Love, Lies and Billionaires

“Mr Harding has been looking all over the place for you,” Louise attacked as soon as she saw Maren walk into the main grounds of the hall.

She sped up her walking pace as Maren angrily marched towards the where Kendrick stood with some men. Louise turned to look at her boss and noticed her demeanour while keeping up the pace. “Is everything alright?”

Maren just kept her eyes forward, and just as she was about reaching where he stood, she fixed her face. “I’m fine. Let just wrap this up and get the hell out of here”

“Where have you been, Maren?”

On normal terms, Maren’s heart would have skipped a beat hearing him pronounce her name for the first time, but she’d bottled up too much anger that the beat wouldn’t skip.

“I got caught up in some shit. I’m sorry.” She explained, her face completely relaxed. She wasn’t going to let Alexander ruin this night. “What am I needed for?”

Kendrick studied her for a while, his hands clasped behind him. “Nothing much, just some questions from the press”

*****

You’re saying you’ve never seen this place before?”

Maren shrugged, but kept her eyes out the moving car window with a smile on her face. “Nope,”

“And you’re not bothered about it?”

“Well, Louise had contacted her by my request and, according to research, she’s the best in the state. So, no, I’m not bothered at all” the breeze swept her hair into her eyes but she didn’t bother removing it. The air smelt so fresh.

Mummy, where are we going?” Nathan, who had been quiet since the beginning of the journey. Maren, for the first time since the journey, Maren looked away from the open window.

She made sure she put it back up, then turned to her little son, who was curled up in her mom’s arms. She stretched out her arms. “Come here you”

Nathan excitedly crawled into her arms and settled on her laps. “Mummy is going to make us very happy, baby” she said, and gave him a peck on his cheeks which made him giggle.

“Weren’t we happy, mummy?” he asked, innocently.

Maren smiled, trying not to look in her mom’s direction as she could feel the ‘I told you so’ scowl on her face. “Of course we are, baby. I just want us to live better and never have to worry about anything, alright?”

“Yeah?” he answered, not really getting the point.

Maren finally glanced at her mom, who just looked away from her. “Where we’re going, Zack’s doesn’t live too far from there, you know?”

“Really?” He asked, his face brightened a little.

“Of course,” Maren answered, happy that she’d made the right move.

“Can I go over to his house, mummy?” Maren thought for a while before looking back down at him.

“Well, why not-”

“Yay!” He exclaimed happily, then resumed playing with the toy truck in his hands. Maren smiled and gently kissed his hair.

“You cheat,” her mom accused with a smile playing on her lips.

Maren just chuckled, “Learnt from the best.” Her mom just shook her head, then turned to the road ahead of them.

Maren did so too and watched the car in front of them as it moved steadily, careful to move too far from theirs. She wondered how much longer it would take, at the same time she loved the suspense.

Minutes passed, then suddenly, the car began to reduce its acceleration. Then, they turned a corner and a massive black gate with no see through barriers came to view.

Both cars stopped and waited for the gate to open completely before driving in.

“Looking good,” Maren said as the car moved through the gate. They drove further inside as that was in sight were low hedges which were used to outline the path the cars took.

“Oh, my god!” Maren gasped as a building came into full sight after about twenty seconds of driving. The car in front of theirs was the first to pull into the parking lot, then theirs followed suit.

“So miss Sharppe, this is it,” a slim lady in a designer suit and a bob announced with a smile as she got out of the first car.

“It’s beautiful,” Mrs Sharppe complemented, her neck raised high to view the building.

“It’s massive!” Maren’s grin was the broadest as her eyes sparkled with admiration

“This way, please,” the slim lady instructed, her voice coated with self pride. They all obeyed and walked towards the main door. The lady pushed in the large heavy door which opened the marvellous sight within.

“Who did you say built this again?” Maren asked, not taking her eyes off the unfathomable yet incredible statue in the middle of the room.

“It was built in the nineteen forties by a lord and his second wife. But it was renovated not too long ago by my teen to fit in our modern designs’ ‘ she explained.

Maren walked around the empty space of the castle-like house and headed for a staircase which stood at each end of the room. She went up a few steps, then looked down. The space was large enough to harbour a lot of guests for a party.

She smiled, as her next move had just crept into her mind.

“Shall I show you to the garden?” She said and walked straight from the statue to a door at the side of the room.

They all followed behind, astonished, and watched her push open the door to a breathtakingly majestic garden, which sprawled across acres of thoroughly manicured terrain.

“Wow!” Nathan exclaimed, taking the word out of everyone’s lips.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

Lots of green grass stretched towards the edges but was broken by clusters of ancient trees which seemed to have been there for as long as the original structure was. They were old, but they showed signs of extreme care over the years.

The stone path was clean and shiny, which matched the outer walls of the fountain which stood in the middle of everything.

Overall, the best detail about it was the tranquillity which the atmosphere bore. ‘Perfect for meditation and dirty business,’ Maren thought, a mischievous grin playing at her lips.

“Mummy, whose house is this?” Nathan asked, his brows still raised in childish wonder.

“This, my love, is our humble abode.”