Chapter 20: The Architect of Shadows
The debt was growing. The hospital had called again, reminding Eliana that the grace period for her mother's deposit was expiring. The small tips she earned assisting Anita wouldn't cut it. It was time. Anita called in a favor from a high-end designer who owed her for a past discretion, and they spent an entire afternoon locked in the dressing room.
The goal was total anonymity. "If anyone from your old life walks into this club, they cannot know it's you," Anita insisted. They experimented with wigs, but they felt too fake. Finally, they settled on the mask—a delicate, custom-made piece of Venetian lace in a deep, bloody crimson. It sat perfectly across Eliana's brow, obscuring the upper half of her face while emphasizing the fullness of her lips and the sharp line of her jaw. As Anita tightened the ribbons at the back of her head, Eliana felt a strange sensation. The mask wasn't just hiding her; it was freeing her. Behind the lace, the shy waitress from the restaurant vanished. In her place stood a woman who could handle the weight of a million-naira tragedy.