THE STRANGER
"Miss. Amunder Ezaihh?"
For the first time in my life, I heard the strangest pronunciation of my name. My eyes fished out the source of that slander and glared automatically.
"It's Amanda Ezeh." I corrected him. Standing before me outside an airport in America was a slim man of average height. He had the most gelled back hair I have ever seen. He looked so corporate and uptight.
"Forgive me, miss. I'm Callum Sandler, Mr. Rowan Greystone's secretary. I am to escort you to the mansion." He said.
The name Rowan Greystone sounded really familiar. I didn't understand why at that time. And I didn't give it much thoughts.
"I would like to eat something before going anywhere. Is there any restaurants around here?" I asked like I was some rich man's daughter.
"There is. But, I'm not sure they would be to your liking. Let's get to the mansion, first. I assure you that breakfast there would be better. " When he mentioned free food, who was I to refuse. I followed him to a black car close by. Like the gentleman that he looked like, he opened the door for me, allowing me in. I was surprised by that courtesy. I thought toxic feminism would have made gestures like this extinct.
He also helped me keep my luggage in the boot before driving me to the mansion. On the way, I looked out the window, enjoying the view. But my mind was someplace else. I thought about the fact that I had not properly said goodbye to my family before leaving. It hurt me that I had to leave like that. While I was sad about that, I was also excited to start afresh in a foreign country. Immediately, I brought out my phone to take pictures. I had already taken many in the airport and on the plane.
I planned on posting them all once I got settled. For a second I wondered how my obnoxious ex would react. It was a shame I wouldn't be there to see his reaction in person. I also wondered how my family would react. They were all so pessimistic. I took pictures, made videos until I got to the mansion.
Right from the entrance of the mansion, I could tell that whoever lived in that mansion was more than just wealthy. It had to be someone famous, influential. Now, I think about it. It all made sense why I wasn't told the name of my patient before I left Nigeria.
The distance alone from the main gate to the main building was about two kilometers. When the car went down into the underground garage, I knew for a fact that Mr. Rowan Greystone was a car freak. I was in the cheapest car in the garage. I tried so hard to hide my shock as I followed Callum into mansion. When we got to the gigantic living room, he told me to wait there while he brought some refreshments.
I could have been a good girl and waited. But, I left there out of curiosity. I wanted to see where each doors lead to. I wanted to take pictures. I felt like I might never be given that sort of opportunity again.
Walking out of the living, I entered the longest hallway I have ever seen in my entire life. And what made it more unique was the number of painting on the walls of this hallway. Each of the painting was magnificent. Enraptured by those paintings I forgot to take pictures. One of those paintings especially grabbed all of my attention. It was a painting of a woman trying to grab the moon while her flimsy blue dress was falling off her body. The dress was filled with stars and it was so long, it somehow formed a pool behind her.
It was so enchanting until I noticed something. The dress the woman wore was transparent. It subtly revealed all of her body parts except her v- area.
"The artist must be a sex maniac. " I muttered to myself. Just then, I heard a rich deep voice say softly like a whisper.
"You are right. I adore the body of a woman."
"Ahhhh!"
I screamed as I moved away to see who had spoken. I was sure I was alone in the hallway. So, how did I just hear someone speak. Turning to see who it was, my gaze landed on a very tall stranger. He was so huge that I had to step back a little and crane my neck up before I could see his face.
"You startled me..." I said, expecting the stranger to apologize. "it is not okay to creep up on somebody like that. " I said sternly.
"You must be new here." He said instead of apologizing. "If you weren't, you would know that this hallway is restricted to non family members. "
"Excuse me!" I was already getting heated up and was about to unleash my pent up frustration on him. "I am —"
He retorted before I could finish my sentence.
"In my home. You are in my home. So, you had better mind the way you talk to me." He said firmly like he was equally ready for a verbal fight.
Taking a deep breath, I calmed myself. If the stranger in front of me claimed to be the owner of this mansion, the he was.... I gasped as it hit me. "You are Mr. Rowan Greystone." I tried shaking off the shock. But instead, it grew into embarrassment. If I was one of those light skinned girls, I was probably going to have a red face.
"Good morning, sir. We got off on the wrong foot. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Amanda Ezeh, your personal therapist." I said in a desperate attempt to get rid of the awkward moment. But with the way he looked at me confused, I felt like something was off.
"But, I didn't hire one." He said.