Page 36 of Shâhzâdeh

“But since we are almost here, tell me about zhis home you have decided to present to me.”

“Well, it’s not on an island.”

He mocked a gasp his playfulness on full display. “No?”

“No. I understand how you felt about privacy and I didn’t think you’d want an additional point of entry for someone to reach you. And there was another factor to this house.”

“And dat is?”

“It’s on the side of town that still has large parcels of land available and some feel is closer to the countryside of the city.”

“So less desirable.” He nodded his head like that was a big selling point and I was happy that I’d been right to bring him here first. Out of all the homes I’d arranged for us to tour, this one was my favorite.

“Exactly. I know you said that your parents are from two cultures that don’t shy away from grandeur. This house is a French Chateau style estate. So think heavy moldings, limestone, marble and balustrades, etc. The little that I researched about your culture and based on what I’ve seen of you, gold is a big deal. All the accents in the home are gold down to the 24kt gold leafing on the ceiling of the family room. And it has all the amenities that you would need.”

He was rubbing his chin thoughtfully his precisely cut goatee looking as lush as the hair on his head. “Such as?”

“Well, someone like you—”

“Someone like me? Normally when zhat phrase is spoken it is an insult. I feel zhat you have nothing but my best interest at heart. Please continue down zhis path of wowing me wiz your expertise.”

“The amenity I thought you would like best is the twenty-five person theatre room. I figured with the way your friends gather and the rate they’re procreating, that would be a good size for you.”

He smirked at me using his words against him but nodded his head in acknowledgement. “Zhat is impressive.”

“There’s a four-lane bowling alley in the basement with a bar, and a separate area for a projector and multiple television set up. You said something about horses so I assumed you might watch the races. On the days you didn’t go in person, I assumed you would want to view them at home.”

“You’re right. Zhis house is sounding more and more interesting.” The pleased smile on his face gave me more confidence that he wouldn’t completely freak out over the last feature.

“The feature that I was most impressed with is an underground bunker.”

“Like zhe prepper people talk about?” He seemed immediately turned off like I thought he was some weird planning for the end of the world nutcase that needed weapons bunker.

I mean…was it too far off, though?

I quieted my intrusive thoughts before I said them out loud and pissed him off before he could even see the house. “Yes. But not for doomsday. Just if someone were to get past the gate you would have a secure location to hide out.”

The front of the car erupted into laughter, and even Xerxes chuckled at my comment.

“Hide? Ms. Vanya, zhat man next to you vill be on the roof playing real lifeCall of Dutyif someone gets on his property.” The driver Shoaib dropped that information like that was supposed to make me feel better.

“A bunker is an interesting concept I hadn’t considered. A safe room, of course, but not a bunker. Has it been lived in before? Not zhat I am averse to the idea, but if it has I would need a more thorough inspection of the home by our people to ensure nozing has been tampered with or left behind.” I could tell by the contemplative look on his face this feature was going to be a bonus so I breathed slightly easier.

“It was built for someone else, but never lived in. The previous owner has since died and their estate is handling the sale.”

His curiosity looked piqued and I knew he would have the name of the person before the end of our visit. “I wonder who it was since zhey wanted such a high level of security. An underground bunker is…”

“Paranoid?”

“I vas going to say extreme, but tell me about it. The bunker, not the builder. I’ll be able to find that out for myself because I’m sure they vill have the name buried in trusts or offshore corporations.”

I blinked at how easily he made that deduction. Like that’s exactly how he planned to purchase the home and therefore didn’t feel at all suspicious about multiple layers of security. From what I knew about him, this was probably run of the mill.

“It’s about three thousand square feet with separate HVAC and air intake and water supply.”

He whistled like he was impressed. “Zhat really is extensive.”

“I thought a simple panic room wouldn’t tickle your fancy.” We shared a smile before his eyes cut to looking out of the window at the treelined driveway.

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