Warning: I did not proof read this.

Mistakes can be seen everywhere!


Chapter 6

"Kiss me," Francis said, as he held Mary's face in his hands, he didn't know that at that moment, he also held her heart.

Mary smiled and closed the small gap between them, with a slow and passionate kiss. It was Mary's first kiss and it meant everything to her in that moment. Tender and sweet. And it was at that moment that she realized that she truly did love Francis. She loved him more than words could describe, she loved him more than breath, more than life. He was everything to her. And she was in complete and utter awe that he was hers.


"Mary open up!" The loud banging on the door and voice that was ringing from the other side was what woke Mary up from her dream. No. Memory. It was a memory – a memory she wished she would forget. It was such a long time ago. Such childish times when she thought she truly had him.

Mary groaned and pulled the covers off and stood to open the door. She unlocked the door to see Jem. He was still in his business suit, a worried expression on his face.

"Are you alright?" He asked, "I've been knocking on your door for hours!"

Mary looked at her brother with an irked manner, mostly because she was annoyed that he interpreted her nap. "Stop exaggerating. You have not been knocking on the door for hours."

She moved back inside to the small vanity mirror in the room and picked up a hair brush – she started to brush her hair while she looked at her brother's reflection in the mirror – he looked troubled.

"I lost track of time," Mary said, feeling sorry for snapping at her brother. "I feel asleep is all. What's wrong? What happened?"

She turned to look at him and she could already tell something bad happened.

"I talked to Henry," He started as he chewed on his lower lip. "And he told me that Francis has agreed to marry you."

She felt her heart speed up its rate and no air could enter her lungs.

"What?" She asked in disbelief. "That can't be! What changed?"

"I don't know!" He answered; he was just as stressed as she was. "All I know is that with Francis's decision, father is more likely to push through with the affiliation of the companies. "

"No." It was the first thing out of her mouth. "I'll say no. I won't agree. He can't – they can't possibly force me to do this."

"Mary, I think we both know what they are capable of," Jem mentioned. The powers of the Valois and Stuarts were secure. "I don't know how to get you out of it."

"No, no, no." She kept repeating. She couldn't believe it. This wasn't happening! How could Francis possibly agree to marriage? Did he still have feeling for her? No. That was not the point. Mary didn't want to marry anyone and she surely didn't want to marry Francis. Especially after the scandal. Right? No. Enough with doubt, she was sure that she didn't want Francis. She was over him! And that was that. "I'll talk to father. Surely I can persuade him into –"

"I've tried that," Jem interrupted, "I called him after I found at and he sound so happy. I'm sorry Mary but I don't think you have a choice."

Mary couldn't believe her ears. Her own brother was giving up on her. This was ridiculous; she wasn't going to tolerate it!

"I will talk to father and make him see that I will not marry Francis! He can't make me!" Mary yelled as she stormed out of the room, cellphone in hand.


"Father, listen to me." Mary pleaded to her father over the phone. "I won't – can't, marry a man I don't love, especially not Francis!"

"And why not?" James said over at the other end, "You two were very fond of each other when you were children."

"That was such a long time ago," Mary sighed. She sat down on one of the stone benches that were outside in the Valois's magnificent garden. "Father, please. Don't make me do this. I don't want to marry Francis."

"Mary Stuart," Her father said her name so sternly that she was actually afraid that she finally struck a nerve with her father. "It's no secret that the Valois's owe us a lot but we owe them a lot more. Do this for our company – for your family. For me."

"But, I don't love him." She could feel the tears begin to blur her eye sight.

"Love is trivial." He answered. "You can learn to love him. Now, this is the end of this conversation. I need to get back to business. Goodbye."

And with that, the line went dead. When did her father turned so heartless? She looked down at the stone floor and began to cry. She couldn't handle it anymore.

"Do you hate me that much?" She looked up to see Francis. A look of perplex on his face.

"What?" She asked.

"I heard your conversation," He answered as he sat down next to her on the bench. "You don't want to marry me?"

"Are you serious?" She looked both confused and angry with him. "Of all people, you would ask me that? After what you did to me? Do honestly expect me to want to marry you?"

"Well, no," He answered, he hated when she was right. "But after all, we both owe our fathers something. I thought you'd be willing to make them happy."

"And sacrifice my own happiness for money?" Mary asked, snidely.

"Mary, I don't want this either,"

"Then why are you agreeing to it?" She asked loudly.

"Because don't you think we owe it to each other, to our families, to our companies, to give it a chance?" He asked.

"It's not that simple!" She answered.

"What's not simple?"

"I can't." She said in a whisper, looking back down at the ground. "I can't get hurt again!"

"What?" He asked but he already knew what she was talking about.

"I won't allow you to hurt me again," She explained, "And if I enter a marriage with someone I know doesn't love, I will just get hurt."

Francis looked at her for a second, letting her words drift in the air.

"How can you be so sure that I don't love you?"

It was a question that made her look into his eyes. His eyes that made her melt every time he looked at her.

"What?" Her mouth slight open, what was he talking about? He couldn't possibly mean what she's thinking.

"Mary, I have a confession to make." He said, "The first time I saw you, I didn't like you. Something in my mind told me you were nothing but a headache. You had too strong of opinions. But I also have to admit that even then, you had something special in you. You had that spirit. You were by far the bravest girl I've ever met. You opened up to me and let me see the real you. Years passed, it was your thirteen and you spent it here in France, away from your friends and family. If that was me, I would have been devastated, but you. You were okay with it and it amazed me.

"It showed me how to live life to the fullest and we were only kids! You impressed me and it was the day I knew I loved you. We might have been just kids and foolish but I was sure I loved you. You're bright, crazy, beautiful and unpredictable. And I loved you for it."

Mary couldn't convince herself that what he was saying was true. It sounded all surreal.

"Then why did you break my heart?" It was the question she had always wanted to ask him ever since the day he broke up with her.

"I suppose because I was scared." He answered, it was the truth. "I was a fifteen year old boy finding out his parents want him to marry his fourteen year old playmate. But Mary, you were so much more than just my playmate."

Mary thought about it for a moment, she couldn't help but recall how he broke her heart.


"Why did you do this?" She asked, tears streaming down her eyes. Both of them in Francis's room. "How could you? And with her?!"

The news just broke about Francis and Olivia D'Amencourt. Olivia was the daughter of one of the shareholders of one of the Valois's hotels and it was no secret that she had a massive crush on Francis. She looked beyond her age, she didn't look like a fifteen year old. Scandalous photos were scattering around the papers about the children of France's two most wealthy businessmen.

"I was at a party with her and got drunk." He didn't even sound like he was defending himself to her.

"Francis, you two aren't old enough to drink!" Mary countered. Her little heart couldn't handle the photos she saw. Her Francis, lip locking with a bottle head blonde. She was on top of him, his hands on her and Mary couldn't even look at the rest of the photos because she was too scared to see what else happened.

"Yeah, and it didn't stop us last night." He replied coolly.

She looked at him for a moment and he looked so calm that it was like he was over compensating his emotions.

"This isn't like you," She said in a low voice. "What's going on? What happened?"

"Mary, you saw the pictures, I think you know what happened." He groaned in frustration.

"Yes but that's not the whole story." She said, "Please, tell me that there's more to this."

"Why do you care so much?" He asked.

"Because what about us?" She asked. And she regretted asking when she saw the look on her face. She felt broken when she did.

"There was never an us." He answered so coldly that she heard her heart crack slowly. "There will never be an us, so please, stop with your illusions!"

That was what all it took for Mary to see who Francis truly was.

"Okay." She swallowed. She so badly wanted to make him take back his words, but if that was how it was, then so be it. She wasn't going to look pathetic in front of him. She wasn't going to stoop that low. He wasn't worth it anymore. "If that is how it is, fine. I hate you!"

She screamed before walking out of his room with a slam on the door.


She never forgot his words and that was when everything changed.

She stopped visiting France and started focusing more on her studies – even got the chance to graduate early because of her high marks – and she stopped looking for love.

"Why should I believe you?" Mary asked after her mind cleared the memory.

"Because it's true." He answered simply. "But if you don't want to believe me, then okay. It's up to you, but know that I will do this because of my father. I hope you do too."

He stood up and began making his way to the door.

"Only for your father," Mary said, he looked back at her with curiosity. "So, you're not doing this because you love me? You don't love me."

Francis gave her a small smiled, it was a smile that Mary missed seeing so badly but every time he looked at her, she couldn't help but remember how he hurt her.

"I never said that." He answered. "Love, no matter how hard you try, it's always going to be there."

He entered the house and left Mary with one question still on her mind –unanswered.

"Why'd you do it?" She said quietly to herself.


AN/ Hello.

I promised a Frary kiss and you got a Frary kiss!

Even though it was just a dream. LOL

I kind of turned the tables here.

Hope you enjoyed.

Review!

They make me happy.

So, just for your information, the reason why I've been able to update frequently is because it's my sembreak but I go back to university very soon, thus I may not be able to update that often anymore.

I was thinking of making a schedule when I will update.

Expect updates during Tuesdays, Thursday and Sunday.