A crystal white Volvo S90 wind down the parking basement of Rockaway Tower. The entourage halted at the far end where a secluded elevator could be found. The car's beam revealed a lady in her 30s standing in attention by the curb, dressed in beige boatneck dress that reached an inch shy below her knee. Olivia rolled the car window down and gave the lady a small smile.
"Secretary Gail…" Olivia's soft yet sultry voice akin to a jazz singer serenading you at night hypnotized the secretary.
"President, please wait inside the car. Another tenant is using the elevator just now," Secretary Gail cleared her throat before bowing her head to apologize even if she didn't need to but that's her job - to bow down to people like Olivia.
"Why am I sharing my elevator?"
Secretary Gail stood and met Olivia's blank eyes that screamed impatience. She only found out that there were actually two units on the penthouse floor of the building when she arrived 10 minutes earlier. She was surprised when a dozen of security details blocked the elevator entrance for the penthouse suite.
Knowing that Olivia doesn't like to wait outside the damp and humid parking basement, Secretary Gail called the building's superintendent to confirm if there were indeed two tenants on the penthouse suite floor. Last time she checked, the real estate agent said that there is only one suite on the floor which is the one she is selling. Then how on Earth were there two tenants now?
"You have to give as another elevator, sir. I don't care if you have to close one elevator for my boss's exclusive use. It's not just your head on the line, mine too," Secretary Gail pleaded.
She massaged her temple as she listened to the superintendent apologize on the other end of the line. That neighbor seemed to bring a big entourage everywhere that person went. This was the second time that a group of people entered the elevator and there were still others waiting outside to get a ride.
Olivia definitely wouldn't have the patience to wait every time this tenant uses the elevator!
Back in the present, Secretary Gail bowed once again and said, "President, I already called management and they said they will give us a new key for a different elevator."
Olivia took a sharp breath before winding up the window. Uncle Jin blasted the AC, making Olivia smile. "It sure is hot in here," she said as she closed her eyes and let her thoughts wander as she waited for her turn.
She smiled when she remembered how she was welcomed with intoxicating beautiful warm smiles the moment she stepped out of the plane. It has been half a year since she landed in this foreign country for the first time but it felt like she's lived here since forever. Nisia, the place where she was born yet only saw in pictures growing up. It was a small island in the South East, dabbed as the place where mountains meet the sea that tourists flock in droves yearly to enjoy the lush tropical bliss the country could offer. It's economy only kept on prospering thanks to the combined efforts of the monarch and the government on keeping everything at Nisia in order and harmony.
Olivia's thought was cut short when Secretary Gail softly knocked on the car's window, letting her know that the elevator was now ready for her to use.
…
A few days later, a string of tiny little footsteps made melodies on the wooden floor.
"Finn!" Olivia stretched her arms out, ready to welcome the bouncing little dumpling in her arms. The little boy's rosy cheeks bobbed as he ran to his auntie.
"Ooooh who is auntie's favorite little boooooy?" Olivia asked as she gently shook the little dumpling from side to side. His hair cut like an upside-down bowl on top of his head; the bangs fall just on top of his eyebrows.
"Me! Me!" Finn replied as a drool slipped on the corners of his mouth because of teething.
"Hello, sister." A voice, smooth and silky, caught Olivia's attention. She faintly smiled at the man's direction before carrying Finn the dumpling on the side of her waist.
"Oliver. Brother." Olivia acknowledged her brother's presence. She walked closer to the man in a custom-fit gray suit and gave him a cheek kiss. Truth be told, brother and sister were strangers growing up. However, things started to change when Finn was born. The big brother felt that it was his duty to raise his son Finn in a holistic environment, different from what he and his sister grew up in, so he patched things up with his exiled sister.
Everything felt natural and not forced after he took that first step of calling her when Finn was born. He swore he heard her sob on the other end of the line when she received the news but Olivia refuted that claim. And once the gap has been bridged, he made sure to call her once a week while she was still living in England. And now that Olivia's home, he occasionally brings Finn to her house so they could bond and make memories together.
He took out a black envelope from his jacket breast pocket and placed it on the table. Olivia eyed the mysterious envelope that had a gold foil lining on it. "Invitation to the auction," Oliver said when he noticed his sister's questioning look. Olivia gasped and grabbed the envelope from her brother, her smile looked like a girl receiving a gift from Santa on Christmas Day.
"I also made the necessary arrangements for you so you don't have to worry about a thing. Security, check. Privacy, check. And as your brother, I made sure that your identity is top secret. Why do you want to attend this auction, anyway?" he asked as he took a bite of a chocolate-covered strawberry.
Oliver then offered the fruit to his son who was eyeing the dessert but Olivia swatted his hand away and said, "That has liquor in it." Left with no choice, Oliver had to be the bad guy and ate the whole thing in front of his son whose lips curled downward and was about to cry. But before little Finn could cry, his favorite human, Auntie Olivia, took another chocolate-covered strawberry from its box and dangled it in the air, tempting the little boy.
"Who is Finn's favorite human?"
"Auntie! Auntie!" the boy replied with his arms stretched as he reached for the dessert. Olivia gave his brother an arrogant smile before giving Finn his reward. Oliver laughed at his sister, he once again fell for this little girl's trap. And talking about traps... he cleared his throat first and dusted his hands as he made his way to the couch. He sat with his legs crossed and arms spread wide like a wingspan on the cluch's backrest before motioning at the nanny to take Finn away so he could have a serious talk with his sister.
"Father is demanding your presence… today."
"Finally… It's about time that I meet with father."