The Agreement

Anna got off the taxi right in front of a very large and luxurious mansion. Hesitantly she walked to the giant gate and met a bodyguard in a neat suit.

"Good morning is there anything we can help you with?" said the bodyguard flatly.

Anna cleared her throat softly, "My name is Anne Marie and I have an appointment with Elena Brandon," she said a little nervously. There was silence before he finally said "Please this way, Mrs. Brandon is waiting for you."

The bodyguard walked in front of her and took her to the main door where she was greeted by a man who introduced himself as Albert, Elena's personal assistant.

"This way," said Albert, leading her to the footpath heading to the pavilion located quite far from the main building itself.

"Please, Mrs. Brandon is waiting for you inside," Albert said as he opened the pavilion's door for her.

Cautiously she went inside, her eyes scrutinizing every corner of the room. It was dominated by wooden shades with several works of art mounted on the solid walls.

"You came!" suddenly a voice startled her. She turned and found Elena Brandon sitting on the sofa enjoying a cup of tea.

She walked over to Elena and stood in front of her. "Are we really going to talk now? I have so much to ask," she said, looking at Elena intently.

Elena waved her hand, motioning for her to sit down. "This is a draft agreement that I have made, ask whatever you need to ask because we will only discuss this once," she said firmly.

Anna threw her body on the sofa, she reached for the contract document in front of her, then read it carefully.

"Three million dollars? Did you increase the amount?" she asked somewhat surprised.

Elena shrugged her shoulders, "I added some conditions that you must fulfill," she said casually.

Anne Marie read the terms and conditions one by one and they all seemed reasonable. She shrugged her shoulders, "I have no problem with the terms, besides it doesn't make any sense, how could I fall in love with your son? That won't happen," she muttered as she uncapped the pen and prepared to sign.

Elena snorted, "My son, Joe Brandon has an unusual charm, you'll know once you meet him. Whatever it is, don't ever be presumptuous and cross the line!" she said firmly.

Anna shrugged, "I have a hard time falling in love with people, so don't worry. Can I ask a question now?" she asked impatiently. Elena nodded her head and agreed to the request.

"How bad is your son's condition?"

"Spine injury, he has to be in a wheelchair, and undergo intense therapy until he can walk again. Doctors say he has an eighty percent chance of recovery."

"What should I say to him?"

Elena took a deep breath, "First, you have to show up without saying who you really are, act as I say, let him guess..."

"When he's curious, you can confess to him that your face was so badly injured in that accident and that you had to undergo facial reconstruction surgery in South Korea, that's the reason why your face is different now..."

"Is there a chance that he will find out about me?" asked Anne Marie warily.

"It all depends on how you act, you are the key to all this. If you fail, I won't pay you a penny!"

Anne Marie gulped,

"What's your purpose for doing this? Don't you know that one day Joe might find out about it?"

"That's not going to happen because you're going to leave this city right after our contract ended..."

"I couldn't find any articles about Julia Brandon, are you guys hiding that marriage from people?"

Elena nodded, "Yeah, I asked them to keep their marriage a secret, she didn't deserve my son, that woman just after his money!" said she, her voice trembling slightly while saying that, making Anne Marie a little suspicious.

"And why me? And how did you find me?" finally the question she wanted to ask the most was delivered.

"I saw you months ago in front of the salon you worked in, right then and there I knew what I was going to do to help my son to go through his grief and find his new life, what he should know is that you cheated on him and left him just like that, you understand?!" she said flatly.

"Help him? I think what you're going to do just would hurt him even more. I mean he should know the truth!"

Elena snorted, "You talk as if you don't need this agreement, what happens to my son is none of your business! So, are you still going to continue this contract or not?" she snapped irritably.

Anne Marie gulped then nodded nonchalantly.

"Then stop acting as if you care! From now on I don't accept questions, this is a guide on how you should behave, if you are ready you can start today," she said as she stood up.

"Stay in this pavilion until you're ready, I don't mind if it takes a week or a month but you have to be exactly like Julia, Albert is outside if you need anything," said Elena, walking out of the room with her chin held high.

Anne Marie took a deep breath, she looked at the contract document in her hand once again. She didn't know why she was still hesitating, maybe it was because she had such a strong sense of empathy for Joe Brandon whom she had never even met. But three million dollars? She couldn't ignore that much money! Even if she worked hard her whole life she might never get the same amount.

Finally, she put her signature on the contract documents and walked out to see Albert.

"Tell Elena I've made my decision," she said as she handed the contract document to him who accepted it with a stiff face. She observed Albert who was talking on the phone with Elena while gazing far into the huge mansion's main building. She was sure Joe Brandon was in there in his wheelchair thinking about his wife...

"Have you read all the information about Mr. Brandon and his wife that Mrs. Brandon gave you? What's they like and all that kind of stuff?" asked Albert after ending his call with Elena.

Anne Marie nodded, "I'm a good memorizer, can't you tell from my sharp eyes??" she said half-jokingly, but Albert of course didn't laugh.

"Then follow me," Albert said as he walked briskly ahead of her.

"How long have you worked here?" she asked curiously.

"I can't answer any of your questions," said Albert flatly.

She sneered, she glanced at him, wondering how old he was. "You must be in your forties? Am I right?" she said with a cheerful face. But as expected, Albert didn't react.

While observing the large garden behind the mansion she sang a little to get rid of her nervousness.

They entered a large, tall white door and then turned into a long corridor, not far from where Elena was waiting, standing staring out the window.

"Are you sure you could start immediately?" asked Elena sharply.

Anne Marie shook her head, "No I'm not, but I think I could live like her I mean after I saw all her videos, I could say her gestures are very similar to mine, only she is more perfectionist and I could say high maintenance, " she said honestly. If the myth about having seven twins in the world is true, then Julia might be one of them.

"Albert you can go. You? Come with me! I have a lot to fix for you," said Elena as she walked into a room.

"What? Fix from me? What does that mean?" murmured Anne Marie while following Elena doubtfully.

They were standing in a very spacious walking closet. Elena turned to look at her, "Joe Brandon will never fall in love with a woman who looks like you, he will not believe if you are his wife. I will change your appearance to Julia Brandon..."

*****