Chapter 2
GAbrIEL
‘How much did you pay for this apartment?’ Nico, my friend and mentor, asked as he walked around the spacious, freshly decorated living room.
‘Three million euros,’ I said, still not quite believing that I was able to afford a place like this in Paris.
‘Blimey!’ Cassie, Nico’s English wife, gasped. ‘That’s steep.’
‘Gabriel is paying for the views,’ Nico explained, running his hand through his perfectly cut dark hair. ‘Can you see the Eiffel Tower from the balcony?’
‘Oui,’ I nodded. ‘Let me show you.’
I opened the large double doors and they both stepped outside.
‘Not bad!’ Cassie said as she took in the breathtaking views of the Paris rooftops, Sacré-C?ur and of course La Tour Eiffel.
Nico nodded his approval.
‘And the bedrooms? How many do you have?’
‘Two,’ I confirmed. ‘Let me show you the rest of the apartment.’
Since I bought this place two months ago, I had been eager for Nico to visit. As a French billionaire with an impressive real estate portfolio, Nico knew all about property, so I valued his opinion.
Once I had completed the tour, I opened a bottle of vintage Dom Pérignon champagne, poured Nico and Cassie a glass then sat with them on the new white leather sofa.
‘Cheers and congrats!’ Cassie said as we raised our glasses.
‘Merci. So, what do you think?’ I asked Nico.
‘It is a good location and a wise investment. A property like this will always be in demand. But the most important question is, how do you feel when you are here? Does it make you happy?’
I paused. That was a good question.
Nico and Cassie fixed their gazes on me, awaiting my response.
‘I… I think the views are very nice,’ I replied.
‘I bet you’re out on the balcony all the time having breakfast!’ Cassie added enthusiastically. ‘I loved chilling on the rooftop when I first came to Nico’s place.’
Who would blame her? Nico’s duplex penthouse was probably worth ten times the price of this one.
‘Not really,’ I answered honestly. ‘I did the first morning, but after that, I stopped.’
I still was not sure why. I was about to admit that perhaps it was because I could see my neighbour’s terrace was twice the size of my balcony and I felt inadequate, but stopped myself because I knew that sounded bad.
‘Oh…’ Cassie winced.
‘Does it feel like home?’ Nico pressed.
‘Honestly?’ I asked.
‘Oui.’
‘I am grateful that I can afford a place like this,’ I replied.
‘When I was working night and day developing my app, this is the kind of apartment I dreamed of owning one day. I had always wanted to live in Paris, with amazing views. I even hired a celebrity interior designer to decorate it before I moved in and everything looks beautiful. But I just feel…’
‘Empty?’ Nico suggested.
‘Exactement!’ My eyes popped. ‘How did you know?’
‘Because when I first bought my place, I felt the same.’
Hearing that I was not alone eased the tightness in my chest. Ever since I had sold my app I had been overcome with a strange feeling. I knew part of it was disbelief because I had never seen so many zeros in my bank account before. But the rest was hard to articulate.
For as long as I could remember, I had always believed that when I had money, my life would finally be perfect.
I had bought my dream car, travelled for months staying in the best hotels and had my pick of women. The teenage version of me would have been impressed with the models, actresses and influencers that I had spent the night with.
But when I finally returned to Paris and sat here, in the place that I thought was my dream apartment, just like Nico said, I felt empty.
And it did not make sense, because I had everything I had always wanted.
I would never have to worry about paying bills like my father did whenever my mother decided to quit her latest job and disappear with whatever new boyfriend had caught her eye.
And if I continued to make smart investments and was careful, I might never have to work again.
When I was skipping lectures at university to work on my app, I hoped that it would be successful, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would be able to retire at the age of twenty-seven.
Of course I had no intention of stopping though. I was just getting started.
What I needed was a new challenge.
Now I had proved that I could build and sell a successful business, I had to do it again and again. Just like Nico had.
He started with a hair salon, then created a range of luxury electrical hair tools. After that Nico moved into property and invested in multiple businesses which cemented the growth of his empire and wealth.
That was exactly why I had to keep going.
I had to create something even more lucrative than my app.
Then I could buy a bigger apartment. With a gym, an office and an even better view.
Oui. Once I had more success I would no longer feel empty. I was sure of it.
‘What changed?’ I asked, ready to soak up his words of wisdom.
‘She is sitting right here.’ Nico faced Cassie. ‘I thought that I had it all, the money, expensive cars and the penthouse, but the truth is that none of it mattered until I fell in love.’
‘Oh,’ I said, my stomach sinking.
I was expecting Nico to suggest that I look for new investments and challenges to turn my millions into billions like he had, but love?
That was not a helpful answer.
‘Awww.’ Cassie kissed Nico on the cheek. ‘I still wake up every morning and pinch myself because I can’t believe I found such an amazing man.’
‘And I cannot believe that I found such an incredible woman.’ Nico leant forward, brushed her curls away from her face then kissed her softly on the lips.
I shuffled in my seat, not sure where to look. It was not unusual for them to be affectionate. Naturally, I was happy that they had found each other, but I knew that Nico and Cassie were the exception, not the rule.
So many entrepreneurs I had met struggled to maintain romantic partnerships. They always ended in expensive and messy divorces.
And it was not just about the money. It did not matter how rich or poor you were, relationships never lasted. So what was the point of getting attached to someone and believing you had a future together, when you knew that sooner or later, they would leave?
I was better off on my own. Life was much simpler that way.
‘That’s what you need!’ Cassie smiled. ‘The love of a good woman.’
‘Non.’ I shook my head. ‘I do not need the pressure.’
‘Pressure?’ Nico frowned.
‘The expectations,’ I clarified. ‘I was in a relationship for four years, with Sybille, and it was just one long list of expectations that I could not live up to.’ My chest tightened.
When we were together, some days I felt like I could not breathe. I was already under a lot of pressure with getting my business off the ground, so her constant comparisons to her friends’ partners was exhausting.
In her eyes they all had ‘better’ jobs than me and were more successful. ‘Everyone’ except her was engaged or married, had children or were trying for them and ultimately, she decided I had nothing to offer her, so she left.
I should not have been surprised. She was not the first woman to walk out, but I would make sure she was the last.
‘When you find the right woman, life is not about pressure, it is about adventure,’ Nico said. ‘With your soulmate, even boring tasks feel enjoyable.’
‘It’s true!’ Cassie added. ‘The idea of going for a run at six in the morning used to make me break out in a cold sweat. There was no way I’d sacrifice an extra hour in bed, to wake up at the butt crack of dawn and pound the pavements in the freezing cold.
But then I met Nico and before I knew it, I was volunteering to go running with him!
Because we were together, somehow it was more fun.
Plus, the treats he gave me afterwards helped.
’ A mischievous smile tugged on her lips.
‘Treats?’ I frowned.
‘Sometimes it was my favourite chausson aux pommes pastry, other times we’d have some fun in the shower or go back to bed and—’
‘Gabriel does not want to hear about what we do after our runs.’ Nico tried to suppress a smile.
‘Sorry!’ Cassie grinned. ‘The point is that things felt suffocating with your ex because you were with the wrong person. But with the right person, everything will be different.’
‘This is easy for you to say because you found your soulmate,’ I countered. ‘But that is rare.’
‘I understand,’ Nico said. ‘Before Cassie, I also found it difficult to meet a woman who understood the long hours that I had to work to become successful. And when that success came, it was a challenge to find someone who was not just interested in my money.’
‘Absolument.’ I nodded my agreement.
Naturally my ex got back in touch when she heard my business had taken off, but I was not interested. I knew that when she found someone richer, she would not hesitate to trade me in again.
‘It’s a shame all of my besties back in London are all loved up!’ Cassie said. ‘They’d snap you up otherwise. Actually, wait.’ She turned to Nico. ‘Have you told Gabriel about your new venture? Y’know, the hotel?’
‘Ah, oui!’ Nico’s face lit up like Cassie had just thought of a great idea. ‘I have invested in the Love Hotel. You have heard of it?’
‘No.’ I scrubbed my jaw.
‘It’s a luxury matchmaking hotel where you’re basically guaranteed to find your soulmate,’ Cassie said.
‘They have resorts in Spain, Jamaica, Italy and California. They opened one right here in Paris a few months ago and will be opening another one in the South of France next month. You’ve been single for over a year, right? ’
‘Oui.’
‘Then you should apply!’
‘Bonne idée,’ Nico said in agreement.
‘I do not think that is for me.’ I rubbed the back of my neck and prepared myself to explain that I had no interest in meeting anyone.
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out, happy to have a distraction. That was until I saw that it was a missed call from my mother.
She called again and my stomach tensed.