3:55pm: manhattan, new york
A young woman stood in front of her mirror trying to figure out if she should apply lipstick or lipgloss.
Iipstick
she shrugged as she applied the cherry red colored llipstick. She looked at herself one last time. Black coat,Black Suede Flared Heel Knee High Boots, a pleated skirt ,her hair styled in a silk low bun.
Perfect.
and with that she was out the door making her way through the busy streets of Manhattan, her hands buried in her pockets to seek a little bit of warmth.
She finally arrived at a small bar,
"The Red door Bar".
She chuckled softly and slightly shook her head. Ofcourse, leave it to him to choose a bar with such an ironic name.
She pushed open the heavy door, entering the rustling and bustling bar, letting the warm air bring a little more color to her face. Scanning the bar as she removes her coat, She spotted him sitting close to a window.
Franky Hugo.
A 50 year old short statured man, around 5'4 with a rounded face, slightly paunchy, with a rounded stomach, and thinning, receding hairline with a very noticeable blading top,his grayish dark hair combed back to cover his balding spot. She walked over to him.
"Hello Franky". she kissed him on the cheek. "Red door, huh?, You're such a character, aren't you?" she said sitting down, straightening her skirt as she crossed her legs.
"Oh well you know, red bar, you're red. I thought it was really good,have a sense of humor red, always so serious", he smirked lifting his vodka to his lips. His pinky finger decorated with a huge, crested gold ring. He offered her his drink, but she shock her head.
Pulling a blunt from a casing in her handbag, she lit it and began smoking it.
"Still don't like alcohol?" He asked, eyeing her through his glass. "nice to see some things didn't change while you were away. You know that stuff will kill you one day".
"Not if alcohol kills you first", she smiled. " You know, some people would considered marijuana medicinal, but I've never heard the same for booze".
He shrugged. "it keeps an old man sane and warm, and you know George Bernard Shaw once said 'Alcohol is the anesthesia by which we endure the operation of life'.
She joined in unison as he said it, making him chuckle.
"I know, love, you've said it over and over and over and over,it's literally burnt into my mind. And Franky you're not old".
"Good to have you have back, Red. Was beginning to think you were considering retirement", he raised his glass to her.
"When it's just getting good? Come on, I love my job. It's therapeutic",she exhaled loudly smiling, with her eyes closed as she relaxed into the chair, taking another drag of her blunt.
"Only you would consider stealing from people therapeutic", he scoffed.
"What have you got for me, because I know damn well you didn't call me just to hangout", she sat up, putting on a serious face, as stubbed out the blunt in an ash tray on the table.
Franky got serious too, picking up and proceeding to open a brief case he kept by his side.
"Ever heard Ḥajar 'alf lahab?"
"Very little to no information. The stone of a thousand flame?" She asked, and he nodded.
" Go on".
" Yes, well apparently an article on two diamonds weighing about 189.62 carats, a white and a red diamond, was first published in the 1578" Before going on, he handed her a printed newspaper dated 1578.
"it's first public appearance, along with the white diamond, orlov diamond, where it was believed to have been minned around that time in india. Both Stolen by a Hindu priest around 17th century, later sold to a merchant named Afanasiev. Now, the thing is, it didn't say if the priest sold both the diamonds to the merchant. Only the orlov diamond was accounted for. Everyone forgot about the red diamond, that is, the Ḥajar 'alf lahab diamond, until April 10th 1912".
Red looked up from the newspaper she was studying "Titanic?"
"Yes, amazing isn't it?", He said, handing her another old newspaper print of a group of people posting for a picture close to the Titanic. He used a marker to circle out a young woman from the crowd; she was wearing a huge neckpiece with an enormous stone.
"That it?" Red asked, pointing her manicured long finger at the jewelry hung around the woman's neck.
"Yup,miss Rosemary Watsons Muñoz, daughter of a very wealthy Spanish nobel family. Apparently, it was gifted to her upon her betrothal to an Arabian prince; how they came to own it, no one knows. Sadly, she was on board the Titanic when it sank; the jewelry apparently was lost again.
"Let me guess, it's found again" she raised a brow at franky.
"Apparently, the Arabian prince who lost his beloveth became distorted with grief and madness, found a way to reclaim his beloveth Rosemary Watson's remains, along with the Ḥajar 'alf lahab, during the many several expeditions that followed after the Titantic sank, probably around 1930-40s.
So, the diamond returned back to the Arabian prince around that period. But within that period, he was so grief he took his own life. The diamond,apparently, since then has been past down through far-flung family member and relatives around the world".
Frankly pulled up another news paper, but it was a current newspaper this time, a cut-out of a picture of man standing on a Podium.
I've tracked the diamond to him", Franky tapped on the picture of the man.
"Mr. Aiden Asghar Wells. Apparently, a descendant of the Arabian Prince. A big fish in the business world. Been on a lot of magazine covers, news, and rumor scandals, owns and partners with a bunch of tech companies, manufacturing, oil companies, you name it."
"Impressive," Red said, picking up the picture to look at him again.
"They're willing to pay a lot of money for this, Red. Like a lot, triple anything we've gotten."
"Is there a deadline to get the job done?" Red asked, waving over a waiter to bring a Diet Coke. She was clearly very interested; anything that brings in a payday is worth bringing her out of her vacation.
In the underground world, she was fiercely sought after because of her reputation. She never once failed to get a job done, never been caught. No one knew who Red was, if she was a man or a woman, her real name, where she was. A ghost with no fingerprints whatsoever, shrouded in mystery. Kept her selling like hotcakes.
" Is there a deadline to get the job done?" Red asked , Wavering over a waiter to bring a diet Coke. She was clearly very interested, anything that brings in payday is worth bringing her out of her vacation. In the underground world she was fiercely sort after because of her reputation.she never once failed to get a job done,never been caught. No one knew who Red was if she was a man or a woman, her real name,where she was. A ghost with no fingerprints whatsoever shrouded in mystery. Kept her selling like hotcakes.
Her only means of communication between her and her contractors was Franky; he alone knew her physically, but not her background, where she stayed, where she was from, or even her real name. That was proper business. Neither did she know anything about Franky, if that was his real name. They had been business partners and good friends for years. Her only friend, if she was being honest. Keeping any real form of connection or friendship can be a potential threat or weak spot.
"Deadline is in two months, but if we're lucky, we can get it done within two weeks or three," Franky said, collecting all the papers from the table and putting them back in the suitcase. "Mr. Wells is holding an annual charity grand event at his personal residence here in Manhattan, where the diamond should be."
" Franky?"
" Yes?"
"You're proposing I go to the event as a guest, then retrieve the diamond from there? During the event?"
"Retrieve?" Franky raised an eyebrow at her, suppressing his smile. "You mean steal."
"Yes, but you know I hate the word; it makes me look like a bad person," she was also trying to suppress a smile. "I'm just an average person trying to make a living. I mean, I don't kill. It's just worldly treasures. You know, they're all rich people; they'll probably buy new stuff when I take from them." She took a sip from her drink.
"Nothing about you is average, Miss Red, "Franky laughed before returning back to business. "Yes, I believe the charity event will be the perfect time. I mean, people are trooping in and out of the house, more access to some parts of the house, a lot of distractions. He won't know what hit him until the event is over. You'd be far gone by then, plus the best part is it's a masked charity event!".
"Oh no, Franky, you mean I have to put on one of those funny-looking ball masks?" She smirked playfully at him, playing with her straw before taking another sip.
"Plus, you can actually have fun there, you know, meet one or two people, maybe make out or fuck someone there."
"Jesus! Franky!" She spat her drink out of her mouth, looking for a napkin.
"I'm just saying. I care about you, believe it or not,".
Red rolled her eyes at that.
"You're young, you're beautiful, you're always about work, work. You should loosen up a little, have some fun. When you get old like me, you'll start wishing you had a social life." Franky tapped the top of his thinning hair, trying to cover it up with more hair.
"Again, Franky, you're not old. Plus, I don't need a social life. I mean, I'm pretty happy already. I like being alone, and I have you," she defended, still trying to clean the stains of the Diet Coke on her top.
"That's sweet. You don't even have a pet! Get a pet, Red."
"No, no, no, thank you. I'm fine, really," she said dismissively, waving her fingers in the air.
"So, the charity event then. When is it?"
"Two weeks from now. The address, dress code, and other relevant information you need to know is here," he said, handing her a long, brown envelope. "I got you an invitation, because entry is strictly by invitation. The floor plan for his residence and other details for the job are also here."
Franky got up, putting on his coat and hat, before gulping the remaining liquid in his glass. "I'll email you any other updates or information you may need before then. Until then, till next time we meet," he tipped his hat at her before walking out of the bar and disappearing into the ever-busy, moving stream of people.
Red relaxed back in her chair as she picked up the envelope to stash in her handbag. She saw that Franky had left behind the picture of the target. She picked it up and stared at the blurry picture as she sipped her drink.
"Aiden Asghar Wells," she whispered to herself.