Chapter Two
1985 Words
Ash and I stared unflinchingly at the building in front of us.
"Are you sure we aren't at the wrong address?" She said.
I looked down at my phone, at the text of the address Elvira sent to me.
"I'm sure Ash. We are at the right place."
"I mean I knew she was rich I just didn't know she was this rich. She was too friendly for someone this rich! Or am I dreaming Ayva? Because this looks like a house that should belong to Bill f*****g Gates."
"We've been out here for over five minutes. I think we should just go in."
"How do we even get into houses like this. Do we walk or a carriage will come to get us." Ash said and I rolled my eyes at her.
"Come on let's go in we can't stand here forever." I told her before walking towards the gates.
"Wait for me." Ash shouted as she ran after me.
We got to the front of the gate and stared at it again.
"I think I should just call Elvira," I said and dialed her number. She picked on the third ring. "Hi, Elvira this is uhm Ayva. We are outside."
"Oh hey, Ayva I will be out there soon. Give me a sec please." she said and I thought I heard a male voice say something like 'she's here?.' at the background but I wasn't sure. I hung up and told Ash Elvira was on her way out to get us.
It took approximately ten minutes for Elvira to come to open the gates for us and it took more than that for us to get to the front door of the mansion.
If I had thought the outside was beautiful, the inside was nothing compared to it. It was breathtakingly gorgeous and jaw-dropping. I had to secretly tap Ash on her back to close her mouth when she dropped her jaw.
I looked down at my feet wondering if I was supposed to wear such tacky shoes inside such a luxurious building.
My heart pounded in my chest with every step I took into the house. I silently prayed my clumsy self don't make an appearance tonight because I knew even the cheapest thing in the house could buy my entire family and ancestors.
"You have such a beautiful house Elvira," I told her. It wasn't a compliment, it was the truth.
"Oh, this isn't my house. This is Adonis'. And can you not tell him anything like that when you meet him. He isn't exactly the type to take compliments well."
I don't know why I suddenly became more nervous than I already felt.
She has a friend named Adonis, like in Greek mythology.
I had a bad feeling about this place. I could feel it in my stomach. I looked at Ash who looked in awe. We shouldn't have come here. But it was too late to go back because we were now standing in a large room with seven pairs of eyes staring at us.
Holy s**t!
I could stop my eyes from wandering around. I was in shock at the number of beauty in the room. It was like they put the most beautiful males and females together in a room.
How? Just how could all these gorgeous people be friends.
I looked at Elvira.
How could she talk about wanting to be friends with me when she already has the most beautiful people alive as her friends.
My looks could never compare to theirs.
Ash's hand found mine and squeezed on it tightly. That made me know we were thinking the same thing.
"Guys this is Ayva." she put her arm around my shoulder and this is her friend "Ashley."
All seven pairs of eyes were on us like we were aliens. Even I felt alien in that room.
"Will you guys introduce yourselves to them or do I have to do it? Never mind, I'll just do it." Elvira said and cleared her throat. "The brunette is Amy and Chloe is the one with the platinum blonde hair." both girls waved their hands at us and Ash and I mirrored their gesture.
Elvira walked close to the only blonde guy in the room. "This is Ian. There's not much to say about him other than the fact that he's a douche."
"Hey, El. How could you say that? You don't want them having the wrong impression of me." he touched his chest like he had been wounded by her words. He stood up and walked close to us and I think my legs were glued to the ground.
Why is he coming so close?.
I was freaking out. I've never been the one to know how to act around guys much more handsome ones.
He stretched out his hand for a handshake and I took it. I caught a whiff of his musky scent and anyone could tell his cologne costs thousands of dollars.
"I'm Ian, nice to meet you Ayva." He said. I knew I should have said something back but my brain couldn't think of anything intelligible to say so instead I shook my head like an agama lizard.
He dropped my hands and took Ash's as he introduced himself to her, flashing her his million-dollar smile.
Soon he went back to his seat, kicking Elvira's foot along the way.
"And this hot stuff right here is Jordan. That's right he's my babe." She said and kissed him on the lip.
"Hey, guys." Jordan waved from afar and we did the same.
Jordan had light brown skin. I'm guessing his parents are of a different race. But overall he was just as good-looking as his friends. He and Elvira looked so good together no cap.
Elvira was about to talk when the only guy wearing a turban held a hand up and said. "Let me."
He got up and walked toward us and for the umpteenth time that night, I froze in my spot.
"I'm Yusuf." He said when he was close enough. He pick up my hand and kissed the back of it, putting me in a much bigger shock than I was in before. "Nice to meet you, Habibti." He bared a perfect set of pearly white teeth at me and I swear I died and resurrected back in that spot. I think I fell in love with him at that moment.
He gently dropped my hand and moved to Ash.
"Hi, I'm Yusuf. You're Ashley, can I call you Ash?." He asked her and Ash nodded.
"Yes, you can." She said and I was surprised she could find her voice. But then again Ashley has always been good at interacting with the opposite s*x.
Yusuf soon went back to where he was sitting previously.
"And finally this is Adonis. Oh well, his real name is Arsen but we call him Adonis because, why not?." Elvira said as she gestured to the last guy.
I looked at the last guy and I swear I felt the breath get knocked out of me.
He didn't wave or try to come to shake our hands. His eyes were trained on me like he was trying to pry something out of me. His gaze was intense.
His features were perfect and I could easily say he was the most beautiful person I had ever met. His hair was jet black and curly. He had high cheekbones and a jawline male celebrities would kill to have. Under the lights of the room, his eyes looked green. His nose was so straight I was convinced he's had rhinoplasty at least twice. His lips were plump and set in a straight line.
He was the epitome of male beauty. Now I understand why he was called Adonis by his friends. He was just as handsome as the real one maybe even more handsome.
And he was the owner of the house too.
Goodness, gracious!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The 'party' started about an hour ago. Currently, they were playing monopoly, with real money.
Ash and I decided not to play because we didn't have the cash to throw around like that and even though Elvira had offered to give us some, we respectfully declined her offer.
It would have been too embarrassing to accept it.
"I wanna get a drink from the kitchen does anyone want something?."
"A bottle of water."
"Make that two."
"I want two Billy goat's chips."
"Is that all?." She asked and looked around. When no one said anything else she nodded her head.
"Can I go with you?." I asked Elvira.
"Sure. I could use an extra hand." She smiled.
I immediately jumped to my feet and went with her. I would do anything to get away from that room I don't belong.
I feel intimidated being with Elvira's friend and that made me extremely uncomfortable. Ash on the other hand seemed to have hit it off with Ian. I wish I had that type of charm.
We walked passed a corridor different from the one we passed through when we first arrived at the house.
This corridor was large and beautiful. It had gorgeous paintings hanging on the wall and sculptures sitting around neatly.
I could help but stop to admire them. I was staring had a particular painting on the wall when I heard Elvira speak.
"You like painting?." She asked.
I nodded. "When I was younger, I used to go to art shows and auctions with my dad. This painting, it's mesmerizing."
"That makes two people." She mumbled.
"Huh?." I asked and took my eyes off the painting.
"I mean before Adonis bought it, he said the same thing. I don't see what is mesmerizing about it. He even says he sees a female standing with thorns in her hand and all I see is just messy brush strokes with different paint colors."
"I see her too," I said as I looked at the painting one more time. Then a sculpture caught my eyes.
I gasped and covered my mouth with my hand as I walked closer to it.
"Is this the original?." I asked her and she nodded.
"I think so. Adonis never buys copies. He values his paintings and sculptures far too much to do that."
"Oh my God." I was stunned. I couldn't believe that I had Jeff Koons' 'Rabbit' in front of me. "Can I take a picture with it? My dad would be so happy to see it."
"Sure. I'll take a few for you." Elvira said and collected my phone from me. She took the pictures and gave me back my phone.
"Thank you so much," I said. I was so excited and delighted to see a one in an edition of three sculpture. I was gonna sleep with a huge smile on my face tonight.
I looked at it one last time before deciding to continue the little journey to the kitchen.
I don't know how it happened or when it happened but the next thing I knew was that the sculpture had left the pedestal it was sitting on.
It all happened in slow motion and I watched the 3-foot tall sculpture land on the ground. The impact it made on the ground was so strong that it made a loud bang.
My eyes went wide and I looked at Elvira who had the same expression as me.
And I knew my life was over at that moment because just minutes later I was walking out of the mansion with both hands in handcuffs. I was escorted out by four cops like a criminal.
Arsen had called the cops on me the moment he and everyone else arrived at the scene.
I was going to jail for breaking a sculpture worth 91 million dollars.
I never should have gone to that house that night.
- Writer
