THE BILLIONAIRE SECRET HOUSE KEEPER

Belle French sat in a back room in a small precinct office of the New York Police Department. She had been on her lunch break when it happened. Her father always warned her of taking short cuts through alleyways but she figured it was during the day, the streets were busy – what could possibly happen?

She was halfway through the alley when she heard voices: a man and a woman arguing. She hid behind a trash bin, too afraid to even move. She could hear every word they were saying. The man and woman stepped out into the main alleyway and she saw them clearly. The woman had a gun – she pulled it out and shot the man, and he fell to the ground. Startled, Belle stumbled and made a noise. The woman turned around, and she locked eyes with Belle. And Belle ran. To Belle's surprise, the woman didn't chase her. But Belle knew that the woman recognized her immediately.

Maurice French moved himself and his daughter Belle to New York when Belle was fifteen years old. He was a successful business mogul in Melbourne, Australia, and wanted to expand his business, and knew that the best way to do that was to move to the states. He chose to settle in New York with Belle. He was the owner and CEO of French's, a large department store that had locations throughout the globe. He had hoped that Belle would take some interest in his business, and when she was sixteen she started working at his offices. Belle, however, had other aspirations. She enjoyed reading and studying and wanted to go to school and study, of all things, library science. Maurice – Moe to his friends and family – wasn't happy with the prospect of his daughter earning the meager living of a librarian. She was an heiress – she was certainly meant for better things than that. But Belle had her own mind, which Moe realized very early on. Able to afford whatever she desired, Belle was able to obtain her Bachelor and Masters degrees in Library Science. She worked at the New York Public Library and was one of the administrators at their largest branch in Manhattan.

The petite blonde looked quite a bit younger than her thirty years of age, and would often still get recognized on the streets of New York. During her late teens, she did a bit of modeling for the ads and commercials for her father's store. Several of those ads made their way to Times Square, and Belle's face was seen on billboards throughout the city. She was "The Face of French's" as the media called her. Belle was a stunningly beautiful young lady, but she had no aspirations for modeling or fame or any of that. She only did the ads as a favor to her father. She often regretted doing so, because it was a legacy that had become difficult to escape. And this legacy was one that she regretted as she met the gaze of the murderous woman.

All she had wanted was a quick bite to eat and a cup of coffee before returning to work for the day. And now she was trapped in a police station. After witnessing the shooting, Belle stopped the first police officer she could find, and was taken to the nearest precinct. She was asked to look through several books of mug shots to identify the woman, and was stunned to find the woman's picture among them. The moment she identified the woman she saw in the alley, she was whisked into a back room. The room had no windows and only a small light. They took her purse and there was no telephone or any means of communication in the room. She was told to wait, and someone would be in to talk to her. She waited for what seemed like hours until finally someone entered.

"Hi – I'm David Nolan, I'm with the Federal Bureau of Investigation." the man said to Belle.

"The FBI? What's going on?" Belle asked nervously. David sat down and motioned for Belle to do the same.

"The woman that you identified – had you ever seen her before today?" David asked.

"No. Never." Belle said. "Who is she?"

"Regina Mills." David said. "We've been trying to get her for years. She heads an organized crime syndicate here in New York, and we suspect she has locations in Boston, Philadelphia, and possibly D.C. Problem is we have no proof of criminal activity. Until now. You're positive that she saw you?"

"Yes. She saw me. I'd say she recognized me too from the look on her face." Belle said.

"Right – the face of French's, I remember that ad." David said. "Miss French – are you willing to testify, in court, to what you heard Regina Mills say, and that you saw her kill Graham Humbert?"

"Is that the man's name?" Belle asked.

"He was a fed. He was working undercover for Regina for the past three months, was coming close to getting evidence of RICO violations, and I think she caught on. He was a good man." David said. "Your testimony can help us put her away. But if she saw you – you could be in danger. We do have a means to protect you though. Have you ever heard of the Witness Protection Program?"

"You mean – I have to start a new life somewhere? What about my family, my friends, my job?" Belle asked.

"Unfortunately – they can't contact you and you can't contact them. Miss French, once Regina is brought to trial and her entire syndicate is brought down, you can return to your life." David said.

"But if you catch her, then why -"

"Unfortunately, Miss French – based on what Agent Humbert reported before he died, Regina Mills isn't the ringleader of this syndicate as we originally thought. There's someone else – and he was close to finding out who that someone was. Too close, apparently. So even if we got Regina – your life would still be in danger. As would your family, friends – anyone close to you." David said.

"How long will it take?" Belle asked.

"We already have another agent on it. Two of them, actually. It could be months or – years." Belle remained quiet for a moment. "Miss French – this crime syndicate has been on our radar for over a decade. They're very smart, and they're very careful. You're the first person, ever, to witness a crime in action that's actually survived. We need your help. People have died, Miss French. Innocent people – too many to even count." David told her.

"Can I at least say goodbye to my father?" Belle asked.

"We can let him know that you're safe, but that's it. I'm sorry." David said. "If you were married or had underage children there is precedent for them to be protected along with you, but – well that's not the case."

"Well I don't really have much of a choice, do I?" Belle asked. "So now what?"

"Well – one of our agents will be here in a bit to get you moved and settled once the arrangements are finalized. You'll get a new name, new job, new look – we'll probably have to have your hair dyed a darker color, you're too recognizable with the blonde hair. We've got a secure hotel room to take you to for now until all of the details are set. Are you ready to go?" David asked.

"I suppose I have to be." Belle said. At that moment, she really wished she had brought her lunch from home that day.