Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 76915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
The city of Moscow sped by outside the window. Eventually we left the dirty grime of the city and moved to more manicured landscapes. I saw places I had never ventured to, especially when we neared the outskirts of town, where the exceptionally wealthy had their estates.
In Russia, the wealthy were like royalty. And my new master was the wealthiest of them all. And the most terrifying.
It wasn’t long until we were in an area that was as different from the inner city as night and day, even though the journey had taken less than an hour. The driver turned down a gorgeous road with high fences, hedges, and security on either side. I could catch glimpses of fabulous mansions through the wrought iron and greenery. My predicament was forgotten for a moment when we turned onto a private road and faced the grandest gate I had ever seen.
It looked like something from out of a fairytale. Menacing, and yet unspeakably beautiful. The gate and the fencing were clearly impenetrable from the outside.
And inescapable from the inside.
I heard a loud buzz and the gate swung open after a moment. We drove through and I glanced back, watching the heavy metal gate close behind us. There was something very final in the loud click it made when it locked.
There was no turning back, now. Not that there ever had been. I was in a new world, and I had no choice but to adapt to it.
I turned to face forward. The gardens were majestic and manicured, worthy of royalty. The Aslanov’s were royalty, wealthy as the Czars. But more obvious in their underworld dealings. Then I looked up and gasped as the house came into view.
It was a castle carved of beautiful stones, that seemed golden in the early morning light. The structure sprawled in every direction, with dormer windows, arches and towers completing the picture.
Calling it a house was like comparing a mouse to a blue whale. It was beyond anything I had ever seen before. It looked like something from a children’s book, but without the crumbling turrets or cursed thorns.
I swallowed deeply, suddenly feeling the weight of my decision.
I was to work… here. For the foreseeable future. Perhaps for the rest of my life, I realized. There had been no end date in our agreement. We had been desperate and agreed without hesitation. We had made a deal with the devil himself. I felt like Persephone, realizing that she would spend eternity serving Hades, but as his slave, not his wife. I wondered what that work would entail, or how I would find my way in such a massive building.
I wondered again why I had been picked up in such a fancy car. Perhaps the limo was all that was available. I could have been ordered to appear without it, taking a cab or getting a ride. But I doubted they wanted a random cab driver appearing on their property. That must be it. The driver was sent to keep access limited to the two of us.
The driver walked around the car as I stared up at the house. He opened the door to the limo, startling me from my thoughts. I could feel eyes on me as I stepped out of it.
I looked up at the house, holding my bag against me. I could have sworn I saw a shadow move on the second floor. Was someone watching me? Or was it a trick of the light?
“That way,” the driver said as I stepped towards the massive front door. “Servants’ come and go through the back, miss.”
“Of course,” I answered. What had I been expecting? A personal welcome? Anton himself?
I thanked the limo driver for driving me and then followed the direction he had pointed. I could hear my breath as well as see it in the cool morning air. I was beyond nervous, I realized. More frightened than I had ever been.
Certainly, more nervous than I was before a recital.
I wasn’t just nervous. I was afraid. It was not unlike the feeling I’d had as a child when I woke up from a nightmare. But this was not a nightmare. Papa would not come running and make it all better with a hug and a kiss. This was real.
There was no waking up from this reality.
A sweeping stone path led me around the house. The gardens were lush and verdant, even at this time of year. The house seemed to go on forever. There was a central portion of the home, that looked very old, though flawlessly maintained. There were three extensions, one on each side and one in the back, that seamlessly blended into the original. The stone was the same color. The roof the same material. But I could tell with closer inspection that these sections of the house were newer.