onorary nephew and niece saying they need to get some sleep?”
She smiles. “Probably.”
“Six more weeks!”
“Yup.”
She doesn’t ask, but I help her up anyway. When she’s out of the room, I close the piano and check my phone.
Nothing from Eugene or my parents. I wonder if Mom and Dad even know I’m out of the country. Ms. Kim might not have sent in her regular report on my movements. With the new assignment, she’s no longer spying for Mom.
Maybe my parents don’t care that I fled as long as they can get me married off to one of the Hundred. The idea is both depressing and infuriating, so I’m just going to pretend for the moment that my mom is worried, but hasn’t reached out yet because she’s busy.
But there is a text from Benedict. It came about an hour ago.
–Benedict: Sent an email with all the procedures and rules. The boss gets cranky when things don’t go the way he wants. And I won’t be available starting tomorrow, so you’ll have to manage as best you can. But I’m sure you’ll do fabulously. I have a feeling about you, and I’m never wrong about things like that.
If only he could bottle that “Yuna’s awesome and she knows what she’s doing” and send some to my brother!
Since I have an early morning, I go to the huge suite where Tony and Ivy are letting me stay. For privacy, it’s located on the opposite end of the house from the wing she and Tony use.
The room overlooks the garden in the back, is decorated with lots of elegant cream lace and has soft white cotton sheets on the bed. There’s a large ivory leather couch and a coffee table in the seating area, plus a vanity set up perfectly for makeup. The walk-in closet has three full-length mirrors so I can look at myself from every angle. The island in the center is empty. I’ll fill it with my jewelry and accessories later, when the rest of my things arrive.
I get the makeup off my face, smear on some toner, lotion and cream in its place and lie down on the bed.
I’m going to kill it tomorrow. Working for Declan can’t be harder than, say, sight-reading the cadenza from Rachmaninoff’s third piano concerto. I can’t wait to see Eugene kneel in defeat before me. Since he’s my brother, he doesn’t have to prostrate himself. I’ll settle for kneeling.
Chapter Fourteen
Yuna
Since it’s my first day, I decide to take extra care with my appearance. The interview was the first first impression, and this is going to be kind of like a second first impression. It’s all about setting the proper tone for my employment with Declan Winters.
My hair’s down around my lightly made-up face. The key is to look effortlessly flawless, and I think I managed that. The large diamond solitaires sparkling on my ears are elegant and sophisticated, and a platinum key pendant hanging between my breasts shines just so. I put on my most conservative Dior dress. It’s a dark navy with an ivy pattern along the hem in muted silver, and almost reaches my knees. Then a pair of nude Gucci pumps…and I reach for the purse from yesterday and stop. It’s black. And the purse next to it is deep brown. I can’t do a dark dress and dark purse. Way too dull and depressing.
I opt for a pastel-pink Hermès bag, then give my reflection a congratulatory wink in the mirror. Damn, I look fabulous!
Declan wants me at his place between eight and nine, so I grab an Uber to his address in Malibu. Tony offered to drive me last night, but I turned him down. There’s no point in that, plus Ivy might need him. The emergency craving grocery runs are more important.
When my ride stops at the gates to the Malibu mansion, I pair my phone to the Bluetooth remote for the security system, hit the six-digit code and enter my name in all caps. The gates slide apart, and the driver whistles.
He pulls into the huge driveway and whistles again. “Wow. This is nice.”
“Yeah, it’s not bad. Thanks for the ride.”
I get out with my purse and walk to the main entrance. The architecture is contemporary and chic, with lots of white walls and glass. I approve.
Another security pad. I put in a code—this one different from the gate combination. The red light turns green. A metallic click sounds from the door.
I take a step inside. “Hello? Yuna here, reporting for duty…” I call out. I don’t want to catch Declan by surprise. What if he shoots me, thinking I’m an intruder?
Silence.
“Hello…?”
I walk further into the house. A spectacular view of the ocean stretches out in front of me, the glittering Pacific seemingly going on forever. I pause, taking in the beauty of the sight.
“Enjoying the view?” comes a voice from behind me.