Pleasant Atmosphere
Enrico
I looked at the closed door in disbelief. How could Rachel just run away and leave me there, hanging? How cruel! I faced my friend, already quite excited, and smiled without humor. As always, Rachel brings me trouble.
"Well, buddy... no fun tonight," I thought it best to make it clear. "Maybe next time?"
I picked up the towel from the floor, wrapped it around my waist, and returned to the closet. Instead of putting on the clothes I had chosen earlier, I opted to just wear the silk pants of my pajamas and headed to bed. I decided not to think about what had happened in my room a few minutes ago. I wouldn't make too much of a fuss about the kiss between Rachel and me. I wouldn't allow myself to go back to it.
However, as often happens, decisions and actions don't align perfectly, and the next morning, I woke up tired from a poorly slept night, where even in my dreams, Rachel continued to haunt me.
When I went downstairs for breakfast, I realized that I was almost pleading, almost as a plea to supernatural forces, to resist the temptation that Rachel represented. I headed straight to the kitchen, aware that Joseph preferred to have his meals there and that, given the hour, he should be enjoying breakfast in the company of the house staff.
My assumption was correct, and I found my father at the table, having his breakfast in the company of three more staff members, including Lindsay. Besides her, there were Mrs. Anderson, our cook, and Mr. Peterson, our gardener. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment for not finding Rachel among them.
"Hello, everyone! Good morning!" I greeted them cheerfully, receiving responses in the same tone, except from Joseph, of course.
"I didn't know you were already home, Mr. Bianchi," Mrs. Anderson said. "Please, have a seat, and I'll prepare your breakfast."
Mrs. Anderson quickly got up, looking hurried and nervous. It was understandable since I was the homeowner and had found her sitting calmly, chatting in the kitchen. However, I didn't care much for formalities. She had been working for me for only a few weeks, but she would soon realize that.
"Please, don't worry about me, Mrs. Anderson," I said as I sat down next to Joseph. "Feel free to finish your coffee first."
I made a point to emphasize that there was no rush, and the cook seemed to understand, sitting back with a smile of agreement.
Before my father arrived in London, I kept this house closed and hired a cleaning company to keep it in order while living in my apartment downtown, much closer to the racing team's offices. However, after following Sarah's advice and bringing Joseph to live with me, I quickly hired a staffing agency that assembled a team of employees to take care of the house. I was quite pleased with the chosen staff.
"I hope everything is going well here," I commented, looking at everyone, especially Joseph. "I came back as quickly as I could."
It was a way of telling my father that I cared about him and was determined to spend as little time away from home as possible.
"I thought you returned quickly because you shamefully lost yesterday's race," Joseph pointed out, without looking directly at me.
The three staff members seemed uncomfortable with the comment, but I smiled brightly, trying to dispel the tension that had formed in the kitchen.
"Maybe you're right, Dad," I replied, looking at Lindsay. "Are you still enchanted by London, or do you already miss Seattle?"
Lindsay directed a radiant smile at me, indicating that she was still utterly enchanted with London. Her next words confirmed this impression.
"I love London, Enrico!"
Everyone laughed with her excitement, except Joseph. However, I was determined not to let him spoil my day, so I continued chatting with everyone, asking about them, and getting to know the people working in my house better.
As we conversed, Mr. Peterson excused himself to return to work, and two other staff members, Emma and Kylie, arrived to join us. I included them in the conversation right away.
"So, did you all go to the summer festival yesterday?" I asked curiously, addressing the three girls.
At this point, Mrs. Anderson had already finished her coffee and prepared scrambled eggs and toast for me. On the table, there were freshly cut fruits arranged for breakfast, and I ate while continuing the conversation with everyone.
"Yes!" Lindsay confirmed with her usual enthusiasm. "It's all so wonderful. I was amazed by everything I saw."
While Lindsay shared her experience, Joseph pretended to be bored and not paying attention to the conversation. However, it was quite clear that he was, in fact, very attentive, and he didn't do a good job of disguising it.
Lindsay even asked him if he would like more coffee or something else, as he held the same cup for several minutes. His grumpy response was a simple "It's good for me," but it managed to elicit a smile from the girl.
Being there with people and with Joseph made the morning a pleasant moment, something that happened every time I was home in the morning. However, one detail did not escape my notice: Rachel was never present.
"I'll go back to my room," Joseph suddenly announced.
He was already standing next to the table, but he took the first step toward the kitchen door with some difficulty as the long carpeted corridor stretched out in front of him.
Lindsay also stood up, ready to help him, but he gently dismissed her, a gesture that caught my attention.
"Keep enjoying your coffee, Lindsay," he calmly said. "I can make it to the room on my own."
However, Lindsay was not easily convinced by Joseph's polite response. She put her hand around his arm and began to accompany him, chatting animatedly.
“I insist on going with you, sir,” she insisted. “If Enrico finds out he can do everything on his own, he might let me go, and I'll have to go back to Seattle - she pretended to shiver - and I don't want to go back!”
The position they were in didn't allow me to see Joseph's expression upon hearing Lindsay's statement, but he accepted her offer of help, and the two of them walked down the corridor together. Even from a distance, I could hear Lindsay talking non-stop.
Despite the cheerful and casual tone of her words, I knew she wasn't joking about not wanting to go back to Seattle. The truth was that Fred, the criminal who had attacked Lindsay and Rachel, was still at large, and it would indeed be dangerous to stay in the same city as him when we were unsure about anything related to him.
One thing was certain, even if Lindsay and Rachel decided to go back to Seattle, I would do everything in my power to help them and find a way to protect them. I would never leave them helpless, at the mercy of a dangerous criminal.
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