CHAPTER 39: CHAPTER-39. (CAFÉ DE LUMIÈRE).

While I booked a cab, Caroline sent me her location. It was a café.

The surprising part was that it was in a porch area. Caroline usually did not like to go to such areas. She always used to say, ’These places are good for aesthetic pictures but are overpriced as h*ll.’

As I calculated, I found that Silver Fox’s main building was a few minutes away from that café. So, it was a plus point for me.

In a few minutes, the cab arrived. Getting in, I kept messaging Caroline about what was happening as she was now not picking up her call.

My messages kept piling up with:

I am on my way.

Are you okay?

At least give me a hint.

I could not help but overthink as she did not reply to any of the texts. Not even a single tick mark moving to two.

Great. Just great.

Now I was either heading straight into some kind of crisis... or into one of her dramatic overreactions again. And knowing Caroline, it could honestly be both.

I leaned back in the cab seat, my nerves bouncing all over the place. Between Dave’s weird "I’ll be waiting for you" line and Caroline’s sudden SOS, my day already felt like it had signed up for a full-on soap opera marathon.

The whole drive went on with me worrying over her as my mind kept making the worst imaginable situations Caroline could be in.

Paying the driver, I hopped out of the cab. There it was. Right in front of me.

Café de Lumière.

I could not help but find its meaning on the internet. As I translated it, I read it out loud, "Café of Light."

And seeing its decoration with different kinds of lights really suited its vibe.

The whole place looked like it had been dipped in golden glow.

Fairy lights were wrapped around the tall glass windows, and little lanterns hung from the ceiling like stars had decided to come down and chill.

Even the outdoor seating had those tiny lamps on each table, flickering softly like they knew they were in a fancy French café and had to behave.

Inside, I could see velvet chairs and polished wooden tables, all arranged neatly like they were posing for some magazine cover.

The walls were painted cream with big framed art pieces that probably cost more than my entire closet.

A faint smell of roasted coffee beans mixed with vanilla drifted out every time someone opened the door, and it made my stomach growl immediately.

It was not like I had never gone to such places. During my teenage years, my mom and her other friends used to hang out at such cafes and restaurants.

Sometimes, they would also get their daughters to bond with each other.

And let’s be real, the bonding was as fake as those "limited edition" sale tags.

Mainly, their motive was to brag about their dutiful, mannered, and, of course, beautiful daughters who would catch the eyes of the most wanted millionaire heirs.

I could not help but roll my eyes, recalling those stupid girls bragging about their latest limited edition bags and jewelry.

I never liked it, and nor did I have any intention to continue to my next generation. If I had one.

Jerking off those thoughts behind, I looked around searching for Caroline when someone called out my name.

"Ele, here." Caroline’s voice fell into my ear. I turned in that direction, seeing Caroline.

My eyes made a quick scan of her, finding any sign of external injuries. After I was satisfied that she was not injured, I sighed in relief. Without wasting another second, I walked towards her.

She was sitting at the corner table as if she were trying to hide herself from someone. But who?

I never saw Caroline in such shape. Her hair was tied in a bun, and she wore a simple shirt and pants covering from top to bottom. A pair of black shades was left on the table.

When I reached there, I noticed her eyes were bloodshot as if she had been crying for a while now.

"Hey, what happened? Why were you crying?" I voiced out my thoughts, grabbing both her hands.

She at first did not say anything and kept sniffing. Then she made me sit at the table while she also sat in the opposite chair.

Wiping her already red nose, she finally said, "Ele."

She again sniffed as water started to form in her eyes, as if she was again about to cry, thinking of that situation.

My eyes widened at her condition. I never saw Caroline in such a state.

She was the one who consoled me every time. She was the strong one who helped the weak. She was anything but weak and timid.

But now seeing her in such condition, I could not help but feel this weird twist in my chest. Like someone had swapped our roles without telling me.

Caroline, my rock, the girl who always had answers, who always knew what to do, was sitting there looking like she was about to shatter into a million pieces.

I didn’t know what to do. My hands just kind of froze on the table, hovering uselessly, like, should I pat her shoulder? Should I hug her?

Should I just awkwardly sip the overpriced water in front of me and pretend I wasn’t watching her fall apart?

Honestly, I was terrible at this comforting stuff. Caroline was the strong one. I was the sarcastic commentator in the background. But right now, none of my sarcasm could save me.

All I knew was... I hated seeing her like this. And if something had managed to break Caroline, then it had to be big. Really big.

So I leaned in a little, lowering my voice.

"What happened?" I asked softly.

Her eyes slowly turned in my direction as she kept sniffing in between. A few seconds passed in silence.

The surroundings seemed to dim into the thick tension such that I could even hear my heart hammering against my chest.

Every second felt almost like an eternity when she finally revealed, "Ele...I am being blackmailed."