The Crimson Con

The Crimson Con

The loud siren of the ambulance echoed through the streets of Saint-Germain-des-Pres. It was 7:43pm, the time was clearly displayed on the microwave clock, on a Saturday evening. The streets of Saint-Germain-des-Pres were a patchwork of the lavish cafes along with the art galleries, winding down for the night as r staff bustled to secure exhibits and other pieces. A girl burst into the tranquil atmosphere of the streets, distressed like a cat on a hot tin roof, while wearing only a nightgown of a creme color once she heard the approaching of the brigade. As soon as she saw them the girl rapidly got into the car, ignoring all the safety policies and the absence of driver’s licence. She wasn’t quite familiar with how to drive, usually she wasn’t the one liable for it, but the chauffeur. A car was speeding, tailing the medical vehicle through the streets. Once arrived at the hospital, which turned out to be the farthest in the area. She had this feeling, inexplicable yet all-consuming, of something not going right, more in a bad way. This exact thing provoked the chase after the ambulance. She couldn’t quite understand, was it her inner voice or paranoia stirring her nerves that day. Before it was a sunny April saturday- a big day was supposed to be. Her family’s company would finally present the new innovation her parents have been working on for multiple months. Recalling how precious the news her parents could return with today’s evening. Once the nurses patted her on the shoulder, she jolted back to reality, a bit scared of the sudden and unknown. She had been so lost in her thoughts that nothing around her could register at that time, not even surgeons or nurses talking nearby, sometimes with her or about the state of her parents. Finally, she was conscious enough to process the things people nearby were saying. One completely shattered her- “I feel sorry for the girl, so young yet already without her parents… How do we even begin to tell her such heartbreaking news.?”- one of the nurses’ shaking voices had reached her, completely shattering her fragile composure in an instant. Her hands began to tremble, voice to quiver, and her thoughts were in a chaotic whirlwind. She felt as though she had lost her very reason to live.The weight of her parents’ death was enormous. It was so big that it pressed down on her. She felt that it was all her fault, that she was supposed to die along with them. She felt she had no right to live if her parents were not around. With all the girl’s thoughts and conjectures appearing in her mind, her heart beat slowly increased to abnormal rates; body started to feel so numb that she couldn’t ignore it anymore with shifting her focus on the thoughts and accusations. Eventually, her trembling steps led her to the parking lot, back to the car with which she came to the hospital. This was her father’s cherished- one of the last things left reminding of him. A car every man had desired to get one day in life. The De Tomaso Pantera of 1972. An infamous car of bright red color. The car’s interior was custom-made, testament of her father’s discerning admiration for the love of extraordinary. The premium leather which lined the seats was dyed to a unique color — burgundy-which exuded status, lavishness and power of the owner. As soon as she got into the car and started the engine, she saw police cars pulling to the hospital. The sirens were ear-splitting. A thought flew through her head: “Perhaps almost all the neighbours are now aware of the situation. Hope the yellow press won’t make too much of it.” With this she headed back home. It was a surprise that she did not cause another accident while being depressed and devastated. That day she fell asleep late. The next day she woke up to the knock on the door. It was a policeman and detective. She had no choice but to let them in and have a talk. Turned out they came to have a discussion about yesterday. The policeman expressed his condolences, and said, unfortunately, that the girl has to go under the guidance of relatives or to an orphanage until she turns 18. Since her legal representatives are now deceased. The detective disrupted the discussion, adding that all the assets, woefully, can be passed down to her yet by the law… For this she also has to be 18. She, not knowing what to do, begged them to reconsider the adoption or going to the orphanage, or try to contact some relatives for help. Sadly, the officials just shook their heads. . She knew they can’t disobey the law, but nevertheless had hope for the best outcome.

***

After a few calls were made, before heading back to the living room from the kitchen, the policeman sighed heavily reflecting his sadness and the negative outcome from the phone calls. A girl asked: “Did any of my family members agree to adopt me for a year.?” A silence hit the room. The days that followed blurred into a haze of legal proceedings and unwanted bureaucratic decisions. With no relatives willing to take her in, the girl found herself sent to an orphanage, a place that bore almost no resemblance to the home she had known, apart from the roof over her head. The rooms were tragically looking, the walls were dull, and the air carried a constant hum of subdued voices and footsteps. Her time there passed abnormally slowly, marked by a routine that felt both empty and suffocating. She kept to herself, avoiding the other children and retreating into her thoughts, recalling fragments of memory—her parents’ laughter, voices, the way her father’s car gleamed in the sun, and the last time they had sat together as a family. A year drifted by like a shadow. Waiting for something to change, for a glimmer of hope to pierce the monotony. And then, one day, it did. She turned 18 on 1st of August — the day, when she was finally, after a long wait, released from the orphanage. While living in the orphanage, she had seen a few articles praising her uncle. Mostly, articles were about how good her uncle is, for taking the governance of her parents’ company into his hands. She was furious. “Wasn’t it all mine?! I’m the official heir to the company! How dare he take it away from my family.”- thoughts, which were taking over her multiple times. Now, that she has no roof over her head, pocket money nor assets she is basically too poor to handle everything. Realizing this, she started to come up with a plan to regain the wealth. Good for her, the government gives as a gift a savings account with a few hundred bucks in it on the 18th birthday to the kids whose parents are dead, or had abandoned them. In a second, after this thought hit her mind, she found herself thinking: “I guess the bad comes with good after all, as said.” Elucidation of her next action was prevented by the growling of her stomach… She was too hungry for a clear mind. She headed to the nearest cheap-looking cafe. The name of which was ‘Eat good and cheap’. “What a dumb name for a cafe?”- she mumbled to herself with a wryed face. It was clear that she was unpleasant with the food she was about to order, even by the interior of the cafe. It looked too cheap for her, for what she has been used to. Once she opened the door, she was welcomed by one of the waitresses. Her name was, perhaps, Lindsy. The name on the badge was slightly scratched. Even obscure, a girl would say. To the contrary of the state of the badge, the waitress seemed pleasant. Her hair was in a ponytail, clothes were tidy and appropriate. Nothing too much or less for a waitress. Lindsy showed a few available tables and asked a girl to take a seat. She left for a minute to grab a menu and hand it over to the girl. While waiting for the menu, a newspaper was spotted on the table. Perhaps, somebody forgot it here or left it on purpose. Frankly speaking, lots of reasons may have appeared for a newspaper to be left or forgotten about. Anyways, it doesn’t matter, what mattered was that now the newspaper is in the hands of the girl. She was the one in control. Out of the boredom she was skimming through it, not even reading properly. Until she stumbled across the ‘job’ article. It was an article dedicated to posting job positions for those who look for a job or want to change something in their lives. Mostly, there were proposed job positions such as a cleaner in a small hotel, dish washer in the restaurant or a teller in the store. Nevertheless, among all the primitive jobs she found the one that stood up to her. It was an offer from the casino. Casino in her former neighbourhood. The conditions which were listed seemed too good, and the requirements were not set too high. Looked a bit suspicious to her, however, in her state she wasn’t the one to judge. She went ahead and gave a call to the written number in the article. A woman of middle age answered, asked if the call was about the job offer. It was. While asking some questions, and gathering further information about the salary and the conditions, the girl already made her mind and knew by the end of the discussion she would ask when is it possible to interview for this position. The woman, a representative of a casino, mentioned that interviews would be held in two days at 11a.m., and warned politely that face card is the most vital factor which is considered among interviewers. Basically, her message was the following: “if you’re not pretty enough, don’t even come to the interview. You’d look stupid by doing so,”- interpreted the girl in her head. She knew from a very young age she had a unique appearance, the one model agencies desire to find in people. Moreover, when she was 8 she opened a few fashion shows for infamous houses. “A job interview at the casino definitely wouldn’t be a problem, especially with my unique features,”-grinned the girl. Right after she finished eating the food she had ordered while skimming the newspaper, she realized she had nowhere to go. The only option, even if overpriced, was to stay at a hotel. “I have never booked a room in a hotel, and even more, I don’t know the price… my father was always the one responsible for it.” “I guess, after all, I ought to ask somebody for a nearby or cheap hotel to stay at today,”- she murmured.

***

Two days had passed. It’s already 10:37 a.m.; only 23 minutes before the interview would start, but she just got out of her room at an old hotel. She was recommended to stay at by the passerby she had asked for advice. The reason why she left her room that late was because of her nervousness and frustration which she had all night long, she couldn’t fall asleep. She almost ran through the halls of the rural, with almost saggy roof, hotel. She saw nothing but the entrance door. Once she stood in front of the hotel, she started to walk, close to jogging, towards the district of where the casino is located. Surprisingly, she reached her destination in almost no time. The walk took her only 17 minutes, fortunately. As soon as she walked in, all the gazes were at her. She was like a miracle in the eyes of people. “An angel sent from paradise,”- a thought commonly appeared among people present in the building at that moment. One lady, who quickly came back to the sense, escorted the girl to the interviewing room, where the CEO would have a chit-chat with her in a moment. She was invited to sit on the chair and asked if she’d like either coffee or tea, while waiting. She refused; instead looked at the scenery visible from the window. Time flew, and, eventually, the door opened again, and a man- a very tall, with a capturing eye appearance- walked in. Before even sitting down, he started to introduce himself playfully. The name, apparently, wasn’t as unique as the mien of his. He was talking, and his sight was attached to the girl’s face. Her adorable-looking face. He knew from the first seconds he would employ her, it doesn’t matter if she’d do the job great or would suck at it. He was too seduced by her lovely appearance. A few minutes passed. Instead of asking about her previous working experience, he, the man with dark hair and greenish eyes, was rather interested in her. Whatever it would be- her hobbies, her relatives, what she did this morning, or a morning from a week ago. The girls, used to such manners and behaviour of men surrounding her, instantly comprehended that she had him wrapped around her finger. The job position was guaranteed. She was already aware of how to act, to get everything her way, in these types of situations, due to her former lifestyle and the people she once knew. An hour passed. And finally, the man told her: “It was a pleasure meeting you, ma dame. In anticipation of seeing you tomorrow at your shift- after all, you’ve got the job,” said the man with the spark in his eyes. “The interview… ended successfully, I suppose.?”- a girl guessed, walking out of the interview room. “Probably, as I’ve got the job, I should buy some new clothes, so I won’t look too… weird? Out of place? And I ought to eat as well…” With this, headed to the mall, where are both- food courts and clothing stores. Spent some time on trying on all the picked attires, ate a bit at the fast food restaurants, and headed back to the hotel. This day was not special at all except for the interview. Next morning, she got up pretty late. It was the latest time she had ever allowed herself to wake up at. It was 2p.m. on her phone, when she had reached it to check the time. Good for her, her shift started at 5p.m., so she had plenty of time to get ready. She did her make up, put on freshly bought clothes and was ready to go for the first working day. The first one throughout her entire life. She was as much excited as hated it all. Because of the circumstances which had happened a year ago, now, she is forced to work, and even more- survive! Again, she was welcomed by stunned people. However this time the CEO also joined them. The first day, and the following week would be a ‘rehearsal’ or ‘introductory course’ to work for her. She would be taught how to do the job of a croupier. Therefore, it wasn’t too hard to deal with. Because this casino was known among the clientele with big fortune, the wages of the staff, as well as overall revenue were pretty big. For every month she worked here she would get $7,000. Which is a lot. Especially for a common croupier. Weeks passed. And every day she had worked here would attract and increase the rate of clientele. All thanks to her charming beauty. All kinds of people were simply coming to see her. The infamous young croupier. At least 5 times, if not more, she would be confessed to. And she, frankly speaking, was fond of that. She wouldn’t confess or say anything back to them, but would always accept the offered gifts, most of which were of high value. Until, she saw her uncle, the one who launched her parents’ product with his business partner there. She was quite surprised to see them here. Now that she had seen them, a plan appeared in her treacherous mind. She wanted to catch the attention of this mysterious business partner of her uncle. “If my uncle works, and even spends time with a young man outside working hours he must be insanely rich…”- she thought. She knew her uncle acts as a people-pleaser with ‘useful’, from his perspective, people.

***

As the starting point of her plan, she glanced at her colleague inviting to come closer with a hint of urgency. Then, she whispered her little request, asking to distract her uncle and keep him occupied long enough to unfold her plan. “If you are down to take my shift next monday, then, i suppose, i could help. Deal?” — was whispered back by a colleague to her. Without a second thought she agreed. “The ends justify the means,”- she said with a smirk, and a hint of gratitude for the help. Just as she was following with her eyes, and anticipation in them, how her uncle was cornered and drawn into an endless discussion. Her colleague- Kristie- winked, which was the sign to implement the thought into a reality. Just as she was approaching the mysterious man, her foot was caught on the corner of the rag. ‘Accidentally’, of course. He, as a gentleman, tried to prevent her from falling on the floor, and embarrassing herself at work. “Perfect,”- a notion appeared in her crafty mind. A seconds passed, people around gasped as he found himself hugging her. He asked in the most polite way: “Are you okay, Miss?” She smirked, and stood up while adjusting her clothes.AS she finished she started apologizing, saying she didn’t mean to be rude and make him feel uncomfortable. She said she was especially sorry for falling into his embrace, which, as she elucidated, would be very rude to his girlfriend. The girl knew he was single, she just wanted to trigger it in his mind by her words. He, in response, chuckled, and said the following: “Miss, if your shift ends anytime soon, you could make it up, instead of apologizing, by going out with me for dinner tonight. What’s your answer?” “if your ‘girlfriend’ won’t mind…” a sentence was said with a flirty tone. He quickly refused: “She won’t mind. I’m still single.” My shift ends in two hours, will you pick me up or-” He interrupted: “I’ll stay here and wait,” smirking back to her in response, clearly flirting. While she continued to work, her uncle returned some time later, talked a bit with the man, played and left the casino. However, not alone, despite the fact he was married. Time passed. The shift was coming to an and, and so was the girl getting ready to go. She went to the ‘staff only’ room, where her locker with clothes was and put on her coat and heels. She was already in a dress, which was perfect for the dinner. Minutes later she went out of the room, and called out to the man, which clearly grabbed his attention. He turned to her, kissed her hand and escorted to the fancy car. The car was waiting right outside the entrance, where only VIP clientele could park. “A big cheese I’ve got there,” a pleasant idea occupied her mind. He opened a door for her and even fastened her seatbelt, like she was a little girl. They have been driving for 35 minutes approximately; apparently, in silence but glancing at each other. Once they were parking she recognized this area and the restaurant they were going into. It was her mother’s favorite back in the days. The fanciest, which amazingly cooked food and atmosphere. Frequently, even live music was played there. She was anticipating the moment they would come in and order food. The man, who was a host, recognized her. He was working there for almost two decades, which explains why he recognized her, even though didn’t show clear signs of it. So did the girl. Just as they were escorted to the table next to the panorama windows, out of which could be seen a breath-taking scenery of night city. Pubs, clubs and other restaurants nearby, and the people arriving there. “A really breathtaking view,”- said the girl with confidence. A menacing grip appeared on the man’s face; it was suspicious, but the girl didn’t make a fuss of it. Instead, she turned towards the coming water with menus. Without even looking at the menu, the man ordered a red wine and two steaks, and only after the waiter left with the order proceeded to ask: “you eat steaks, right?” The girl didn’t so much as blink before the wine was brought out and poured into glasses. “For our meeting,” said the man and cheered the glasses. “Just one sip and a bit of talking, and he will be wrapped around my finger for a long time.” she thought before the loud scream and yelling echoed in the room, but it seemed she was the only one concerned by it. She despised noisy people and the incessant noise they made, essentially. The words in the background of her thoughts weren’t precise yet hearable. Her vision began to blur. No longer could she tell if these people mumbling belonged to the people she knew, and maybe even trusted a bit, or an abhorred rival, whom she once manipulated. It was the last stroke, she was done with the noisy people which surrounded her; she wanted to interrupt them, their nonsense which they were probably saying, however, she couldn’t. No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t pull a noise out of her. Her own body wasn’t obeying her… she couldn’t control the closing eyes of her. “Finally, we got rid of her!”- shouted her uncle with a smile on his face while greeting the man….