Diamonds and Nicotine

“No, no, no, you imbecilic dolt. What do you think you’re doing? I’m trying to host the greatest event of the year, not one of your low-class rat ensembles you like to call family unions!” Tristan LeBlanc was barking at one of his workers as they scurried across the wide ballroom.

It was a beautiful morning in Pierrefonds, France. While LeBlanc could stand there and admire how his voice resonated authoritatively and beautifully within the walls of the grand Château de Pierrefonds, work was cut out for him to get ready for the event. But as usual, the workers he has at hand were getting on his sensitive nerves by proving their incompetence.

They were all idiots, in LeBlanc’s point of view; all two hundred and fifty of them that were hired for his LeBlanc Family Diamond Gala. He didn’t even want to think about his security detail. They were all half-witted mutts that weren’t worth nearly what he was paying them. Even the one supposed specialist he had hired to take care of some less-than elegant affairs he had on his plate he needed to be taken care of.
Discretion was key there, but when he met his newly contracted employee he was much younger than LeBlanc had anticipated and far too cockier than his liking. On top of it all, he was quite a good-looking fellow, which may have added to his arrogance. LeBlanc didn’t need him to distract his guests with his dazzling smile and whatever charm he had up his sleeve but he needed him to take care of…that particular arrangement.

Tristan LeBlanc grunted and turned back to the grand staircase and froze when he saw a tall, lean figure clad in a clean, simple black suit leaning casually against the stone railing, admiring the high ceilings with an expression of mild interest for the twelfth-century architectural wonder.

Speak of the devil, see the devil, Tristan thought to himself darkly before he made his approach.

“You’re late,” he growled as he walked past him on the steps.

The young man slowly looked back down at his employer and gave him that smirk that seemed to be his trademark.
“Am I?” he asked. “Pardon, Monsieur; I assumed that I was just in time.”

LeBlanc grunted, his distrust in this young man only growing.
“Don’t give me that crooked charm, boy,” he growled under his breath. He didn’t slow down his pace as he made his way up the steps, wanting to make his way out to the balcony where there was open air to breathe. Why should he slow down his pace for the scum he hired?
But the hired hand seemed to understand, as he silently and smoothly glided after his contractor.

LeBlanc didn’t comment out loud on how alarming he found his ability to move fast without much of a sound. Instead he let out another grunt.
“I am going to assume that my task for you will be taken care of smoothly.” he said as he stepped onto the wide landing, keeping his voice low in case of unwelcome ears nearby.

“Everything is prepared and set for the events tomorrow.” came the confident response. “Things should go smoothly as planned.”

“Good.” LeBlanc snapped, abruptly squaring his shoulders towards the younger man. “Because I will have this masquerade ball be perfect, as it will be the evening to be talked about for years to come.”

“Certainly,” the young man said, smirking.

LeBlanc narrowed his eyes, irritation and annoyance stirring thickly. He quickly turned back around, continuing on his way through the stone hallways.
“When I asked for a hand-for-hire with your line of expertise, I wasn’t expecting a young, arrogant oriental prick.” he said. “You better be worth the money I am paying you and every letter and word of your reputation, Ace of Spades.”

The young man, Ace, continued to smirk, bowing his head in a manner that came off as mock respect.
“But of course,” he said. "Why should you expect any less?"

“I’ll have you know, you brat,” LeBlanc went on, ignoring the rhetorical question. “Failure in your job isn’t an option. Anything less than what I’m paying you for and I am going to feed you to the mutts.”

Ace just smiled pleasantly, the threat seemingly not taking effect.
“Before you worry about that, it seems that we have some visitors, boss,” he said.

He nodded pointedly toward the direction behind LeBlanc, making him turn around. He frowned.
“Speaking of bitches…” he muttered under his breath.

LeBlanc tried mildly to hide his distaste for the figure that was sauntering over toward his direction. An all-too familiar person for the LeBlanc Jeweler and Company head, and the sight was never one he was too quick to despise.

Vivienne Valerio made her unexpected and rather unwelcome entry onto the balcony, looking proud as ever. She was primly dressed, as ever, in her severely sharp looking dress suits that could cut the tension she influenced just by stepping into the room. Not that it helped him like the woman any better; after all, she was his biggest business rival.

A cunning bitch, LeBlanc thought to himself darkly before forcing on a fake smile.

“Vivienne,” he called over to her, addressing her by her first name, something he knew she despised.

Valerio approached closer, coming to a stop just a mere five feet away from him. LeBlanc realized then that she was followed by a thin, timid looking girl that hid her eyes under her stylish hat and glasses. She was busy jotting down notes in a black pad holder so he couldn’t take a good look at her face but he could tell she wasn’t a familiar companion to Valerio.
“What matter brings you here?” LeBlanc asked. “I believe the invite said tomorrow evening.”

Valerio smiled.
“Bonjour, mon chér,” she greeted him sweetly, something he knew she did with the intention to irritate him. “I just thought I should stop by here for a small break and admire this magnificent piece of history.”
She breathed in and exhaled slowly. She then glanced around the place and let out a low hum.
“You,” she said over her shoulder at the girl standing behind her, who jumped in a startled manner. “Pick up the dresses from the studio; I’ll try on the royal blue, gold and the white. Oh, and pick up the mask while you’re at it; the designers should have it finished by now.”

LeBlanc raised an eyebrow.
“A new assistant?” he questioned. “And did you really come here just to decide what dress to wear for the event? I should be flattered.”

Vivienne Valerio scoffed and shook her head, that overly sweet smile still on her face.
“You are adorable, Tristan. Of course that is not the only reason.” she said. “I’ve come to observe how your preparations for the event are coming along.”

LeBlanc frowned, instantly questioning her nosiness.
“Of course, the preparations are going swimmingly.” he replied neutrally. “Tomorrow evening is set to be spectacular.”

“Oh, I do hope so. I hear you are planning quite an extravagant affair of sorts for this celebration gala of yours.” Valerio noted, checking her nails. “As a fellow associate in the industry, I have great hopes for the event’s success; it would be a shame if your soirée doesn't meet...expectations.”

A flare of hot anger threatened to overspill but LeBlanc covered it with a light laugh.
“But of course! I couldn’t possibly let down my guest, especially a lady such as yourself,” he said. Then with a secretly knowing smile, he went on. “I promise you, it will be a night you will never forget.”

Vivienne Valerio hummed, sounding unimpressed but she gave him a smile.
“I suppose that’s expected of the man who makes a living creating beauty out of mere rocks.” she said.

LeBlanc bowed slightly, playing along with the polite banter.
“You honor me with your words, Vivienne.” he said. “It is the LeBlanc Family creed; the finest diamonds are those that hold inner beauty. It is just my duty as a LeBlanc to polish that beauty to the surface.”
He straightened, and turned to the young man behind him.
“Oh, where are my manners! This is my good friend; gemologist and diamond grader, Han.” he said, motioning the hired hand forward.

Whether he was surprised or not, Ace didn’t show it as he stepped forward with that dazzling smile on his face.
“Han Chen,” he introduced himself, smoothly picking up the façade from his employer. He offered his hand forward to take hers. “I flew here from Hong Kong on business with Monsieur LeBlanc. I’ve heard of your legendary works in the jewelry industry, Madame Valerio. It’s truly an honor.”

Vivienne Valerio frowned, looking rather surprised.
“You’re a grader? Aren’t you quite young?” she asked, placing her hand in his.

Ace kissed her hand quickly before lifting his head back up and smiling.
“Ah, yes. I do get that a lot. But I am a certified authenticator of fine jewels.” he replied.

“This boy is a genius; graduated from school five years earlier than the kids of his age.” LeBlanc added from behind. “He’s one of the kind.”

Valerio smiled politely and nodded at the young man before him.
“Hmm, I should’ve known; you have a knack of finding one of the kind items, Tristan,” she said. “Monsieur Chen, will you be at the masquerade ball tomorrow as well?”

“Certainly,” Ace replied. But then he laughed. “But I am not much of a dancer, I must admit…”

A small sound of something clattering onto the ground sounded, breaking the light talk. LeBlanc turned his eyes to the assistant Valerio had brought along, and saw her step out from behind her boss. Now that she was in clear view, he was able to see her fully.
The girl was young, a pretty little thing. Small, demure and bashful; all those traits showed through in her posture and slightly panicked expression behind her glasses. Her dark hair was gathered up in a neat bun with few strands coming loose from its hold, showing an elegant neckline. She too, like his hired man, was Asian.

“Excusez moi,” she spoke in a soft voice.

She had dropped her pen and went to pick it up from the ground where it had fallen when an arm shot out and picked it up before she could lower herself to the ground.
“Here you go,” the ever-charismatic ‘Han Chen’ said, picking up the pen and offering it to her with a smile.

The assistant blinked and almost shrank back, and Tristan could see that she was blushing delicately. He cursed Ace for stepping forward before he could.
“Merci, monsieur,” she said.

Behind her, Valerio clicked her tongue.
“Really, girl, is there anything you can do without making a scene?” she demanded shortly.

“It’s completely fine, I assure you.” Ace laughed. He held up the pen to the young assistant. As she reached to take it back, he took hold of her hand.
“It’s a great pleasure to meet you here.” he spoke to her.

As if to be shocked, the assistant stiffened and instinctively snatched her hand back. Tristan sighed and finally stepped forward.
“I apologize for my friend…Mademoiselle---”

The assistant girl turned her eyes to LeBlanc for the first time and blinked for a second before she realized he was addressing her. She looked at Valerio, who just gave an apathetic shrug before turning back to him.
“…Rosa Merlo.” she replied, sounding unsure.

LeBlanc was surprised to hear an Italian name pass through her lips but Ace on the other hand let out a light laugh.
“Rosa Merlo; what a fitting name!” he laughed. “Well, Mademoiselle Merlo, will I see you tomorrow evening’s masquerade ball?”

“She will accompany me, as she is my assistant.” Vivienne Valerio said. “She will be there to take care of the tiny details of business I have with my partners that will be there at the event.”

“Then I’m sure that you can spare a dance or two.” Ace continued, his eyes looking directly at the shy assistant, almost challengingly. “I would love to get to make better acquaintance with you.”

LeBlanc finally spoke up again, this time to Ace.
“Han, you shouldn’t scare the poor girl; what would she think of us?” he said. He then bowed to politely to the two ladies in front of them. “If you would pardon me, Mademoiselle, Vivienne, I think I should get back to the preparations. We still have quite a lot to do. I bid you adieu.”

He gave the ladies another polite nod and he motioned for Ace to follow as he left the balcony. Once he was sure he was out of earshot of the two, he turned to his hired hand.
“Do you have no control, boy?” he snarled. “You were practically drooling over that bitch’s assistant!”

Ace smirked, his hands casually in his pants pocket as he kept up with his employer’s angry pace down the halls.
“I will admit, I was aggressively expressing interest, but it most likely isn’t what you think.” he told him.

“What does that supposed to mean?” LeBlanc grouched. “Just get you head into your job; nothing else should concern you.”

With that, he stormed off, leaving the hired hand in the hallway.

Ace just continued to smirk, his mind plotting.
“But things are just getting more interesting…” he said.