Chapter 4 - Camilton Mansion

After their morning gossip routine, Anna freshened up and prepared herself for the office work clashes of papers and meetings. Usually, her days end with her being so exhausted from the never-ending meetings, demands, and unconventional running to the coffee shop. Somehow, her boss, Mr. Faiz, has an unstoppable love for coffee. For him, coffee was his warm blood. The aroma of the coffee was part of his rhythm of the day, another anchor in the routine that soothes and gives him a sense of normality and predictability in his busy days.

After an hour of file compiling and never-ending typing on her computer, Mr. Faiz asked her to bring some important papers to Mr. Camilton's mansion. The latter had a mild fever and couldn't come to his office and preferred that his papers be sent to the mansion instead. However, Anna didn't have any choice, so she took her coat and took cash from the petty drawer, and she called herself a cab.

Ten minutes later, she was now strolling to the mansion's lawn, and when she reached the door, she strengthened and checked herself before knocking on the door. On cue, the doorman opened the door and led her inside.

The grandeur of the Camilton Mansion was all about luxury and, impressively, all about its unique colour combination and gloriousness.

'Wow, it felt like I was in the palace. This living room was bigger than any living room she had seen before.' She was surprised by the grandeur of the living room. A huge crystal chandelier in the middle of the ceiling brightens the place, and below, an Austrian shade made from a very silky sheer fabric that was "drapey and droopy" was used for this living room, which has a great contribution to its grandeur.

'From the chandelier alone, it was indeed his years of salary. Obviously, rich people love to show off their wealth and love to spend thousands of dollars on a mere chandelier. The black with gold accents and furniture pieces were bold additions to this mansion. The colour palette of the living room was so relaxing and gave her a sense of home. It was indeed luxurious. It has a high ceiling with clerestory windows, and French windows at the other end that surround it bring a tone of openness.

He finishes surveying the living room by walking slowly. Hell, he might be a bloody arshole, but he knows how to impress.'

The mansion was welcoming, from the open door to the wide hallway. On the sides were the paintings of a famous artist. The floor was a modern marble, a blend of deep homely light nude hues and a pale gold that matched well with the colours in the living room. The cathedral ceiling was a plus for its luxurious look.

When she reaches the centre of the living room, a butler appears and speaks in a soft, well-mannered voice. "Good morning, Miss; Mr. Camilton will be here shortly; your breakfast is ready; please follow me." The man with the Mohican cut and scythe-shaped eyebrows. When he spoke, his Roman nose and half-dome cheekbones sat above an oaken jaw with a formal shoulder that was part of his hefty physique. The butler turned around and didn't even let her respond to a single word, so she followed him instead. "Oh, no need for that, I could help myself later in the..."

"Sorry, Miss," he turned his head, "it is, after all, Mr. Camilton's instruction."

"Ah okay!" She wasn't complaining, after all, she'd only had a coffee and some cereal earlier.

The elegant dining area made Anna's mouth wide open, 'Wow, this is every woman's dream dining room.' It has a massive circular dining table surrounded by beige leather chairs under a tall wooden shed ceiling that ends with skylights and steel beams on the far side. And topped with a charming chandelier that hangs from one of the exposed wooden log beams of the ceiling.

Upon looking at the breakfast table, her stomach grumbles, as if telling her to dig in. And so she did. Bacon and fried eggs, sausages, ham, mushrooms, fried bread, and a basket of green fresh continental fruits and a glass of pineapple juice. She ate with gusto and filled her hungry stomach.

A minute later, "Do you need anything, Miss?" The butler asked and was delighted to see that their guest liked the food the chef had prepared. He was professional and attentive after all. Nowadays, young women like their breakfast light, and their guests weren't complaining about anything, especially about fats, sugar, and carbs. And this lovely woman has a likeable nature. A plus. He thought to himself.

"Can I have a coffee, please?"

"Sure, I'll be right back." Digging in, Anna ate with gusto as she watched the retreating back of the butler. Then she paused when she remembered something. 'Wait a minute, was it embarrassing for me to eat right away? I didn't even wait for Mr. Hamilton? ' Eventually, all the doubts faded from her mind with the smell of fresh coffee lingering in the air. She didn't ask anything; her mind and body were on auto-pilot.

"Enjoying breakfast, Miss. Brown?" A voice spoke up from behind her.

She coughed a little and stood suddenly, checking herself as she blurted. "Good morning, Mr. Hamilton." Taking the papers from the side chair, "...here is the…"

"Later, finish your breakfast first and follow me to the garden patio." He turned away and called for the butler. Bring me a coffee on the garden patio and medicine for my headache.

"Yes, sir." The butler replied, and turned around to the kitchen.

Five minutes later, Anna began to survey the garden. It was by far the best and most extravagant garden she had ever seen. She noticed a garden bench in the corner, made of simple wood and painted a forest dark green in the small landscape hill.Somehow she knew it sat there, rain or shine, and did exactly what it was supposed to do, raising the viewers from the ground to see the elegance of the garden.

She heard a garden bird-like they were her sunshine, her inner warmth as she watched them fly all around the garden. There were so many of them out there, large and tiny, light brown, blue, red-capped, and yellow-striped. She listens to their chirping; Anna watches how they pursue worms and insects from the garden soil. These feathered companions have an entire life of their own, these feathered companions, yet she learned so much more from their casual company that it brightened her soul. The apple tree in the middle of the garden was bearing dozens of healthy apples. The garden was magnificent and grand. It has different flowers, like a dancing rainbow, as if light and melody had found a new way to blossom together on the surrounding apple tree. Yet she remembered how familiar the place was, what it was like in her dreams when she ended up throwing up all the disgusting liquid on her stomach. Yes. This is the same garden. How strange.

On her right, she breathes in the man-made pond atmosphere. It was scented with the fragrance of lavender and roses. She saw the beauty behind the apple tree. It was a raw man-made pond filled with meltwater, but the luxurious addition to this formal garden was a dozen kinds of flowers on each side. Roses and daisies, and the stripes of grass between the perfectly square beds were a uniform green, the only variation coming from which direction the lawnmower passed.

"Miss. Brown, the boss is calling you Miss," came the butler's voice. As if remembering the paper in her hand, she strolled to the corner patio.

"Here are the papers, Mr. Camilton. Everything has been preliminary checked by Mr. Faiz and it is ready for your final input." She muttered, standing on theboss' side.

'The man really does smell like flowers and the ocean. Fresh and inviting.'

"Sit down, Ms. Brown," Mr. Camilton uttered as he surveyed her. She wasn't elegant in a polished way; no flowing curls or ivory skin; no piercing blue eyes. But with her modest looks and high cheekbones, it was all too natural. She was shorter than average and certainly larger than a catwalk model, but in her ordinariness she was striking. Her hair was straight and long blond, and her eyes were as green as fresh grass, almost as green as his lush garden. He noticed how creamy and glossy her skin was. He could see her, like a shining beacon.

The white, pale complexion of her skin reminded him of whisked milk as the late afternoon light shone through the garden patio's natural light and onto her. He couldn't help but wonder if he reached out, would she notice? Just a little skin-to-skin contact?

Half an hour later, Mr. Camilton was all done with the paper and gave her instructions to give it back to Mr. Faiz.

Outside the mansion's massive iron gate, the cab she called a few minutes ago arrived, and she told the driver to take her to the DRI office.

The afternoon passed in a blur, and she was now done with her busy day. Reaching her apartment, Anna was glad to feel its warm embrace as the late afternoon weather was beyond her. It was still raining and cold, so having a warm, smooth chocolate bar was a must. In her hands, she was willing to come to her inner sleepy self and wander to the Moonland. In any circumstance, she began to wonder if this ability of hers was hers alone or if maybe somewhere out there someone had the same ability as hers. On that night, she wore a cream winter coat and boots. Close her eyes and prepare herself for the adventure to come.