Valley of Dust by Karoleen Vry Brucks Read Free Book Online Page B

hoped this wasn’t some sick joke and she was being paid to be my friend, I thought. This was all too new, but her being here and wanting me here did make me happy. “Thank you for the food, Carla,” I said. “Oh, don’t thank me, miss, it was the chef Jacques who cooked it. I just thought it would be wonderful for us to enjoy it in such beautiful weather.” “Carla, can you call me by my name? It’s awkward to be called miss. By the way, how many people work here?” “Okay, Selene,” she smiled. “There are about ten people who work here, we all work in the daytime, and most of us get off around seven.” I knew two employees already, Carla and Jacques. Carla explained that there were two bodyguards at the main entrance to the property. She didn’t know their names since her house was closest to the mansion, which was surrounded by mountains. The guards were in charge of keeping check on who passed from the main road onto Lucian’s land. They were the initial security before anyone approached the property. She told me there were two housekeepers, one named Josephine and the other named Belle. They apparently had much work to do, so seeing them and holding a conversation was nearly impossible. There were two gardeners; also, Justin and Henry were in charge of maintaining the hundred acres of land. At first I was shocked that only two guys were in charge of that much land, but Carla had assured me most of it was mountains and wooded land. They were mainly in charge of keeping all the properties and Lucian’s garden in order. The last two were a married couple from Germany. They had bizarre names, or at least from what I had seen in my years. Dieter was the husband of Bruna, and they were both accountants who managed the money coming in and out of the mansion. Carla told me she thought their jobs were the toughest since Lucian had so many different accounts and businesses. However, Carla said they somehow always made time to come to parties or when Lucian has tea time. I laughed at the thought of people gathering for a tea party, but then again I came from a middle-class family with mainly American culture drilled into me to fit into society.
    The day was off to a great start. After Carla started using my name, I felt more like a friend than someone she worked for. We talked about what she did for a living, and I found out that the room I had slept in was designed by her. I knew I liked her, I thought. She and I had similar tastes in art and design. We were a match made in heaven. Carla was a pleasant woman and only spoke kindly of her boss, Lucian. There were so many questions I wanted to ask her, but she had been paged and had to leave earlier than I would have liked. I thought about leaving, but then Carla asked if I wanted to stay for dinner. One more night in this mansion wouldn’t be so bad, especially since the food and Carla’s company had won me over. I had one more day off work, so I gladly accepted, and it was planned dinner would be tonight. I could not wait, but since I had to, I decided to inspect the grounds some more.

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    L UCIAN HAD PAGED Carla. He hoped Selene was faring well especially after the ordeal he put her through. When he heard a knock on his door, he knew it was Carla. “Come in, Carla,” Lucian said. “How is Selene? Does she look better?” “Oh yes, Mr. Lucian, she also plans to stay one more night. She really is quite interesting and well versed in the arts.” “So I am assuming she liked the room, Carla?” Lucian asked. “Yes, very much, sir. Do you plan to have dinner tonight with us? What should I tell the chef to make?” He thought for a minute, but he knew Selene, and she had enough surprises for one night. “Carla, tell the chef to keep it simple tonight.” “Yes, Lucian, I will do that right now,” and with a nod and a smile she was gone. He was happy Selene was recovering. He had paced outside her room all night wondering how she was, but he had wanted to