Chapter 12
August fidgeted uncomfortably in his new black suit, tugging at the sleeves and pulling at his silk tie awkwardly. "Is this really necessary? I've never been this dressed up in my life! I feel like an undertaker."
"I assure you it is quite necessary, dearie," replied Mr. Gold, handing the younger man a pair of black sunglasses and a radio ear piece. "You are pretending to be a bodyguard, after all. You must look the part."
"I can't believe you made me shave and get a haircut too," he grumbled, walking away.
"Danny!" moaned Jefferson as he exited the fitting room. "This suit is appalling. It's so plain and boring! There are no frills, no vest, and the tie is just solid black! I've never been this dressed down in my life!"
Storybrooke Formal Wear had closed early at Mr. Gold's request so that members of his team could shop privately for their upcoming tasks. The shop would make more money in the one hour they occupied it than it would all week.
Unfortunately, neither Gold nor the owner had any idea it would be one of the most aggravating hours of their lives!
"I've just finished with your final associate, Mr. Gold," said the tailor tiredly. "She's ready for your inspection and all of your other orders are pressed and ready to go."
Gold sighed as he picked up his cane and limped to the women's section. His step-mother stared at her reflection in the three-way glass as she fingered the soft clothing between her fingertips. She winced slightly and wobbled unsteadily in her heels as she clasped the pearl necklace around her throat. A small pill bottle appeared in her hand and she quickly took two tablets, swallowing them dry while grasping lightly at her chest.
Granny must have heard the distinct tapping of his cane on the hardwood floors because she instantly straightened her posture and readjusted her expensive new outfit.
"You look lovely, Mum," he said quietly, coming up behind her. At closer inspection, Gold noted that her pallid skin had a slight sheen to it and her hands trembled faintly.
"Of course I do. This is imported silk," she said sardonically. "It would make an ogre look good."
He knew her well enough to know when she was nervous and he looked at her now with genuine concern. "Are you sure you're up to this?"
Granny stopped fiddling with her fresh salon hair-do and turned her stony gaze upon her step-son. "If you ever ask me that question again, Daniel, you will not wake up the following morning!"
Gold smirked at her fiery spirit. "You're ready. Do you have your backstory down?"
"Of course I do." She cleared her throat loudly and stared at the reflection in front of her. "My name is Mrs. Olivia Lucas, widow to the late Kenneth Lucas and head of Lucas Weaponry, the number one manufacturer of crossbows and big-game hunting supplies in the Free World."
"Excellent," he said, smiling. "Now let's get your two idiot bodyguards so we can do this already."
It was hard to believe how close he was to accomplishing his goal! After years of waiting and planning, everything was finally coming into place.
Soon he would get back everything that had been taken from him.
~8~8~8~
Neal and Ruby sat comfortably in the plush leather sofas of the opulent Hotel lobby as the finely dressed Mrs. Lucas and her entourage arrived. August and Jefferson followed closely behind the fake businesswoman, laden down with Granny's new set of matching Prada luggage. Instead of designer clothing, however, the suitcases were filled with several computers, monitors and communication devices.
"All right," said Neal quietly behind the dreadful excuse of a local newspaper. "Once they get set up in the Presidential Suite we'll have a new base of operations right here in the Casino."
"And all under Regina's nose too," added Ruby smugly.
"Speaking of which…you've had a couple of days now to follow her around. What can you tell me about Miss Mills?"
~8~8~8~
Regina Mills is a very slick, very well-oiled machine.
While her lavishly decorated offices contain a personal en-suite apartment, complete with full wardrobe and several thousand dollars' worth of jewelry, she spends most nights at her grand seaside mansion. Pulling up in her spotless black stretch limousine, she arrives at the Hotel promptly at two o'clock every day.
Her routine never wavers; same car, same driver, every time.
Appearances mean everything to her. The instant that car door opens, she plasters her famous Fairest smile on her face and walks confidently inside her little kingdom.
For in this building, Regina is Queen.
Uniformity is the order of the day and she rules her realm with an iron fist. Her micro-management style has earned her a reputation for being ruthless and impossible to please, but it had also brought her tremendous success in a very short amount of time.
Thanks to hard work, her successful stint as a world renowned model and the incredible inheritance left to her by her spineless late husband, Leo, by age forty Regina was one of the wealthiest women on the East coast.
"Good afternoon, Shawn," she said with forced pleasantness to her doorman. She knew the name of every bellhop and valet in her employ; not bad for someone worth a quarter of a billion dollars. "How's the baby today?"
"Very well, Ms. Mills, thank you," was the young man's daily reply.
It didn't matter to her whether the baby really was in good health or if its teenaged parents, bot
h of whom worked tirelessly at the Hotel for minimum wage, had slept the night before. She expected to hear that everything was well in the little Utopia she had created for herself.
"May I have a word, Regina?" asked Mal, her long time personal assistant, standing inside the lobby awaiting her arrival. Mallory Draco was as intelligent and tenacious as Regina herself and was being groomed as her second in command.
Regina secretly mistrusted the blond spitfire but Mal was the closest thing she had to a friend in the world. That doesn't mean she wouldn't throw said friend under a bus if it suited her. Hell! She would disown her parents if it meant gaining a few more points in her company's stock prices.
"Miss Ginger has registered another complaint regarding working conditions. Apparently she finds the temperature too cold in her department. Also, there was an incident in housekeeping that needs to be addressed. One of the maids was fooled into letting someone into a guest's room. They gave her some sob story about being locked out and she used her master to open the door. The guest has reported several items missing."
Regina inwardly sighed but showed no sign of being annoyed at having to deal with such mundane incidents. "Let me guess. Miss Boyd again?"
"I'm afraid so," replied Mal, bringing up the report on her smartphone. "This is the second time she's been reprimanded but has not once taken responsibility for her actions. She's always quick to throw the blame on someone else."
"That girl is so dumb it's a wonder her child hasn't been taken away from her yet. Disengage her master key and send her down to laundry. This is her last chance. If she turns the sheets pink she's out of here. I don't care how dreadful she thinks her life is; I can make it so much worse. I will not have my Hotel's reputation ruined by her ineptitude."
"Of course, Regina."
They walked into her spacious office that looked down upon the bustling Casino floor hidden behind a one-way glass. She picked up a glossy red apple and rolled it between her hands. "Anything else?"
"Sidney Glass arrived an hour ago sporting a black eye and a busted lip. He claims it was from a card counter he threw out of the Casino last night but my spies informed me he was involved in another drunken brawl at a strip club; this time over a prostitute."
Regina rolled her eyes. "He may be a gullible fool but he's loyal. Send him to me later and I'll kiss his wound all better. That should keep him in line for a while."
"I honestly do not understand how he still believes he has a chance with you."
"Hope is a dangerous thing. As long as I have his heart I can control him." She headed to her personal bar and poured herself a stiff drink. "Love is weakness, my dear Mallory. I thought you knew that."
Mal shifted uncomfortably and busied herself with the paperwork currently piled on the mahogany desk. Regina knew that her assistant secretly wished for love in her life. Unfortunately, working at the Casino left her little time for romance.
"By the way," she continued, after taking a sip of the amber liquid. "How did your date go with our newest employee? What was his name?"
Mal's eyes rounded in surprise and Regina laughed openly. "There are no secrets from me. I have eyes and ears everywhere. Come now, dear. Details!"
Mal ran a hand through her long blond hair and sighed resignedly. "James Prince. He's the new blackjack dealer and he took me out last week for our first and last dinner. He was sweet, charming and a perfect gentleman. He didn't even try to kiss me."
Regina sneered and took another drink. "Sounds like a waste of a night to me."
"I suppose I'm just cursed to live my life alone. Perhaps I'll get a pet."
"I have several pets and I enjoy keeping them all on a short leash," she winked conspiratorially at her friend. "It's much more fun that way."
"Speaking of which...it's time for your weekly meeting with the Casino Manager."
Regina smiled brightly and removed a tube of dark lipstick. She applied it thickly and smacked her plump lips together. "Excellent. Tell Gaston to meet me in my quarters this time. Last week his little girlfriend almost walked in on us when she brought me some requisition forms to sign."
Mal shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Why do you care if she finds out? If anything I'm surprised you haven't arranged for her to walk in on you on purpose! God knows I've done it enough. It's not like you to willingly share your toys with others."
Regina laughed disdainfully. "I have my reasons. If it wasn't so funny… I'd say it was almost cruel."
She stepped past her assistant and made her way across the room to her private apartment's hidden entrance. "Hold my calls for the next hour or so. Gaston and I have a lot of hard work to get to."
…
Once her weekly appointment came to a satisfying finish, Regina immersed herself in the daily bureaucracy of running a multi-million dollar organization.
There was so much more to her business than simply the Casino. While the bulk of her profits came from gambling, she also had to ensure the success of the hotel, restaurant, spa, and convention center, as well as a few other small ventures that resided in the building.
She wasn't just running a corporation, after all. She was ruling an Empire!
At precisely seven o'clock on the dot every day, Regina steps on to the Casino floor. She spends exactly three minutes talking with Gaston, all thoughts of their afternoon tryst long gone. Now was all about business.
She likes to know everything that is going on in her casino. There was rarely an incident she didn't know about or handle personally.
Sidney Glass sent her hourly updates on all security matters and was instructed to alert her immediately if anyone dared to start trouble. Not that many do. She has spent millions of dollars on the best electronic surveillance systems and personnel in the industry. They were trained to detect trouble before it even began.
Next, Regina heads to the high-rollers' tables. She spends several minutes every evening glad-handling the richest and most influential people in the State. Security cameras were also much more prominent in this section and not just because of the large amount of money being wagered.
Knowledge is power and one never knew when a recording of high ranking government officials gambling away tax-payer funds could come in handy.
"District Attorney Spencer!" she crooned oily. "How lovely to see you again. And Governor Midas! It's always a pleasure. If there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask."
She strode over to the Captain of the security team standing guard at the velvet roped VIP entrance. "How is Midas doing tonight, Jones?" she whispered.
"Up, almost two hundred thousand, love," he replied, his voice low and throaty since it was just the two of them.
"He seems to have the golden touch tonight. Keep a close watch on him. Nobody is that lucky. Have Glass contact me if there's a problem. I'll be at the restaurant." She started to walk away when she suddenly turned back around, frowning. "Why aren't you wearing your ID Card, Jones?"
Killian turned slightly pink and cleared his throat loudly. "It would appear I have misplaced it. Human Resources is having another one made up for me today."
"You probably left it under my bed again." Regina's eyes raked across his lean body. "Maybe you should stop by tonight and we can take a look for it."
Jones eyes darkened with desire but he made no move to touch her. Regina did not allow public displays of affection. One never knew who was watching. "I can think of better things to do with a woman on her knees than looking under a bed."
Regina smiled wickedly. "I believe I'll skip dessert tonight. Meet me upstairs in an hour."
~8~8~8~
"She's out of the Casino by seven thirty every night when her assistant, a Miss Mallory Draco, hands her a black portfolio," reported Ruby.
"Contents?" asked Neal.
"The day's take and new security codes. And five minutes after they've been changed she has them in her hand." Ruby quickly turned towards an elaborate stone fountain in the lobby to hide her face as Regina sauntered by on her way to the four star restaurant, oblivious to the young woman who had been trailing her for days. "You know, your father really can pick them."
"Yeah? How so?"
"The last guy they caught cheating in here was a man named Michael Tillman. Not only was he arrested, but Regina had his children taken away by Child Protective Services and had the bank foreclose his mechanic's garage. She doesn't just take out your knees, she destroys everything and everyone you hold dear."
"Are you scared?"
"Are you suicidal?"
Neal snorted. "Now what?"
Ruby nodded her head towards the grand staircase a few feet away from where they were sitting. "Now comes the girl. She joins Regina and Gaston for a working dinner every night at the restaurant."
"Where does she come from?"
"Upstairs. She's the curator for the museum."
Neal looked up when he heard the soft clicking of high heels on the marble stairs. From his vantage point, all he could see was a sexy pair of legs accentuated by strapless black shoes. His gaze travelled up the fashionable blue sundress as it appeared in his line of sight before finally coming to rest on the woman's face when she turned into the lobby.
Neal's breath caught in his throat as he turned his head to hide it from view. Oh crap!
"I don't know if we can use her yet," said Ruby, frowning at her friend with concern. "In fact, I haven't even gotten her name."
"Belle," he whispered hoarsely.
"Huh?"
"Belle," he repeated, swallowing deeply. He could feel the blood rush from his face and his hands shook involuntarily. "Her name is Belle."
"Whoa!" cried Ruby, shaking her head in confusion and pointing at the young woman's back. "You know her?"
"Yeah. She's my step-mother."