A cover

Paris, present

The parade of guest cars lasted fifteen minutes, so I asked my taxi driver to park in an inconspicuous place near the main façade and decided to walk to the area that I assumed was a service area. Vans arrived unloading goods that were delivered to the employees and everyone, without exception, was searched and questioned about their identity. And as if this was not enough, I still had to deal with security cameras installed at strategic points, which would make an invasion without spilling a single drop of blood, an almost impossible option. 

An unforgiving scenario, that even without knowing this Jean, I can bet that he is a shrewd and suspicious man that I should keep well away from.

Unfortunately, my Paris debut couldn't have started better, I rolled my eyes. However, for this night and like all the others in my life, I would not accept defeat.

I keep walking, hoping to find a guard that could be corrupted or a breach in this great "wall". I grew up surrounded by one, so it couldn't be that difficult.  But lucky for me, fate is eager to play with our lives and has caused a huge deck to catch my attention. There is a woman crying in the back while a motorcycle runs away. 

“ Are you ok?”, I ran to her aid.

“ I am, but I wish I wasn't! “, It wasn't a robbery, I can see it from her eyes. They stole something worse, a dream, probably. 

Was it the classic "man runs away after responsibilities arise"?

“Who knows, maybe then it would all be over....”, She sobs and cries, smearing all her makeup. “ I shouldn't be here, I need to get inside to serve at the party. My face must look terrible!”

A party hostess, how perfect...

“ I won't lie! Yes, it is”

 In fact, it's not that bad, but she doesn't need to know.

“ I know the party hostess. If you go to work like that, you'll never get a job anywhere”

“ No, not that! I need to work. There will be two of us...- she takes her hands, her belly, and I end up accidentally remembering mine. I try to push these thoughts away and focus on what has to be done”

“ I can help you!” 

“ How?”,  She asks, confused. 

“ How about you not working tonight? You can hand me your badge, I'll talk to Amelia myself. You won't have any problems, we are very close. You need to rest!”, My voice stages a mixture of kindness and friendliness.

“Merci, Madame, but I need the money.”

It's always a question of money. One of the reasons that money matters as much as a gun to a gangster. And that lesson I know by heart...

“ This is not a problem!”, I take from my wallet a bundle of bills stuck together, “ Is that enough?”

His pupils have grown and if it were a cartoon, they would glow.

“That's more than I would earn this evening, ma'am”  

“Use the rest to pay for a cab. Where do you live?” 

“Somewhere a lady like you would never go. But just ask to be taken to the neighborhood where nobody wants to be found”

- A little mysterious...- I joked, placing the money in one of his hands and taking the badge in his other hand. 

- Maybe one day I will go!

- You are very kind. An angel!  

So was Lucifer, so it makes some sense. 

“ Thank you. Do good to no one!”, I recite a sentence that I read this morning in some blog, without remorse, everyone won, “ Now I have to go, I can't miss the best of the party”

I said goodbye, but waited for her to leave first, warning myself of the chances of her bumping into some other party employee. Then I return to the place where I left the car. 

“ Madam, after all this time, this ride will cost you dearly”

“ Stop being funny, Luigi!”, I pull off his wig with my hands, allowing his red locks to show, giving a Jovial look to the face of a muscular thirty year old man.

“Hey! You don't unmask a man like that,  He protests, snatching the wig from my hands again, “Do you think Amelia recognized me?

“ No, she doesn't notice those who are in a lower social position than her. Be calm!” 

“ I'm not afraid!”, He affirms, “I was secretly your father's trusted man, when he died, I knew I should be yours. Anthony never earned my loyalty”

 “ I appreciate it! But I need you there, with him, so that I know his steps. He can't suspect anything. “ 

He consents and hands me the backpack with a dozen clothes and shoes for the different situations I anticipated facing that night. I prepare to change and immediately he turns his face forward. I know he will ask a question next, his fingers are anxiously tapping against the steering wheel.

“ If this Amelia is lying, what do you intend to do?”

It is a serious question, however, I cannot afford to give it all the attention it deserves. Car seats are not the best place to change.

“ I haven't thought about it. All I know is that if she plays with the only thing that matters to me, which is getting my daughter back, I will take away everything she wants most.  I need to discover all her weak points, then I will be in a position to confront her. For now, I am in your hands…”

━━━━━━✧♛✧━━━━━━

“ Identification, s'il vous plaît!” 

Tonight, neither Francisca nor Chloé. Suzy is my ID right now and I am hoping that I don't get lost in so many papers.  I give the badge to the security guard and he confirms Amelia's stamp and signature. The entrance is cleared and as soon as I set foot in a small room for meals and the usual staff gossip, I am handed a black and white uniform.

“ Hurry up, missy! The boss lady is not to be trifled with” 

Minutes ago I was mistaken for a madam and now for a girl. Such is the power of wearing jeans, sneakers and a T-shirt, unlike the uniform that will inevitably take me back to formality. 

“ She's like this because Jean told her that her man won't be coming to the party. Did you see that dress? It's dressed up for nothing," Comments one lady, and another burst out laughing.

Both are two middle-aged ladies who work in the house full time.

I don't mind changing in front of them, not when the subject is more than my interest.

“ From what I hear, he traveled on business, accompanied by beautiful models” 

So it is true! She is having an affair with a man connected to fashion. However, it doesn't seem to be going well.  And this Jean must be a very close friend, so that she can boss and boss the servants around as she pleases. 

“ I am ready!”,  I speak after running my hand through the last ties of my blouse. 

“ Take these glasses to the main kitchen. Just go straight ahead and turn right.” 

“ Yes, ma'am!”

She places in my hands a tray filled with glasses of the purest crystal. I feel like a juggler with an invisible audience that is rooting for me to lose my balance. However, the etiquette lessons on posture were not only useful for walking in heels and being elegant, they are also useful in these moments. 

When I arrive in the kitchen, I place the tray on the counter and it is impossible not to notice the details, from the orange-toned furniture, all the imported appliances, lights that turn on with motion sensors. This Jean is as rich as I suppose Amelia's lover is and perhaps more appeased. If the other is nothing but an uncertain affair as whispered about by the maids, what would be her reason for preferring him? 

“ Girl! The waiters are waiting for the cups, come!”

It's Amelia's voice, who didn't recognize my back and facing her becomes a tremendous revelation. 

“ Francisca?”, She swallows dryly, blinking her eyes a few times.

“ Surprised to see me, dear Amelia?”,  I offer the same sarcasm as she disappointed me when I arrived at the party. And I feel that while my fun has just begun, yours is about to end...