The Mission

Standing in front of the mirror, I look at myself. I'm currently wearing the white sleeveless dress they gave me. Just looking at it reminds me of what I usually wear inside the palace. My dad, the king, has a very strict dress code policy during meals and whenever he graces us his royal presence.

I sighed at the thought.

I was not in favor of wearing dresses all the time so when my dad is not around, I wear my most comfortable jeans and t-shirts and sneak outside the palace with my cousin Al. Now that I remembered him, I missed him so badly.

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a sudden knock on the door.

"Come in," I said and saw Mr. Reeves enter the room.

"The dress looks beautiful on you Miss Tasha." The old butler complimented.

"Thank you, Mr. Reeves," I replied back smiling but was replaced by a frown when I realize that the dress fits me perfectly.

'Mason really has a creepy talent.' I muttered to myself.

"Did you say something mademoiselle?"

"Uh... no nothing." I said and gave him an uneasy smile.

"Master Axel is waiting for you in the hall." The old butler informed.

"I'm coming. Thank you, Mr. Reeves."

I gave a quick glance in the mirror once again to check if I'm presentable enough. I didn't bother to put any make-up since I don't have any in the first place.

"This way mademoiselle."

I followed Mr. Reeves until we reached the mansion's hall and saw Axel typing something on his phone. 'When will he stop doing that?' His eyes are always glued to his screen. I'm surprised that his vision is still clear.

My eyes landed on what he's wearing. He's wearing a black suit and his blue tie is still hanging loosely on his neck. He is so engaged on his cellphone screen so I cleared my throat to announce my presence. I caught his attention and now he's looking at me, studying my appearance.

"Do I look presentable enough to be your date tonight?" I asked nervously. Worried that I might embarrass him or myself in the party.

Without giving a comment he said, "Let's go. I'll tell you the details inside the car." and walk towards the exit.

I sighed. I don't know if it's the relief that he find my appearance satisfactory or from the fact that he didn't give a comment about it.

I suddenly remembered his loose tie.

I ran after him outside. "Wait! Wait! Axel wait!"

He turned before he could even enter the car.

"What?" He asked with a slight frown.

I approached him and point at his tie. "It's loose. Let me fix it." I said.
Before he could even say anything, I'm already fixing his tie.

"There. All done." I said while admiring my masterpiece.

My eyes landed on his face but he just gave me a blank look. He just turns and entered the car without saying anything.

That irked me.

"Thank You very much," I said loudly just to make sure he heard.

I entered the vehicle not too gracefully and didn't wait for the chauffeur to close the door. I slam the door shut not caring if it would break or not. I'm pretty sure Axel is staring at me from my side.

"If you break the door of this Limo, you'll have to pay for it." I heard Axel says.

I scoffed. "Yeah yeah sure."

Making myself comfortable on my sit, I saw Axel took something out of his pocket and hand it to me. "You'll need this."

I stared at the device like it's a strange object. "Why are you giving me a phone?" I asked.

"For you to use it. What else could be the reason?" He took my hand and said, "You know what? Just take it." and place the phone on my palm.

"Like I didn't know that smart ass," I said sarcastically. This guy is pissing me off.

"I'll brief you on what you have to do. The gala that we're going is just a front for something big."

"You mean it's just a cover-up?" I asked curiously.

"Yes. The society knows that it's just a typical party of the rich but in reality, it's one of the biggest underground trade here in Europe." He paused and looked at me. "The name of our host is Christopher Alastair. I've gathered enough info about him earlier so turn on your phone. I'll send you his picture and some info about him."

I did what he told me and a picture of a blonde burly man in suit flash on the screen. He looks like wrestler if you ask me.

Below the picture it says...

Christopher Bellamy Alastair
Owner of Alastair Shipping Industries
Nationality French
Age 39
Height 195cm

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...and so on and so forth.

I didn't bother reading the rest. It's so long. It even includes a long list of his mistresses! I'll be honest that this Alastair guy looks intimidating and scary but if you compare it to the guy sitting beside me, it's a whole new level. He manages to gather up all this info up to the very last detail in just a short period of time.

"Publicly, he's known as a successful businessman here in France but, he got most of his wealth from his underground ventures. He owns many black markets here on this continent."

"Do you really think this is a good idea? If Alastair found out that you're stealing his precious products, he'll surely won't let it slide. Why don't you just buy it like a good costumer?"

"Why would I buy something that is mine? I told you numerous times that I'm just taking what is rightfully mine." He said in a cold tone.

"Why do you keep on saying that it's yours? Did he steal it from you?" I asked curiously.

"No." He just simply said. I want to ask him more about it but decided against it because I'm positive that he won't tell me anything.

"And I'm so confused. Just yesterday you're willing to pay Cain for that fake stone and now you plan on stealing the 'possible' real one. This is so absurd."

"I know it's fake from the very beginning but something unexpected happens and I need Cain to confirm my suspicion."

I gulp. Why do I get the feeling that I'm that 'something unexpected'?

"So, did that confirm your suspicion?"

I saw Axel smirk but refused to give me an answer. "And besides, the stone we're targeting is not included in the auction. It's one of the rare collection of Alastair that is hidden inside that mansion. We're using the gala as an opportunity to infiltrate the mansion without him suspecting who'll be the culprit." He said.

"Do you even know where can we find it?"

"No, that's why I need you to be at my side at all times. You'll help me look for it. The success of this mission lies in your ability."

I looked at him in shock. "You can't be serious?" Is this some sort of a joke? "You didn't even tell me how do I find that stupid stone! What do you mean by my ability? I'm not a freaking assassin nor a secret agent who can do kung fu and stuff."

"Sir. We have arrived." The drive announced. I look outside and true to his word, we were about to enter a large state.

"You need to keep that phone with you at all times. I've installed the blueprint of the mansion on that phone so you'll know all the possible exits when something happens inside." He explained.

"What do you mean by 'when something happens?'. You're not seriously planning to destroy that mansion, do you?" I asked accusingly. I remembered this guy blow up a casino. He's capable of doing those kinds of stuff.

"Yes if that's necessary." He said without hesitation. "And he'll never know that it was us."

I looked at him with a horrified expression. " You can't be serious? You're going to cause havoc at a private residence. You're going to make the owner real angry."

"He'll be angry nonetheless. "

"Oh yes, I remembered. We'll be stealing his precious collection." I said sarcastically.

"I told you we're not stealing it. I'm just taking what's rightfully mine."

The car stopped in front of the mansion main entrance.

"Just remember. Stay at my side at all times. I know you'll find it." He says.

I'm really confused about what I have to do but I just nod my head.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Yeah."

As if on cue, the chauffeur open the car door and Axel steps out.

I took a deep breath. 'You can do this' I told myself at the back of my head.

Axel offered me his hand which I willingly took. When I'm already outside, Axel whispered in my ear. "I'll make sure to give you a tour if you manage to make it out alive."

I don't know if I should be excited or scared but there's one thing for sure... I can't back out.

End of Chapter 13