Authors: Catherine Putsche
Addicted To Greed (5 page)
off chance I meet such a man you’d be the first to know.”
“Well there will be lots of eligible bachelors at the party on
Friday, you could have your pick, there’s time yet
my friend.”
“Oh Monika, I hope you haven’t been working your hands at
match making on my behalf, I don’t know if I could even find
the time for a man, the Madame has me running a really tight
schedule since my return home. She apparently believes if I am
left to laze around at home, nothing good will come from it so
she has me doing all kind of chores to fill my days, none of
which are particularly strenuous I may add, often floral
arrangements and other tedious housekeeping duties that require
so much of my time it’s like I am still at school in some ways!”
“I’m
sure that the Madame means well by it, however tedious it
is. Anyway surely this will all change when you decide on what
you want to do next, university, travelling, and voluntary work
and so on.”
Felicity thought better not to mention her new chosen career yet,
knowing Monika would either faint or become queasy at the
very thought of her best friend entertaining paying gentlemen.
“I
still can’t make my mind up on what to do next although I’m
very tempted to travel through Europe and maybe sometime in
the future study architecture.”
“I’m
sure whatever you decide you’ll be successful. I envy you
to some degree being carefree and single; if I hadn’t of met
Richard all those years ago I daresay I’d be accompanying you
on your travels. Now daddy has me enrolling into Harvard in
the hope I’ll follow in his footsteps and join his law firm when I
graduate. I’m beginning to have second thoughts as Richard
now wants to open his own law firm right here in Manhattan.”
“Choices and so many of them
, I think it’s perhaps the most
confusing time of my life. I remember times been simpler at the
Mont-Fleur and sometimes long to be back there, they were
some of the happiest times of my life!”
good friend as you.”
They hugged one another again it was good to be with Monika
she was so funny and light hearted.
“Hey I can’t wait to meet this lucky guy of yours, have you set
the wedding date yet?”
“He will be joining us for dinner later, he can’t wait to meet you
either, I told him so much about you. We haven’t set the
wedding date yet, but I imagine it will be sometime after I
graduate. Now come with me my parents are really excited at
the prospect of meeting you they’re waiting in the drawing
room.”
They walked arm in arm to the drawing room where Felicity
was introduced to Mr and Mrs Dawson, they all exchanged
pleasantries and talked about their time together at school.
Monika’s parents were much older than she envisaged in their
mid to late sixties. Mrs Dawson was tall, slim and remarkably
beautiful, while Mr Dawson was quite tall delicately hansom
with masses of curly salt and pepper colored hair. They
welcomed Felicity with open arms and insisted she stay with
them and cancel her room at the Hilton, there was ample place
here, and Monsieur Fredrik was welcome to stay in the staff
quarters. It was an offer she felt she couldn’t refuse and looked
forward to her stay even more with several weeks in this
beautiful house.
Felicity and Monika filled their days with clothes shopping;
light lunches a couple of hours of swimming and tennis in the
afternoon followed by a family evening dinner each night.
Richard was the perfect gentleman and was so pleased that her
friend was accompanying Monika. Felicity couldn’t be happier
for her dearest friend, although a little envious, she sometimes
longed for a man who would take her into his arms and shelter
her from the world. Being around Monika was great; Felicity
just wished she had all she had, her loving parents, and a
handsome protective boyfriend who would do anything for her.
Maybe it was time for her to find a man of her own.
Monika and Felicity went to shop in New York’s Fifth Avenue
several days before the official engagement party. Felicity
found the perfect outfit in Bergdorf Goodman, a deep red
Burberry Prism Sheer-Top Chiffon Gown in mulberry silk, it
was simply divine accentuating her tiny waist with its ruched
gathered at center panel. Monika choose a stunning Gucci
Floral-Embroidered Tulle Gown with crystals on the neckline
and shoulders, its Asymmetric, draped body and neckline fitting
her tall lean and petite figure perfectly, making Felicity envious
with her sheer extravagance.
Monika stood admiring her reflection in the generously lit full
length mirror; she wrapped her long black shiny hair up into a
knot admiring the crystals one by one, as they brought out the
natural sparkle of her oval hazel colored eyes.
had ever seen in her life, with exception to her mother of course.
“Monika you
look so beautiful, your choice of outfit is just
divine. Richard is the luckiest man alive; he will be flawed when
he sets his eyes upon you in this dress!”
“Thank
s, I very much hope he is, now all I need to find is some
earrings and shoes to finish this incredibly gorgeous gown off.
Will you help me?”
Their next stop was Tiffanies where Felicity fell in love with the
romantic swirl of several pairs of earrings with diamonds set in
platinum so delicately she thought if she touched them they
would break, much to her surprise they didn’t however the price
tag revealed they cost twenty nine thousand dollars. She handed
them back to the assistant reluctantly as she knew she couldn’t
afford them.
Monika opted for diamonds set in platinum in rose gold. Felicity
couldn’t bear to look at the price tag knowing they were double
the cost of what she was looking at. Felicity thought that
Monika certainly had expensive tastes; it seemed everything
Monika wanted she got regardless of the cost. Felicity wished
she could trade lives with her best friend only if it was for a day
she would be happy. Maybe there would be an eligible bachelor
after all at the party she could charm and hoped that he would
fall in love with her, shower her with expensive gifts, eventually
asking her for her hand in marriage, then she wouldn’t have to
be so dependent on the Madame, she could leave ensuring her
future was all taken care of in the luxury she longed for, to be
rid of the Madame once and for all was one of her many dreams.
Once the girls were finished with their shopping Monsieur
Fredrik relieved them of their numerous bags of clothes and
shoe boxes not even curious to what these two very little spoilt
bitches had purchased. He was tired of all their demands, he just
wanted to return to the Madame to serve her, he had no time for
the stupidity of young women with no manners and much to his
distaste little class.
On the eve of the engagement party the girls had various
appointments for their hair, makeup and nails that Monika’s
parents had arranged on their behalf as a surprise, they were
delighted, it was beginning to feel like it was Felicity’s
engagement also, the excitement at seeing the giant house
transformed in to a glitzy ambience, with workers everywhere
preparing the enormous tables with giant and decorative flowers,
candles and name cards for each guest. As far as Felicity could
see there were eight large banquet tables seating at least forty
guests or more on each one. Curiosity getting the better of her
she sought out her own name card and immediately checked
who was seated next to her, a Wilhelm Pearson on the right and
a Veronica Jordan on her left, she didn’t know either but the
name Wilhelm rang a few bells wasn’t it the architect who
designed this magnificent house? She secretly hoped so, how
splendid to be sat next to such a person, she would definitely
make more of an effort with her appearance and practice her
architectural knowledge so she could engage in conversation.
Breaking her from her thoughts Monsieur Fredrik informed her
he would be waiting in the limousine, as their beauty
appointment at John Barrett was in less than an hour. Where the
hell was Monika? Felicity made her way up the staircase to
search for her friend finding her in her bedroom suite.
Felicity did as she was told anxious to find out was it was that
Monika seemed to be hiding behind her back.
“Hold out your right hand, and don’t open your eyes until I tell
you.”
Monika placed a tiny black box into her friend’s right hand
while slowly counting to ten, “Okay, open your eyes.”
Felicity looked at the tiny tiffany box opening it up slowly and
to her surprise it was the platinum swirly diamond earrings she
had been looking at yesterday.
“Before you say anything, I noticed the way you were looking at
them yesterday, your hesitation to put them back. I had the
assistant put them to one side for me, knowing they would be
the perfect gift for you.”
“Oh my
God Monika they’re just divine, I had no idea, these are
by far the most extravagant gift I’ve ever received, and I don’t
know how to thank you and you’re enormous generosity!”
“Nonsense
, you don’t need to thank me, just having you here
with me sharing my joy and happiness at this time in my life is
huge gift I hold so dear. I can’t thank you enough; I wish you
could stay here forever, I’ll be so sad to see you leave in the next
couple of days.”
tears she hugged her friend wishing she could also stay.
“It’s a joy to be here with you and I’ll
also be sad to leave, but
let’s not think about that yet, I am still here and we must go
before we miss our beauty appointment, the grumpy old
Monsieur Fredrik is waiting for us.”
They departed arm in arm giggling to one another only too
pleased to be keeping the Monsieur waiting. Upon their return
Felicity made a long distance call to the Madame assuring her
that she was having a great time, carefully asking if the Madame
had heard of a gentleman called Wilhelm Pearson.
“In deed of course my dear I believe he is a very exclusive
architect from England originally, who has set up over in the
states, not far from where you are I believe. Why do you ask
Felicity?”
“Oh
Felicity that’s wonderful you must do as much networking
as you possibly can with this gentleman, call it a test if you will
my dear on how to use your perfect discretionally skills.”
With this Felicity said goodbye assuring the Madame She´d be
home in the next couple of days or so.
Felicity wondered if Monika’s parents were aware of the real
nature of the Madame’s business, although she doubted it,
apparently the old lady had made her fortune through old money
through various wealthy jockey clubs and her dead parents left
all their money and many businesses to their only child. The
Madame certainly had an extremely wealthy prestigious
reputation for being flamboyant with an exceptionally generous
nature. Felicity found it hard to believe the Madame also made
her money from the exploitation of glamorous women over the
globe. She would prove to the Madame she had what it takes to
succeed in her mother’s footsteps and then and only then she
would win over the Madame’s much awaited approval, however
as much as she wanted to be rid of her, she longingly craved her
approval at the same time, she didn’t know why it meant so
much to her but it did.
Felicity retired to her bedroom suite where she managed to find
the time to read some of the architectural journals she’d picked
up at the Architect Digest offices after her beauty treatment.
Tonight she planned on reading an article on Architecture,
Design, and Urban Planning in the United Kingdom. She
poured herself a vintage 1979 glass of Le Pin, courtesy of
Madame’s heavy over populated wine cellar. She had managed
to pack at least three bottles. Content with just her own
company this evening as Monika had reservations with Richard
at the Le Bernadine seafood restaurant, their last meeting before
the party tomorrow. Felicity didn’t want to intrude or play
gooseberry after all the girls had all day tomorrow to prepare for
the engagement party that was to start at six o clock in the
evening and as far as she was aware to go on in to the early
hours of Saturday morning. Changing into her silky cream
dressing gown, sipping on her wine she once again noticed the
name of Wilhelm Pearson in which there was a picture attached
to an article in which he had written called for contemporary and
gracious living. She felt a tingle of excitement in the lower part
of her stomach, so this was Wilhelm Pearson, he was dashingly
hansom dark haired and tall, she couldn’t take her eyes off his
amazing trim physique, he must do a lot of working out,
although he was perhaps fifteen to twenty years her senior, she
suddenly found herself intrigued in his work and the article that
was at least ten pages long. Included were huge glossary
photographs of his work, the most fascinating was The Stein
Haus located in Austria it’s key work of deconstructionist
architecture, made entirely of stone with the exception of glass
windows was perhaps the most fascinating piece of architecture
she had ever seen. Her mind was set she must have this man for
her own self whatever the cost. She began to set to work on her
cunning plan on how to achieve her goal.
Felicity and Monika spent the whole day back at John Barrett
hair salon where Monika had her long locks of hair dressed up
into a high French twist decorated with silver crystal flower
pins. Felicity opted for a long naturally blonde romantic look
with flowers and crystals in hair, styled with loose waves, half
up half down. Both girls looked incredibly beautiful and
glamorous, as their stylists worked with professionalism,
precision and accuracy. Both girls were asked for permission to
take photos for the salons gallery of famous celebrity glossaries
that filled the many walls; they were thrilled and keenly
accepted, after their makeup artist had finished pampering them.
All they had to do now was to return to the house and slip into
their gowns, shoes and accessorize.