009 -

Thomas doesn’t give her any answer. He deletes Carina’s number from the out-going call list in the phone before giving the phone back to Erica.

“Sorry, I need to go,” says Thomas as he walks away.

The girl looks so awry, staring at Thomas’ back while holding the phone.

But then, she finds Thomas wobble so weakly, causing her assessment of Thomas to change slightly.

She starts to think that maybe Thomas is just a weak person who happened to be a victim of some bad people.

Thomas’ appearance does give him an impression of a genuine countryside man. Erica finds his face looks too kind to be a criminal.

“Are you okay?” she asks. “Are you sure you can go out by yourself? What about the food I gave you before? Have you eaten yet?”

Before Thomas gets the chance to answer, he already stumbles and falls rolling down the stairs.

“Hey, be careful!”

Erica rushes to help him, and finds Thomas’ legs shaking as he tries to get up by leaning to the stair railing.

Her face contorts, looking silly while trying to hide her smile. Not to make a joke of Thomas' predicament. She thinks about what Thomas might have done with her boss all night that Thomas' legs have become so weak like that.

“She really likes you that much, huh?” she blurbs.

“What?” Thomas looks baffled.

“Never mind! Look! My boss asked me to keep you here at least until she comes back. I’m obliged to treat you well here. So, if you don't have anything urgent to do, just stay here for a while,” she persuades.

“Who is your boss?”

“Naomi Saunders, the CEO of Saunders Properties Trust.”

Thomas looks so shocked. “Saunders Properties Trust? You mean the largest real estate company in Drada?”

Erica nods with a smile. “This mansion is one of her most expensive properties. We usually act as brokers to sell our clients’ houses. But this particular mansion was purchased by my boss last year with the sole purpose of reselling. It’s her own property, so you don’t need to worry about staying here.”

They hear the incoming of a few cars in the front yard. Erica believes they must be potential buyers who want to see the house.

She helps Thomas walk to the dining room, and then rushes back to the previous room on the second floor to get the food she bought for Thomas.

Soon after she gets into the room, she finds the bed so messy. So she tidies the bed first, and accidentally finds Thomas’ necklace with its unique amulet.

The girl mistakes it as a jewel belongs to her boss. She picks it, and shakes her head with a silly smile.

“That silly girl! I didn’t know she was the kind of girl who preferred a humble looking man over all the charming rich guys in Drada.”

She keeps the necklace in her pocket and then tidies the bed, and then takes the plastic bag out of the room.

“Here! You must be hungry after burning so many calories last night. Make yourself at home. I’ll go greet my client.”

Erica walks away, leaving Thomas in his confusion.

“What was that?”

***

It's a mansion on 1 hectare of land, sitting back from the road behind wrought-iron security gates. It is accessed by a private driveway lined with clipped hedges leading to a roundabout in the front yard with a garden fountain.

At the rear of the house is a swimming pool and outdoor entertaining terraces with outdoor barbeque kitchen.

Inside the house, an archway opens into formal living and dining areas beneath a two-story void with crystal chandeliers. Thomas sits in the meals room near the kitchen, watching Erica leading her clients to a formal lounge which opens to a side verandah overlooking the gardens.

“There’s a custom bar here, and also a wine storage in the basement. Upstairs there are six bedrooms, four of which have their own bathrooms. The master bedroom has spacious balconies looking over the gardens,” Erica explains.

She then invites the clients to go upstairs. As she leads them to the staircase, those people glance condescendingly at the humble Thomas.

Well, it’s a property only the rich who would consider to purchase. They can’t understand what a humble looking person like Thomas is doing in that place.

To make things even worse, there is another group of four people entering the house accompanied by one of Erica’s coworkers named Nancy.

They are Sylvia and her fiancé, Oliver Morris, who come only to accompany Laura and Joaquin who intend to buy a house.

“This is the best of the four houses we have visited. If you only want the best, this is the most expensive one we have right now,” utters Nancy as she invites them in.

The girl shows them the spacious family room by giving all the details regarding the luxurious amenities. But they don’t seem to care, since their attention is now focused on Thomas.

“What’s that dirty dog doing in this house?” asks Laura, glaring at Thomas with contempt.

It draws Nancy’s attention. Hence, she comes to Laura with her curiosity.

“Who?”

She then averts her attention to the meals room, and finds Thomas there. Apparently, this girl doesn’t know about Thomas. She feels Thomas' presence will ruin her clients' mood, something she has to avoid.

“Um, excuse me!” Nancy comes to Thomas. “May I know who you are, and what business you have here?”

Thomas doesn’t say a word. He keeps staring at Sylvia with a cold gaze. Sylvia looks uncomfortable because of it, and averts her attention away.

Oliver notices it, and then confronts Thomas to express his displeasure. “What's with that look? That's my fiancée you're staring at. A lowly bum like you has no place to look at her that way!”