8 Live The Hell Where?

It didn't turn out exactly as Adam planned. Sure, he immediately started designing the replacement house but there was still the question of where they were going to live while the house was being built. Madi still had to go to school earthquake or no earthquake and she still had to prepare for her college exams.

Adam was a good dad whose whole existence centered around the daughter he adored so he made a decision basically without her input. In his defense, he was thinking as a dad who suffered a scare thinking his daughter might be taken from him in the most horrendous way possible. So, he didn't say anything to Madi, merely told her to pack the little possession they had that survived the earthquake and took her in a house that his friends owned.

The word 'house' was really a misnomer to describe the mansion that occupied several hectares of land in a gated community praised by Architecture magazine as the best definition of "heaven on earth". Madi was not a stranger to wealth but even she blinked when she saw the size of the house. It was enormous and antiquated and stately, rather a house a prime minister or the Dalai Lama would not be out of place to live in.

"Us, live in this house?" Madi said, staring at her father in shock. "Are you sure, Dad?"

"I'm perfectly fine so don't look at me like I've lost my marbles," Adam said dryly. "We're not living in this house but rather in a guest house adjacent to it."

"Guest house? In this acreage? Again, are you sure, Dad?"

Adam laughed.

"I think I told you about a couple of college friends your mom and I are friends with, didn't I? Well, they own this house. When they heard about me rebuilding our house, they offered to host us for a few months until the rebuilding is done. I didn't want us to live in a rental or a hotel so I said yes. It would have been churlish to refuse them, Madi."

"When you said college friends, I thought you meant a couple of teachers who lived in a shoe house," Madi said, amused. "It turns out they're a couple of billionaires who own a palace. Who the heck are these people, Dad?"

"They have a title," Adam said, shrugging. "Don't ask because I've forgotten what it is. Matthew's old man was a treasure hunter. He went to the Azarias in his youth and discovered the lost City of Gold."

"The City of Gold...," Madi said, thunderstruck. "That City of Gold?"

"The one and the same. Anyway, the government took all the gold and shared fifteen percent of all that with Matthew's grandfather. Gold is gold so it was worth a lot of money even fifty years ago. Granddad was also a successful entrepreneur. This is the same guy who, after finding that massive haul of gold in the Azarias, took a trip downriver and discovered a cave with golden nuggets on the ceiling. It was not a preserved site so the government failed to lay a claim on the find. Matthew's granddad filed a legal claim to it as a mining site. The government fought it but the old man eventually won."

"That guy must have been born under a lucky star," Madi said.

Adam laughed.

"He was. He also married the nicest woman in the world. Matthew is like his granddad. Very down-to-earth and not at all pompous or anything like that. His wife Marie is also the kindest and gentlest woman you could ever meet. Your mom was one of her bestfriends."

"You and mom both knew them in school?" Madi was surprised.

"They were a few months ahead of us but we've kept in touch over the years. When they heard I left M City and moved here, Matthew called me. But I've been kept busy with work and of course, taking care of you so I really had no time to see them. And you know me, I don't like parties."

"Parties?"

"Marie is famous for them. She hosts an annual ball for debutantes and is involved in a couple of beauty pageants. And of course, there are her charities."

"What does her husband do?" Madi asked with growing interest.

"Matthew is the CEO of an IT company, I believe. It's something he personally started while he was still in college. He was a whiz kid even then. Liked to tinker with stuff."

"Would it be really okay to stay here, Dad?" Madi asked frowning. "These people sound very accomplished and lofty. I don't have to curtsy every time I see any of them, do I?"

Adam chuckled and ruffled her hair affectionately.

"You don't have to do anything but be yourself. I doubt if we'll get to see any of them in a regular basis, honestly. Well, occasionally maybe. We'll both be too busy to even care."

The house they moved into turned out to be a small cottage with a garage located at the back. It resembled the typical stone and marble cottages found in an English countryside, along with the petunias, the rosebushes, the daisies and marigolds.

Madi fell in love with it at first sight, which pleased her dad because it meant settling in wouldn't be that difficult for her.

They had been living in the cottage for a week before the owners of the estate came to visit. Madi was asleep on her large farmhouse bed when a hearty yet unfamiliar voice awakened her one morning. She could hear her father's laughter mingling with the voice. Mixed with the rich baritones was a woman's soft and delightful chuckles.

Madi flung the covers and opened the windows. Her room overlooked the yard so when she looked outside the window she saw a couple talking to her dad. The man was about her dad's age with silver grey hair and the woman was tiny. She was about Madi's height and build, which means she was small-boned and petite.

When she looked up and saw Madi by the window, Madi realized that the woman was actually a lot older but her skin was so smooth and flawless she gave the impression of a very young girl on her first blush of youth. This was reinforced by the radiant smile which nearly split her face as she met Madi's twinkling gaze.

"That's my daughter Madi," Adam carelessly introduced. "Come down and meet Matt and Marie, Mad."

"Hi," Madi said and on impulse addressed the woman still looking up at her with her clean smile and glowing skin. "You're very pretty for a matured lady. I like your hair. Pink definitely suits you."

The woman stared at her stunned then a huge smile split her face.

"Thank you," she said, chuckling.

"Do you like waffles?"

The woman looked bewildered and transferred her gaze to Adam.

"You're in luck," he said, smiling. "My daughter is in the mood to cook. You have to taste her waffles."

"Bring them to see the collection, Dad," Madi called out from the window. "I'll be with you in a sec."

They all watched as the rumpled head disappeared from the window followed by the sound of a pop song playing on Echo.

"What collection?" Matt asked Adam.

"Your daughter seems very friendly," Marie said.

"Her sword collection," Adam said, "And yes, Madi can be a bit shameless when she wants to be."

"That's called self-confidence, Adam," Marie pointed out chuckling.

"She has a healthy dose of that, too," Adam agreed heartily. "Let's get inside so you can formally meet my shameless yet loveable daughter."