Chapitre 4: Chapter 4: The Owner of Varick Manor

Brenna POV

“What you looking at?” Viv asked as she came to stand next to me.

“Did you see someone up there?”

I pointed in the direction I had seen the figure, but there was nothing there.

“Never mind, guess I’m just seeing things.” Whoever had been watching me was gone now, so there was no point in bringing it up. I didn’t want Viv to think I was paranoid or anything.

Viv kept her eyes trained on the spot. If I didn’t know better, I’d have said she had a small grin that broke her composure, but it was over the moment I noticed it.

“Time for the grand tour,” Viv said as she motioned for me to follow her away from the front steps of the hotel.

“My stuff?” I felt nervous leaving what little I had out in the open. Not that anyone could sneak in from beyond the stone wall and take it. The property was massive and heavily wooded, but I also didn’t know if the hotel had a problem with theft or not. Better to play it safe.

“He’ll take your things to your new quarters,” Viv pointed at the bellhop, “which will be on the second floor. All of our employees live on the second floor. There are also offices for managers on that floor.”

“What about the other floors?” I asked in a rush. Viv walked quickly, so I had to hurry to match her pace.

“First floor has basically everything. The dining hall, bar, gym, ballroom, spa, as well as the concierge desk. That’s where you’ll be.”

Vivian turned the corner of the hotel and when I rounded it, I could see a massive garden, complete with a large stone fountain at its center.

“Third floor is the resident’s rooms. The fourth and fifth floors are for guests, and the sixth is for VIP guests.”

Being later in the morning, I expected to see dozens of guests filing in and out of the hotel rooms or spending time in this magnificent garden. The place was eerily quiet.

“I thought I’d see more guests right now,” I said as I took in the wide array of floral arrangements the garden had to offer.

“Most of our guests are night owls, but as we get closer to lunchtime, you’ll see the manor become more lively,” Viv said as she approached the large fountain and tossed a coin in.

Viv passed me a small silver coin. It was a coin I didn’t recognize. There was some sort of lettering on it, but even that looked a little dated and worn from time.

“For good luck.” Viv nodded toward the fountain.

As the sun peeked from behind the clouds, I closed my eyes and felt the warmth on my back. I wasn’t sure what to wish for, but given the good omens that kept happening for today,

‘I want to find happiness,’ I thought as I tossed the coin into the water with a soft plop. I watched the silver disc sink down to the stone bottom below.

I turned to see Viv touching the petals of a bright red rose. When she noticed me, she motioned for us to continue our trek around the massive hotel building.

“Do the guests have free reign of the amenities?”

“Pretty much. The grounds are at their disposal, we just ask that guests check-in and out if they go past the stone barrier you saw as we entered as a safety measure.”

I nodded. I had never heard of a hotel having guests check in with the property before wandering beyond the grounds, but I guess things were different with how far out the resort was from the neighboring towns.

As we rounded the next corner, there was an expansive patio set up that included lounging chairs, fire pits, cabanas, and an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

“I forgot to mention one thing, and I hope it’s not too much trouble,” Viv said as she stopped by the edge of a private cabana, “the hours you’ll be covering are night shifts, so nine at night until six in the morning. Is that alright?”

“That’s perfect actually. Insomnia and I are old friends,” I laughed.

It was easier to joke about my constant sleep issues rather than be upset about it. Too many doctors and sleep aids to realize the best course of action was to alter my lifestyle to fit my sleep disorder.

Scott had always hated my erratic sleep schedule and had always been more focused on ‘fixing me’ by throwing money at the issue than letting me make changes that were best for me.

“Perfect. If it gets to be too much, we can always rotate shifts later. Odds are you’ll just be covering five nights a week, but if a shift needs to be filled you can always pick up extra hours.”

We rounded the final corner, and I was taken aback by a beautiful wooden gazebo that had long purple flowers dangling from the edges which created a canopy as if the roof was made of flowers.

“This is a popular spot at night for dates with our guests, so don’t be surprised if it’s often occupied by the guests.”

“I can see why. I’d love to read a book in there.”

The gazebo looked magical as if it had been plucked straight from a children’s fairytale. I walked up and was able to touch a low-hanging vine of the purple flowers.

“Keeping the wisteria alive can be an absolute pain in the ass for the groundskeepers, but they’re original to the gazebo. So, we all deal with it. We’ve tried fabric flowers in the past, but it’s not the same,” Viv said as she smiled warmly at the flowers before turning and heading back to the entrance.

I wondered what the significance of the flowers was. There must be a reason they would have a non-native flower that was so difficult to maintain in the coastal northern climate. I

Viv and I walked in quiet silence as we rounded back to the front of the hotel.

“Any questions so far?” Viv asked as we walked up the stone steps to the large oaken doors.

“Not yet, but I’m sure I’ll have some later,” I laughed the words out, hoping it would hide the nervousness I was trying my best to fight off.

“I just dropped so much info on you,” Viv said as she opened the door, “so no worries! You’ll hear all about this stuff again during training. Ready to see the inside?”

If the outside looked this breathtaking, I couldn’t even imagine what the inside looked like.

Being around Scott and his work, I had often seen grand displays of opulence, but there was always a hollow feeling around these examples of wealth.

This hotel was different though. I couldn’t place my finger on it, but even with what I’ve seen so far, and with how Viv has behaved toward me, it’s as if the money behind the hotel wasn’t the central object. The hotel was warm and inviting and happened to look glamourous.

I could hear the difference between my steps from leaving the stone entryway and walking across a swirl of black marble. I looked around and quickly realized what I had imagined based on the outside was surpassed by what my eyes were taking in.

There was a magnificent grand staircase that immediately pulled your attention forward with its burgundy steps leading to the upper levels. Leather Couches and chairs lined either wall, only breaking space for the entrances to other areas of the lobby. Hues of deep reds, soft grays, and whites broke up the room creating a cohesive look to everything.

As my eyes took in the entirety of the room, I noticed a massive crystal chandelier that hung in the center of the room. What caught me off guard, was the circular object which sat atop it half shaded in gray while the rest was white. It looked so familiar, but I couldn’t place what the giant circle reminded me of.

“What do you think?” I could hear Viv ask next to me as I tried to keep my excitement down.

I had always wanted to work in a place like this, but, until now, it had only been a dream. A dream that had gotten me through the last eight years I spent miserable and too frightened to make a change.

“It’s incredible.” I didn’t know how else to say it. My dream had finally become a reality.

“You’re more reserved, aren’t you?” Viv asked as she patted my head in a sisterly way. “I can tell you like it, now follow me. I have someone for you to meet.”

Viv made a beeline for the stairs when I realized I wasn’t getting a tour of the inside yet. I so desperately wanted to see the rest of the hotel. My shoes squeaked a little on the recently polished floor as we made our way to the stairs.

“You said you wanted me to meet someone?” I asked Viv in as neutral a tone as I could muster. My curiosity was taking over in a way it hadn’t in almost a decade.

I took a glance to see Viv with a giddy expression. It was almost as if she was holding back a laugh.

“This way,” Viv said once we hit the top of the landing and found ourselves on the second floor.

We didn’t have to walk too far, as Viv stopped in front of a door on the left side that had the letters ‘K.V.’ etched on a silver plaque just next to the wooden entrance.

“Who’s K.V?” I asked just as Viv knocked on the door.

There was a rustle on the other side for a moment. I glanced over at Viv who still had wide eyes but began to tap her foot impatiently.

Viv knocked again, a little more forcefully this time.

“Come in,” a deep voice from behind the door called out.

“Ready to meet my twin?” Viv asked as she turned the handle.

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