30 She didn't have it

Abi grabbed her luggage and unpacked her things. She opened one of the doors to the far left and was right when she thought that it was a wardrobe. However, what she hadn't expected when she turned the lights on, to see a humongous room! It was the size of their living room back at home!

One wall was covered with lots of square shelves - for shoes, she presumed - and another wall with rectangular shelves for bags and other accessories? There was a large island table in the center with numerous drawers on either side. Additionally, a rectangular mirror was positioned in the middle.

The other two walls had large rectangular shelves built for hanging dresses and jackets and scarves and all sorts of different clothing. It almost felt like it could be a small clothing and accessories store if the shelves were filled with clothes and shoes and belts and hats and such. This was crazy! Imagine if all those empty spaces were actually filled up with clothes! Who could afford that luxury? 

After unpacking her things, she grabbed her phone and gave Kelly a call to give her an update.

Kelly answered on the third ring. "Abi! Are you okay? How are things?"

"Hi Kelly. Yeah, I am totally fine and things are, uh, a bit overwhelming to be honest…" Abi said, honestly.

"Oh?"

"Well, first off, his house is not even a house, it's like a castle?"

"Can I have a look Abi?"

Abigail hesitated since she and Alexander still didn't talk about this – if she was allowed to do this. But in the end, she agreed because she didn't want her friend to worry if she refuse.

"Whoah! Oh my god, that's HUGE!" Kelly yelled and as Abi continued showing her the room, Kelly started to look worried.

"This place is just… amazing, isn't it? Abi mumbled after she finished showing Kelly the room.

"Exactly! Are you sure you're not in Europe?!"

"Kelly, you know I'm not."

"Ugh, that Alexander Qinn, Who the hell is he? Abi… just remember that you don't have to do everything he asks of you. If it doesn't feel right or comfortable, don't do it, okay? You have the right to say no and he can't force you to do anything against your will. If he tries, just come back, you understand?" Kelly rambled on like a worried mother hen. 

"Kelly, I'm really okay. I promise I won't do anything that I am not willing with. You don't have to worry so much. It's only for one month and I promise I will leave if things don't work out."

After heaving a long sigh, Kelly voiced her support for her. She advised her to follow her heart and most of all, to enjoy the new experiences. This made Abi smile and made her feel relieved as well. Kelly's words helped her feel more comfortable with this whole thing knowing that she had her friend's support and blessing.

Once the call had ended, Abi laid down on the fluffy, comfortable bed. She stared at the ceiling and repeated Kelly's words of encouragement to herself before she stood up and walked towards the bookshelves.

As she looked at the books, Abi's brows started to knit. The first time she entered, she had a feeling that no one seemed to have settled in here for not just a while but a very long period of time. She had shrugged the feeling away but now that she flipped through some books, she started to believe her gut instincts. These books were obviously hundred-year-old classics but the strangest thing was that no one seemed to have opened them for a very long time. It wasn't like they were dusty or covered in cobwebs - they were very well maintained - but the book cover and pages stuck to each other the way they would do if they hadn't been opened for some time. Could it be that Alexander Qinn's past girlfriends never once bothered to open the books? 

She ran her fingers softly along the spine of the books and sighed with great longing. If only she had the time, she would have loved to read all of these. But sadly, she didn't have it; the luxury of time.

While lost in her thoughts, Abi's stomach growled. She looked at the clock and saw that it was already lunchtime. She was about to leave her room to go find something to eat when a maid knocked on her door.

"Good day, Miss. I'm here to let you know that lunch is ready." A woman dressed in a maid's outfit greeted her politely.