THE PORTRAIT

Miranda entered a room and gasped as she realized it was a garden. In the castle, there was a garden. She was taken aback by the beauty of the flowers in the garden. She walked up to the swing in the middle of the yard and sat down. She had to admit that this was one of the most gorgeous areas of the castle. 

Andrew walked in and she instantly got up as she heard footsteps. 

"I had a feeling you'd show up here. Let's go somewhere, shall we?" He stated 

" Where are we going?! " She enquired. 

"Please don't bother asking me any questions, cupcake. Simply follow my instructions." He reminded her, and she muttered as she walked towards him, unsure of where he was leading her. 

"Did you realize the castle has a zoo inside?! " He inquired. She looked at him in astonishment and scoffed.

" There can't be a zoo in the castle," says the narrator. "I mean, that's just not conceivable." She shook her head. 

" You are correct, but Damien owns the zoo." "That's where he keeps his pet," He responded. 

"What kind of pet does he have?" She enquired. 

" You don't want to hear that because it will make you uneasy." He grinned. 

" I don't have any fears. "Just let me know." She lied. 

" It's a cobra," says Andrew. Miranda trembled as he responded, 'His pet is a big cobra.' 

"A cobra?! What is the point of a cobra?! Isn't he scared of it? I mean, there are people that reside in this home. The bodyguards, the maids. A fucking cobra, to be precise. "How can a cobra be a pet?! " She screamed constantly, hesitant to enter further into the castle because she was afraid the snake might appear out of nowhere and consume her. Andrew laughed holding his chest.

" You're really adorable. Are you aware of this? "You look so fat," he continued, looking at her, and Miranda swears she detected a flash of something affectionate in those brown eyes. 

" Thank you, but I'm not fat." She took a breath and blushed. She realized it was the first time they'd had a nice chat and she'd seen him laugh honestly. 

" Damien enjoys acting like a king. He likes things to go his way, which is why my father placed him in command of the underground. He acquired a cobra as a pet since he thinks he has a cobra's personality. The king of all snakes is the cobra. He acts as if he is a king, and he expects everything around him to follow his orders. " Miranda took a deep breath as he spoke. 

" How long has he had a cobra as a pet?! " She enquired. 

" Since he was seven years old." Miranda gasped in surprise as he responded. 

" Wasn't he terrified?" She screamed, terrified of snakes and oblivious to dogs. 

"He wasn't, no. He called the cobra Don when he purchased it as a hatchling." He stated 

"Oh, my goodness! Sorry to say, but your brother appears to be completely insane." Andrew laughed as she said it. 

"Yes, I am aware. This family is full of weird individuals." 

"So, how about you? Have you ever had a pet?" She enquired. 

"Yes, I own one. I recently acquired a pet." He cocked his head and grinned. 

" What is his name?! " She enquired. 

"It's a female, not a male. Miranda's name is Miranda, but I refer to her as my cupcake "he added, a wicked grin on his face. 

Her cheeks flushed. He was referring to her as his pet. 

"You'll return to work the next day. As they exited the garden, he added, "I need to go somewhere." Damien and Nathan were dressed in black at the bottom of the stairs, and she realized Andrew was also dressed in black. 'What were they up to?!' She was lost in thought, but she didn't dare to say anything. 

"Make sure you're a good girl," he said as he kissed her on the lips. Before leaving to meet his brothers, he patted her on the head. She stood there watching them go out of the castle and into the compound's large garage, where more men clad in black were wearing a black eyeglasses, They were the bodyguards, she noted. After the three brothers had boarded the Toyota Jeep, they boarded as well. Her brows were wrinkled. 

Where could they possibly be going with so many bodyguards?! Is it possible that they're participating in some criminal activities?! 

She stood there watching the cars drive out of the complex until they were no longer visible. In the huge castle, she felt completely alone. She admired the garage, which was loaded with a variety of high-end automobiles. 

She let out a sigh. What in the world had she gotten herself into? She decided to have a look around the pool. Then she recalled that this home had a fucking cobra in it? 

In terror, she shrinks. Because the home employees were also present, she understood she shouldn't be afraid. She proceeded along the halls and came upon a huge painting of a man who looked just like the three brothers. Miranda mistook him for their father, Gerald Templeton, since he appeared to be elderly. 

She frowned. What had happened to their mother that she hadn't heard about?! She doesn't appear to exist. Is she still alive? What happened to her?! Why isn't her name on the Templetons' list?! 

She had a lot of questions, but she didn't know the answers to any of them. 

So she decided to just return to the chamber where Andrew had been dragged earlier, despite the fact that she had no idea how to get there. She grumbled as she realized she was confined in this corridor until Andrew returned.

She began peering through each door in the corridor until she came face to face with the most gorgeous room she had ever seen as she peered into a specific large door. 

Golden chandeliers and marble brown tables filled the space. A huge painting of a woman seated like a queen in the most beautiful brown robe she had ever seen hung on the wall. Despite the fact that the room's walls were painted in brown, the bed was likewise created in that color. Brown appears to be the woman's preferred color. 

Miranda was reminded of the three brothers by her deep brown eyes, although she bore no remarkable likeness to them. 

She had no idea who she was.

She walked back to where she had seen a Gerald Templeton painting after opening the door and stepping out of the room. 

She sat down on the red carpet, but something attracted her eye, so she got up and tried with all her might to remove the portrait from the wall, but she twisted her ankle, and the glass portrait fell to the carpet and broke a little. She chewed her lower lip. She'd gotten herself into a lot of trouble. Who told her she needed to get rid of the portrait?! What was with her being so clumsy?! 

She looked up and her gaze was drawn to another photo, this time of a younger Gerald Templeton dressed in a white suit. It appeared to be his wedding portrait with his wife, but she was shocked to discover the other half was ripped. That's weird!

Why would the other half of his wife's photograph be ripped?! 

She looked at it for a long time, until a voice interrupted her thoughts. 

"What are you doing in this place?! You're not supposed to be in this area of the castle!!"

To be continued...