Lila's brisk steps pattered against the polished floor and she walked with a slight limp in her steps as she walked into the morgue.
The whispers started and it seemed like their eyes were following her with contempt as she walked. She didn't even understand why the news warranted contempt from them. She was the one that was almost assassinated twice!. She didn't kill anyone's family head, did she?
Lila's stepped faltered slightly before coming to a pause behind some of her new colleagues that were just employed. She kept silent as she listened in on them talking:
"Have y'all seen her this morning?" A blond girl Lila identified as Karen asks the other girl on a pink sweater.
" No, I haven't. But I heard she came in earlier and guess what?" Chloe replies
" What?"
" She walked in limping!. Guess she finally fell off her high pedestal, huh. Literally!" Chloe huffs as she swipes her hair off her face
" I always knew she was into something shady, I just didn't expect it to be this shady. Guess I underestimated her huh?" Karen inputs shaking her head.
" Exactly, that's why she always looked at us as if we were beneath her" Sylvia sighs
" Turns out it's true, isn't it?" Chloe asks " Do you even know how much her syndicate is worth, or how much she inherited?"
Karen rolls her eyes " Then why is she still working?"
" What do you know?, what if this is her dream?" Sylvia snickers mockingly
" Oh oh. I didn't know big bad mafias had dreams?" They all laugh pretentiously, (A/N: the kind you make when you're meeting your fiance's parent and you want to act like you don't have a screw loose up there??. Yeah that's the one)
"Now that's just plain rude." Lila says as she moved closer to them having heard enough. She frowned slightly "You know for new comers. Y'all sure talk a whole lot"
Lila scoffs at the girl called Karen as she was shaking like a leaf with no root trying to survive in a windstorm.
"I have dreams and I've actualized most of them, do you have any problem with that?"
"N-no, m-ma"
"Why the stutter?. You weren't stuttering when you were calling me the " big bad mafia" were you?" Lila questions, amused.
"No, m-ma"
"Now, that's more like it. If y'all would excuse me, this " big bad Mafia " have got to work "
" Y-yes, ma. "
Lila walks away with a slight limp in her steps, not sparing them any glance. She really wanted to hit that airheaded idiot called Karen. All she knew to do was twirl her finger around her hair like a useless centrifuge with no real purpose.
Annoyed, she heads out for a smoke. She goes the terrace and smokes in solitude for a while until her phone's blaring sound shatters the serenity.
Matthieu was calling:
"Bonjour, Matthieu"
"Bonjour, Come va il lavoro?"
How's work?
" Stai cercando di cogliermi di sorpresa per mettere alla prova se ascolto davvero durante le lezioni di lingua?"
Are you trying to catch me off guard to test if I actually listen during language classes?
(A/N: they're speaking Italian)
"No, ho sentito la notizia. Volevo solo chiamare."
No, I heard the news. I just wanted to call
"Il tuo italiano si sta arrugginindo"
Your Italian is getting rusty
" Non e' questo il punto, sai che ero preoccupato per te"
That's not the point, you know I was worried about you
Lila quiets down "Sì, lo so. I sussurri stanno volando in giro. E' così rumoroso qui e mi sento orribile" She says quietly, vulnerably.
I know. Whispers have been flying around. It's so noisy here and I feel horrible
"Mi dispiace"
I'm sorry
"Per cosa ti dispiace? E' colpa mia per essere testarda e rifiutare la protezione all'inizio, no?"
What are you sorry for?. It's my fault for being stubborn and refusing protection initially, isn't it?
"Sì, come un monello"
Yeah,like a brat
"ahia, toccato"
Ouch touche
" Quindi sei ancora interessato a lavorare o dovremmo smetterla?"
So are you still interested in working or should we just scrap it?
" Sarò ancora qui, ma se diventa insopportabile te lo faro' sapere."
I'll still be here but if it gets unbearable I'd let you know.
" Sei sicuro? Non nasconderlo da me, tesoro" Matthieu says his voice taking on a teasing lilt.
You're sure?. Don't hide it from me,darling.
"Non lo nasconderò da te. Cominci a sembrare sappy, amore"
I won't hide it from you. You're starting to sound sappy to me, Love.
Matthieu breathes hitches audibly "Non prendere in giro, capo"
Don't tease, Boss.
" I hate you calling me that!" Lila hissed at him.
" I know. That's why I did it"
" Bastard"
" You can't get rid of this bastard. So you might as well sit down and enjoy the ride "
" I won't get rid of you even if I could"
Mathieu chuckles " Take care, Boss. I'd pick you up from work. Text me"
"Okay, Bye." Lila ends the call and breathes a sigh of relief. "I actually feel better now. It's always better with that stiff guy "
Some minutes later....
The air shifted slightly and Lila clenched her lighter tighter as she caught a whiff of that annoyingly intoxicating perfume.
" Do all idiots have the mindset of sneaking up on people or you're just the chosen one?" Lila turns
Jace chuckles breathily "You wound me, my love"
" I ain't shit to you" Lila grits
" Well, unfortunately. I might not be the chosen one of your choice but I can be the one for you" He smirks as he takes a step closer to her so they are now face to face
" I'd be damned."
" Feisty!. Just like I love it"
Lila's face warms up a bit " You do know I could kill you with just one word right?" She takes a step closer so they are now almost nose to nose.
" Yeah I do" He whispers, his eyes dropping to her lips " But you wouldn't do that."
" And what makes you so sure?" Lila asks tilting her head, amused.
" 'Cause it isn't fun if you kill me and you love thrills "
Lila hums as she takes a step back and blows smoke in his face " That might be true. But I have to say, you have quite the knack for trouble. Don't you?"
" Nope. I just missed my amore. So I came to see her"
" It's all giggles and shit until I stab you in the neck with a scalpel, ain't it?" Lila deadpans
" You wouldn't want to tarnish your good image of a responsible and caring doctor now would you, mon ami?"
" I don't have to pretend to be caring with dead people and my reputation is taking a deep dive right now anyways, who cares if I accidentally kill someone?" Lila asks as Jace's eyebrow twitch with amusement " who knows?. You might just accidentally fall off a cliff and die. I bet no one's gonna notice"
" Ow, damsel. You terrify me" Jace says in mock horror
" Please get out of my face before I make you"
" Is that supposed to be a threat?. Cause I'm oddly aroused" He smirks.
" Perverted asshole. I hate sickos like you the most, you disgust me"
" Hearing you say that just gives me more drive to turn that disgust into affection "
" Keep dreaming. I didn't know being delusional was part of a spy's job too"
" Only for you,darling. And I told you me being with the shadows doesn't mean I work for them"
"Not my cup of coffee"
" And you know what they say?" He asks as he takes a step closer to Lila " They say it's a thin line between love and hatred, so you never know. "
Lila huffs out smoke and turns away not paying him any more attention as she continues smoking
Silence settles between them quietly. After some time, Jace moves to leave when he notices someone approaching
" Till next time, amore"
Lila says nothing but graciously gives him both her middle fingers.
Camille pokes her head out the door and asks " Whatcha doing outside alone?"
" Nothing. Just came out for a smoke"
" Oh. I understand, it can get stuffy inside sometimes and with the news around. I can only imagine what you're feeling "
" I ain't feeling shit. It really is just stuffy inside "
" Oh" Camille quiets down for a while before asking almost inaudibly " Do you think the others will treat you differently or think somehow about you?"
"I don't give a fuck what they think and I could care less about their treatment. I'd rather no one talks to me"
Camille chuckles"The mighty Lila Rousseau"
"One and only. You'd never get a better model. I'm already the best there is"
She burst out laughing at Lila's exaggerated words and expression and Lila smiles softly watching at her laugh " You sure are hilarious in an odd way if not the oddest way possible "
" As it should be" Lila felt like she could be free with Camille and it felt good to have someone to rant and be free with besides Mattheiu.
" Yeah,yeah. Whatever you say" They both chuckle quietly as they enjoyed each other's company in silence
" You're actually a cool person. I used to think you were pretty arrogant and beautiful before" Camille admits quietly
" So am I still beautiful?" Lila teases
" Absolutely! And I now know you're not actually arrogant, if anything you'd be awkward"
" I ain't awkward, not at all. And I can be pretty arrogant when needed."Lila smirks at her
" I love the vibe you're giving" Camile smiles at her
" As you should" Lila says cockily
" Now, I think I see the arrogance" Camille smiles quietly " I think I like you"
Lila's smile becomes stiff as she stares at Camille in exaggerated horror " You what?!!. I know I am irresistible and charming all at once. But I don't do girls."
Rene laughs at her comical expression and explains " I mean I like you as in I would like to be your friend. "
Lila breathes a mock sigh of relief " oh. I'm not really good with words though and I think I'm okay being alone. No offense"
Camille shoulders slumps slightly " Oh, it's okay. I know you don't trust me and all. I wouldn't trust me in this situation too. Anyways, you're the first person I've met that can be cute even when being narcissistic "
" Told you I was the best"
" Yeah you did."
After Lila finished her third cigarette, they both went inside and did their work for the day.
The whispers didn't stop but at least she didn't happen to overhear that air headed centrifuge talking again.
When Lila finished for the day, she called Matthieu and when he came, he took her home safely with no scruples.
She felt at peace and grounded and that in itself was alarming.
She thought she'd catch a break from everything but she'd never have thought her thoughts were gonna be thrown back to her face soon enough
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