Ch12. Clifford

Johan turned to face the man who had called him from the front door of

Erick's house - his house - and was met with a face that almost made

Johan's jaw drop.

Almost platinum blond hair, eyes so gray, they were like two pieces of

a cold, stormy sky.

Skin almost as white and flawless as the marble of the columns that

supported the mansion, hiding muscles as solid as steel, compact and

lean.

The man before Johan wore a simple white shirt with an untied black tie

over his shoulders, black trousers, and rimless glasses.

Johan remembered who that man was before he even took the first step

towards him, looking furiously at the handsome blond man as if he

wanted to kill him.

Erick's words echoed in Johan's mind as he approached.

Step after step.

'Claudius Clifford, remember this name very well...'

Claudius just stared back at Johan, with a disdainful smile and a hand

behind his back.

'When you see it for the first time, you will understand what I mean.'

And Johan really understood.

'We grew up together, but he's much more than a childhood friend...'

Johan clenched his fists and took the last step closer to the handsome

Claudius Clifford, and moved, ready to throw a punch.

'He's the man you need to be most careful with, because he...'

At the last moment, however, Johan opened his fist and pulled Claudius

into a strong, tight hug.

"It's good to see you back, brother!"

"I missed you too, brother!"

'...He wants me dead.'

Johan and Claudius laughed like old friends meeting again after a long

time, and after breaking the hug, Claudius put his arm around Johan's

shoulders.

"Are you seriously going to arrive, go home, go to sleep, and only let

me know you'd return when it was dinner time?"

Johan raised his bandaged hand to him, a slight smile on his lips.

"I had some... Unforeseen events before returning, so I thought it

would be good to rest a little, schedule a trip to the doctor, and let

everyone know when I showed up at the table."

Claudius's eyes widened a little wider than Johan considered genuine,

and said.

"Good heavens! You need to tell me everything! What do you say we have

one?"

Johan smiled faintly, his mind racing like a speedway, and said,

shaking his head.

"You'll have to forgive me, man. But I really need to rest, you know

how the night is going to go, so you'll understand."

Claudius let out a sigh, the corners of his lips curling down ever so

slightly.

"Yes, I understand. I really do. You're going to owe me that drink,

okay?" Claudius replied, turning to leave.

"Leave it to me, brother!"

They didn't hug again, they didn't even say goodbye to each other.

Claudius just turned and walked away, as if he hadn't met his best

friend after six months.

Johan stood there for several moments, looking at Clifford's back,

disappearing between one mansion and another, while a myriad of

thoughts swarmed in his mind.

'He has the same eyes as Erick... I really need to be careful with this

guy.'

Turning to Lana again, as if nothing had happened, and he hadn't been

excessively tense in those seconds that followed Claudius's departure,

Johan asked.

"Can you still help me with that little favor?" Johan gave a shy smile.

"Of course, Mr. Vaughn, I'm your secretary, I'm here to help you with

anything, but... Would you allow me the indiscretion of asking a

personal question?"

"While we're walking, please."

'So this beautiful redhead is my secretary? That makes things a lot

easier...' Johan grinned inwardly as they walked.

In a whisper, Lana asked, looking tense.

"Why haven't you gotten rid of him yet?"

Johan thought for a moment before responding.

'Straight to the point...'

Johan thought as quickly as he could, formulating an answer that made

sense, and that sounded like something he believed Erick could say to a

question like that and, also in a whisper, he responded, moving

slightly closer to Lana's ear.

"I still have use for him."

A few moments of walking later, without Lanna having said anything

about Johan's words, giving only a nod in response, they arrived in

front of a dark oak door, with a round, golden latch, carved with what

looked like snakes around it.

Lana let out a slight tired - or relieved - sigh and said.

"Well, Mr. Vaughn, this is your room. I hope you rest, I'm going to

schedule your appointment with the family doctor for tomorrow, so be

ready. I'll let you know as soon as I finish the preparations."

Johan nodded, with a half smile on his lips.

"You are the best secretary in the world. Remember that." And with

that, Johan opened the door and entered his room - Erick's -, leaving

Lana there, on the other side.

Not knowing how to react.

Inside the room, with the door closed, Johan was ready to let out a

huge sigh of satisfaction and surprise, with everything he had seen so

far.

When his eyes darted across Erick's room—Johan's for the next five

years—and instead of a sigh, he gasped.

A double bed, larger than any double bed Johan had ever seen, was lined

up against the back wall of the room, on which was a huge window with

automatic curtains.

On the left side, a wardrobe that, when Johan opened, made his jaw drop

as it revealed a closet full of clothes, shoes, and other types of

accessories that he had only seen in movies.

On the right side, a desk with a state-of-the-art computer, flanked by

a shelf full of books on the most varied subjects - none of

entertainment literature, such as light novels, manga, or anything of

the sort.

Johan spent several minutes absorbing everything there into his mind.

'This is life...' He thought, lying down on the bed and closing his

eyes, being taken over by the comfort of that not-so-soft, not-so-hard

mattress.

It took him a few moments to come back to reality and remember that he

should at least set an alarm for an hour or two.

When he should take a shower, and get dressed for dinner.

The encounter with Claudius had left a strange, bitter taste in Johan's

mouth, and the fatigue from the fight the night before, added to the

fatigue from the journey and arrival, were already starting to take

their toll on his body.

After setting the alarm on his smartphone, Johan let himself get tired

and was soon dragged into the depths of a dreamless sleep, with a slight smile on his lips.