2. Undercover Mission

Sebastian

I jolt awake as the sun hits me directly on the face. I squint my eyes, trying to remember where I am.

Ah, that's right. After seeing that woman across the street, I thought about approaching her but never got the chance. She got into a taxi and drove away.

So I went home.

I slowly get out of bed and get dressed so I can get ready for the day.

I grab my keys and call my driver, then walk out to the garage.

Today, I'm supposed to meet with my best friend and advisor, Lewis Hernandez for lunch. I have known Lewis since childhood, and he is the only person I trust besides my brother. I can never be comfortable with anyone knowing they could be after my money.

But Lewis never cared about material things and never asked me for monetary favors, so I feel safe around him.

Lewis is five foot ten with slicked-back black hair and deep brown eyes. I often envied him because he was already married with kids while I was still searching for my one true love.

"Sebastian! What took you so long?" Lewis complained.

I was supposed to meet him almost forty minutes ago, so he was probably thinking about leaving when I texted him.

"Sorry, I had a late night." I shrug.

Lewis lifts his brows. "Oh? Did you finally get laid?"

"I wish," I said. "What's new with you?" I look at him curiously. Lewis was always up to something.

I find him interesting, which is why I keep him around. Lewis always had funny stories up his sleeves, and god knows I need a good laugh from time to time.

"Oh, a whole lot of nothing. Things have been so boring these past couple of weeks. But I did hear a piece of funny news the other day," Lewis said.

"Oh? Do tell," I urge him to go on.

"Have you heard what Mary Holloway's daughter Jessica did?" Lewis asked me.

I narrow my eyes and try to remember who Mary Holloway was. "Who the hell is Mary Holloway?" I finally asked when I couldn't remember a thing. I meet so many people at parties and business meetings. It is quite hard to keep up sometimes.

"Are you kidding me? She is a famous painter and a multi-millionaire. Do you not keep up with these people, rich man?" Lewis teased me.

"I try not to," I shrugged. "I can hardly remember the names of the women I slept with."

"You are terrible, but anyway, Mary keeps her daughter on a tight leash and wouldn't let her go out and explore the world because she thinks the world is too dangerous for his precious little daughter. So the daughter decided to go missing," Lewis laughed.

"What do you mean missing?" I lean over. The story is suddenly getting interesting.

"I mean, she literally ran away from home, and to cover her tracks, she pretended to be a maid with the help of an online boyfriend," Lewis said.

"No kidding," I laugh. Kids these days would do anything to gain freedom.

"Nope. I'm dead serious. She went as far as changing her name. After pretending for almost a month, she came back to her rich lifestyle and told her mother to fuck off because she doesn't wanna be kept inside like a doll," Lewis said.

"Gotta admire her spirit," I grin.

A lightbulb suddenly turns on in my brain as something comes to my mind.

What if I do the same thing as the girl Jessica and change my identity for a while? All these years, people only saw me as some rich guy who only cared about money and power. No one attempted to know the real me. I keep up the appearance by acting stoic and proud. I never get to have any real fun. My work consumed his life, and it's to make some changes in his life.

"This gives me an idea," I look at Lewis and smile.

"Uh-oh, what's going on in that genius brain of yours?" Lewis looks at me suspiciously.

"I am going to follow Jessica's footsteps and experience the real world," I declared.

"You're gonna pretend to be a maid?" Lewis roars with laughter. "I can't imagine the multibillionaire Sebastian Stanley cleaning people's toilets and making beds. You won't last for a day," Lewis shakes his head in disapproval.

"Is that a challenge?" I grinned. I always liked a good challenge.

"Wait, you're serious, aren't you?" Lewis asked.

"Well, I don't necessarily mean I will be a maid, but I could get a blue-collar job. What do you think?" I asked.

Lewis looks like he is thinking about it for a moment. "Not a bad idea. You might find out who are your real friends that way. But how are you going to pull that off? Have you ever worked anywhere besides your company? I mean, you were born with a golden spoon in your mouth," Lewis smirked.

"I take offense to that," I chuckle, but I know he isn't wrong. "You must've forgotten, my dear friend, but I took many engineering courses at my University. So I could easily get a job as a maintenance man," he said. "I am not all appearance. I am perfectly capable of working hard," I add.

Lewis gives me an admiring glance. He knows I am never fully happy with the life I have. Sure I have all the money in the world, but I can never trust another person without thinking they are after my money. I am constantly wary of being used by other people.

"I'll support you with anything you need," Lewis said.

"Thank you, I knew I could count on you," I said and patted Lewis on the back.

****

Later in the evening, I call my brother to the office for an emergency meeting. I have always been close to my brother, Simon, so I know I can trust them with my secret plan. Besides, I need him to take care of the company in my absence.

"Hold on. You are telling me that you want to be an undercover poor person?" Simon chuckled.

"Well...I wouldn't exactly put it like that, but yeah...basically," I replied.

"But why?" Simon asked.

"I am tired of all this glitz and glamour with fake people and their fake smiles. I want to make real friends and maybe find my one true love," I said seriously.

"Pfft...love. Who has time for that?" Simpon scoffed.

"I don't, which is why I'm doing this. I need a break from this company and flashy assholes who only want to be my friend because I'm rich," I said. I have a grim expression on my face, so Simon realizes I am being serious about this. I am miserable in this life.

"What can we do to help?" Simon asked.

"I am going to put you in charge of this company while I go undercover. Then I have to figure out how to get a regular job to make my new identity convincing. I am thinking about getting a job as a handyman," I said.

"That's easy. We just opened a new hotel in the city that none of us have visited yet. The staff has no idea what we look like yet, so I can get you a job as the maintenance man there. No one will know. Besides, you look different when you're not wearing a suit," Simon suggested.

I think about it. It is a brilliant idea. This way, I can oversee the business while working there. With me being undercover, the staff will act normal around me. This way, I can weed out the bad employees as well as reward the good ones.

It will be like killing two birds with one stone.

"I love the idea. Get me a job in the hotel, and I'll take care of the rest," I said.