“When I’m done shopping for her and call my girl at the spa, she’s going to look like royalty when I’m finished. You’ll forget all about her scrubbing your floors in that ugly purple shirt.” She nodded toward the shoe department and zoomed away.
Royalty? Could my sister change Cyndee’s appearance that much? If she could, I might be in trouble.
I wasn’t into flashy, boldly dressed women. I liked subtle yet classy. Zia knew what kind of women I found attractive and beautiful.
Maybe getting my sister involved had been a mistake. If she transformed Cyndee into the woman of my dreams, how would I survive the next three weeks? Of course, I saw through beautiful exteriors. I cared more about a person’s heart and their trust and loyalty to me. No amount of beautiful clothes and facials could hide an ugly personality.
But Cyndee wasn’t an awful person. She’d been kind and trustworthy.
She was easy to talk to.
Oh man. Perhaps I had made a mistake.
Would I be able to resist a new and improved Cyndee? God, I hoped so.
6
Cyndee
The driver who drove my sister and I to the luxury salon and spa earlier today was now taking us back to our apartment. His name was Ross. I wouldn’t want to make him angry or run into him in a dark alley. He had massive muscles, tattoos on his neck, and a three-inch scar on the side of his face. He hardly spoke, but I think he had an Irish accent.
To say the least, I felt safe with Ross and wouldn’t do anything to offend him or make him want to hurt me.
In a few hours, Fabio would pick me up and we’d go to the ballet for The Nutcracker. His sister was the Sugar Plum Fairy. Impressive, right?
I’d seen a performance a long time ago put on by a local dance school, but it wouldn’t be able to compete with the San Francisco Ballet.
“I feel like I’m glowing.” Celine admired her nails. “Am I?”
I glanced at her. “Your skin is luminous, and your hair is silky. I guess that’s glowing.”
“It is and you’re radiant. Do you feel as amazing as you look?”
“I guess.” I shrugged my shoulders and felt Ross looking at me. I couldn’t be one hundred percent sure because he was wearing black sunglasses. It just felt like someone was watching me, and he was the only other person in the car with us.
Did Ross know about Fabio’s plan to use me as his fake girlfriend to appease his family? If he was Fabio’s confidant, I guess he would know. The thought sort of made me feel weird. Was Ross quietly judging me? Did he think I was only after the money? I supposed it appeared that way.
Although, I genuinely wanted to help Fabio. The money, clothes and the pampering I’d just experienced were incredible. It was like I was living an alternate life. Someone else’s life. Or maybe I was dreaming that I was a princess living in San Francisco.
Please, nobody wake me up! I hoped this was the longest, most detailed dream I’d ever had.
But I knew it was real. Regretfully, real.
If I could back out, I would. But my sister and Fabio were so invested…
I didn’t want to put him in a bind or disappoint him. It would make working for him awkward and uncomfortable.
He’d already spent a ton of money on me, and a fair amount on my sister. Four massive black clothing bags had been delivered to my apartment the other day. I was terrified to see what was inside the bags. I was confident the clothes were styles I had never worn before and brands I could never afford on my limited budget.
Each garment bag hadDo Not Open Until Day of Eventprinted on it and was numbered: Event 1, Event 2, Event 3, Extra 4.
I had zero problems not peeking, but Celine was going nuts waiting. We’d been like this every year at Christmastime. Mama would wrap the gifts and put them under the tree. I’d admire the presents from afar and all the pretty paper and ribbons. Celine shook every box and tried to guess what was in the package. For weeks, the family would have to guard the presents to make sure she didn’t lose her mind and open every gift.
It was a similar vibe at our apartment. Celine wasdyingto see what Fabio bought me and had already asked if she could wear the clothes. After I wore them, of course.
Admittedly, her asking rubbed me wrong. It was as if this whole time she’d only been thinking of herself and what she could gain by the arrangement. Not entirely surprising. Celine had always been a selfish person.
Maybe those thoughts of my sister were harsh. It had to be my nerves getting the best of me. Tonight was the first event, and I didn’t know what to expect. I’d never been to the War Memorial Opera House. I had looked it up on the Internet, and it was absolutely beautiful. A massive crystal chandelier hung above the seats. It was fancy and elegant. I suspected my outfit would also be elegant andveryexpensive.
