“Looks like one of you guys is about to get a very rich woman, let’s hope she’s not ugly,” Hunter said brazenly.
They all stood and waited until a young woman appeared at the doorway and stared at them all for a moment. Sawyer stood before them all, and she took their breath away. She was stunning. She had long dark auburn hair that cascaded down her back in waves. She wore a knee-length dress with billowy sleeves, and the emerald green color of her eyes could be seen from where they stood.
She had expected to be nervous when they finally arrived, but she was excited instead. Before her stood the man she had been created for, and she looked at their faces to see if she would recognize him. She had known about him her whole life, and the waiting had been excruciating sometimes. She thought he was lucky not to know, so he didn’t have to suffer with the curiosity. She looked at each man for a moment, but no one sparked recognition in her.
“Welcome,” she said to them all and then instructed the servants to start bringing in their luggage.
They all started up the stairs and into the house. The entryway was spectacular. Directly in front of them was a large wide staircase leading up. To the left was a ballroom that could easily fit three hundred guests, and along the back wall of it was red velvet curtain from ceiling to floor. They all wondered what lay behind it. To the right was a large open hallway leading off into rooms yet to be explored. Sawyer stopped in front of the large staircase and turned toward her guests.
“The servants will show you all to your rooms so you can unpack and relax after your long journey. The house and everything in it are at your disposal. If you need something, please feel free to ask anyone on staff. We will meet in the dining room at 8:00 p.m. for dinner. I know your diets are not the same as mine, but we will use that time to answer questions for each other. Until then, please treat this as if it is your own home,” she said and smiled at them all.
She turned to go down the long hallway, and they all watched her walk away. She had a grace about her, and even though her dress seemed to be old-fashioned, she made it look like a common style. She was waif thin, and they finally noticed she was barefoot. They would come to find out in the coming days she was more often than not barefoot. She was already intriguing each of the men.
She thought of them as she walked and explored what her first impression of them was. Julius was the first she had spotted as he stood tallest amongst the four men. She thought he had stood with confidence and an ease. She could tell he was full of confidence and maybe some conceit. When she had looked into his eyes, he had given her a small side smile and a quick nod. Marcus had stood next to him, and he stood formally with his hands clasped behind his back, almost like he was standing at attention. She thought he must be a very formal man, and she would have to keep that in mind in their future dealings. He neither smiled nor nodded; he simply stared back when their gazes met. Next to Marcus stood his sister, Cassia. What a true beauty she was naturally. She had the natural blond hair, and her face was beautiful without makeup. She was the rare kind of beauty all women wish they could be and all men desire. She thought that when she was growing up in Rome, she would have been held in high regard by even Caesar himself. Next to her stood Lucas, and she was surprised by how uncomfortable he looked. His breeding allowed him into the king’s court; he should be better able to hide his emotions. It made her guess that he would be very sweet, if not a little shy. He couldn’t even meet her gaze when she looked at him, instead he was looking down. Liam stood next to her, doing his best to look bored and uninterested. When she met his eyes, he lifted one eyebrow at her and sighed. She wondered if he would be different when no one else was around and guessed she would find out soon enough. Leaning on him with her hand hanging onto his arm was Hunter. She was also a beauty, but in an exotic way. She had a mixture of light-brown and dark-brown hair, and her facial features were chiseled into perfection. She also feigned at being bored and glared at Sawyer when she caught her eye finally. Next to her was her friend Brexley, and she was cute but looked as if she enjoyed acting ditzy for other people’s benefit.
Each guest was escorted by at least two servants who showed them to their rooms. They were led up the stairs, and on each side of the stairs was an elevator. Julies, Marcus, and Cassia were led to the left, and Liam, Lucas, Hunter, and Brexley were led to the right one.
The left was taken to the fifth floor and each given a suite of rooms. Cassia knew the small apartment they grew up in in Rome would have fit in her suite alone. Each room was equipped with a separate living room and library, as well as two bathrooms and two bedrooms.
Their luggage was brought in, and the staff began to immediately unpack for them and hang their clothes. Within five minutes, the trio had congregated in Marcus’s room.
Cassia jumped on the bed and said, “Can you believe how huge this place is?”
Julius, who had been looking out the window, turned and replied, “I haven’t been in anything this big since the castle in Scotland.”
“I know I thought we were wealthy, but this makes us look absolutely poverty stricken!” she replied.
“Is everything all right, Julius, you have been unusually quiet?” Marcus asked.
“I’m fine, just trying to take it all in. You have to admit we have found ourselves in an unusual situation,” he answered.
“That we have,” Marcus agreed.
The right elevator went to the fourth floor, and while Hunter was offered her own rooms, she refused, letting them all know she would be staying with Liam. She didn’t stay to watch them unpack, though. She headed straight for Brexley’s room and ordered the staff to leave. When the door was shut behind them, she grabbed Brexley’s arm and dragged her to the window seat. She sat facing her, and the two girls began to gossip.
“Can you believe how ridiculous this house is?” said Brexley.
“I’ve seen bigger,” Hunter said, in a snarly mood.
“I doubt it, but okay. Are you freaking out because she’s so pretty?” Brexley asked, referring to Sawyer.
Hunter rolled her eyes at Brexley and said, “Absolutely not! First of all, she’s not that pretty, and secondly, Liam adores me. Don’t forget he turned me so we can be together forever.”
“Yeah, but if Liam is her soul mate, then it sounds like he won’t have a choice. Then what are you going to do?” Brexley said.
“I need you to shut up about soul mates. I don’t want to hear that word again!” she yelled at her friend. Brexley was hurt but nodded her head in agreement.
Meanwhile, Liam and Lucas stood staring out their window at the never-ending garden.
“Well, what do you think?” Lucas asked without looking at his brother.
Liam continued to stare out the window but answered, “I think if you turn out to be her soul mate, you could do a lot worse. Sawyer is gorgeous, and I don’t think it would be hard to get used to this house. I can guarantee you I will visit every Christmas.”
Lucas laughed and asked, “What makes you so sure it’s not you?”
“I just don’t think I’ve ever been sad about anything. If the boy’s sadness is what got half his soul taken, I would say I’m just convinced I have been excluded from the soul mate pool,” he said sarcastically.
Hunter entered the room in a huff, and Lucas left for his own rooms. The last thing he wanted to see right now was Hunter in a
