Sara blinks owlishly at the heap of clothes and camping gear, all placed on the floor and neatly arranged in what passes for the living room of Paul's penthouse. I can't tell whether its from the light of the chandeliers or the fact that I'm still not used to this new life I've found myself in, but everything being presented to us right now appears to be either spanking new or incredibly expensive.

"I hope everything is to your satisfaction." the young woman dressed in a neat suit murmurs to us submissively with a gentle smile on her face. Her long, silky black hair is flows down her shoulders while the handsome features on her face speak of a mild temperament.

"I don't know what to say." Sara shakes her head, looking at me for help. I merely shrug in return, completely out of my depth as well.

"Why are you here, Yvonne?" Paul cuts in, staring pointedly at the young woman.

"I believe Rutger's was organizing a camping trip for all the students?" Yvonne adjusts her long hair slightly, "The master and his friends would need clothes and supplies for the occasion."

"I'm aware of the camping trip." Paul sighs, rubbing his glabella, "My question is, why are you here, Yvonne?"

"Discharging my duties as your majordomo, master." Yvonne bows again, not in the least put out by Paul's hostility toward her. Goddamn, she does have a neat, compact body, doesn't she?

"Well, I don't need a majordomo. So go back to whichever hotel my parents had you managing and stay there." Paul grumbles, "We can get by ourselves."

"That is out of my hands, master." Yvonne says contritely in a sweet voice, "I apologize."

Paul shakes his head and slumps onto the overstuffed sofa in defeat. There's no way you can stay justifiably upset at Yvonne for long, she's just too patient, good natured and plain cute. Probably why Paul's family selected her to play head servant of the penthouse in the first place. Paul's way too much of a good guy to drive Yvonne off.

Its been an absolutely crazy month. From living in a low cost apartment, to the attack at Rutger's and now here, in a penthouse that's worth more that what my parents would ever make in several lifetimes. Quite an upgrade to my life circumstances. As for Maus, I've not seen hide or hair of that talking rodent ever since she disappeared at the park. The nightmare of the terror attack was rapidly receding to be just that, a nightmare that I'll be getting over sooner rather than later.

"Oh my god!" Sara cries out as she picks up an adorable teddy bear from the assorted offerings, "I love it!"

"The master asked me to buy that limited edition item." Yvonne tilts her head, "I'm happy that you like it."

Paul has a completely lost expression on his face and I intervene by nudging him hard in the ribs. The man's a good guy, but damn, he can be so completely clueless sometimes.

"Say something, boss." I whisper quickly to Paul.

"Uh, yes. Well done, Yvonne." Paul coughs, "You're welcome to keep the bear if you like it, Sara."

"So cute!" Sara poses with the teddy bear, giddy with excitement. Paul glances at Yvonne, his expression softening somewhat. I give the majordomo a discreet thumbs up for a job well done.

"You know how to do your job." Paul huffs at Yvonne, "That's something at least."

"The patriarch heard that you were bringing friends home," Yvonne bows, "and was worried that you needed assistance. So I was sent to ensure your comfort and convenience. Think nothing about it."

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"This again." Paul's expression clouds over, "I'm truly never going to be free from my family, aren't I?"

"Boss, you've been pulled into a corp war involving hit teams." I point out to my friend, "Being free of your family is the last thing you want right now."

"I suppose you're right, Robbie." Paul nods in weary agreement, "Not that I like the situation I'm in."

"Paul! Paul!" Sara grabs him by the hand, "Could you help take some pictures of me with Brownie?"

"Brownie? Who's that?" Paul's confusion returns.

"This little fellow!" Sara bobs up and down with the teddy bear, "Feel his fur. Its so soft!"

Brown teddy bear named Brownie. Sara was never the most creative of people. Paul is nevertheless swept up by her energy and they retreat to a corner of the penthouse for the impromptu photo shoot.

"A moment of your time, Robert." Yvonne's cultured voice interrupts my rumination.

"Yeah?" I grunt at Yvonne and she hands me a cream colored envelope.

"When moving the last of your belongings over here, I took the liberty of checking your mail." Yvonne explains, "There was only this letter but it seemed important."

"Let's see." I mutter, checking the back of the envelope for the sender's details, "Vekselberg and Partners? A law office? What the heck?"

"As I said, it seemed important." Yvonne blandly smiles at me.

"No shit." I reply and quickly tear open the envelope. A single sheaf of paper scrawled over in old school cursive is the only thing inside.

"Dear Sir, blah, blah," I mumble, scanning the letter and having a hard time of it. The cursive script is impressive but I would have preferred something typewritten. Would be easier making out whatever the lawyer is trying to write.

"Oh."

The lawyer writing to me finally gets to the point and its a gut punch for sure.

"Anything wrong?" Yvonne asks with concern on her face.

"My grandfather passed away." I tap the letter with my index finger, "His lawyer wants a meeting with me to pass over something or other."

"That is certainly unexpected news." Yvonne comments.

"Yeah, mom never mentioned anything like this in her calls to me." I sigh, "Though I suppose we aren't close to my father's side."

"A familiar story." Yvonne commiserates, "Rich or poor, families can be complicated things."

"You don't say." I fold up the letter and put it away, "Though I think my relationships are less hostile than what Paul has to deal with."

"Do you plan on meeting Mr Vekselberg today?" Yvonne asks, playing with a lock of her hair.

"Why not? Thanks to the school being exploded, there's no class anyway." I shrug, "I kind of suspect that's why the camping trip was planned as well. Find something for the students to do while the campus is being repaired."

"Very good." Yvonne turns about and reaches for her handbag, "Mr Vekselberg's office is half an hour away by car. I'll give you a lift there."

"Uh." I grunt stupidly at this turn of events, "I wouldn't want to trouble you, Miss Yvonne?"

"Its just Yvonne." the young lady smiles archly at me, "Aren't you coming, Robert?"

"Your lunch hour is like five minutes from now." I waive my arms about while following Yvonne out of the penthouse, "And I can just take a bus there? Its no big deal."

"My lunch hour is for me to spend." Yvonne responds airily as both of us board the lift, "And I'm choosing to spend it with Robert."

"Ah."

My mouth opens and closes like a guppy. The elevator stops at the building's parking area and Yvonne leads me to a lime green hatchback. Both of us slide in and Yvonne guns the engine, sending the car rocketing out into the streets.

"Whoa." I'm literally pushed back into my seat thanks to the velocity.

"There's no need to be scared of me, Robert." Yvonne laughs, "I'm not that much older than you."

That's true, Yvonne looks at most three, maybe four years older than me. But she's got way more composure and sophistication.

"When Paul's parents heard that he was finally bringing friends home," Yvonne continues, "they were really happy. Paul's been such a lonely person for such a long time."

"I don't plan on abandoning him to whatever shit he's about to face." I affirm, "You have my word on that."

"I know. You're a straightforward person, Robert." Yvonne hums, "I like it."

"Thanks." I settle into my seat and enjoy the ride.

"I would like to be your friend too." Yvonne chuckles embarrassedly, "Would you be fine with that?"

"Eh?" I jolt back up.

"Oh dear, was I being too forward?" Yvonne flushes as she keeps her eyes on the road.

"No, no." I shake my head vigorously, "You just took me by surprise, that's all."

"Let me tell you a secret." Yvonne leans close as we come to a stop at a red light, "I used to be a very wild girl in school."

"I wouldn't have guessed?" I murmur, feeling hot under the collar.

"Then shouldn't you get to know me better?" Yvonne gives me a cheeky grin, "We'll be seeing plenty of each other in the future."

"Don't see why not." I flash a smile of my own, settling into the groove of things. I pat the lawyer's letter in my pocket. One door closes. And another opens.

Perhaps to something better.