Emilia returned to her apartment by 15:30, realising that she had only a single plant, a few books, electronics, and a small case of clothes to pack. It wasn't a surprise. Her small apartment was mostly bare as most of her funds went to pay for the care of her mother who has struggled with an illness after illness for years now, deteriorating more and more.
There was no one else besides Emilia to take care of her mother, Jane.
Not feeling much about having to move, Emilia tidied the rest of the apartment.
At exactly 16:00, there was a knock on her door.
"Mr Cosby." She smiled cheerfully.
"Dr Vincent." He reciprocated her smile. It was hard not to, even if he spend the last few hours agonising over what were to happen once she was to realise the true nature of her new 'job'. "Are you ready?"
"Yes, I think so."
"Don't worry. I'll show you around once we get there and you can spend the rest of the evening settling in."
"When can we go over the full scope of responsibilities? "
"As soon as we get to Mr Hayden's home." Patrick said carefully, trying to come up with the pretend responsibilities.
Emilia followed Patrick down the stairs.
"Miss Vincent, where are you going?" An elder showed up at the bottom of the stairs.
"I've got a new job, Mrs Kowalski!" Emilia announced happily. "Mr Cosby was kind enough to help me as his boss was recruiting. Can you imagine?"
Patrick scowled at Emilia, wondering if she purposely tried to get Mrs Kowalski on his back. But somehow, Emilia's short conversation was sufficient and the elder waved them goodbye.
Emilia sat in the passenger seat of the black luxurious car, holding on her bonsai in a pot. As Patrick turned on the engine, the music blasted through the speakers. Patrick tried to turn it off quickly whilst Emilia chuckled.
"You can leave it on." She said with a wide grin. Listening to My Chemical Romance seemed somehow very contrasting to the style of the car and two people dressed quite elegantly.
"Sorry. I forgot to turn it off."
"I am not going to judge your taste in music. Not with the 'teenagers' at the very least."
Patrick smiled at her as he put the song back on at a much more tolerable volume.
He drove well and smoothly out of the city while maintaining a pleasant chat with Emilia. He told Emilia of how he joined Crimson Tech many years ago, almost straight out of university, and although he found it stressful, it paid well and he was content. Most of the time.
Emilia spoke of her university, her work straight after in various research jobs, before she was finally laid off due to the company's bankruptcy. Patrick expressed his surprise that she had a PhD, and Emilia explained that she never liked the title of a doctor, unless it referred to someone in the medical profession.
Patrick kept reminding himself that Emilia was a good choice for Christopher. She was so easy-going that he didn't even feel the time flying in the car with her.
Emilia was busy looking down at the bonsai, and as she looked up she noticed that they were driving towards an enormous old building. Her eyes widened in wonder.
Patrick pulled up to the courtyard, and Emilia walked out of the car, still looking at the building in surprise.
"You didn't say it was a castle!"
"It is technically a manor." Patrick smiled as he took her small suitcase out of the car boot. Emilia rolled her eyes.
"It's enormous!"
"Let's go inside." He urged her.
He led Emilia through the maze of corridors and stairs, each stunningly decorated, until he stopped and opened a door to a room. It was huge, bigger than her entire apartment, with a poster bed with heavy canopy by the wall. It had bookshelves which were half filled with books, a desk, dresser, a coffee table with an armchair, and a door leading to the bathroom, and another to the closet.
"This is your new room."
"You must be kidding." Emilia said in disbelief. The room was filled with gold embroidered throws and fabrics. It was heavy and dark in decor, but so fitting for the manor.
"Not at all. I'll show you the key areas within the manor in a moment. I suspect that you should be fine exploring the remaining parts on your own."
"I might get lost in the labyrinth of corridors, but I think it'll be a fun challenge."
"Certainly."
Patrick went on to show her living and dining rooms, then Christopher's study with a warning as to not disturb Christopher until absolutely necessary. Then Emilia asked about a kitchen where Patrick explained that there's a cook and staff to attend to her every whim if she ever wanted anything. And a pantry filled with snacks fully to her disposition.
And most importantly, Patrick showed her where she should never come close to - a corridor with Christopher's bedroom and private space.
Emilia nodded and tried to remember every single path they took.
Once the sped up tour of the manor was complete, Emilia asked Patrick about her responsibilities again.
"It's simple. If there are any public engagements of interest, I will send you the relevant information and help you organise everything around it. You should focus on representing Mr Hayden in the best light by speaking well of him and his company, and by building a network within the social circles. If you are to attend alongside of him, make sure that you are well prepared and that you do not get too much attention. For now, focus on settling into your new home. We have a quiet period so you may have two weeks or more without any events."
"Okay." Emilia nodded. "Also, sorry for the awkward question, but what is the salary?"
"Well…" Patrick was trying to come up with a reasonable amount. "Two hundred a day, regardless of the engagements."
"Seriously?" Emilia asked in surprise, not realising that Patrick had two hundred thousand Pounds a day in his mind rather than just two hundred Pounds.
"Yes. And you get an additional spending credit card which holds quarter the amount."
"What expenses go on that card?"
"Everything. It's yours to spend on your own luxuries. I will bring it over tomorrow."
"Wow." Emilia mumbled.
"If you need me, text me or call me. I'll send you a more comprehensive list of do's and don'ts tonight." Patrick said in the end. "Otherwise, stay out of Mr Hayden's sight whilst not in public and have fun."
"Thank you." Emilia smiled at Patrick who left her soon after.
Emilia returned to her new room through many dark corridors. She admired the paintings, sculptures, rugs, and everything else in between as she slowly paced down. She only realised how depleted she felt once she reached her new bedroom. It was a very eventful day. She was still unemployed in the morning, and now she lived in a manor with her sole responsibility to attend some fancy events either as a representative or support to Mr Hayden.