Chapter 7 PRETTY DAMSEL

While Scott was on his way back to Monaco on a three hour airplane from the same airport he had first landed in the French city before his misfortune of running into his wife's lookalike occurred, Gabriella was on her way in a black Mercedes Benz she bought two years ago from her last visit in Italy, to see the Director whom had auditioned her as well as the applicants for the show she had planned on using as a stepping stone to return back to the spotlight without any of the bodyguards nor the palace maidens knowing about her routine agenda since they all thought at that very morning, she had

left the palace grounds in the Mercedes Benz to settle some of the duties her father, the prince of Monaco had scheduled out to attend during the day. It was easier for her to fool the likes of the palace guards and the maidens especially a few maidservants who saw her driving the car out of the vicinity into the busy streets of passersby and motorist roaming around the city center square in large numbers.

Right before she received an official text message from Steve, who happens to be one of three auditioners who auditioned the applicants the very day Gabriella passed the auditioned and personally got handpicked by the Director himself to performed at the weekend show which he had had been planning for a couple of months before the day of the audition, she had preoccupied her thoughts about the last call she had made to her husband whom she believe was still not yet done with his holiday in Australia the entire night she slept alone in her bedroom and the same night she got the text message from Steve, the Director's right wingman. She had been pondering if his silence during the phone call was a result of her actions of calling him at such an unfavourable time of the day although it was already sunset in Monaco by the time she made the call to find out if Scott was having difficulty or pleasure coping with his lengthy holiday from home in a region surrounded by tall cliffs and high snowy mountains like that of the Russians cities in the Asian continent.

As she eased her grip on the steering wheel while taking the next turn into the last lane which led straight to the street where theatre hall was located, she stole glances at the several people walking by the narrow route she eventually took to arrive at her destination and did much to ruminate about Scott's willful disobedience and stark refusal to speak to her on the phone even though they were having a bit of slight misunderstanding before he left for Australia a couple of months ago before now when she saw someone on the payphone at the left corner of the street.

Arriving at her destination, she neatly parked the car at the right corner of the road near the exit of the theatre whence she left not quite long ago in a taxi and alight the car. Then she left as soon as she was done taking the car keys and started walking straight to the open exit of the theatre hall with all haste she could find enter into the theatre as one of the applicants only for her to discover that it was Steve who was already there directing the bunch of experts they had hired to physically decorate the interior part of the vicinity in respect of making the show a worthwhile performance and presentation in the city. She met Steve remotely controlling each of the workers they had hired to properly do their task especially the ten persons setting up the stage. Gabriell briskly walked towards him even though she had wanted the Director to be in his place instead of the man who actually sent her the text message which had lured her out of her palace very early in the morning.

"Hello there" Gabriella greeted him the first time as soon as she got to where Steve was standing in between the raised platform and the countless number of seats meant for the audience. At first, Steve was awestruck by the fact that she appeared so sudden out of nowhere while he was busy distracted with getting the workers do their job as part of his supervisor role and adjusted the hefty headset he wore on his grey hair. Then he was speechless the very moment his eyes caught sight of the woman before him whose presence he had almost mistaken to be a beautiful damsel cloaked in a pink light saggy trousers that matches her soft pink suit which was almost transparent enough to see part of her inner underdress, standing next to him. Above all, Steve was obliviously taken aback by her pretty makeup especially her red lipstick that was rather quite pronounced that her palish pink outfit including the stylish way she braided her hair into pigtail hairstyle. It took Steve three minutes to recover from the trance in order to reply to her greetings which seemed to have bewitched his senses with her lovely voice that somewhat was different from the way she had spoken to him during the audition.

"Uh....Yes, madam, how may I help you?" Steve asked politely and held his to-do list on his right side.

"You really don't have to be so polite you know." Gabriella said enhancing her seductive smiling which was somewhat was making it too difficult for Steve to control his emotions.

"Huh?" Steve asked in perplexity.

"I said it's okay if we talk casually." She said trying to get him to understand her point.

"Oh, yes of course but you must be-" Steve asked but he was interrupted before he could finish his statement

"Hold a minute, don't you recognize me?" Gabriella asked in utter disbelief and stared at Steve in shock. Steve was left speechless once again and looked around to check if the workers were paying attention to their conversation. His eyes caught a few stares watching them but he did not say anything nor did he react to stop them from staring at them since he knew that their attention were fixed on none else that the woman who appeared like a pretty damsel to everyone in the hall. Those who saw her knew that if it had not been for the wedding ring she wore on her right wedding finger, they would have thought that a pretty damsel was about to be properly introduced into the show and her appearance was by far too gorgeous and alluring to be ignored by even the ignoble man working in the theatre hall that very morning.