loser! " she grabs celine, pulling her into her uber. " where's your boyfriend? whatever — text him, because i'm not letting you stand outside by yourself. " ( @mcraki )

“ am i a bad partner if i say i have no clue ? i mean, probably asleep so texting him won't do anything. but i will anyway. where are you taking me ? ”

" we'd love to invite a journalist from your team to the after party. we'll offer you exclusive access to cover the night, a short interview with malik, i'm happy to give a statement too. i can extend the invite to your official photographer and social media manager, but we'll need to approve any content before it's published. we've had vanity fair and i-d reach out but i think you could be the better fit. what do you think ? " @mcraki

“ i really appreciate your preference, and will be happy to have our team attend an make a feature on the event, maybe have yours or his interview on video in our website, the other on the magazine. i'll take a look at which editors we have available for the date and send you the names for you to put on the list, as well as the contract. do you have anything you'd prefer not to be spoken or asked about ? you know, journalists can be a bit invasive at times, so i like to set limits early on and avoid animosity. ”

" oh my god! silje! hi! " she leans in for air kisses on both sides of her cheeks. " it's been ages! when was the last time we saw each other? no fucking way, it had to have been when you were still with lixun. " ( @mcraki )

“ probably since i decided to get a degree and a real job. i know, big shock. ” the air kisses weren't really reciprocated, she just leaned into it. “ oh, fuck, i forgot i had ever been with lixun. i probably have more memories with his sister than him. didn't you have a crush on her ? ”

" and when have you ever needed an invitation to show up somewhere, eh ? your big girl job has made you go soft, " he prods, nudging her with his elbow. " one of the inuku kids, malik diarra, got selected for la cinef. a proper selection ! not just nepotism-networking fluff. so i'm around for that. we're hosting a celebratory dinner, " party, " after the screening. la guérite. small, intimate. dress nice. tasteful, nothing too flashy. "

“ you know what they say: all one needs is a parental death to flourish. ” literally no one ever said that, and it was probably a highly problematic sentence too. oh, well. “ i was just forewarning you about my presence. ” she shrugged. “ that's fucking huge, this kid must be great. okay, so no nips if the whole thing's for a child. probably no sideboob too ... i'm gonna have to go shopping. who else we know will be there ? ”

" naw, c'mon silje, there are far worse places to intern ! who wouldn't want to start each day staring at arnauld's handsome face plastered at every news stand ? " he smirks. " how's it been at esa anyway ? i thought you'd be excited to see me. i'll be over in cannes next month with the foundation. thought i'd make a trip out of it. "

    “ half of europe, and maybe a third of any other continent too. ” she answered, plainly . “ say what you want about privilege, but not having to do coffee runs while the other interns do does bring me a fuck ton of joy. ” granted, most of the other interns were in their early 20s, not 30s, but it really was about her title. “ i didn't even get an invitation and you expect me to be happy to see you. read the room. what's the dress code ? ”

" ... so... did aurel say anything about me today? " ( @mcraki )

    “ nope. why, did you guys fight or something ? ”

Paul Anthony Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr. in Love Story (2026)

she accepts the water bottle with a quiet "thanks," taking a long drink before setting it on the side table. his casual offer makes her raise an eyebrow. "future reference? as if this arrangement we have isn't already complicated enough without adding 'exploring desires' to the mix." but even as she says it, she's already mentally cataloguing the information he's given her, filing it away despite herself. she stands, smoothing her dress down properly this time, and begins searching for the pins that fell from her hair. "and for the record, i don't have any pictures of you on any walls. metaphorical or otherwise." she finds a hairpin wedged between the sofa cushions and holds it up like evidence before moving to the mirror to attempt repairs. "though i suppose i should thank you for proving my point earlier," she says, meeting his reflection in the glass. "about taking what i want instead of waiting for permission. very educational." she finishes pinning her hair back into something resembling respectability, then turns to face him properly. "right then. i should probably head back to my house before someone notices i've been gone too long." there's no softness in her tone, just the usual practicality that governs their interactions. "same time next frustrating meeting?"

    “ i swear no one cares that much to keep tabs on when you leave and get back to your house. either way, next frustrating meeting might be too soon, i'm meeting an argentine in the morning. ”