Chapter 6
Work It
Monday afternoon Tanyah stood in front of the light
grey mansion, the center of the Sinclair estate. Before she
came here she was told that it was a vast land and not to
wander around because she might run into some dangerous
animals that lurked nearby, and also if she had any trouble
she could ask anyone as the people were quite friendly and
open. But she really doubted the friendliness of the situation
she was in now.
Victor just arrived at her doorstep and quickly went
through all the things necessary before taking her to Kelsus.
Once she arrived in Kelsus a grey car arrived and it was
given to her and it would be the one she used to get around.
48
"So, tell me more about this person. How will I introduce
myself? Does he know I'm investigating Charles's death?"
Tanyah was quite nervous at the thought of hiding her
identity and investigating at the same time. At some point
they will want to know why she's asking so much and
snooping around. What will her answer be when that
happens?
"Well... Uhm... You see...Uhh..."
Tanyah narrowed her eyes at Victor when he started to
stutter and stumble on his words. What was he hiding? He
started to look around and scratched the back of his head
while trying to look for an escape route out of the question.
And luckily something saved him. A knock at the door.
"Oh look, your escort is here. Be sure to drive safely."
Those were his last words before he bolted out of the
house leaving her standing there alone. The worst part is he
carried a whole suitcase with him on his way out, her jaw
almost hit the floor at the sight.
He was literally abandoning her, with no assistance or
information whatsoever about this person she is going to
meet, or even what her place will be over there. She just
stared blankly at the spot Victoria stood a while ago.
And now here she was, all alone at the Sinclair estate
with no idea where she was going to start. The escort helped
49
her get to the entrance of the Sinclair estate and didn't go any
further than that. He only gave her directions and major
points on the estate that would help her get to the mansion,
and if she got lost someone would come and get her.
Tanyah just sighed all her worries away and fixed her
composure in order to start the mission, a new mystery to
work on while the rest of the world thinks she is at home
resting and spending time with family.
A mission. She was elated at the idea however she didn't
sign up for this but it was part of the package; being
stranded with no information on what she was running into
or the person she will be working for.
It was time to put her non-existent acting skills to the test
and see if she had a chance of survival within the walls of the
Sinclair mansion. She gave herself a mental pat and
confidently started to waltz towards the entrance.
But her moment of glory was abruptly disturbed when
one of the heels she was wearing began to malfunction. The
heel of the shoe was about to come off. She felt the strong
urge to wring Victor by the neck for putting her in such a
predicament. He was the one who chose what she was
supposed to wear for this occasion and she had specifically
told him that she preferred a small heel beforehand because
there might be a time she might want to run, or even for her
own comfort, but he gave her stilettos. By the way she was
50
walking in the heels they were bound to fall apart. She
wanted to kill that man.
Tanyah hurriedly walked to the door and rang the
doorbell, trying her best not to take the wrong step which
would lead to her spraining her ankle and being best friends
with the ground. Before ringing the doorbell once again,
Tanyah looked around to make sure no one saw the
embarrassing walk she just pulled up with.
While she was looking around to scout the area, the door
suddenly opened and a tall man wearing a black and white
uniform came into view. He had his hair neatly combed back
and everything about him was sharp and precise. He sternly
looked at her, then her feet. She knew he wanted to say
something about her shoes, but he decided to let it pass.
Tanyah stood straight and greeted, "Good afternoon..."
"Sir Nicholas has been expecting you. He will meet you
shortly, please come this way."
Just like that, he just cut her off without her finishing her
greetings. She wanted to protest, but what could she say?
She obediently followed behind the man to see where he
would take her. As soon as she entered the mansion all she
was thinking quickly vanished.
The interior was very beautiful, everything was in
perfect order with a blend of minimalist simple colors and
classic aesthetics was breathtaking. She kept looking around,
51
up and down, at the same time trying to keep up with the
man so as not to get lost.
They kept walking until they reached what Tanyah
assumed as the living room. Before she could even start to
take in the beauty of the room, the man turned to her and
looked at her once again with his scrutinizing eyes. He
looked down and his face turned into utter disdain. Tanyah's
heart sank as she saw his change in expression. Her shoes.
She just wanted the carpet to disappear so that the ground
below could swallow her.
He then fixed his expression and looked back at her face,
and said, "Please wait here."
When the man left the living room Tanyah was left alone
once again. She thought of removing her shoes, but that
would really be unprofessional. She prayed everything
would be over soon so she could take off the shoes.
As her mind was pondering on the situation, her eyes
fell on the cabinet that was on the far left of the room. Just by
looking at it she knew it was very expensive and of high
quality wood and craftsmanship. The cabinet was dark
brown in color and had golden carvings and markings
around it. The front glass enabled her to see what was inside,
so she decided to get closer to see what was in there.
When she got closer to it she instinctively touched the
heavy wood masterpiece. She traced her fingers on the gold
52
embedded on the cupboard before opening it. Her eyes
glimmered as she scanned the contents of what was inside.
There were many small antiques and artifacts. It seemed to
be a whole collection of antiques from different parts of the
world in miniature form.
Curiosity got the best of her as she took one of the small
teapots inside and held it in her palm.
It was so small, settled cutely in the middle of her palm.
She couldn't help but marvel at the small thing, as she
thought of pouring water into it, or maybe some tea. But of
course, that would get her fired. She decided to put it back as
she didn't want the owner to walk in while she is prying in
places she isn't supposed to.
She moved closer back to the cupboard to return the
little antique so she could sit on the sofa and wait for her
new boss, but her shoes had other plans. The heel of the
already crooked shoe broke making her almost sprained her
ankle, and she was on her way to collide with the floor. Her
body fell backwards as her foot continued to lose balance.
The little teapot!
Before she could comprehend anything that was
happening, she felt a pair of hands wrap around her as her
body from behind and before she knew it she fell toward
what she could make out as a muscular chest. Her heart
53
immediately began to race, she could hear her heartbeat
from her ears.
In all her years of getting into dangerous situations and
risking her life on duty, she had never felt this scared and
confused. Maybe it was because those times she was actually
excited by the thrill her job offered and she knew what to
expect. But this was a totally different situation. She didn't
know what she was doing, where she was or what to expect.
This was very different from her usual cop-by-day work,
right now she had to speak and act like a different person.
She wasn't a detective or officer, but a new assistant for a
rich and affluent family heir. It was now that she needed the
advice and words her aunt had been telling her for years in
order to polish her up, because from now on she would be in
the vicinity with the butler here and it was evident he didn't
tolerate any misbehaviours or disorders.
With what just happened now, she wouldn't be
surprised if the butler sent a petition to get her fired and
removed from the mansion that minute. He would even
happily help her pack her bags and send her back where she
came from, he was tired of her.
As she stood there frozen in place, she felt the person
take in a deep breath and exhale, the air making its way from
the back of her head to her neck, and sending a strong chill
down her spine. She felt the hands tighten around her and
54
she instinctively looked up to see the person's eyes looking at
her.
"Hmm... How troublesome," he said in a low and
monotone voice.
55