The very next day, Knox went job hunting dressed in a corporate black-and-white attire with his falsified resume encased in a black file. To perfect the act, he boarded a cab here and had to finish his journey, walking quite a distance. It was just as described by Carson: the neighborhood was lonely. It felt like its entirety was bought off as not a single soul could be seen or heard in its perimeter. The sound of birds chirping from a distance sure gave off an eerie vibe but not one enough to make him want to back out; not even for a second. Knox was more than determined to make his first undercover mission a success and bring the killer to justice as soon as possible.
He stood for a couple of seconds before the enormous gates, not out of hesitation but out of… 'nothing.' We can do this,' he emboldened, letting out deep breaths. He's still human, after all; one bound to feel jittery.
*Knock knock* He knocked and waited for a response. There was a small screen by the wicket gate so he just stared into that, still uncertain of how the response would come.
Then the blank screen came on.
On the other end was a guy with ebony black hair gelled neatly to the side. His appearance made Knox reexamine his.
"And you are?" The guy spoke
"Anthony Gregor. I came in search of a job." Of course, he absolutely could not use his real name.
"Job hunting?" The guy reechoed with creased brows, giving him a questioning look.
"Yes." 'Why does he look at me like that? Isn't he here because he did something similar?' Knox thought to himself.
"One sec." The screen went blank again.
Knox breathed in deeply like he forgot to breathe all this while. He couldn't mess things up now he had already given Carson his word. He needed to let go of his bundle of nerves if he wanted to great.
He took several deep breaths afterward to pull himself together but all his efforts came crashing when he heard a sharp metallic sound.
It was the gate. It clanked open.
No one ushered him in. But since the gate was now open, he figured it was to let him in so he walked in.
The first thing that greeted his eyes were men all dressed similarly in white dress shirts tucked in black suit pants, just like him. Standing in different spots, they all kept their chin up, their appearance and aura exhumed peak expertise. Not even one of them budged to acknowledge his presence. 'Were they deaf?'
There was nothing flashy about the compound itself except for the exotic cars and jeeps lined up in a corner. In the center of the grandiose expanse stood a structure befitting of Daniil's wealth.
The house looked like a castle, but at the same time, it wasn't. Its layout was unique, only available to the one percent sitting on the apex of the country's economy. Two tall pillars were running from the ceiling to the ground, slightly above sixteen ft. using a rough estimate. The roofing was a bit complex; there were penthouses to the left and the right, so how many floors there were, remained a question. A corner of the house though was covered with an opaque glass. Its pointed edge extended to the other part of the house not visible to him.
With no one's guidance, he made the straight-route journey to the entrance. On each side of the Fiberglass double entry doors stood gentlemen who opened the doors for him.
He expected to see exquisite designs and interiors, thinking they were paving the way to the living room but no, it was a passage that awaited him. There was no other doors or windows so he walked straight in again.
Then he finally came across another entrance at the end of the passage. The doors slid open when he got close to them.
Knox didn't know when his jaw dropped, beholding the most exquisite and glamouring sight he had in so long. He got enthralled in the blinding illumination sourcing from the large crystal chandeliers hanging on the high coved ceiling. The interiors were not left lagging in quality as they were all top-notch. There were black cabriolet luxury sofas in a U-shaped arrangement with their backs against him. In their midst sat the Craig center table facing directly at the luxurious TV set across the spot he remained glued to.
In a cozy corner of the living space, nestled under a cascading vine of ivy, laid an exquisite home wine bar, a treasure trove of vinous delights. The bar itself, a handcrafted marvel of rich mahogany, exuded warmth and timeless elegance, its polished surface gleaming softly under the ambient light. Behind glass panels, an impressive collection of top-dollar wines stood sentinel, each bottle standing tall, waiting to be uncorked and savored. This place was…
"Mr. Anthony?" A voice called out of the blue, halving his scrutiny.
"Ye…yeah?" He replied, flustered. It looked like he'd been calling for a while now.
"This way please," he gestured for him to follow. Now he certainly needed someone's guidance else risk getting lost.
The guy led Knox to the curved staircase situated at the right corner of the room, beside the dining hall. And just like that, they went on to the next floor.
The spacious ambiance accented by the white downlights made it look surreal. The house was just so lovely, Knox could not deny.
Trailing begin him, they passed by the balcony, and Knox looked over its rail down, back to the ladies swarming the sitting room in black-and-white maid outfits. They were all busy cleaning each furniture and making sure the room sparkled.
They got to a door and he got in with Knox following closely.
"Sit down," he told and Knox obeyed. It also looked like a living room but nothing like the one downstairs. It was a smaller and less sophisticated version.
The guy walked into another door embedded in the walls of the room. Knox had to wait. 'Where's this going?'
Minutes on…
Now he was getting almost tired of waiting. There was no TV to keep him company, no one to talk to, and more importantly, the guy from earlier was yet to come out. With nothing left to do, he scanned the room.
His roaming eyes came to a sudden halt when they met with a lens hanging at a corner of the room. His eyes widened in shock, and he sprung up from the sofa when he confirmed three lenses at the other three respective corners of the room. Panic set in when he realized that waiting for ten whole minutes may not have been a coincidence. Whatever eyes loomed from behind those walls already knew of his presence, probably from the moment he walked right in.
If he walked into a corporation or the White House, those devices would not seem off. But in a privately owned apartment?
The tight security.
Peak surveillance.
Men standing and acting like dummies.
Ladies walking and working like programmed robots.
In a mansion loaded with people, there was apex tranquility. Not even subtle chatters or whispers could be heard from far and near.
Every single thing he subconsciously overlooked was being recalled one after the other, painting a spooky picture. It was crystal clear now – there was more to Daniil than met the eyes.
He scoffed in disbelief most baffled by the fact that he remained oblivious of the CCTV cameras everywhere in the house.