That's the reality, if you want life to be as it was.
Donald asked, "Did you realize that we're being followed, Mr. Stanley?"
"Yes." He already had noticed of them for the past twenty-four hours.
The two men and the woman were dressed casually, attempting to blend in with the summer tourists strolling along the cobbled streets in the early morning, but it was difficult to remain inconspicuous in a place like Monte Carlo. It is a worldwide well known city with its Casinos, Museums and Gardens.
Robert Stanley had first become aware of them because they were too casual, trying too hard not to look at him. Wherever he turned, one of them was in his background. Robert Stanley was an easy target to follow. He was six feet tall, with white hair lapping over his collar and an aristocratic, almost imperious face. He was accompanied by a strikingly lovely young blonde girl, a pure-black German shepherd, and Donald Herman, a six- foot four-inch bodyguard with a bulging neck and sloping forehead. Hard to lose us, Stanley thought. He knew who had sent them and why, and he was filled with a sense of imminent danger. He had learned long ago to trust his instincts. Instinct and intuition had helped make him one of the wealthiest men in the world.
Forbes magazine estimated the value of Stanley Enterprises at seven billion dollars, while the Fortune 500 appraised it at nine billion. The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, and The Financial Times had all done profiles on Robert Stanley, trying to explain his mystique, his amazing sense of timing, the great ability that had to create the giant Stanley Enterprises. None of them had fully succeeded to give adequate explanation. What they all agree on was that he had a real and substantially big manic energy. He was inexhaustible. His philosophy was simple: A day without making a deal was a day wasted without making money. He was able to eliminate his competitors, his staff, and everyone else who came in contact with him. He was a psychic phenomenon. He was his own man, after all. He was a religious man. He believed in God, and the God he believed in wanted him to be rich and successful, and his enemies dead. Robert Stanley was a public figure, and the press knew everything about him. Robert Stanley was a private figure, and the press knew nothing about him. They had written about his charisma, his lavish life-style, his private plane and his yacht, and his legendary homes in Hawaii, Morocco, Long Island, London, the South of France, and of course his magnificent estate, Bell Air, in West Los Angeles. But the real Robert Stanley remained a mystery.
"Where are we going?" the woman asked.
He was too preoccupied to answer. The couple on the other side of the street was using the cross switch technique, and they had just changed partners again. Along with his sense of danger, Stanley felt a deep anger that they were invading his privacy. They had dared to come to his place, his secret haven from the rest of the world.
Monaco is the second smallest independent state in the world (after the Vatican) and is almost entirely urban. Monte Carlo is not the capital of Monaco but a government district. The country is divided into four areas: Monaco-Ville (the old city), the Condamine (port quarter), Monte-Carlo (business and recreation), and Fontvieille (recreation and light industry). With no natural resources to exploit other than its location and climate, the principality has become a resort for tourists and a tax haven for businesses. Monaco is six times the size of the Vatican and still remains the world's most densely populated independent country.
The nearest airport is the Nice Côte-d'Azur International, which is around 40 kilometers (24.85 miles) away from the city-center in neighboring France. It operates daily flights to nearly all of Europe's main cities, such as London, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Brussels, Frankfurt and Zurich. There are regular Rapides Cote D’Azur buses connecting Monte Carlo with both the terminals at Nice Cote-D'Azur airport, and taxis are always available outside the terminal buildings.
Monte Carlo is easily accessed by its land borders from France or Italy by a network of highways, most commonly used of which is the A8 which runs west from Monte Carlo to Nice and Marseilles, and east towards the Italian border.
Monaco-Ville is known as “le rocher” or “the rock.” It is still a medieval village at heart and an astonishingly picturesque site. It is made up almost entirely of pedestrian streets and passageways and most previous century houses still remain. There a number of hotels, restaurant and souvenir shops tourists can stay, eat and shop at. Everybody can also visit the Prince's Palace, the Cathedral, the Oceanographic Museum, the City Hall, and the Saint Martin Gardens.
The Palais Princier (Prince's Palace) is in old Monaco- Ville. There are guided tours of the palace each day and usually run around the clock. The Palace also offers a breathtaking panoramic view overlooking the Port and Monte-Carlo. Every day in front of the Palace's main entrance visitors can watch the changing of the guard ceremony performed by the "Carabiniers." “Carabiniers” are not only in charge of the Princes’ security but they offer Him a Guard of Honor and on special occasions, are His escorts. The “Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince” has a military band (Fanfare), which performs at public concerts, official occasions, sports events and international military music festivals.
The Monaco Cathedral was built in 1875 and stands on the site of a 13th century earlier church. It is a Romanesque- Byzantine church dedicated to Saint Nicolas and houses the remains of former Princes of Monaco and Princess Grace.
The church square also contains some of Monaco-Ville's finest restaurants.
The Oceanographic Museum and Aquarium is a world- renowned attraction. Located above sea level, the museum contains stunning collections of marine fauna, numerous specimens of sea creatures (stuffed or in skeleton form), models of Prince Albert’s laboratory ships, and craft ware made from the sea’s natural products. On the ground floor, exhibitions and film projections are presented daily in the Conference room. In the basement, visitors can take pleasure in watching spectacular shows of marine flora and fauna. With 4,000 species of fish and over 200 families of invertebrates, the aquarium is now an authority on the presentation of the Mediterranean and tropical marine ecosystem. Finally, visitors can have lunch in “La Terrasse” and visit the museum gift shop.
T The Jardin Exotique (Exotic Gardens) is one of the many gardens Monaco has to offer. It is also one of Monaco’s finest tourist attractions. Several thousand rare plants from around the world are presented in a walking tour that is quite memorable for the views as well as the flora and plants. Due to the rise in altitude, not only are there many displays of desert plants but there are a handful of subtropical flora displays as well. There is also a grotto (cave) that has scheduled guided tours.
The Monaco Opera House or Salle Garnier was built by the famous architect Charles Garnier. The auditorium of the opera house is decorated in red and gold and has frescoes and sculptures all around the auditorium. Looking up to the ceiling of the auditorium, the visitor will be blown away by the superb paintings. The opera house is flamboyant but at the same time very beautiful. There have been some of the most superior international performances of ballet, opera and concerts held in the opera house for more than a century.
The Marlborough Fine Arts Gallery was founded in London by Frank Lloyd and Harry Fischer. A second gallery was opened in Rome, another in New York, and one more in Monaco. The gallery holds a grand collection of post