The deal.
"We are sorry to inform you that your twin brother was involved in a ghastly accident and…" Richard Smith paled immediately.
He had been overseeing the eatery's needs when one of his workers had informed him that he had a visitor. Richard wondered who that was. He didn't have many friends on this side of the town except his customers.
"Good afternoon sir, I was told to give you this note," Ledger, his brother's chauffeur, had passed a small note in an envelope to him.
It was a note written by a doctor at Life Care Hospital, Dallas — saying that his brother was currently unconscious.
Richard was now reading the letter with utmost worry.
How did Adam get into an accident? Had he been drunk driving again? So many thoughts ran through his mind. as he sat by the window reading the letter that bore sad news.
"I'll have to call it a night," Richard frowned as he stood up from the round table. He went into his office to pack his small briefcase so he could leave.
Even if there was still work to do, he wouldn't be able to concentrate. He looked at the small note with worry etched on his features and he padded out of his office.
"Goodnight Kayla," he bade one of his steadfast worker's goodnight.
"Goodnight boss, I hope you are alright," she noticed the hard lines and his set lips. Richard was a jovial man so something must have happened to make him solemn.
"I'm good dear. I'll see you tomorrow," Richard faked a smile at her as he exited the eatery. He would handle this very well. His stomach roiled in discomfort. The thought of Adam lying unconsciously in the hospital saddened him.
"I am ready, Let us go," he said to the chauffeur who had waited for feedback from him.
The chauffeur nodded stiffly and opened the door for Richard immediately. Richard sighed as he entered the car. It had been a stressful day for him, coupled with this sad news. Richard needed a massage.
He rubbed his throbbing forehead to alleviate the ache he felt there.
"Ledger, please drive faster," he groaned. They still had a long way to go and with this speed, they'd get there late.
Dallas was an hour away. Richard's mind wandered away as he stared outside the window. He was lost in thought.
Was Adam ok? He loved his twin even though they were estranged. Richard roved his hand through his thick hair. So many possibilities crossed his mind.
"How is Adan?" He asked Ledger in a low tone.
"He's in the ICU presently," Ledger replied morosely.
"That bad?" Richard quizzed Ledger.
"Yes sir. The doctors said it's a 50-50," Ledger said as he increased the speed of the vehicle.
Richard groaned as he rested on the back seat. He hoped it wasn't what he thought. Adam couldn't die. Not yet. He would miss his brother.
"We are here sir," Ledger burst into his introspection as he drove through the gates into the mansion.
Richard muttered a reply. He opened the car and alighted. On alighting, everyone was acting odd. They went about their duties like Adam Smith wasn't battling with his life in the ICU. He furrowed his brows and strolled in.
"Welcome Master Adam," One of the maids greeted him. Richard paused on the curved stairs. The maid had just addressed him as Master Adam. What was going on?
"Master Adam? Are you alright?" The maid asked when she noticed him pale at the name. He was behaving oddly. She had mixed them up because almost no one knew that they were twins.
And no one knew about the accident except the hospital and Adam's chauffeur. It was a surprise to him. Why didn't anyone tell them? Instead of correcting her, he answered.
However before she could let her thoughts go wild, Richard recollected himself.
"Hello, good evening," He smiled at her.
Rita Allen stretched her muscles. She worked as a waitress in the Mediterranean restaurant. The business was slow that evening. Most of the seats were empty.
She wondered why but deep down she was still grateful for it. She had been on her feet all day attending to their customers. She was weak already. She sighed as she roved her eyes around the restaurant.
Normally, she expected the evening to be even busier. Every evening different people strolled into the restaurant with their different needs. It was always bubbling with people. This evening was a sharp contrast, she noted as she got lost in thought.
She needed money fast. She had a lot of bills to pay. This job wasn't paying her enough to support herself and her ever-growing bills. Rita thought of what to do.
Rita sighed when a man in a dark hood and chinos pants came in. He sat down by the window, lost in thought. Rita wondered what was going through his mind.
"Hey Jess, has that man ordered anything yet?" She asked a colleague of hers after five minutes.
"No, not from me" Jess looked through her notepad and shook her head. He hadn't made a reservation.
"Maybe you should go attend to him," Jess said and turned around from the counter to continue her duties.
"I will," Rita decided to wait for a few seconds to watch how things would go before she stood up.
After stalling for five minutes, she stood up with her notepad and walked up to him.
"Hello there, what would you like to order from us today?" Rita faked a smile as she asked him. It was a rule that they should show good customer service no matter their mode. She had mastered the art perfectly.
"You are so beautiful," The strange man smirked at her. Rita smiled as she muttered an incoherent reply. There was something sinister about the man. He looked handsome but her guts warned her against him. And, her guts were never wrong.
"You will be perfect for the job," he added.
"Excuse me? Can I have your order?" Rita was tired already and the man seemed bent on uttering gibberish. She wasn't in the mood for that today.
"Yes, you may have my order. I have a job for you," He said. Rita stared into his grey orbs. Who was this man and what job was he talking about?
"I'll settle for a meat pie and a bottle of coke,"
Rita hurried to get his order. The earlier this man got his order, the better for her.
_________
"Meet me outside in ten minutes. I have a job for you," the note read. Rita looked around. The man was nowhere to be found.
She had watched him eat his food fast and for no reason, she had felt the need to clear his table when he stood up.
Or maybe because he had said he had a job for her and he hadn't specified. Rita couldn't keep her curiosity in check. A voice warned her not to open the note but her curiosity had won. She couldn't stop her legs as she walked outside the restaurant to meet him.
Rita knew that it was most likely a trap. She has seen the likes of him before. They dazzled money before her as if they had a presumption that money was her weakness. It had always been.
Since she had left foster care to fend for herself, Rita had always needed money and she'd do anything for it.
"How can I help you?" She faked a pose before him. Rita didn't want him to think she was left with no choice but to do his bidding.
"I can turn you into a millionaire overnight, do you know that? You just have to do one thing," the stranger said.
"It's a simple task. All you have to do is to steal a certain document from him." The stranger said.
"Steal?" Rita's eyes widened. Since her stepfather had beaten her for stealing food one night she was denied food, she had never stolen again but she needed money. Her needs prevailed over any other thing.
"Him? Him who? Can you please clarify? I have things to do," she was afraid of the dark. Moreso, she didn't feel safe with him. He was a stranger and they couldn't be trusted.
"From Adam Smith." The stranger said.
"As in the billionaire Adam Smith?" Rita couldn't believe her ears. The stranger nodded.
By now, Rita was so sure that this was a trap, but how could she say no to all that money? She could fall into the wrong hands again. She thought hard about it for a few seconds.
"I can't do it," she disagreed after much thought. The job didn't seem easy as he had said. Stealing was never easy. She would rather die than be paraded as a thief caught in a billionaire's office.
"Would you do it for one million dollars?" The stranger smirked. Silence. Rita gasped in shock.
"One million dollars?" She reconfirmed.