Chapitre 94: Chapter 94: The First Dinner at the Old Castle
Anthony and Laurent exchanged pleased glances, both nodding subtly to themselves. William, the 20-year-old young man they had initially underestimated, was proving to be quite different from other young people in England. He seemed to understand social niceties effortlessly, lacked any trace of the arrogance often found in wealthy individuals, and was approachable, polite, and generous. Moreover, he was not just wealthy but also capable of generating more wealth, and he even had a count's title awaiting him. Truly, it seemed as though God had bestowed exceptional favor upon him.
As they were musing over William's admirable qualities, a knock on the conference room door interrupted their thoughts. They heard Barney's voice from outside, addressing William, "Boss, Mrs. Lina has brought you some coffee. Can we come in?"
William stood up quickly upon hearing that his mother had arrived. "Come in," he responded.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Barney opened the door, and Lina entered with a grateful nod to Barney. She walked in with four maids carrying coffee pots, teapots, and some pastries.
William approached his mother, embracing her warmly as a greeting. Lina, smiling cheerfully, nodded to everyone and introduced herself, "Good afternoon, gentlemen. I am Lina Devonshire, William's mother. It's time for afternoon tea, and I've brought some snacks, coffee, and tea."
Seeing Lina's poised and elegant demeanor, everyone quickly stood up and greeted her respectfully. The English have a complex relationship with nobility; they often disdain yet secretly admire them. If given the chance, most wouldn't refuse the opportunity to become nobility themselves. With the cessation of hereditary noble titles in England, men typically viewed male nobility with a mixture of dislike, envy, and resentment. However, the presence of a beautiful noblewoman elicited a different reaction, as the allure of noble culture remained potent. Ordinary people were generally more accepting of beautiful women from noble backgrounds.
Upon seeing William's mother, the group behaved with utmost courtesy, with one individual even performing a knightly salute, which made William chuckle inwardly.
After greeting everyone, Lina turned to William with a smile, "William, why don't you all have some tea, coffee, and snacks to take a break? By the way, I wanted to ask if lamb chops and salmon with mushroom soup for dinner would be okay? Tina and I picked the mushrooms from the forest this afternoon. They are very fresh."
William looked at everyone, "Is that okay with you?"
"Absolutely, thank you, Mrs. Devonshire,"
"No problem, thank you, ma'am,"
They all nodded and responded enthusiastically.
Sensing some hesitation in the group's manner, Lina nodded slightly, "Alright, William, I'll go ahead and prepare everything. See you at dinner, gentlemen." She gave a graceful nod and exited to prepare for the evening meal.
After finishing their tea and snacks, everyone returned to assisting William with his asset tax reports for England and the USA. Once the reports were completed, they gathered in the lounge, smoking cigars and sipping tea and coffee while chatting.
At 7 PM, a servant arrived punctually to escort everyone to the dining room for dinner. The meal included roasted lamb chops, pan-seared salmon, and mushroom soup. William had also opened eight bottles of Château Latour and a few bottles of 1989 whiskey. Including the six members of the Expendables team, there were 21 people at the table. The dinner was lively, with everyone enjoying the Latour and whiskey, talking and eating until 9:30 PM.
After dinner, William personally escorted the 12 lawyers to a two-story guesthouse located on the side of the castle. The castle had two two-story side wings; one for the servants and one specifically designed for guests. Each of the 24 modernized guest rooms, adhering to four-star hotel standards, was over 70 square meters with a bedroom, living room, bathroom, and shower. Renovating these guest rooms alone had cost William over £1.5 million. Renovating the main castle had cost over £12 million.
Including the servants' quarters, garden, lawns, forest, stables, shooting range, an indoor parking garage for over 40 cars, an outdoor parking area for 60 cars, and a helipad, the total expenses amounted to nearly £18 million.
Purchasing the castle had only cost William £4.5 million. Living in a castle was indeed expensive, especially in the rural area of Oxford. If it were closer to London, buying a castle would have required at least £50 million.
To buy the 3,000 acres of land surrounding the castle from its previous owner would cost another £10 million. This was already after a significant drop in land prices; otherwise, it would have cost £15 million paid in full. William was determined to purchase the land, as it was also part of the Devonshire family heritage. However, the current landowner, who had lost a fortune in the stock market, was trying to recoup his losses by holding firm to the £15 million price tag. William, not being a fool, decided to wait. Land prices were expected to drop further, and he would see if the owner could hold out. William had no immediate need for the land and planned to rent it out to people in the Devonshire village once he acquired it. He wasn't looking to make money from the land anyway.
After settling the lawyers in, William took a walk around the estate with Barney and Christmas. "It's decided. We'll head back to the USA tomorrow," he stated.
Barney smiled at William, "Yes, boss. We've been out for three months now, and everyone's eager to see their families. Each of us has made $1.5 million working for you, so it's a good time to head home."
William looked at Christmas and saw him nod in agreement. He realized that he couldn't keep these men indefinitely. The Expendables were unlikely to stay on as bodyguards permanently. These men thrived on action, and while they enjoyed fighting, they would eventually tire of the steady life of a bodyguard.
Since there was no immediate danger and he could protect his mother Lina and Tina in the castle, William was content. The castle had a dedicated safe room and escape routes, with Barney and Christmas having personally overseen the installation of the safe room door and security system without involving anyone else.
Feeling confident in their loyalty, William said, "Alright then, I'll arrange for a private jet to take you directly to New York tomorrow."
"Thank you, boss," Barney and Christmas replied in unison. After spending so much time with William, they both felt he was an excellent employer. Although the work as bodyguards wasn't their true calling, they couldn't deny that settling down in Devonshire village someday might be a good idea for retirement.
"Boss, let's show you the shooting range. Most of the equipment you sent is stored there. We've kept enough gear for five people in the castle, with one set in your study and another set by the fireplace in the main hall. These are secured with the secret codes you provided. You can change them later on the secure computer in the safe house, which is on a local network and not connected to the internet, so it's safe. There are also two sets in the safe house and one set in the tunnel. Mrs. Lina placed the one in the tunnel herself, and no one else knows its location," Barney explained.
William nodded in satisfaction. This setup was excellent. As long as he updated the safe house's passwords, only he and his mother Lina would have access to the castle's security measures.
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