Chapter 10

The next morning Oscar went to see Bernard, just as she had promised. He was in prison in the same building where Sean had previously been.

"Sorry, Bernard, but you still need to face charges against you concerning those burglaries" she told him.

"I know" he said with a calm voice. "I did things I shouldn´t have, and I need to pay for that"

"But I will talk to the judge for you. After all, you saved my life" she thanked him.

"Don´t thank me. It´s just that my buddies went too far and I couldn´t accept that. I could never hurt anyone, you know" he explained.

"…"

"I will testify against them" he broke the silence.

"Good" she just said. Now she felt much better, knowing that Bernard really meant what he said. He seemed to be genuine sorry for his actions. "See you in court, then" she said and left.

After leaving the prison she headed for her new job, but as she walked into the building, the guard denied her access. She was astonished. "Why won´t you let me in?! I work here!" she yelled.

"I´m sorry, but there has being a change of plans…"

"Excuse me?!"

"We are very sorry…"

"You´re sorry?!" she yelled.

"Yes, but…" he said that she could not work there after all.

Oscar got angry "why?! Your boss told me that I was the best candidate!"

"Yes, I know…I´m terribly sorry, but…"

"Is it because of my father?!"

"Well…"

What else could it be? The man had been excited having Oscar in his team, so why would he all of the sudden broke his promise? Unless someone had mingled with it…

"Say it right to my face!"

"Yes, he called us and…"

There was no need for him to carry on any further. She knew: It was because of her father. He had interfered in her affairs. Even though he lived in England, he still had power in his hands; he was a well-known figure and respected member of a certain society within France.

"I´m terribly sorry…"

Oscar stared at him with an angry look on her face, and then-without saying anything- she walked out of there…

"I´m not letting this go so easily" she thought to herself.

Oscar took her phone out of her pocket and immediately phoned her father, who did admit that he was the one who had phoned her new boss and told him they couldn´t hire her. That made Oscar so angry. What right did her father have so that he could interfere in her life like that?! She already had her suspicions on his motives, but she wanted to hear it from himself. Her father only said that he would not accept her new boyfriend, "because he has neither rank nor fortune!"

"We don´t live in the dark ages, anymore! I can do whatever I want! I will marry him one day and there´s nothing you can do about it! I don´t need your permission! You don´t own me!" she yelled angrily.

"I am a free woman"

She had never thought she would say that: a woman. But she was a woman. An independent woman. Only that she hadn´t thought about it for a long time. She had only hidden her feelings deep inside her. But now she was ready…

To live as a woman.

"Father…" she started. There was determination in her voice.

"I will stay here, in France and I will marry Sean one day, because I love him. If you don´t accept that, that´s fine. It´s your problem, not mine."

"If you do that, if you don´t break up with him, I will make sure that you will not be able to get a job anywhere. And also I will cancel all your credit cards and nullify your bank account!"

" Do that! I don´t care! I will marry him and stay here in France!"

Then she hung up.

She was astounded. How could her own father behave like that?! Did he really think that rich people are better, and that they should only marry amongst themselves?!

"In that case, I don´t want to be one of them" she sighed.

Anyway, she needed to go back to her hotel to think things over. She needed a new job. But first she needed a good, relaxing bath.

But as soon as Oscar arrived at her hotel, she was stopped at the lobby. The clerk asked if she could pay her bill right then. Apparently there were some problems with her credit card.

"Father didn´t waste any time now, did he…" she thought and paid the bill.

"I want to check out" she told him.

"But mademoiselle, your reservation is still…"

Valid? Yes, she knew that. But now she didn´t have that much money. And she needed to find cheaper place to stay.

"I´ll check out now" she insisted.

"Yes, mademoiselle." he agreed "We are terrible sorry for the inconvenience…" he told her. And she understood; of course they needed to get their money.

Oscar got out of the hotel carrying her luggage, and thinking where she could go on this short notice. She was so focused on her worries and she didn´t notice that someone was there waiting for her…

That someone was no other than Gerodero , a man she had rejected. "Oscar" he shouted and walked towards her.

"Now what do you want?" she asked him with rather annoying tone in her voice. First she was denied from her new job, then she had to move out of her hotel and now…This was definitely not her best day.

"Say you will come with me"

"Where?"

"To my hotel…"

"What the hell do you think I am?!"

"Don´t give me that look! All I want is to celebrate our engagement" he tried to convince her.

"I am sorry, Gerodore" she said "but it´s over. In fact; it never even began. I will not get engaged with you, and most certainly I will not marry you."

Then, all of a sudden, he grabbed her into his arms and tried to kiss her…