As the show ended and the black curtain descended, the dancers congratulated each other, excitedly discussing their performance. Blaise turned to Maelys with enthusiasm, saying, "You were fantastic! Hélène is definitely going to hire you." She took Maelys' hands and gave her a meaningful look. "Thank you, Blaise. I was so incredibly nervous," Maelys replied while running a hand through her hair. They walked together towards the dressing rooms, and Maelys took one last look in the mirror before entering the large hall.
In the vast hall, Maelys finally noticed the crowd that had gathered. A mix of pride and nervousness overcame her as she spotted Zohra, Hélène, and Laurent seated at the circular bar in the middle of the room. She slowly made her way toward them, but as she approached, the three of them abruptly stood up and disappeared into a small office at the back of the hall. Maelys felt a bit disappointed but decided to sit at the bar, hoping they would return soon.
Inside the small office, Laurent, Zohra, and Hélène gathered around a small wooden desk. "There's an important matter we need to discuss. As you might have noticed, another club has opened in the neighborhood," Laurent said, his tone serious.
"A little competition is good for business, Laurent. It will push our dancers to perform even better, mark my words," Zohra replied, winking at Hélène and flashing a sly smile.
Hélène waited for Laurent to elaborate. She had worked with his father, Lucien, for years and knew that he wouldn't blow things out of proportion, and assumed his son wouldn't either.
"That's true, Zohra, but unfortunately, we're familiar with the club's founder. It's Martina who opened the club, and she has hired all the dancers who didn't make the cut here. The grand opening is tomorrow night," Laurent explained, leaning forward over the desk.
Hélène sighed and shook her head softly, saying, "I should have known."
In the club's early years, Hélène had a partner, Martina. They did everything together and collaborated effectively to quickly turn the club into a major success. However, Martina had a different vision in mind, one that Hélène strongly disagreed with. Martina aimed to double the revenue and venture into the then-legal prostitution market. Knowing that Hélène would never approve, she tried to push this plan behind Hélène's back. When Hélène eventually found out, she successfully forced Martina to step down. Since then, the two held a deep grudge against each other, not even willing to exchange pleasantries.
Zohra, attempting to boost Hélène's spirits, patted her on the arm and said, "Don't worry, Hélène. There's a reason why we didn't hire those girls. They didn't meet our standards. Besides, there can only be one premier dance club in Montmartre, and that's us." Zohra raised her chin with confidence, feeling unbeatable, and her faith in the club was unwavering.
"You do have a point, Zohra. We have the most talented dancers, but we all know Martina. She will stop at nothing to sabotage us and me personally," Hélène stated, getting up from her chair. It was a rare moment of vulnerability from her, but it was fleeting. "You two, discuss a strategy for keeping my club number one."
During the conversation, Laurent and Zohra exchanged eye rolls and looks of understanding. "Typical Hélène," Laurent said, sighing as he packed his belongings into his expensive Brunello Cucinelli briefcase. Zohra chuckled, "Well, it seems you're getting paid quite well for it."
Since joining the club, Zohra had always had a soft spot for Laurent, and she might even call it a crush. However, after Hélène pointed it out, she tried to refrain from such feelings, as it was all about professionalism, with no room for personal emotions. Unfortunately, nothing accidental had ever happened between her and Laurent, which was a disappointment for her.
Meanwhile, Maelys had been waiting at the bar for a while. Since she only had to perform in one show, she decided to order a drink. Fortunately, the bar wasn't too crowded, but the bartender seemed preoccupied with a group of ladies on the other side. After multiple attempts to get his attention and a prolonged wait, Maelys decided to make her own drink. She walked through a small door at the back of the bar and started pouring different types of alcohol into a glass, adding a splash of soda.
As she turned around to find a lime, she accidentally bumped into the bartender, who had been too busy with the ladies earlier and was now trying to deliver a cocktail to the other side of the bar. "Why do you think you can just come behind my bar?!" he yelled as he wiped the spilled cocktail from his clothes with an old rag. He was furious, but when he looked up and made eye contact with Maelys, he fell momentarily silent.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't know..." he began, but Maelys cut him off. "You didn't know? You were shouting at a lady." "It's alright; you seem to have had your fair share of karma," she said, chuckling. "I'm Maelys. I just performed my first show here, and hopefully, Hélène will hire me." She extended her hand to the bartender.
"I definitely saw you dance; you stood out in the group. I'm Maurice," he replied, offering Maelys a wide grin as he briefly assessed her from head to toe. "Let me make you a proper drink, and we'll call it even," he smoothly added. Maelys was impressed by his charm and took a seat at the bar, ready to be served.
Once the conversation in the office concluded, Laurent and Zohra returned to the hall. "Let's not tell Maelys about this just yet. We don't want her to worry before she even starts," Zohra suggested as she closed the door behind them.
"That sounds like a wise decision. Let's handle it this way with all the dancers," Laurent agreed. He continued to ponder the strategy but quickly lost himself in Maelys's presence as he locked eyes with her. He had never seen a woman who radiated something so special, rendering him silent in her presence. Of course, her striking appearance on this evening didn't go unnoticed.
Zohra spotted Hélène with the group of dancers, and she guessed it was a discussion about Maelys's performance. She hurried towards the group, determined to help Maelys secure a position in the club.
As Laurent saw Zohra disappear, he decided to sit next to Maelys at the bar. "You were truly amazing, and the audience couldn't take their eyes off you," Laurent whispered softly into Maelys's ear as he took a seat on the barstool beside her. When he uttered these words, shivers ran down her spine, and her fingertips tingled. "The audience?" she chuckled. "Thank you, but I was quite nervous. I know I can do better once I'm more at ease."
A few minutes later, Maurice, the bartender, approached them on the other side of the bar. "What'll it be for you, Laurent? A sweet white wine, I presume?" Maurice teased Laurent, which made Maelys laugh. However, Laurent didn't respond with humor. It appeared that these two gentlemen didn't particularly like each other. "I'll take the usual," Laurent said, not paying much attention to Maurice.
When Maurice served Laurent's drink and left, Maelys looked at Laurent with a questioning glance. However, he didn't expand on the issue, instead taking a big sip of his drink.
A little later, Zohra joined them at the bar. Light-hearted conversations on various topics flowed freely, and the drinks flowed generously. After an hour or so, Maelys started to feel somewhat tipsy and decided that she was now brave enough to sit a bit closer to Laurent. In contrast, Zohra refrained from drinking too much, mindful of the warning she had received from Hélène, who insisted on professionalism and prohibited such emotional entanglements.
The three of them sat at the bar for hours, enjoying each other's company and bringing the evening to a cheerful close.
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