FOUR-Throw This Fraud Out.

                                    ❧

 “Wait, is that it? The bad news you have for me?” I ask in disbelief. 

 The man nods his head gravely, and I burst into laughter. 

 His brows draw in confusion. “Maria, I’m not joking. Your father is really gone, he died last week.”

 I bite my lip to keep from laughing again. “That man died before I was even born, and my mother followed him to the afterlife when I was eight.”

 The stranger shakes his head sadly, his expression full of pity. He looks so sad, I might have believed him if I didn’t know better. 

 I must congratulate him, he’s quite a good actor. 

 “So is this some type of scam?” I lean forward curiously. 

 “Is this the part where you tell me I have to pay thousands of dollars to some hospital that has been catering for him while he was ill?”

 “I understand that you’re probably in shock, but you would have to act fast. I don’t trust the others. Once the will is read, you’ll be in danger.” The man’s gaze sweeps the garden anxiously, and he squirms in his seat, looking as if he’s expecting an attack. 

 “This has been an absolute waste of my time. Someone like you, dressed like this…” I look him up and down, taking in his designer suit. 

 “I didn’t know you were a rich lunatic. Except…you stole the suit to impress me?” I fold my arms. 

 Now that I’ve seen through his act, I expect him to confess and apologize immediately. 

 “Maria” his voice takes on a desperate edge as he reaches forward to touch me. “The will reading is going to happen by midnight. You have to be there. 

 I’m really sorry for dropping the news on you like this, but time is running out. I promised your mother I’ll—”

 “I think you should leave.” Instantly, I’m on my feet. 

 How dare he mention my mother? This madness has been entertained for too long. 

 “Get outtttt!!” I’m gritting my teeth so hard, my jaw hurts. 

 The fact that this strange man thinks he can just waltz in here and make fun of me is incredulous. I’m beginning to see red. I consider grabbing the knife in my pocket and hurling it at him. 

 “You have to believe me Maria. Please, I…”

 “Martin” I scream the watchman’s name. 

 He hurries towards me with two bodyguards in tow. 

 “Throw this fraud out of here” my fingers point at the stranger and he stands up immediately. 

 “Listen to me Maria, this is important for—”

 “Drag him through the muddy parts of the field and throw him out” my heart is pounding so furiously, I can barely think straight.

 “There’d be no need for any of that gentlemen. I’ll leave by myself.” He raises an index finger as a silent warning to the guards. 

 They pause as they take in his appearance. 

 I can’t blame them, I was also fooled by the designer outfit. 

 “I’m really sorry about your father Maria, but if you change your mind about the will reading…” he pulls out a fancy black card from his pocket and drops it on the table between us. 

 “Will reading? Who’s will is being read ma’am?” Martin looks between the man and I in confusion. 

 Neither of us offers any explanation. I’m too angry to speak, or I might have said something snarky to Martin. This is none of his business. 

 I watch the guards escort the stranger off the property and I swat the black card off the table. “This is stupid, so, so stupid. I was called out for this? This prank?”

 Pacing up and down, I try to work off my simmering anger. For some reason I can’t explain, I’m angrier than usual. 

 “Why would a grown man donned in designers think it funny to come here and make jokes about my dead parents?” I shout the question at the sky, but there’s no reply. 

 Something continues nagging me, a weird feeling that the man might have been saying the truth. 

 But I’ve never met this stranger before, and what did he mean by a will reading? My father was a poor construction worker before he died. 

 All of this must be some sort of joke. Or could it be a case of mistaken identity? 

 The man’s reaction to seeing my face, him saying I looked so much like somebody. What does it mean?

 For one thing, my mother never showed me a picture of my father. 

 I fall asleep trying to figure out the purpose of the visit. 

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 ****      ****      ****      ****

 When I finally make my way back to the mansion, night has fallen. 

 “What’s going on here?” I stop a maid as I take in the house in confusion. 

 The place has been transformed and decorated since I stepped out. It looks like a party is about to begin. 

 “The boss instructed us to prepare for a welcome party.” The maid looks down at her feet, refusing to meet my eyes. 

 “A welcome party?” I spin in a slow circle, taking in the newly installed chandeliers and the gold cutleries the passing maids are carrying. 

 “Isn’t all of this too much? Who exactly are we welcoming tonight?”

 “Actually…we were told not to speak to anybody, except the lady of the house.” the maid squeaks. 

 “Lady of the house…” I look down at myself and gesture with my hands. “And I’m right here, now speak to me.”

 The maid looks up at me, before quickly darting her gaze away, her eyes carrying a hint of fear. 

 I try not to laugh. She’s probably one of the new ones Sebastain brought in this week. 

 “You know what? You don’t need to tell me who we’re welcoming. I’ll just ask my husband.” I smile softly at the maid. 

 “Can I…is it alright if I go back to join my colleagues? We have to finish all the preparations or the boss would be angry.” She glances towards the open doors and shudders in fear. 

 “Sure, you’re dismissed. I’ll go up to my room and prepare. Ask the head maid to send two girls to assist me in getting ready.” I wait for the maid to leave, but she pauses and opens her mouth as if to say something. 

 “Is there a problem? Do you not know where to find the head maid?” I arch a brow. 

 It is Sebastain’s fault for changing the maids in short notice. This one probably still doesn’t know her way around. 

 “I…it’s…nothing. Sorry.” She bows and scrambles away. 

 But just before she turned, I caught a weird look on her face. 

 I shrug and begin to climb the stairs. New maids always come with a bit of drama. 

 But as I draw closer to my room, I consider the maid’s reaction again. Her eyes were a mixture of sadness and pity, and I can’t understand why. 

 I rub my arms to dispel the sudden chill that has come over me. I have a bad feeling about tonight.