Hidden : Under the masks ( english version)

Chapter 2 -Safiatou-

Wow, it's really huge, I thought as I stared at the large building in front of me. At the entrance, two men in elegant suits opened the door for us. The one on the left was particularly handsome, with eyes a shade of blue I had never seen before. But that didn't mean I was falling for him—my one and only love was walking beside me. But I couldn't say anything, we were on a mission. I really didn't know what was going through his mind at the moment. He seemed really tense at the airport. Deep down, I understood; a task like this was hard to accomplish. But everything will go well, I'm sure of it. They will pay. For my mother, for my father, for our parents.

"Welcome!" said a female voice that suddenly appeared at the reception. "I hope the journey wasn't too exhausting for you."

By her attire and the necklace she wore, we could guess she wasn't a member of the staff.

"Not at all. Just a bit affected by the jet lag," Tidiane replied with a smile.

My God... he's so charming when he smiles.

"Latifa, pleased to meet you," the woman said as she shook both our hands.

Latifa Al-Zahra. So, this is the person. According to Tidiane's dossier, she's the wife of Sheikh Al-Maktoum, whom she has been married to for thirty-three years. That's a long time, indeed, very long. They have two children together: Salima and Rashid.

"Follow me," she added.

After taking the elevator and passing through another door, we finally arrived at their home.

"This is where you'll be working."

She gave us a tour of the apartment, which is as big as my neighborhood in Pikine, Senegal. The kitchen is extremely well-equipped, and the living room is very chic, as expected. Judging by the deer heads and other animals mounted on the walls, there must be a hunter in the family. Tidiane didn't seem surprised; he was probably already aware of all this. We didn't meet anyone; Mr. Al-Maktoum was in his office, and the children were out, probably having fun at a club. It was time to see our room. It was quite suitable for servants.

"Well... I'll leave you to your privacy."

"Thank you!" I replied with a big smile.

I waited for her to leave before lying down on the bed. It was more comfortable than my DODO brand mattress back in my room.

"I'll take the floor. You can have the bed."

"No worries, I don't mind sleeping on the floor."

"I insist."

I wish this marriage were real... that you were sharing this bed with me.

Mrs. Latifa returned to the room a few seconds later.

"I'll need your passports," she announced.

Tidiane and I exchanged a sudden glance.

"Don't worry, I'll return them when you go to see your relatives. It's just standard procedure."

We exchanged looks again, and Tidiane nodded before we handed over our passports.

"Very well. Thank you for your cooperation," she said with a smile. "Get ready, we're expecting guests. Everything must be ready before eight o'clock."

"Yes, ma'am," I replied, before she left the room.

Tidiane and I remained silent for a moment, then one of us spoke.

"Let's get started," he said, turning his head towards his bag, which he began to open.

He dumped the contents of the bag onto the floor, locked the bedroom door, grabbed a knife from the nightstand beside a fruit bowl, and slashed the fabric of the bag. He pulled out small metal disks and handed them to me.

"You know what to do," he whispered, his gaze intense.

I took the small disks from his hands and carefully kept them.

Once I had put on the uniform, I headed to the living room to clean and organize the cups and trays according to madam's instructions. Meanwhile, Tidiane was tasked with picking up the twins before the guests arrived.

I didn't find anyone in the living room, Bingo! This gave me the opportunity to carry out the first task assigned to me. I took three of the small disks, pressed a button that emitted faint beeps, and placed them: one in the center of the mounted heads on the wall, the second in the hallway leading to Salima's room.

"Safiatou?"

Out of fear, I jumped and dropped the third disk. I suddenly started to feel hot, a knot forming in my stomach. Damn it!