In Class Act, Dominique Tapie is Bernard Tapie’s partner who plays an important part in his success. Joséphine Japy plays Dominique.
When Bernard goes to convince Mr. Loiseau to invest in his business, he meets his secretary, Dominique. Bernard is unable to take his eyes off Dominique in their first meeting itself.
Bernard is married and has a daughter, so he does not think about pursuing Dominique. However, she comes to his store often to collect the money on Mr. Loiseau’s behalf, and Bernard falls in love with her after getting to know her.
Bernard falls in love with Dominique, but he is warned by Mr. Loiseau not to pursue a relationship with her, as Mr. Loiseau values loyalty more than anything. Bernard has no control over his feelings, and he ends up cheating on his wife with Dominique, which leads to him losing his business to Mr. Loiseau.
The beginning of a life-long partnership
Although Bernard’s relationship with Dominique costs him his family and his business, he does not leave her. He moves in with her when he has nothing, and Dominique is a supportive partner. Bernard plans to start a new business called Heart Assistance, and Dominique works with him to make it happen.
At the same time, Bernard convinces her to pursue her dream and audition for a musical. When Bernard loses Heart Assistance, he stops believing in his own dreams. Dominique does not like that Bernard has given up, and they almost break up.
This serves as a wake-up call for Berand, and he starts looking for other things that he can do to make money. At the same time, Bernard’s ex-wife brings his daughter, Stéphanie, to Dominique’s house when Bernard is not there, and Dominique takes good care of Stéphanie.
Bernard returns with the idea of buying Diguet-Deny to become rich. He is not allowed to own a business, so he needs Dominique to buy it. He tells Dominique about his plan and proves to her that he is still as ambitious as ever.
He promises her that if she buys the business, she will be his boss forever. Dominique agrees to be his business partner, even though that would mean that the two of them cannot marry each other.
As Bernard had expected, the couple makes the business profitable together and goes on to have a son. Bernard and Dominique are perfect for each other, as they both want to keep growing, no matter what it takes. They manage to trick Dominique’s friend’s boyfriend and buy Wonder.
An indispensable part of Bernard’s life
Bernard and Dominique keep taking risks and getting richer. However, their relationship is not always perfect. Bernard often forgets Dominique’s importance in his life.
When a workers’ strike impedes his live show, Dominique takes charge. In his absence, she ensures that the rehearsals go well, even though Bernard has not been respectful towards her the whole day. She saves his show, and Bernard is reminded of how incredible Dominique is.
Bernard eventually becomes a politician, and it is Dominique who handles the business. Whenever Bernard or his business is in trouble, he has to trust her to get him out of it, as seen in Charles Coupant’s case.
Dominique also comes up with a plan to rebuild their business when they have to sell Adidas, but Bernard is not interested in doing that. Dominique realizes that Bernard still wants to be a politician, and she knows that it is not going to end well for him.
Dominique is tired of cleaning up his mess and breaks up with him. She is not wrong, as soon after, Bernard fixes a football match in order to become the mayor of Marseille.
At the same time, he keeps trying to contact Dominique because he loves her. Dominique also loves him, and when she tells his daughter the story of how they met, she decides to be with Bernard again. They get back together, and Bernard asks Dominique to marry him.
They get married, but on their wedding day, Dominique finds out about Bernard being involved in match-fixing. He tells her the whole truth because they have promised to be honest with each other, and like always, Dominique stands by his side.
This time, she cannot do anything to save Bernard, and he gets sentenced to eight months in prison. Dominique waits for Bernard to get out and takes care of his children. Bernard promises her that he will give up everything, as he no longer wants anything except for a peaceful life with his family.
