Chapter 1
“Seriously Elena, if you were me, you wouldn’t last two minutes in this lifestyle!”
“If I were you, I’d jump off Tower Bridge,” Elena mumbled from the walk in closet. She was in there retrieving another expensive garment for her boss, Chantal Duval, to discard without proper consideration.
“What are you doing in there?” Chantal whined through the closet doors. Elena rolled her eyes and brought out the couture gown for Chantal to try on.
She found Chantal parading herself in front of the floor to ceiling mirror in the presidential suite she had acquired at the Chatsfield London. She was in London at her father’s request, since the mighty Pierre Duval decided it was time his daughter made a name for herself in his social circles.
Locked away in Swiss boarding schools until a year ago, Chantal was now expected to take her place at her father’s side as a society hostess and eventually the trophy wife of an extremely wealthy man of her father’s choosing. At twenty, Chantal had lived a sheltered and exceptionally pampered life resulting in a naïve view of the world. For this reason, Pierre had decided that Chantal needed someone to handle her affairs, and help her in the transition from irresponsible schoolgirl to irresponsible but presentable affluent wife.
Elena Thompson was that someone.
She had been hired by Pierre to assist Chantal, but that criteria had changed in the year they had been working together and now encompassed her running trivial errands. Admittedly, she was paid well to be Chantal’s PA, but what she assisted was the problem. Hair appointments and spa visits were not at the top of her list of important things when she could be assisting some respected CEO and gaining valuable skills.
Skills were not important to Chantal however, who was currently in the middle of finding an outfit for a date that her father had orchestrated. She had tried on dozens of dresses and nothing seemed to please her. She threw the latest cast-off onto the floor, and flopped herself onto the bed behind her. Lying in black lace underwear that barely covered a model perfect frame with six inch black patent heels on her feet, Chantal looked every inch the fantasy. Long platinum blonde tresses lay in a heap around her head as she let out a heavy sigh,
“Why do I have to go on this stupid date, I don’t even know who he is!”
“It’s a blind date...you’re not supposed to know who he is.” Elena added, just in case Chantal needed further explanation. Chantal opened her bright blue eyes as a sudden realisation came to her.
“What if he’s ugly, what if he’s old?”
“I’m sure your father wouldn’t make you date someone who was any of those things,” Elena reassured her even if she didn’t quite believe it. Pierre Duval was anything if not determined and if he had to palm his daughter off to a geriatric Texan tycoon to secure her place on the social ladder, there was no question that he would.
“Papa does what he likes and you know it. It’s the only reason whyyouare even here!”
Chantal vaulted off the bed again and stormed into the closet while Elena stood there as always saying nothing. She had plenty to say but did not think it wise to tell her employer that she was a self-centred, spoiled and selfish individual who should be happy that she had the opportunity to meet anyone.
Elena nervously smoothed the sides of her tight ponytail then ran her hands down the front of her black pencil skirt before going to pick up Chantal’s discarded clothes. She constantly derided herself for wearing such formal outfits when working for such an informal person but reasoned that she needed to feel as though she were at work. Wearing a combination of pencil skirts and well-fitted shirts gave Elena a sense of purpose that working for Chantal otherwise did not.
When she had finally graduated with her business degree she never thought she would be working for someone like Chantal. Elena had been offered the position while working as a temp and had jumped at the chance believing that any association with the Duval family would be beneficial to her career. Still, a year later, working for Chantal had not provided any substantial opportunities and so not to be unemployed or end up like her younger sister Leia, she stayed. This determination to succeed made Elena somewhat of a recluse. She had few friends and could not remember the last time she had been on a date. Her one and only lover had not been worth the experience and subsequently left her dismissive of relationships. She did hope however, that one day, she would find someone to share her life with.
Chantal emerged from the closet a few moments later wearing what Elena liked to call her travel outfit: stilettos and jeans with a blouse and short leather jacket complete with oversized shades and the appropriate handbag.
“I’m going to Paris for a few days,” she announced, striding purposefully towards the suite door.
“Ex-excuse me?”
“I will not be pressured by anyone into dating, least of all my father. I cannot even find anything to wear.”
Elena was stunned into silence as Chantal pulled the door open and prepared to close it without any further explanation. Elena dashed after her,
“What about your date? What do I tell your father?”
“Tell him what you like butIam going to Paris...for at least a week,” Elena saw the moment the idea popped into her head. Just like that, she was swanning off to Paris for a week with no thought as to how it would affect Elena or anyone else.
“I’ll be in touch if I need anything so don’t think this is some kind of holiday.” She turned from the door and proceeded to strut down the carpeted hallway towards the lifts.
Recovering enough to get some coherent thought, Elena ran after Chantal again just as the lift doors opened for her to enter.
“But what about your date?” Chantal smiled with a little wave as though she had had the most fabulous idea,
“You go instead.Au revoirElena!”
“And she’s just left you here for a week?”
“Yes.”
“And the date is in an hour?”
“Yes!”
Elena threw her arms up in exasperation as she paced the floor of Chantal’s luxurious bedroom. She had left almost six hours ago and in that time Elena had been unable to get a hold of her or her Pierre. She had called her sister Leia to meet her at the hotel and told her the whole story.
“What am I going to do?”
“You have to go on the date,” Leia said. “Meet the guy and tell him that Chantal isn’t going to make it.”
“I can’t do that, it’s too embarrassing!” Elena threw herself onto the bed in much the same fashion as Chantal had done hours before.
“Better to suffer the embarrassment of dumping this guy on behalf of someone else, then allowing him to tell Pierre that he was stood up.” Elena lifted herself up onto her elbows and looked over at Leia who was sitting on the edge of the bed.
“So what if he tells?”
“Do you want to explain to Mr Duval how you weren’t able to do your job and get Chantal to go on this date in the first place?” Elena’s eyes widened in horror; the thought that her job would be in jeopardy had not even crossed her mind. She understood completely that Pierre would be furious with her for allowing Chantal to leave, but she thought he would simply make her return to London; job done, case closed.
“He could still tell Pierre even if I do turn up,”
Leia shrugged,
“Tell him she had an emergency and had to reschedule and daddy dearest is none the wiser until Chantal gets back.”
“What happens when she does come back and has to meet with a guy shestilldoesn’t want to see?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Leia laughed but Elena failed to see the funny side. She moved to sit beside her sister again; letting out a heavy sigh as she smoothed some escaped brown locks away from her face.
“Why is this so difficult? This isn’t even a real job!”
“It’s more real than mine,” Leia said looking down at her Chatsfield maid’s uniform. Elena winced at her inconsideration,
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to...” Leia smiled at her,
“It’s fine. You were always smarter than mum and me; domestic servant was never going to be in your future...it shouldn’t have been in hers.”
“It doesn’t have to be in yours either Leia; you could go back to school just like I did.”
It was Leia’s turn to stand as she walked towards the large window of the suite that looked out to the iconic London skyline.
“Maybe if mum was still here but I honestly don’t have the brains for it Elena,” she turned back to her sister. “Look, my shift starts at eight so I have to get going. I shouldn’t be here anyway.” Elena nodded, not really sure what to say. She knew her little sister was content with her life but it didn’t stop her feeling guilty for wanting more out of hers. To see her sister scrubbing floors and cleaning toilets, even Chatsfield toilets was heart breaking.
She walked Leia to the door then towards the service lifts at the opposite end of the hallway. As Leia hugged her, she held Elena at arms length and looked her up and down.
“Please change.”
“Why?” Leia rolled her big brown eyes that were so much like her sister’s except that Elena’s were blue.
“Elena, you are going to meet a man who Pierre Duval thought would be suitable for his one and only daughter andthat’show you’re going to meet him?” Leia laughed as Elena looked down at her dowdy appearance and smoothed her ponytail again,
“I see your point,” Leia stepped into the service lift and blew her sister a kiss before the lift doors closed on Elena for the second time that day.
