lemon and mint | Charles Leclerc

16.

October 2013

"Look, you won. Pia is living with you, and that is what you wanted. So, take fucking care of her," Sebastian was almost yelling at his former friend Anthonie. He couldn't believe how long he overlooked the fact that he was a total asshole. He only cared for himself and no one else.

"If I remember correctly, she's my daughter, not yours. So, there's nothing that should concern you," he said disdainfully. It was amusing to him how much Sebastian cared about Pia. He cared so much about a child that wasn't his.

"There's nothing that should concern me? Really? You must be fucking joking. Pia is skipping school, smoking, and God knows what else, and Gianna is drinking again. She is drowning herself in alcohol because you took her daughter away from her. What more do you want?" He was furious with the man in front of him. He was so pissed off by him. Anthonie was just casually sitting in his armchair as if they were talking about the weather and not the future of his daughter. And that pissed off Sebastian even more.

"Oh, she's drinking again. I'm not even surprised." Anthonie laughed spitefully. "What an irony that woman that is helping kids with addictions was once an addict as well." He was so amused by that fact. He was sure that she would get back to her old self eventually. Problems with alcohol weren't new to her.

Anthonie met Gianna when he was 26. He started to work for Ferrari, so he had to move to Italy. He didn't like it that much, but then he met Gianna. She was a lost soul who was drowning her problems in alcohol. Anthonie was immediately interested in her, but she wasn't looking for a man who would be nine years older than her, so Anthonie made an offer. He promised to help her stop drinking, help her pay her tuition, and ensure her a highly paid job in the future in return for being with him. Neither of them was expecting that Gianna would get pregnant. Gia didn't want to have a baby at such a young age, but Anthonie saw the child as a good thing because it meant Gianna would have to stay with him.

"Let's talk about Pia. Gianna is now my concern. I will take care of her, and I'll also take care of Pia if you let me," Sebastian sounded desperate. He was currently much more concerned about Pia than about Gia. Gia was an adult, and he also knew that she overcame those problems once, so he was sure she could do that again. But his little sweet, innocent, and fragile Pia was in danger. She was too young and perfect for such things.

"Why would I do that? I'm pretty sure that she's doing all those shits because of you and Gianna," Anthonie tried to put the guilt on his wife. He didn't really care if his actions influenced Pia in any way. He was just doing what was best for him and his reputation.

"Stop this charade. You know more than anyone else that you're guilty as much as Gia or me. It's not like you haven't been sleeping with other women. It's not like you haven't been destroying that family ever since you got the chance." Sebastian's face turned red from the anger. He was so mad at his manager. Sebastian was always aware that Anthonie didn't treat Gia how she deserved, but she overlooked it because of Pia. Pia was more important than anything else, but now he took her away from her.

"Oh, and it's certainly not like you have been sleeping with my wife behind my back for fucking three years," Anthonie fired right back, and he was right. No matter how much Sebastian tried, he was still guilty.

"Have you ever loved them?" Sebastian's voice was suddenly almost inaudible. He wasn't angry any longer. The emotions that now prevailed in him were probably sadness and disappointment. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to know the answer to that question.

"It's not something that should concern you." Anthonie's reply gave him the answer to his question. It wasn't the answer he wanted to hear, but at least he knew the truth. "If I, were you, I would be more concerned about your career," Anthonie said with an evil smile on his face. As Sebastian's manager, he held pretty much power over him, and that could trouble Sebastian.

"Oh, there is no reason why I should be worried about that. If you tried to sabotage my career, you would damage your reputation." It was something that made Sebastian calm. He knew that they could not sabotage each other because they would hurt themselves too.

---

"What bothers you, my love?" Daniel asked Jules when they were together in Jules' room. He was caressing Jules' hair while they were lying on a sofa. Daniel would swear that everything was just right a couple of minutes ago, but then his lover got lost in his thoughts. The pleasant smile that his velvet lips carried was gone, and Daniel could just guess what caused this sudden mood change.

"Oh, nothing that should bother you," Jules quickly reacted. He was fully aware that Daniel had a lot on his plate, so Jules didn't want to disturb him with what was going on in his mind.

"But I want to know what is going on," Daniel demanded to know the answer.

"I was just thinking about Pia. I feel so sorry for her. Someone should take care of her before she ruins her own life." Jules said with closed eyes. He was recalling the memories of meeting her in Villa Mattoni. He missed that happy girl she used to be.

"She is not your responsibility," Joanna's voice cut right through Jules' words. Jules almost forgot that she was there with them. "I already told her to get her shit together and stop ruining her life." Joanna was pointing out the conversation she had with Pia in Monaco just a couple of months back.

"Joanna, she's a child. She needs love, reassurance, and someone to rely on. I highly doubt that your surely highly motivational speech helped her in any way," Jules said. He knew how Jo was, and he could imagine her straightforward speech toward the little Italian.

"You cannot always treat her like this, Ju. She has to learn that life is tough sometimes. She needs to fight her own battles."

"Look at you, Jo. You learnt it that way, and I think we can both agree that it left some damage on you," Jules was trying to be really careful with expressing his view in this way because he knew that Joanna's childhood was a touchy subject. He didn't really know much about it, but he knew that she had been attending a boarding school since she was 4. Therefore, it was obvious that she had to fight for herself, but that doesn't mean it should be that way.

"If you want her to believe that fairy tales are real, then make sure she will live with her mother again." The disdain in her voice was clearly hearable.

"I don't think that will be possible," Daniel joined the conversation between his boyfriend and his friend for the first time in a while. The attention of both of them was now on him. "I overheard the conversation between Seb and Anthonie today. It sounded like Pia's mother, Gianna, is drowning her sorrow in alcohol," Aussie explained the situation.

"Oh, great. Both Sabatini girls are fucked up. I'm not even surprised," Joanna was already so annoyed by this drama. "I will need to talk about this mess with Sebastian. Why couldn't he just keep it in his pants?" Joanna asked out loud, but she didn't really want an answer to that.