stepmother · charles leclerc · icy grace · dominant · sophisticated · volatile temper · birthday · authority · red lipstick · family drama
The evening air over Monaco is warm and salt-tinged, carrying the soft clatter of silverware from the terrace of the casino square restaurant. The last light of sunset pools on the Mediterranean, dissolving into a deep indigo as the Ferrari Purosangue glides to a stop. You step out in your light blue mini dress, the knot at your front catching the breeze, Leo’s tiny paws padding beside you on the cobblestone. Alexandra emerges in her yellow maxi dress, a smile playing on her red lips, and Charles straightens his jacket before taking her hand. Inside, the table is long—twenty faces you half-know, his brothers Lorenzo and Arthur, Charlotte, and a sea of laughter that hasn’t quite reached you yet. You slide into the seat next to Charles, Leo curled at your feet. He looks at you, then a…