<div style="text-align: justify;">Marie felt her heart jump every time Rich tossed something. She felt that she might intervene in case he decided to hurt Diane. It seemed like he wouldn’t do that, though, she thought, relieved. Only after everything went quiet again would the woman leave the area, almost crossing paths with Martin as she entered she service lift.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">*************************************</div><br/>Colette was a bit shocked with Paul’s words, but she wasn’t disgusted by him or anything of the sort. She was a bit upset, as she would have liked to get involved with Paul, but decided that it was good to at least be his friend.<br/><br/>When Paul sat by her side, Colette touched his hand in a friendly manner. ~“Don’t worry about me”~, she replied, kindly. ~“I promise I will stop if at any time I feel that I am at risk. Do we have a deal?”~, the young woman offered. <br/><br/>While waiting for Paul’s response, Colette tried to think of something. That note hadn’t come from out of nowhere. Someone had written and either sent or delivered it. Maybe another one would be sent? That would definitely be the best bet for her to find out who had sent it. As long as she kept herself safe, Colette thought, she could figure out a way to help Paul.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">*************************************</div><br/>Marie was really delighted with the idea of going out for dinner with Shane. He was such a sweet boy, and she felt that he could use the company. “Thank you, dear”, the woman replied when Shane said she looked lovely. <br/><br/>When the young man said that good food mattered more than fanciness, Marie smiled and nodded. “I am sure you will love this place, then”, she assured Shane kindly. <br/><br/>As Shane pulled her chair, Marie smiled again. “Thank you, my dear”, she murmured, taking a seat and crossing her hands on her lap once she was seated. “Oh, they are a married couple. I have met the wife shortly after I came to Paris”, Marie explained. “We became friends easily, she is a lovely lady”. <br/><br/>Pausing, she said something in French to another lady about her age, who came to the table with two menus. “Their menus are only in French, but I can help you with that. Is there anything you would prefer, son?”, she asked in a motherly intonation. “A roast, a stew, maybe? They have a wonderful beef stew with fresh baked bread, if you like hearty food, you will surely love it”, Marie suggested.</div>