by Sonia Harper
“Yes,” Adelyn pried her hand away from her bag and shook his hand. “Please, call me Adelyn.”
“Of course,” the man gave her a nod as his hand firmly gripped hers before releasing it. “You may call me Gregory.”
Adelyn nodded, trying to bring her normal, pleasant self to the surface. “Pleased to meet you,” she smiled.
He nodded in return. “Likewise. Shall we move into the parlour?” He extended a hand to indicate the room just off the entryway and to her left.
“Sure,” she nodded, gesturing that he should lead the way. Gregory's pleasant voice pushed away any thoughts of the murdered Moore family's ghosts. She followed him into the room.
“Please, have a seat,” he gestured to a plush couch.
“Thank you,” she replied, eyeing the antique furniture as she sat down. “Your furniture looks lovely,” she remarked, looking around the room a bit more.
“Thank you,” he nodded graciously. “They're all original. They were purchased with the property.”
Adelyn's gaze snapped down to the couch she was sitting on. “Lovely,” she repeated under her breath in an altogether different tone, completely horrified that she was sitting on old, original furniture that had sat dusty in the abandoned Manor for decades. She quickly scanned the fabric for bloodstains.
“You seem unsure of it,” he chuckled.
“No, I'm fine,” she replied distractedly, eyeing a suspicious flower on the pattern that could have been a bloodstain at one point. Was she sitting in the middle of a crime scene?
"If you're looking for evidence of the Moore crime, I'm afraid you won't find anything in the house," Gregory chuckled before taking a seat on the couch opposite her. "The murders took place in the gardens."
"Oh?" Adelyn pried her eyes away from the couch. "That's...interesting," she settled on a word.
"And reassuring?" One of Gregory's eyebrows raised as he gave her a knowing smile.
"That too," Adelyn admitted.
"Then you'll be happy to know that I've been living here for just under a year now and I have not had any encounters with ghosts," he added.
Adelyn forced a laugh. "Oh, I wasn't worried about those silly ghost stories," she waved her hand in the air.
"No? So you didn't come with a large collection of various religious relics in your handbag to ward away evil?" His eyes dropped to her bag.
"Definitely not," she laughed in earnest this time but slid her bag further behind her body so he wouldn't notice that Sinatra was sniffing madly through the fabric.
"Well that's good because I was worried that the rumours would have scared off our preferred applicant," Gregory reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a thin stack of folded papers. He carefully unfolded the papers and extended them to her. "The position is yours."
Adelyn blinked. “I...I'm sorry?” She cautiously extended a hand to accept the papers.
“We were very impressed by the list of achievements and skills that your contact relayed to us. We took the liberty of running a background check on you prior to your arrival, and everything has checked out to our satisfaction. We also contacted a few of your previous employers – though your most recent supervisor had some very profound accusations against you.”
“I can explain-,” Adelyn took a deep breath, ready to give the speech she had spent all morning rehearsing in her head.
“No need,” Gregory smiled. “Your contact had already warned us that the relationship had gone sour. When I asked your supervisor why he had kept you in his employ for several years despite all of these horrible acts you had allegedly committed over the years, he was suddenly at a loss for words.”
“Wow,” Adelyn raised an eyebrow. “That must have been a first for him.”
“Being at a loss for words?”
“No, someone doubting what he had to say,” she laughed.
Gregory smiled. “Adelyn, we would be very happy to offer you the position of an executive assistant," He reached down to the side table next to the couch and retrieved a pen.
“I...but you haven't even interviewed me,” she protested, confused.
“Would asking you about where you see yourself in five years be useful for either of us?” Gregory raised an eyebrow. "You need a job. We need an employee. From what you've already demonstrated today, you're punctual, you act professional, and you seem very friendly. Your friend has given his personal assurance that you are a very reliable and dependable person."
“But...”
“We've already decided that you would be an excellent fit for our company," He reached down and picked a small piece of lint off of his suit. "All that is required is your consent. Would you be willing to accept our offer of employment?”
“I don't even know what the duties are or what the salary is,” she said in a small voice, faltering under the sudden onslaught of confusion. This seemed too easy, and warning bells started going off in her mind.
“I think you'll find the relevant salary and benefits information here," he replied, leaning forward and gently prying the papers out of her grasp to point to the relevant paragraph.
Adelyn leaned forward and quickly scanned the document, noting the term 'Employment Contract' at the top. "Holy cra-, um, I mean- that's...the annual compensation?” She felt her mouth drop as she scanned over where he was pointing. Had she been quoted that number to start with, Adelyn would have immediately grabbed the business card from Kate and started packing up her apartment that moment.
“Would you prefer to negotiate for more?” Gregory cocked his head slightly to the side as if confused. “I have been given authorisation from the owners to negotiate your salary. However, it's my understanding that this amount is quite competitive.”
“No, no,” Adelyn quickly protested, throwing her hand up for emphasis. “That's...more than fair.” She trailed on as she scanned the job responsibilities and duties. She would be working primarily with Gregory as his assistant. Kate was right. It was all simple office work. "In fact, it seems more than enough for an entire office of personal assistants," her voice trailed off distractedly as she read.
“I'm afraid sometimes that it may feel as though you'll be doing the work of an entire office,” he smiled. “That's why we've been generous with the salary package. That being said, would you like to accept our offer?”
Adelyn sat back on the couch, unsettled at how quickly this interview was escalating into a firm job offer. “Can you please tell me a little more about your employers?” She finally requested after a short pause. "I'd like to know more."
“It was founded by a family of investors – five brothers, to be exact. I came on shortly after,” he replied. “It's grown considerably since we started five years ago,” he explained, pride evident in his voice. “I handle more of the day-to-day business affairs and paperwork, whereas the brothers are the ones who make most of the business decisions and travel all over the world.”
“That sounds exciting.”
“I don't envy their jet lag,” Gregory smiled. “I prefer the comforts of home to generic hotel rooms and travel fare.”
"Do you mind if I ask how your employers came to know Erik?"
“I believe he's a business contact of theirs,” Gregory replied as he glanced at the time on the wall clock beside him. “Ms Montéclair, I'm afraid I need an answer fairly quickly. There are a number of tasks I still need to complete before the day is over.”
Adelyn hesitated only for a moment. "I would love to work with you," she blurted out, heart pounding at the fact that she was making such a huge decision so quickly.
It had to be some sort of scam, Adelyn thought. Then again, if it were a scam, would Erik have put his reputation on the line by giving Kate the information for her? The only thing Erik loved more than his reputation was the attention that his family's fortune brought him. No, it couldn't be a scam. Could it?
A genuine smile stretched across Gregory's face. “Perfect.” He handed her the pen he had retrieved earli
er. “Would you sign, please?”
Adelyn leaned forward so that she could read the document fully before signing.
“I'm afraid I'm running out of time,” he reminded her, leaning forward in his chair and offering her the pen. "I have a conference in an hour, and I'd like the opportunity to show you around the estate before then."
“Right,” Adelyn started to quickly skim the rest of the document before she felt a sudden movement in her bag next to her.
Horrified, she froze and looked up to see Gregory staring curiously at the bag. Visions of past-due notices danced within her mind. She quickly signed the bottom of the document and thrust the paper in his face. “Done!”
“Oh," he jerked his head back before accepting the document. "Thank you,” he plucked the pen out of her hand and signed his name underneath hers with a flourish. “I suppose now would be the most opportune time to take your dog outside to relieve itself, yes?” His mouth twitched into a knowing grin as he glanced up at her from the employment contract.
*
“You couldn't wait two more minutes, could you?” Adelyn crossed her arms and huffed at the small ball of grey fluff that sniffed around the garden bed next to her car. “You just had to make me look completely unprofessional, didn't you?”
Sinatra snorted, then turned to look at her as he deliberately lifted his leg and shot a long string of urine off into the flowers.
“Piss on you as well, you little runt,” Adelyn grumbled and sighed. “Hurry up so we can leave.”
“Leave?”
Adelyn jumped and quickly turned around to see Gregory walking up behind her, a set of keys in his hand. She quickly recovered from her scare and flushed, realising that he caught her swearing at her dog.
“Thanks again for giving me such a fantastic tour of the Manor," she smiled and hoped her face wasn't as red as it felt. She was glad Gregory had shown her around because the more she walked around, the less daunting the property seemed.
Gregory had told her that the five brothers lived at Monridge Manor when they weren't working outside of the country, which was often. A large collection of rooms on the main floor had been converted into an office space where she would be working with Gregory every day. Aside from the sizable house itself, the estate also included a carriage house, several acres devoted to gardens and hobby farming, and a gorgeous swimming pool that would be calling to her the minute the weather warmed up.
She bent down and scooped up Sinatra. “I'm sorry for bringing my dog. I didn't have time to run home and drop him off before the interview...” she trailed off, hoping the apology was sufficient.
“It's perfectly fine,” he smiled and looked down at the dog in her arms. “He was extremely quiet and well-behaved. I'm very impressed.”
“Yeah,” Adelyn gave an embarrassed laugh. “Well, this isn't the first time he's travelled with me by handbag.”
"I've always wanted to have a pet of my own," his eyes turned sad for a moment before he reached out and lightly scratched Sinatra behind the ear. “You seem to care a great deal about him,” he looked down at the way she was holding Sinatra close to her chest.
“That I do,” she smiled and hugged him closer.
Gregory pat Sinatra once more. “I'm sure he'll be wonderful support during your time here. Would you like the movers to retrieve his belongings from your apartment as well?”
Adelyn frowned, suddenly confused. “I'm...sorry?”
“His belongings,” he repeated. “I'm assuming you'd like the movers to pack up everything in your apartment and bring them here?”
“What movers?” she trailed off, more confused than ever.
Gregory cocked his head to the side. “Did you not read the employment contract?”
"I glanced through it," she trailed off. "I didn't see anything about movers."
"You were informed that you would be living here, correct?" Gregory's eyebrows raised.
"Yes," she nodded. "I just didn't realise that the company would be paying for movers."
"Oh yes," Gregory nodded. "In fact, the moving company is waiting on my call as we speak."
"What, now?" Adelyn shouted, alarmed. "I can't move in here tonight!" She exclaimed, looking around the estate with wide eyes.
“Why not?” He asked. “I've already shown you around the estate," he held up the set of keys in his hand. "You'll save yourself a lot of stress by allowing us to have the movers pack and deliver all of your possessions," he added. “Once the boxes arrive, you can direct them to either move them into your new room or as storage in the carriage house.”
"But...my apartment!" She exclaimed. "I wasn't expecting this afternoon to be the last time I set eyes on the place!" She protested. Alarm bells were ringing in her head again.
"Forgive the intrusion,” Gregory's voice turned quiet as he looked down and fiddled with the keys in his hand distractedly, “but we have been informed that your financial situation is very...delicate at the moment, is it not?" His voice dropped even lower, "Are you not in arrears with your financial obligations?"
"Did Erik tell you that?" Adelyn demanded, annoyed that Kate had passed the information onto her boyfriend.
"Adelyn, would this not solve a number of your current problems?" Gregory continued, voice still quiet as if trying to be discreet even though nobody was around. "Please allow us to do this for you...as a sign of good faith," he added.
She wasn't sure if it was the sincerity in his voice or the fact that Sinatra began licking her arm reassuringly, but an odd sense of calm and reason came over her. She looked back up at the manor, and the previous anxiety that she had felt wasn't there anymore. It suddenly appeared just a sad, old building that had been empty for years.
Erik would have investigated the company before passing along the business card to Kate. He would never have recommended her for the position if he didn't have confidence in the company. There was also the possibility that he recommended they move her in as quickly as possible at the behest of Kate. Kate knew how bad things were and that Adelyn was close to eviction. Kate had let it slip that she had recently converted her home office into a makeshift guest room just in case.
Obviously, Erik had wanted to avoid that scenario.
She sighed, shaking her head and pulling herself back together. “You're right. I guess I'm just a bit shocked about the fact that I'm moving in today. I really wasn't expecting it.”
"That's quite understandable," Gregory nodded reassuringly.
Adelyn shifted her bag's straps back up to her shoulder. “I'll sort through everything when it gets here."
"Excellent. I'll have them move the general household items, including the furniture, into the carriage house. You can retrieve any belongings you'd like moved into the house from there at any time.”
"In the meantime," he continued. "Feel free to choose any bedroom on the second floor of the east wing," he held out the set of keys in his hand. "They're all empty. Once you've decided which room you would like, please return the rest of the keys to me. Those are the only copies, so please don't lose your room key."
Adelyn accepted the keys with a nod.
"I believe you remember where the kitchen is located," he continued. "It's fully stocked, so feel free to have dinner tonight as well.”
“Is there anything else I should do tonight? Would you like me to get started on anything?” Adelyn asked, feeling uncomfortable about living in such luxury without having done any work yet.
“No, no,” he shook his head and smiled. “Please, just rest tonight. I'm sure you've had a long day. I'll go over your schedule and duties in the morning at the office. We can also go over the necessary paperwork for employment as required by the law.”
“Okay,” Adelyn nodded and clutched Sinatra closer to her chest. Schedule. Duties. Paperwork. It was all beginning to feel normal again.
“Okay,” she repeated to herself and nodded again, “I look forward to starting tomorrow. Thank you for everything,” she smiled at Greg
ory, holding out her arm to shake his hand.
Gregory smiled back and reached out for her hand, bringing it up to his lips and briefly kissing the back of it lightly, his beard scratching the back of her hand. “Ms Montéclair, I believe you are going to be a great asset to our company. Welcome to Monridge Manor.”
Chapter Three
Adelyn awoke, but kept her eyes shut as she buried her cheek further into her pillow. She felt like she was lying on clouds. Luxurious, designer clouds with a high price tag she could never afford. It had been two weeks since she moved in and every single time she awoke, she was still amazed at how comfortable her bedding was.
“If I ever leave here, I need to take this bed with me,” she mumbled into her pillow and smiled happily. Not that she was planning on leaving.
What she thought was going to be a terrifying job prospect had turned out to be a dream. She was living rent-free in a gorgeous home and had a fantastic job. Her workload was quite heavy, but not terrible. Sending schedules to the owners, arranging travel, keeping track of the Manor expenses, travel expenses, placing orders for groceries, dry cleaning, scheduling maintenance and upkeep for the grounds...though tedious, it certainly wasn't complicated or stressful.
After her workday was over, Adelyn would put together a dinner in the kitchen and bring it up to her room to dine with Sinatra. Most nights, she would read a book whilst soaking in the large tub that took up most of her en-suite bathroom. She had to pinch herself occasionally to remember that it wasn't a dream.
Even the Manor itself had lost its terrifying image within a few days of her arrival. The first night had been stressful. She had stayed up nearly half the night listening for unworldly noises or shadows dancing on the wall. She had kept checking to make sure that the door was locked and annoyed Sinatra to no end every time she stood up. She was finally lulled to sleep after several hours of perfect silence and stillness inside her room.
Adelyn rarely went outside much except for Sinatra's daily walks, but even when she was outdoors, the well-maintained grounds of the Manor now seemed inviting rather than terrifying.