Beautiful Release

I nodded at the young man, "yeah, about now. I was a little early after last night."

"I'll be sure to put your on, the same time we make the staff breakfast then," he said with a smile.

"Do you make a meal just for me?" I asked.

The young man paused, "Miss Lays tends to get up late and Mr Greg does as well, so their meals are prepared separately."

That made sense to me, "just make me whatever it is you all eat. There's no reason to make anything special for me."

A loud clang, followed by a squeak caught my attention. And I turned to see the young woman picking up a large metal bowl. "I need to re-wash this," she said to no-one in particular and quickly moved to the far side of the kitchen.

So with a nod of thanks to the young man, I made my exit. If the kitchens were here, that meant the staff rooms were on the other side, so I didn't bother heading that way. Everyone needed their privacy and I doubted they would appreciate waking up to their boss stalking the halls.

So I decided to take a look at this pool and exercise yard. Behind the stairs, were some large glass doors that opened automatically as I approached. The moment they did, I was hit with a wall of warm, humid air. Frank had done a disservice when he described the room. The pool was almost olympic in size, but it wasn't just square. The entire pool was inside a giant greenhouse. I could see the morning light starting to lighten the sky. The room itself was filled with an abundance of outdoor furniture, trees and plants and from what I could see, even a few species of tropical bird. A quick stroll around the pool and I decided to go back and wait for breakfast.

It only took me a few minutes to retrace my steps back to my room. When I got there, I decided to unpack. It was just literally the photo of my parents to place on the nightstand, and find somewhere to plug in my laptop. Searching the room, I found a hidden powerpoint near an armchair at the rear of my room. Thinking it is as good a place as any, I set up my temporary workstation. Not that I worked... Or had internet... With a sigh, I checked for networks, there definitely was one, but I didn't have the password for it.

KNOCK KNOCK

My head snapped up. Putting aside my laptop, I quickly moved to the door. I was more than ready for the morning meal. When I opened the door, however, I wasn't expecting to see the blushing young woman from the kitchen.

"I've brought your breakfast, Sir," she said softly, unable to meet my eyes.

"Ah, thank you," I said, stepping back from the door.

The woman stepped quickly past me and placed the tray she carried on the small table. She quickly set the items in their respective positions. It looked like a simple dish of scrambled eggs with bacon and toast.

"This looks delicious. Thank you," I said quickly.

The young woman glanced up at me before smiling. "If that's everything, Sir," she said softly.

"Oh, just one thing, what's the WIFI password?"

The whole woman's face dropped again as she blushed, "Sir... Sir it's... FBI surveillance van one. All one word, no capitals except FBI."

I just stood there staring at her for a moment, "you're kidding?" I asked.

She rocked back and forth slightly before shaking her head. "No, Sir. Ben changes the password weekly for security. He changes it to things people will remember."

This time I laughed, so I completely missed the quick smile that flashed across her beautiful face. But as I recovered, she was already passing through the door. I watched her leave with a strange sense of regret... I didn't even know her name...

It was a few hours later, as I deleted another email from my old landlord, that Cassandra knocked, then opened my bedroom door. She looked rather pale, but she was still dressed to the nines. She came in, with a bottle of water under one arm, and a stack of paperwork. Without thinking, I rushed over and helped take the paperwork from her. That earned me a grateful smile in return. Turning, I placed the stack on the table, before I heard Cassandra clear her throat.

"Mr Matthews, I feel the need to make an apology," she started. I turned to face her, slightly confused as to the direction this was taking. "My behaviour last night was completely unacceptable for my position. I hope I did not offend you. Additionally, I need to apologise for the behaviour of my sister. She too, should have handled herself more professionally."

Now I was really confused, "I'm not going to pretend I've never gotten drunk and done something stupid. I... I guess just don't make a habit of it?" I said, hoping that I was saying the right thing. "But... The other thing... Your sister, I honestly don't know what you're talking about."

Cassandra stood still for a moment, eyeing me cautiously, "my sister, Miss Mary, my sister. She brought you breakfast and made a fool of herself in the kitchen, didn't she?"

Now a few pieces all clicked together. Of course they wouldn't be referred to as the same name, that would be confusing. Cassandra was Miss Lays, but her sister, being of a lesser rank, so to speak, is referred to as her first name, Miss Mary. Cassandra saw the expression on my face and knew immediately I'd made a few connections. "Oh yes. She has a lovely singing voice. I think I startled her in the kitchen. Please apologise to her for me, I don't think it went much better when she brought me breakfast. But it was very good."

Cassandra was still giving me that same look, but she masked it by taking a sip of water. "Very well... James. If you'd like to take a seat, I'll take you through your new life."

I smiled at that and pulled a seat out for her to sit. She flashed me a smile, and I took my own seat a moment later. The next couple hours were long and rather boring. The first was authorising Cassandra to act on my behalf as my self appointed lawyer, which made a few more things make sense when I thought about it. The next was an acknowledgement of acquisition for stocks for the Bank of France. Turns out, Boris and his predecessors made it their business to invest in just about everything. Banks, Pharmaceutical companies, hotels and even airports. There was very little I did not at least partially own. The main contribution as far as I could tell, was Boris' fascination with green energy. He invested heavily in several industry leaders and had taken steps to sell off most stocks in coal mining and oil drilling. According to Cassandra, the stocks he kept were enough for him to sway a vote if necessary, but he otherwise wanted nothing to do with them.

I couldn't help but agree with his logic, and decided if I could, I would continue to do so. The second to last form, was from the bank, just a simple transfer of funds to be authorised. It did literally take a few minutes for me to realise that if the bank balance was a phone number, it was still a few digits too long. Needless to say, I now understood why I had a live in security team. The final set of paperwork was a little different, however.

"This is an NDA. We have a military research facility on site. They've abandoned it for the time being, but if you sign this, they can come back," Cassandra said.

I flicked through, a page of big words with little actual information, before turning my attention back to Cassandra. "What is it they actually do here?"

Cassandra frowned a little. "A better question, is what do they, NOT, do," she said with a grimace. "They're not allowed to research chemical, biological or radioactive compounds et cetera. They did let us know last year that their research helped design a new form of ballistic armour. They didn't specify which, but they get a lot of specialists in.

"That sounds like something I can agree too," I said, signing the last of the forms.

As I handed the signed documents back to Cassandra, there was a light knock on the door. Before I could get up and open it, Cassandra called out, "enter."

Immediately the door opened, allowing Miss Mary to enter, pushing a small cart.

"Your lunch, Miss and Sir," she said softly, without looking up.

Cassandra watched like a hawk, while the nervous, young woman dished up our meals. It seemed like a gourmet version of a caesar salad. But, honestly, I couldn't tell the difference half the time. Chicken, bacon, croutons, white sauce and green leaves... Caesar salad. As quickly as she came, the cart was packed up, and with a sharp nod from Cassandra, she left.

I sat for a moment as Cassandra daintily began to pick through her salad, before joining in. I do have to say, it was probably a caesar salad, in the same way that a ferrari is a car. But that wasn't really relevant to my thoughts at this time.

"So, your sister," I started. Cassandra's eyes quickly flicked to mine. "Do you treat one another like that in private? I just want to know if you're trying to keep things professional in front of me."

Cassandra looked quite nervous for some reason as she swallowed the mouthful she had. "My sister and I were... Are, very close. We came here together and we both work very hard to do our jobs."

About a thousand questions just flew through my head. For whatever reason, I had the impression there was more than she was letting on. But I also thought she didn't wish to speak about it. "No, that's fair enough. So long as you're both happy. Actually, that's something we should work on next. How is the staff?"

Cassandra frowned a little at that last question, "I'm not sure what you mean?"

"The staff, are they happy? Do they have everything they need? Are they paid enough?" I checked them off with my fingers. "Remember, I didn't grow up wealthy. Just a few days ago I was looking at being homeless. A lot of people were probably worried about losing their jobs and according to my bank account, I can probably afford a few upgrades to keep everyone happy."

The slight smile on Cassandra's face only lasted a moment, before she spoke. "James, I'll get Frank to ask around," she said.

"No, no. I want to meet with them individually," I said quickly.

"Okay... Okay, I can do that," Cassandra said, while giving me a look that told me I had something on my face. "When would you like to start?"

I smiled, "I'm free now, aren't I?"

... Chapter Three...

Cassandra had taken me for a quick tour of the second floor. Once I had an idea of the layout for the various, meeting, dining and display rooms, I was shown my office. Like everything in this house, it was extravagant. The walls were lined with paintings of great mountain ranges and forests. There was a large bookshelf with tomes in many languages. Some of which I recognised, some of which I did not. I made a mental note to check the library at some stage, but the books here were probably Boris' favourites.

I circled the room, admiring the art pieces. I even had a good laugh when I found an oversized globe that doubled as a hidden compartment filled with scotch. But, in the centre of the room, before a ceiling tall window, was a large, hardwood desk and leather backed chair. Taking a seat, I noticed Cassandra's discomfort as she stood in the centre of the room.

"Come, take a seat. May as well start with you," I said with a smile. Cassandra still looked nervous, but came and took a seat before me. "Now, what is it you actually do here?"

She sat straighter in her chair and took a deep breath. "Sir, I am both your personal assistant and lawyer. Whilst your enterprise has its own legal team, I represent you personally and my role is to advise you in your best interests."

I nodded. That was basically what I'd picked up on. She was my henchwoman. Decisions, problems and ideas would all come through her. It was both a good and a bad thing. She was probably very good at her job and I had no doubt she'd continue to be so. But it also meant, anyone not comfortable speaking with her, would have troubles. I suddenly felt better about my idea to meet with the staff. "Well, how is it going for you? Do you have any problems? Are you paid enough? What can I do to help?"

"Sir, James, I have access to company accounts and a credit card. I don't receive pay, but I didn't really need it either..." She kinda trailed off.

It was immediately obvious that there was something I wasn't being told. But I doubted I was going to get a straight answer out of her. "Okay, first things first. Get yourself a bank account if you don't already. Then I want you to write up an employment contract for the next twelve months with options to extend. I want you to figure out what you're worth and I'll start paying you a real wage. Keep the company credit card for anything related to work."

Cassandra just gave me an odd looking smile, before nodding her head. "I'll do that today, James."

"Excellent, well, if that's all you need, can you send in Frank? After him, send in Ben and Greg. I'll talk to Frank about who to send after that," I instructed.

Cassandra slowly stood and gave me a strange smile, before turning and leaving. I figured from Cassandra's reaction to everything, I was going to make some serious waves. But I just hoped they were waves in the right direction. I didn't want trouble. Even from the start, I just wanted to live comfortably. I could at least provide that to the people who worked here.

A gentle knock alerted me to my next visitor. Standing, I quickly made my way to the door and opened it. As expected, Frank was standing there, with an odd expression. "Frank, come in. I'd like to have a little chat," I said with a smile. "First up, I know there's scotch in the globe, if you know where some glasses are, I'd be more than happy to share a glass with you."

Frank looked almost shocked for a moment, before quietly saying, "Sir, those bottles are worth more than I make in a month."

I just shrugged, "better just have the one then," I smiled and took my seat.

I watched Frank as he opened a compartment in the bottom and retrieved two glasses. Opening the main compartment, he unstoppered an already opened bottle and poured the amber fluid into the glasses. Satisfied, he brought them over and handed me a glass, before taking a seat. The moment I had it, I gave it a sniff and took a sip. I made a mental note to find out where to get more. It was smooth as silk running down my throat and left a comfortable warm feeling.

"Wow, I've never had something like this before," I said softly.

"Agreed, it's very good," Frand said, lowering his glass.

"Now, I've called you in first, because I'll need you to get the ball rolling. I'm interviewing everyone who works here. Basically, what do you do? Are you paid enough? Is there anything I can do to make your job easier? And can you start sending people up after I speak with Ben and Greg?"

Frank just stared a moment, before taking another sip of the scotch. "Sir, I am the Chamberlain of the household. While Miss Lays manages your investments, I manage your household. I'm satisfied with my pay at this stage, though I feel I will need to train a replacement in the coming decade. My wife and I are not as fit as we used to be."

"Wife?" I asked, "does she work here too?"

"Yes, sir," Frank said. "We met when she worked as a gardener. But as a wedding present to us, Boris paid for her to go to veterinary school. Now she looks after the horses."

That made me smile, "it seems like Boris was a good man. I'm glad."

"He was indeed, sir. Tough, but always fair. He rewarded loyalty. That's why so many of us remained after his death. Miss Lays ensured nobody went without. After Boris' death, his personal accounts froze. We've since been repaid what we have been owed and none are worse off for it."

That was something I should probably ask, "about Boris. How did he pass?"

"A stroke, sir. He passed before we could get him to the airfield and was officially declared when paramedics arrived at the airport. In case you are wondering. Several staff members, myself included, are trained as first responders. In an emergency, we have supplies on hand to stabilize a patient until we get them to the hospital."

"Don't we have a helicopter or something?" I asked, thinking about how that would be quicker.

Frank shook his head, "unfortunately not. Boris didn't trust them. Though we have the facilities for one. There's even a pad at the rear of the home. Boris wanted to convert it into a tennis court."

I chucked, "alright. Maybe speak to Cassandra. I'm assuming I'm wealthy enough to justify a helicopter. Especially if it can be used during medical emergencies."

Frank beamed at me as he finished the last of his scotch. "Thank you, Sir. If that's everything, I'll be off."

"Oh, can you grab another couple glasses and send in Ben and Greg before you go?"

Frank nodded and did as I asked. With a final, dignified smile, the old man stepped out of the room and Ben and Greg entered straight after.

The next few hours were filled with conversation, laughter and smiles. Ben and Greg were fine, but wished for a third member for their team. It made sense when they explained, so I agreed and put recruitment and training in their hands. The young man from the kitchen, who introduced himself as Kenneth, asked for an update to the kitchen appliances. He was happy when I told him to speak with Cassandra about it.

The same thing happened with Bourke, the head gardener. After a quick chat, he went off to shop for new equipment and a small tractor. I even met a beaming older woman, who turned out to be Frank's wife, Margaret. She was more than happy with her arrangement, but did mention the possibility of retirement in the next decade.

But it was the final face I saw that really threw me into a loop. It hadn't even occurred to me that I hadn't seen Miss Mary, until she was standing before me.

"Please, take a seat. Make yourself comfortable. Would you like a drink?"

"No, sir," she said softly.

"Alright, do you know what I've been speaking with everyone about?" I asked. But she just shook her head and looked at her feet. There really was something about this woman...

"That's fine, Mary. May I call you Mary?"

"Yes, sir." She said blushing slightly.

I caught myself daydreaming about her beauty before it got weird, so I continued. "Basically, are you happy here? Am I paying you enough and is there anything you need?"

Mary shivered slightly, before saying something too soft for me to catch.

"Sorry, Mary, I didn't quite catch that," I told her.

Mary glanced up at me with those big blue eyes. "Sir... A day off would be nice..."

Inside I groaned. I had quite liked Boris, so far, but I had a bad feeling where this was going. "Do you mean to say, you want a holiday? Or do you mean, you work every day of the week with no breaks?"

Mary slumped before softly speaking. "I work every day, sir."

"Mary, how did you get in a contract where you work every day?"

Mary finally raised her eyes, and as she locked her gaze with mine, I saw that small spark of hope. "Sir... I don't have a contract. Miss Lays buys me anything I need. In return, I worked hard for Mr Charmichael, and now you."

I suddenly had the thought of going and yelling at the newest family portrait, but I thought better of it. "Mary. From now on, you only work five days per week. I'm also going to pay you for the work you do. Your sister can still buy you things that are related to your job. But I want you to have your own money, okay?"

All I heard was a small thankyou, before she literally fled the room in tears. I was so shocked by the reaction, I just sat there until Cassandra came to find me. "James... Did you do something to my sister?" She asked cautiously.

I shrugged my shoulders slightly, before answering. "I'm really not sure. All I told her was she could only work five days a week and I'd be paying her a wage for it. Speaking of, make that a rule. Five day work week, if we need to hire people, just make sure they're reliable and pay them what they're worth."