CHAPTER 005

CHAPTER 005

When Mrs. Fuller answered, Mrs. Fuller wore an oversized grey cardigan and grey sweatpants that made an impression, a first impression, when opening the door for Mrs. Fuller to enter.

"What are you asking me for?" she demanded as she attempted to shut the door behind her.

"Please wait! Just hear me out!"

Lori begged to see her brother. When she woke up, she discovered that they had taken him away. "Please come quickly!" Lori begged. "You just took him..." she bemoaned.

"Does anyone see him?!" Mrs. Fuller was frustrated and quickly tightened her robe to avoid meeting someone in person.

"Remember, you no longer have rights over him?

Lori nodded slowly. "Yes, I did that, but could you please provide me with the burial site's address?" Just need a place where we can pay our last respects."

"Goodbye?"

Mr. Fuller appeared from behind with an angry expression, evidently listening in on their conversation.

"No! You do not deserve this! Your actions put his life at stake!"

Mrs. Fuller murmured to Tom, but he simply ignored her and carried on as before.

"You are responsible for his death!" she bellowed at him in disgust.

Mr. Fuller shouted. She swallowed hard before wiping away tears that ran down her face.

"Please, I implore you! Give in! ..."

"Nobody owes anything to us; all that belongs to you belongs solely to you.

"Thank you for all we've done.

"This is it; should you return, I will have you arrested for trespassing.

Mr. Fuller shouted as he closed the door of his vehicle.

Lori stood outside, hoping they'd return. Unfortunately, they never did.

Slowly, she left their front porch, walking towards the street.

She would persevere. No matter how difficult, she wouldn't give up.

Lori had gone to sleep feeling sad and angry. In her dream, she dreamt again of an unhappy baby crying in its crib that Lori tried desperately to reach but failed miserably. Upon awakening, she was sweaty and breathless.

Thereafter, she struggled to sleep; pumping some milk while lying awake in her bed with wide-open eyes did not work for her.

As usual, she headed off to work, forgetting her contract on her coffee table. Time flew by slowly, with few notable happenings.

After she returned from work and saw the contract sitting on the coffee table, she shuddered in disapproval before picking it up and reading through its contents.

She took time out to carefully read through the contract again, this time taking more care when reading word by word and scanning Gabriel Caine's business card that came with it—CEO Caine Inc.

Lori decided to look him up online while simultaneously setting a pot on the stove for some ramen. She couldn't recall eating much since breakfast; maybe some eggs for breakfast and coffee from a diner.

Gabriel Caine's name, image, and several article links immediately came into focus.

At the age of 28, James Caine, the CEO of Caine Inc., hails from an illustrious family. Regrettably, neither of his parents survive. Only his grandfather, who is approximately ninety-seven years old, remains with us, despite neither of his parents having passed away during that period of his life. James did not have siblings, but he did have many cousins. These cousins seemed to be endlessly supportive of each other and their success as Caine Inc. managed to expand exponentially across various fields and disciplines.

His business operations extended across both America and Europe. At age 20, he took control of his company. Unfortunately, three years after graduating from school, there had been no news regarding his daughter; perhaps he kept her out of public view during that period.

There were rumors that he belonged to the Lord's cult group, and his images frequently surfaced, showing him with prominent, wealthy people.

The Lords was an exclusive global group made up of prominent individuals worldwide. Although its members didn't confirm or deny being members, reports surfaced of secret meetings being held all around the globe and unknown activities being performed by this mysterious organization—though some believe they held meetings at secret locations around the world as well as mysterious functions being undertaken within. No one knew why it existed, only that it appeared powerful.

Conspiracy theories had speculated that her group may have been part of Satanism or the Illuminati, but Lori didn't pay too much attention. Whatever their true identity or what others thought of them was, hers were respected cults that Lori revered deeply.

Gabriel Caine lived his life under public scrutiny; however, there was very little online about his personal life. It appeared he lived alone in remote and secretive locations deep within wooded terrain that were out of reach to regular people; that aspect alone seemed odd to Lori.

Lori picked up her phone and dialed the number from her business card.

She took up her task, with him picking up immediately upon hearing the first ring.

Lori Wyatt widened her eyes in surprise. "Ms. Wyatt?" When his questioning voice was over, she looked up with confusion at him but then laughed off what had just occurred and continued walking down the hallway to meet with them both in an office suite nearby.

"How are you sure that it's me? Do I look familiar?"

She asked him, and he seemed amused.

"I have been eagerly awaiting your call.

He asked,

Can I confirm if you've decided to accept my offer, Ms. Wyatt? He responded in kind: The price will depend on whether she accepts my proposal."

Lori took a deep breath before sighing deeply.

"Yes," she responded.

She added, "That will work; just come right in with all your things, and my driver will pick you up within an hour."

Lori nodded her head as they spoke. At once she ended the call and headed towards her small bedroom.

She saw she had stashed away an unexpected suitcase under the bed; kneeling down, she pulled it out.

She unpacked and unfolded the suitcase on her bed.

As soon as she returned, she quickly switched off her stove as she was too excited for food.

At least for now. She packed all the clothes she would need and some shoes. Though her refrigerator wasn't full of much, she put all her frozen milk bags into an insulated cooler full of ice.

Then she began cleaning up her apartment, throwing away anything unnecessary or risking spoilage if left for too long. While taking out the trash, she noticed a black car waiting outside. As soon as they saw each other, they approached each other to exchange details.

"Ms. Wyatt?" Tony was tall with a short haircut and sunglasses on. When they asked who it was from, Ms. Wyatt nodded her head, and as they introduced themselves as Mr. Caine's chauffeur, he stated, "Tony told me to collect you."

He took a breath, saying to Lori, "Give me just a minute. Allow me to just bring down my suitcase." Lori nodded her approval before saying,

After several minutes, they arrived at an extravagant mansion perched atop a hill with only an unlit road leading directly there.

Lori wasn't surprised; from what she knew of Gabriel Caine based on what she'd read, this sort of environment would likely be familiar to him. Being such an introverted individual himself, Gabriel preferred living alone at the top of a hill surrounded by trees as an escape from civilization.

Finally, they reached an end and saw an ornate iron gate, which opened automatically as they drove in their car. A wide driveway led past well-trimmed bushes and figurines before coming upon a wonderful waterfall with the statue of a large wolfman with its head tilted backward with water pouring out its mouth and paws; strange, she hadn't ever encountered such an unusual sculpture before!

Tony had already unloaded Lori from their car when it pulled up to her mansion, and he took out Tony to retrieve her suitcase from its trunk. Lori emerged, as Tony grabbed Lori's suitcase out from underneath it in the trunk, into warm weather to find that not only did the house seem bigger than she'd pictured it to be, but there was another house, significantly smaller, perhaps acting as guest quarters; to her left stood an additional house, perhaps serving as guest accommodations; right was an extensive lawn with small gardens while Tony brought Lori up onto its front porch, automatically opening its door as though someone were waiting there to greet them upon their arrival!

Evidently someone was. The tall, dark man was dressed impeccably.

"Good evening, Ms. Wyatt. My name is Gregory; I am your butler." Said Gregory. ''Won't you please join the Caine household? Hopefully your ride wasn't too uncomfortable."

His light British accent and charming smile, featuring perfect white teeth offset by his dark complexion, instantly brought Lori comfort. Lori felt immediately at ease when speaking with him.

"That was great—thank you," she replied as they entered.

She thought, as they entered the foyer of this grand house. As they continued their tour, she immersed herself in every detail, absorbing every sight and sound.

Well! Her dream wedding had certainly exceeded all her expectations! It was both grand and exquisite all at the same time.

"Your room will be waiting. You are welcome to relax, change clothes, and rest before Grace visits later for details about your tour."

Before I forget." She nodded as she handed him the cooler with frozen breast milk in it.

"For my baby," she replied, and the butler took it from her without complaint.

Lori was led up the large spiral staircase by another servant—a quiet, petite woman with short black hair who protested to Lori not helping carry her suitcase, saying it would be too heavy. Lori refused their assistance, though they protested vigorously on Lori's part, as her luggage could weigh too heavily for the servant.

But indeed it was. It also carried a similar weight.

Once they reached their room at the end of the hall, a female volunteer opened it using an additional key from their bag.

Inside her room, she opened and shut all of the windows before patting the bed with both hands.

"Madam, this is your room."

Lori smiled politely as she nodded her appreciation, then looked around sincerely before responding:

This room was perfect, neither too small nor too big, with two windows that provided her with views of the back of the mansion, such as its large oval pool and beach house, both flanked by lush grass lawns.

Her room featured a nightstand, a large four-poster bed with white sheets, a full-sized mirror, and a small closet with its bathroom attached.

She entered the bathroom and gasped at its beauty: white tiles, white sink, bathtub! As soon as she had the opportunity to change, she quickly decided to choose a comfortable yet formal outfit, ultimately settling on grey sweatpants and a black T-shirt. Since this house would soon become her home, she didn't feel pressured to dress up for it all the time.

She was in search of a hairband when she heard an unexpected knock at the door.

"Hi Grace!"

A familiar voice called from across the door.

Lori opened the door and was instantly charmed by Grace standing behind it and smiling brightly at her. Lori couldn't help but smile back; Grace's laughter spread all around them! Lori couldn't stop smiling either—Grace's infectious laugh made it impossible not to.

"Welcome! I am delighted you are here!"

She let out an exuberant laugh as she entered.

Are you hungry or need something to eat?"

Lori shrugged.

"Mr. Caine will come over later to debrief you himself.

"I am delighted you accepted this position; I knew you would make an outstanding candidate."

When Grace revealed that they had met, Lori was shocked.

"Really?"

Grace nodded: Of course. I have been thinking about you ever since I saw you at the hospital. Again, please allow me to express my deepest condolences regarding your son."

Lori shrugged. "It's fine. I just prefer not discussing this matter right now."

She added, and the woman nodded.

"No worries. I understand."

She spoke thoughtfully, asking him whether he wanted to meet Emilia. Emilia was napping at that moment, but you may still sneak over since her nursery is right next to your room.

Lori nodded her head as she made a beeline towards the baby she had been providing milk donations for recently.

Emilia felt her pulse increase as Grace gently opened Emilia's nursery door and introduced herself.

"That was it." This momentous occasion required only three steps. Plunge forward.