Whispers of Ambition

Jane waited patiently in front of the airport exit. Her flight had arrived a little earlier than expected, so she assumed that her father might have been delayed, but the person who came to collect her was someone holding a little sign with her name on it.

— Sorry for the delay, Miss Donovan. — The Asian woman in the business suit spoke as she approached. — I looked for you inside, but you had already left

Not just because she was wearing a brooch with the Donovan family emblem on it, Jane also recognised the cautious, overly formal manner in which the servants in her house usually spoke.

Jane smiled as she came closer, trying to make her less tense. Many people had told her from a very young age that she had the smile of an angel.

— Don't worry about it, I left quickly because I wanted to get some air. It wasn not your fault.

The woman's shoulders slowly slumped. She tucked the nameplate she was holding under her arm to introduce herself:

— I am Hazel Smith, I will help you for now. Please, follow me.

Jane obeyed and the two walked together to the silver Mercedes parked a few metres away. Hazel opened the back door for her to get in and put her things in the boot of the car before sitting down in the driver's seat.

New York, the city where she had spent only a few days of her childhood, would now be the place where she would live from now on. Despite being her father's hometown, she had visited the place a few times during the holidays, but after joining the boarding school these visits were no longer possible.

Her father owned an up-and-coming liquor business, and even in a moving car, Jane recognised the affiliated bars and billboard advertisements. It was his dream alone, which he had consolidated without his parents' support and which was now receiving the prestige and attention he had always dreamed of.

Much of his father's success came from his partnerships and contracts, he knew that, but nothing took away his pride in having got where he was without his family's support. With his friends, he toasted and celebrated every contract he closed, bragging about his success while shouting his father's name and demanding that he recognise this victory from the grave.

Jane was surprised to receive a letter from him asking her to return immediately. Joceline's death was still fresh, which led her to think that he wanted her around to keep him company, but the reason explained in the letter was quite different.

Ever since Jane had been enrolled at the church boarding school in Italy, she had thought that her most likely future was to become a fairground girl. She didn't mind this too much, as she had always been more resigned to what happened to her than her older sister.