Beauty and the Beast
By: Tea Milić and Lucija Rukavina
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Chapter #1 Belle is a 22 year old girl. She has worked really hard during her education and now she is a Valedictorian and also the best in her year. Because of that she is now giving a speech. “Today is the day that is important to all of us. Not only for our parents, family, but also for dean Mayers, because he’s finally getting rid of us.˝, the crowd chuckled as Belle spoke. ˝These past few years were very hard, but I always remembered what my mother used to say… She said: “Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.”, so that always kept me going. I won’t quote anything cheesy, I just wish you all the best in life, and don’t forget: Live long and prosper!” As she said that, she made a sign with her hand and split her fingers, just like Spock in Star Trek. The crowd giggled and gave her a standing ovation. Oh, what a wonderful girl Belle was. “You have a lovely daughter, Peter“ a good friend of Belle's father said. “She never ceases to amaze me, Alan.“ Peter said proudly. “Did you like my speech, daddy? Belle came grinning. “Of course, honey, it was wonderful as always.“ Belle smiled and she went to her friends. “Belle! Come here, let's take a selfie!“, said her friend Myra. “Oh, how could I forget!“ “No, Jonatan, you go to the left, Kylie stand next to Mike... Noo, agh, if you want to do it right, you have to do it yourself...“ Myra said sterssfully. “In one, two, tree... CLICK!“ They took Page | 2 a picture with big smiles on their faces.
-------҉------˝You know dad, I got a job in the library. Now I can help with the bills…” Belle said as she was making dinner. ˝Oh, Belle you shouldn’t have, we’re just fine the way we are.” Peter said. ˝Oh, please dad you know how much I love books, so it’s a win-win situation. And don’t worry – it’s close from home. I’m starting tomorrow.” Belle said stubbornly. ˝You know I can’t win an argument with you.” Peter said defeated.
Belle woke up and the sun was shining on her face. She slowly rolled of her bed and then saw what time it was. ˝WHAT?! No, no, no, this can’t be happening. It’s my first day for God sake’s!” She quickly dressed up, brushed her hair, made coffee and headed off to work. ”Hello Mr. Donovan! Hello Mr. McCallister! Hello Mrs. Harrison!” Belle said hello to everyone in the street as she was rushing to work. “Oh, hello, Belle! That girl is polite even in a rush...” Mr. Donovan said to himself. “I’m sorry Mrs. Bates! It won’t happen again.” Belle apologized. Mrs. Martha Bates was the owner of the city library. She was a nice old lady with a long skirt and a white sweater. She adjusted her glasses because they kept falling on the top of her nose. ˝Oh, it’s alright dear, I just opened it.” They soon started to talk about her work. Page | 3
˝On this shelf we have English literature, and on this shelf there are historical novels… I’m sure you’ll figure it all out soon.” She politely smiled to Belle.
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Ding. The bell rang as the tall, slim man in his mid-forties walked in. ˝Hello.” A deep, calm voice said. ˝Oh, Jacques, I haven’t seen you in ages! Where have you been?” Mrs. Bates was singing one of the famous Rihanna’s songs. Oh, she was such a modern lady! Belle giggled at that. Jacques turned his head towards Belle: “And, who do we have here?” “Oh, excuse me! This is Belle, my new employee.” Martha said completely forgetting about Belle.
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Belle and Jacques shook hands. Jacques had never seen such a beautiful girl. Jacques then turned back to Martha after looking at Belle for a few seconds. ˝Well, Martha, it’s good to see you again. Actually I came here looking for a book for the master.” She put her hands on her hips. ˝Well, what else would you come in a library for?” she laughed. ˝What does he want this time? Shakespeare, Tolkien, Doyle? Or maybe some poetry?” she proposed. “Oh, Martha, you misunderstood, I only came here to say that the master will come later to return his books.” Jacques said. “Well, I could’ve guessed. He is the only member that returns his books on time... Should I lock up later as usual?” “Oh, you know how it goes...” Jacques looked in Belle’s direction with a corner of his eye, and Martha immediately understood. Belle was confused more than ever. Who was this man? And who was the master? Too many questions were on her mind, but she put them aside because it wasn’t her business. -------҉------Jacques drove to the hotel and went straight to the master’s office. The office was dark as always, the curtains were closed and the master was sitting in his enormous, black, leather armchair in the darkest corner of the room. “Did you tell Martha what I have told you?” a cold, deep, serious voice said. “Yes, of course, master, she knows the procedure.” Page | 5
“Excellent. I’ll drive to the library in about two hours.” the master said satisfied. “You know.... She has a new employee in the library...she’s tres beau...” Jacques said suggestively. “What are you insinuating, Jacques?” “Master, I know you know what I’m talking about...why don’t you give it a try?” Jacques said hopefully. “Ah, Jacques, I do appreciate your match-making attempt, but I doubt that I’ll ever find someone, not in time, at least. And what makes you think that she’ll actually love me? Just look at me, damn it!” The master said angrily and stood up. Jacques really thought this would finally be the end of it. When he saw Belle, he didn’t only see a beautiful young lady, yet a beautiful soul too. As Jacques was lost in his thoughts, a man with polished hair walked in the office. “Oh, Jacques what brings you here?” a posh, British accent said. “And what do you think? La voiture, of course, George.” Jacques said already irritated. “Do not show off with your silly language, you weren’t even born in France!” George said accusingly. “WHAT? Do not lie about me and the place where I was born. You silly old Brit.” Jacques said offensively. George sucked in a deep breath and put his hand on his heart dramatically like he was deeply offended. “Oh, quit it, you two! Jacques really was born in France. Now stop with the quarrel.” the master said. Page | 6
The two men looked at each other and pouted their lips and sighed. “I’ve heard about the young lady...” George said and lifted his eyebrow. “Were you eavesdropping?! This is unacceptable! Master, can you hear this?” Jacques said with his eyes popped out. “How did you say master? It sounded like you were the Gollum from The Lord of the Rings.” George started to laugh. Jacques shot him a murderous look, but George didn’t stop laughing. “I will fire both of you if you don’t stop fighting immediately!” the master said severely. “Alright, alright, alright. But I’m not forgetting about the lady.” George said and lifted his index finger and wiggled his thick eyebrows. “O mon dieu, now you’re even emulating Matthew McConaughey! Stupid Brit...”
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Chapter #2 “Belle, look, it’s already nine o’clock. You should go home.” Martha said, rushing Belle to the door. “Oh, it’s no problem for me to lock up with you.” Belle said politely. “No, no, no, just... go home.” Martha said nervously. “Okay, see you tomorrow?” Belle said confused. “Sure dear, see you!” Martha waved to her. Belle was really confused. “Was it because of the master? Oh, I should stop thinking about it...”
Belle entered a dark alley. She was a bit scared, but it was a shortcut to her house and she just wanted to go home and sleep. She was half way through the alley when three men appeared in front of her. “Hey, sugar.” the man with a beard said. “You are one pretty girl, aren’t you?” the bald man said. Belle was frightened. These gross men were up to no good. Her mother warned her about men like that. Not that she hadn’t encountered people like them before. “Can you step away, please?” Belle said uncomfortably. “Oh, you said please, of course we’ll listen to you. Not.” the man with the beard said and all three of them started to laugh. This was a rather scary moment in Belle’s eyes. “Do you wanna have fun?” the man with a snake tattoo on his neck said. Page | 8
Belle was really scared. What do they want to do to her? God knows. The master was driving in his luxurious car to the library. He took a shortcut through a dark alley as always. He turned off his car because he didn’t want to be seen, although there was no one in that street anyways... He headed to the library when he saw some commotion. He saw the three men and a girl. “Do you wanna have fun?” he heard a man’s voice and immediately knew what was going on. He saw the girl all frightened and he couldn’t let that happen. “Yes, because girls just wanna have fun, right?” the master said with a deep voice and all heads turned in his direction in shock. He was trying not to be seen, so he stood in a dark corner. Belle was utterly confused. Now there were four of them?! This couldn’t be happening. “Can you please just let me go?” Belle said. “You heard the girl, let her go.” the master said seriously. What? Belle thought he was on their side. “And who are you, big guy?” one of the men said. “You don’t want to mess with me, trust me.”, the master said a bit annoyed. “Leave the girl alone.” “Why don’t you join us? I’m sure we could all have some great fun.” the man with the beard said. The master couldn’t take it anymore. How dare he? The master lost his temper and knocked the man out. He didn’t know why he had done it, he didn’t even know the girl, but it seemed like the right Page | 9
decision. He didn’t lose his temper in a long time, but for some reason, now he did. The two men were scared and started to run off, leaving their mate behind. “You should go home, it’s safe now.” “Thank you so much!” Belle was really confused and she headed back home. She was still a bit shaken and scared. Who was the man who saved her? As she was walking, the light of a street lamp illuminated her face. The master saw her face and thought how beautiful the girl was. Maybe even the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.
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Who would have thought that the man who quoted Cyndi Lauper would be her saviour...? Page | 11
Chapter #3 “No, what is this? How did this happen?” when Peter walked in the hotel he saw a flooded bathroom, the one he had “fixed” two days earlier. George came in and his eyes went wide. “What did you do? I thought you had fixed this. The master will be very angry about this. It would be best if you immediately go to his office and apologize.” George said in his best intensions. -------҉------“Oh, I wanna dance with somebody, I wanna feel the heat with somebody. Yeeaaah-oh, Belle... You’re here. How much did you hear?” Martha said as her cheeks flushed red. “Umm... All of it?” Belle chuckled. “Don’t worry about it, I sing all the time too.” “O.K. good, then I’m not so embarrassed. Let’s just start working, we have a lot of work to do today. We can sing too! What do you listen to? Queen, Beyonce, One Direction-but I doubt it, RHCP, Lil’ Wayne?” “Everything works for me.” Belle smiled and they started working. -------҉------“I’m really sorry, boss. It was an accident, I swear!” Peter kept apologizing. “You know, I’m looking at your file right now. You’re old, you are not in shape and you can’t see or hear very well. There’s absolutely no reason why I shouldn’t fire you.” the master said nonchalantly. He kept going through his file when he saw a picture of a young girl with brown hair and hazel eyes. She seemed oddly familiar. Then he Page | 12
remembered it was the girl he saved. Jacques, who was standing right next to him the whole time, saw it was Belle. Jacques leaned to his master and whispered: “Master, this is the girl I’ve been telling you about.”
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Chapter #4 Belle was reading as always when Peter walked in their house. “Belle, I have some news.” Peter said nervously. “Daddy what happened? Is it good or bad?” Belle said worriedly. “I don’t know.” Peter said although he knew it was bad. “Dad what’s wrong?” “O.K. I’ll tell you”, Peter reluctantly started to remember the day. When Jacques recognized Belle and whispered something to the master, Peter knew it wouldn’t be anything good. The Master’s eyes sparkled with hope but his faith soon became resigned again. He turned his chair to Peter but he still couldn’t see his face, just his strong scarred arms. “You have a daughter, right?” “Y-yes”, Peter gulped. “I’ll give you a deal... What if your daughter worked for me?” “But master aren’t we full?” George said confused. Jacques shot him a look. “Well, we have one position. She will be my personal assistant.” Peter was shocked. How could she work for this awful man? He had been working for this man for three years and was still afraid of him. He couldn’t let his daughter even to be in the same room with this man! But he knew he couldn’t do much. “O.K. but it’s her decision after all.” Page | 14
“I think that you will convince her.”, the master said and Peter could almost imagine him lifting his eyebrow and smirking. It wasn’t a pleasant thought. “You can go now.” “Wait, I have to work for that man?!” “I know but it’s not that horrible plus the salary is really good.” “But dad I just started working at the library and I really like it there.” Belle said a little bit sad. “I know sweetie but it’s the best for all of us.” Peter tried to convince her. “O.K. dad, but just because of you.” Peter weakly nodded and gave her a smile but his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. -------҉------“I’m really sorry Martha, but it’s just the way it is.” Belle said apologetically. “Oh, it’s O.K dear maybe the library job isn’t the best job for young people plus I believe Mr. Hamilton is a very pleasant man.”, Martha said. “Who is Mr. Hamilton?” Belle said with frowned eyebrows. “He’s your new boss, darling.” Martha said chuckling. Hamilton, Hamilton, Hamilton... The name sounded so familiar. He must be some old, rich man. But how did Martha know that? Page | 15
“If you need any help, just call me and I’ll be there.” Belle said with a smile. -------҉------“Have you heard what happened?” Martha said excited. “Of course I heard. All of this is my masterpiece!” Jacques said proudly. “Wait, WHAT?! You’re telling me that Belle is working for Dominic because of you?” Martha said each word slowly still amazed. “Oui, oui, this is meilleur plan ever!” Martha grinned widely and they gave each other a high-five and continued drinking their tea.
Chapter #5 Belle looked up and saw a big gold sign HAMILTON HOTELS. She still couldn’t believe that she was working here. She was frightened and terrified at the same time. She could only imagine what was behind that door. She opened the door and walked in the lobby and was amazed by its size and luxury. She went to the reception and saw a gorgeous young redhead. She approached the young girl and introduced herself: “Hello my name is Belle. I came here to work as Mr. Hamilton’s assistant.”
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“Oh, you’re the Belle I’ve been hearing about. The whole hotel has been buzzing about you. Oh, I totally forgot, my name is Ariel.” they smiled to each other and they were both relieved because they knew they would be working together. “I’ll show you the way to Mr. Hamilton’s office.” This was a completely new experience for Ariel. She had never brought anyone to Mr. Hamilton’s office and she was so rarely in his office, too, so she forgot the way there. The only people who went in there were George and Jacques. After thinking hard Ariel remembered the way and walked Belle to it. She didn’t even realize it Page | 17
but Belle was soon in front of a big, round, black door and she dared to knock. “Come in.” -------҉------“Two weeks.” “That is utterly impossible. You can’t fall in love in two weeks!” “Aimer, aimer. Real love doesn’t take a lot of time.” Jacques said dreamily. “O.K, O.K, but I’m not so sure about it.”, George gave in. “Just trust me, if they don’t fall in love until the time I’ll take you to a nice French restaurant.” “Why would I eat an expensive crème brûlée if I can buy it in a market for six bucks?” “Oh mon Dieu, in a market?! Are you insane?” Jacques started arguing. They kept bickering as always… -------҉------When Belle walked in, she was startled and amazed. The office was large and beautiful yet really dark and scary. She didn’t know what was waiting for her. Dominic heard someone walking in and he thought that it was Jacques or George but then he heard a female voice. “Hello?” Belle thought no one was in there. “Mr. Hamilton?” At the mention of his last name Dominic responded: “Yes.” Page | 18
“H-hi, I’m Belle.” Belle said flushed as she walked closer to the desk. “Speak up. I barely heard a word.” Dominic said with his voice already stiff and a little bit mad. “Sorry.”, Belle apologized. Mr. Hamilton was rather scary. Dominic sighed. “Are you the new assistant?” “So I’m told. I still don’t understand why, though.” “Your father messed up. Just do your work and mind your own business. We’ll talk about payment later.” “Oh, O.K.”, she shifted nervously. “What should I do?” “You will write everything I say and also arrange some meetings for me, and everything I say. You have access to every room except this one on the left. Don’t ever, and I mean ever go in there. Understand?” Dominic said with his voice rising at the end. “Alright, but why?” Belle was curious. What could it be behind that door? Probably some top secret business deals. “If I said you can’t go in there, then you can’t go in there. Don’t question me.”, Dominic said angrily. Belle was scared, she didn’t even see this man. The whole time he had been sitting in the dark corner with the back of his chair turned to her. His voice sounded very familiar, but she couldn’t put a finger on it. “On your desk there are some files you need to fold in alphabetic order. Start.” Dominic said strictly. “Yes, sir.” Belle was scared so she started doing her job. Oh, how she missed the library. Page | 19
Chapter #6 Belle was working about a week now at Hamilton’s hotel and Dominic caught a glimpse of her. Her hair was long and shiny. She wore a blue business skirt and a pair of high heels. Her eyebrows furrowed as she was reading a file. Jacques was right, she was really beautiful. Too beautiful for him. Suddenly Belle spoke up: “So, you’re building a new hotel?” Dominic was confused by the sudden question. “Yes. I’ve been planning it for some time.” suddenly they were chatting. “How do you like the sketch?” Dominic asked sceptically. He was asking for her opinion? He couldn’t believe it himself either. She moved stray tendrils of her hair off her face. ”Yes, it’s amazing. I love it. Who created it?” Belle asked amazed. “Me.”, Dominic said with a little smile forming on his face. She really liked it? He didn’t know why, but it made him happy. “Can you go across the hall and bring Poe’s Black Cat and put it back on the top of the shelf?” “Sure.”, Belle smiled and left. When she came back, she climbed a ladder and started singing when she saw that Mr. Hamilton wasn’t in the room. “Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme, beauty and the-“as she was putting the book back, she didn’t look where she was stepping and lost her balance. “AAAAAHH!” She started preparing for the fall and then she felt someone’s arms grabbing her. She just saw someone’s strong but Page | 20
scarred arms. She realized it was Mr. Hamilton. He quickly put her on her feet. “Belle, are you alright?” he didn’t know why he was so scared for her. Nothing would have happened to her anyway, right? When he realised he was risking and that he couldn’t bond with her, he just exploded. “WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING?! You could’ve broken something, and why were you, in the love of God, singing Beauty and the Beast?” He was fuming. Belle never saw anyone angry like that. “I’m terribly sorry. I- it won’t happen again, I promise.” She was nice. She was nice? Why would she be so nice to him? He just yelled at her. Her kindness was killing him. “Just go back to work.”
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Chapter #7 Dominic couldn’t stop thinking about Belle. Somehow she got under his skin. She was annoying with her little questions and clumsiness but he liked it. Damn it, he did. Something was pulling him towards her, but he couldn’t let that happen. He was sure she didn’t even like him. Who would? He needed to keep her away. It was for the best. “Good morning Jacques, good morning George, good morning Ariel!” Belle was greeting everyone while she was walking into the building. “Good morning Belle.” everyone said. Belle was here just for a little while but everyone already loved her. She walked in her work place and settled in. “Good morning Mr. Hamilton, beautiful day isn’t it?” Belle said cheerfully. Almost as beautiful as you, Belle. Dominic immediately thought, but he couldn’t, he promised to himself. “Bring me the Hendrickson’s file, call Herman for a meeting and make me a coffee, black.” Dominic ordered, and Belle was surprised by his sudden mood. She went doing what he told her to do. She was still surprised why she hadn’t seen his face. He sounded young, not much older than her. She walked in the office with the coffee, but Mr. Hamilton was away. She put the coffee on the table and scanned the room. She immediately saw the door on the left. The forbidden one. He wasn’t here so she decided to go in there. No one would find out, right? She came in the room. It was painted in white and in the middle of it there was a big clock. But it wasn’t an ordinary clock, it had rose petals and its ticking was very loud. She Page | 22
came closer. The clock was beautiful, yet scary. Like it was hiding something. Pf, hiding what? She shook her head at the silly thought.
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“What are you doing here?” a stern, male voice spoke and she knew who it was. She turned around and saw a man with a black mask. Mr. Hamilton. “I- I was just…” “Just what? I told you not to go in here!” his anger was starting to come out. “I was just looking at this beautiful clock.” Belle was trying to defend herself. “Go! Don’t ever come in here again!”, as Dominic was shouting a rose petal from the clock fell off and she saw a few sparks coming out of it. Her eyes widened. Dominic ran towards the clock. “Nooo! Why did you have to come in here?! You messed it all up! Now get out!” Belle felt tears threatening to come out and ran out of the room and went to Jacques’ office. She closed the door and started crying. Why was he like that? It’s just a clock. Why is he being so harsh? She heard footsteps and Jacques and George came in. “Oh, darling what’s wrong? We heard yelling. Is everything alright?” Jacques sounded worried. “Oh, it’s nothing. I messed up as always.” Belle wiped some of her tears. “No. What did he do?” George said. “I came into the room with the clock and he caught me.” “Oh, you didn’t.”, Jacques said with eyes wide open. “Oh, darling, please tell us you didn’t go into the room?” George said. Page | 24
“Yes I did. But I was curious, I couldn’t hold it anymore. Well, seems like the curiosity killed the cat.”, she said, her voice breaking down a little bit. “And he yelled really badly.” “He… had a rough past and the clock means a lot to him.” George said. “I’m sure he didn’t want to yell that badly.” Jacques and George looked at Belle with pity and she stood up. Dominic opened the door and looked at them. Jacques and George immediately walked out of the room. “I was looking for you.” he was panting. “Why? You clearly hate me because it seems like everything I do is wrong, well I’m sorry.” she went out of the room and Dominic was standing alone. He was sorry too but he lost his temper. And when he saw Belle crying, something that didn’t happen in a long time happened. It was like a pang in his chest. And then she went away. He couldn’t understand her. He knew she was hurt but he didn’t know what to do. He went to Jacques and George. They looked at him with disapproval. “What? What did I do? She went to the room!” “You’re a complete and utter asshole.” George said. “Pardon my French.” Jacques shot him a look. “Hate to say it, but he is right.” Jacques said as he took a newspaper and started to read it. “What? You’re on her side now?” Dominic asked, utterly surprised.
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“We’re not on anyone’s side. We are just stating the facts.” George said rolling his eyes. “O.K, what should I do to fix it?” “Why? Do you care?” Jacques said and their eyes sparkled with hope. “Stop the nonsense. Just tell me what to do!” Dominic said impatiently. “Just go after her!” they said at the same time. Dominic rushed out carefully so the guests wouldn't see him. This was the first time in two years that he actually walked around in his hotel. He went back to his office. He had a hunch that Belle was there. He came in the office and saw Belle reading one of his books. She immediately closed it, scared. He didn’t know she liked to read too. “Will you go to dinner with me?” he said unexpectedly. He didn’t know why he said it, but his father once told him that food made everything better. “What?” it seemed like she was equally surprised. Why would he yell at her and then ask her to go with him to dinner? He was quiet and finally she could see his beautiful blue eyes. “Why would you yell at me and then ask me to go to dinner with you?” “Well will you, or will you not?” he started to lose his temper again. “I will.” she nodded. She was quite flattered, actually. She was invited to dinner by Mr. Hamilton! “Good.” And he walked out of the room. He was happy. His heart jolted and he smiled. And he hadn’t done that in a long time. Page | 26
Chapter #8 Belle was in her house and she was putting on her shoes when Peter came in. “Look at you all dressed up. A date?” Peter said. The thought of her and Mr. Hamilton on a date made her blush. “No dad. It’s just dinner with my boss.” “You’re going to dinner with him?” Peter said, surprised and scared. “Well, yes. It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later. Got to go. Bye!” Belle walked out of the house. She saw a car and a chauffeur, waiting for her. “Is this for me?” Belle said, astonished. “It sure is, miss.”, a chauffeur said as he opened the door. Belle quickly came in and they drove off. When the car stopped, she saw she was in front of the hotel. She came in and George saw her and took her to a special room. The room was big and it had one round table set up for two people. It even had candles and there was a string quartet! “He’ll be here soon.” George said and winked at her. Why did he wink at her, what did that mean? Soon enough, Mr. Hamilton came. He was wearing a black suit and a red tie. He was gorgeous. If only she could see his face… When Dominic walked in, he saw Belle waiting for him. She was wearing a red dress and her hair was in a loose bun. She never ceased to amaze him… Page | 27
“Hello.”, Dominic said and sat down. His eyes were holding a strange emotion. “Hello.”, Belle smiled and Dominic was even happier. The first dish came and they ate. “How do you like it?” Dominic said impatiently. “It is really good.” Belle said with her mouth full. “Sorry”. She smiled apologetically. “That’s O.K., I’m glad you like it. It’s my favourite dish.” Dominic responded and his heart was in peace. “How come we’re not in a restaurant?” Belle asked. “I don’t go out that much.” “Why?” Belle realized she was being pushy so she apologized. “Sorry.” “It’s O.K. So how do you like the job?” “It’s great. Everyone’s great. I really feel like I belong here.” “You do.” They looked at each other and after a brief moment they continued to eat. “How come you’re so young and you have your own hotels?” Belle asked. “When my father passed away, I inherited everything.” “Is it hard?” “Sometimes. And what about you? Why did you work in a library?” Dominic asked, seeming genuinely interested. Page | 28
“Well, I’ve always loved reading and it seemed like a good job for me.”, Belle responded with a smile. “You have a nice smile.” Dominic commented. Why did he say that? Couldn’t that stay in his mind? “Thank you.” Belle blushed. “Would you like to dance?” He didn’t dance for a while, but he wanted to dance with her. She was surprised, yet scared because she didn’t know how to dance. Still, she agreed. “Sure.” They started to dance but soon they started stepping on each other’s feet. “Excuse me.”, Belle said and blushed. “Oh no, no, it’s my fault.” Dominic soon apologized. “Maybe it’s enough for today.” Dominic laughed. “I want to show you something.” “O.K.” Dominic led her to a garden that was behind the hotel. The garden was filled with many plants, but the roses stood out the most. “Oh it’s so beautiful!” Belle was enchanted by its beauty. It immediately became her favourite place in the whole hotel. Dominic was enchanted by her beauty and he started to have some feelings for her. Page | 29
“It really is.”, Dominic said for the whole view but mostly for Belle. The evening went pretty well. “Thank you for dinner Mr. Hamilton.” “Call me Dom.”
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Chapter #9 Tomorrow Belle came to work and she was really happy. She entered the office and opened the curtains. The light illuminated the whole office. “Good morning”, a deep strong voice said. Belle was startled. “Oh, hi. I didn’t see you there.” She looked at a man with broad shoulders and a red shirt. He had his black hair tied in a low tail. He was actually pretty handsome. “I’m Gaston.” He flashed her a smile. “I’m Belle. Is Mr. Hamilton expecting you?” She was worried. For some reason she didn’t like this man. There was something in his eyes that was telling her that he was one of the men her mother warned her about. And she just couldn’t wait for Mr. Hamilton, oh… Dominic. He eyed her from head to toe. How could Dominic get her as an employee? He was such a lucky man. The office door opened and in came Dominic. When Dominic saw Gaston and Belle he immediately felt jealous. “Gaston?! What are you doing here? I told you never to come here again.” “Oh, I just couldn’t resist visiting my old friend.” “Please leave.” Dominic said to Belle. Belle nodded and left confused.
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“You really love to push my buttons.” “Well, I have to admit it is one of my favourite things.” Gaston laughed. “How dare you come in here? You ruined me for good.” Dominic banged his fist on the table. “Me? It's all your fault for... this.” Gaston moved his finger to Dominic's face. “You were my “friend”. I trusted you and you betrayed me because of my father's hotel”. “Oh, please. Don't make such a big deal out of it”. “Big deal?! Because of your betrayal I turned into a bitter, coldhearted man.” “Oh, don’t complain, I see you’ve had a lot of luck lately. That assistant of yours is one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen.” Well, she is the most beautiful woman. Dominic thought. “Don’t flatter yourself. She won’t even look at you, she’s not that kind of a woman.” Dominic said bitterly. Unexplainable jealousy and possessiveness occupied Dominic’s thoughts. No one could have his Belle. Oh, get over yourself Dominic. “I see I touched a nerve. Well, she won’t look at you either because of your scars. That mask of yours won’t cover everything.” “Don’t test me.” Dominic growled. Then a vortex of wind and dust appeared in the middle of the room. Page | 32
-------҉------“Wait, a man was in Mr. Hamilton’s office when you came?” Ariel said. “Yes. When I came into Dominic’s office-“ “Wait. Dominic? No one calls him Dominic.” “Huh.” Belle raised an eyebrow. She felt a bit special. “You’re on first name basis now?” Ariel smirked. “Stop it Ariel! I know what you’re thinking in that red head of yours.” Belle said as she took a sip of coffee. Ariel lifted her hand in front of her in defence. “Just stating the facts, Belle, just stating the facts.” -------҉------“Boys will be boys.” In the middle of the room there stood a woman with long blonde hair. She had a black dress and long nails. “Karma?” Dominic said in surprise. “Oh, yes, it’s me, Karma. Missed me?” “Not at all.” “Oh, wait, I cursed you.” “Oh, you did not just curse me, you ruined my life.” “Well, you deserved it. Don’t you know what goes around comes around? Don’t you think my name says it all? I only bewitched you because when I was an “old lady” without accommodation you didn’t help me and so, you left me no choice. And now you have to find Page | 33
someone who will love you for who you are. And I have to say, your time is ticking. Be careful, your 27th birthday is in one month.” “Please give me just a little bit more time.” “I’m sorry. A curse is a curse and it cannot be changed.” “O.K, I’m leaving this soap opera. See you later my friend.” Gaston said and left. “Well, did you find someone?” “No.” “Don’t lie to me. I can see everything. Why don’t you make a move?” “Oh, please, she couldn’t fall for someone like me.” “Oh, come on, why would I make a curse if there wasn’t someone to break it.” “Maybe you’re right.”
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Chapter #10 Three weeks passed and everyone was in fuss because of the big opening of the new hotel. Belle was typing some documents furiously and Dominic watched her. He kept thinking that he should invite her to the party with him but he wasn't completely sure about it. But he finally decided to ask her. “Belle, would you like to go to the opening of my new hotel with me? It’s also my birthday.” She raised her head, smiled and said: “I would love to.” Dominic couldn’t help but smile, too. “How come you decided to invite me?” Belle was surprised. Why would he invite an ordinary girl like her? He came closer to her and said: “I wanted to.” They looked at each other for a moment and Belle suddenly said: “Take off your mask.”
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Dominic was surprised. Page | 36
“Why?” “I want to see you.” Dominic moved his shaky hands to his face and took off his mask. He was scared, what if she ran away when she saw him. “Oh my God...” “It’s horrible, isn’t it?” “No.” “You’re not disgusted by me? “No, why would I be?” “My face...” “True beauty comes from the inside.” Belle smiled. Dominic was beautiful. He was kind and generous and every time he looked at her, her heart jolted. Even now when they were so close her heart was beating rapidly. Then they heard knocking and in came Jacques. “Master- Oh, I’m sorry.” Jacques blushed “I wanted to talk to you about the opening.” “Well I should go call the catering. Excuse me.” Belle left with an obvious blush on her face. “She’s not disgusted, she doesn’t care about my scars.” Jacques smiled. -------҉-------
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Saturday came and the hotel was full of people. Some of them were there for the big opening and some of them were there for Dominic’s birthday. Belle was 30 minutes late. Dominic was scared she would never come. Suddenly the big hotel door opened and in came Belle in a beautiful, long, gold dress. Everyone’s mouths were wide open. “Belle, I’m glad you came.” He sang a verse of a song. Orchestra started to play and he took her hand and asked: “Do you want to dance?” Belle laughed and said: “Yes. I hope I’m better than the last time.” Belle really was better than the last time. They danced and danced, and lost track of time. After they danced, they took a walk around the hotel. “You look really beautiful tonight.” “Thank you. You look handsome too.” The clock struck midnight and Dominic fell on the ground. The rose petals started to fall. Belle was scared and kept calling his name: “Dominic, Dominic!” And at some moment she started to cry. “Dominic what’s wrong with you, please wake up!” “Please don’t... I love you!” she leaned in and kissed him. Suddenly his body was lifted in the air and the wind started to blow. Belle stood there in a shock. Dominic woke up but his face wasn’t the Page | 38
same. He didn’t have the scars anymore and in front of Belle stood a gorgeous man. “Dom?” Belle whispered, surprised. She has never seen such a thing before. Dominic started to look at himself and a big smile flashed on his face. There were no scars on his body and it was obvious. The curse was broken. “Yes, Belle, it’s me.” “What happened to your scars?” “It was a curse and you broke it. I will explain later I just... I just want you to know that I love you.” Dominic leaned in and pulled Belle closer to him. He kissed her passionately. George and Jacques were standing behind them and giggled as always.
The End
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