Her Broken Spell

Chapter 4

Much like the left wing and the middle hall, the right wing also had five floors. The first one was designed to entertain guests and clients. It had a cozy ambiance and warm lighting like in lounges at expensive inns. There were several light fixtures in the center part of the ceiling which added not only brightness but also aesthetic quality. The chairs were of contemporary designs and were not arranged in straight lines, like that of a bank's, but rather in groups like in cafes.

There was a huge table for gambling at one end and there was also a counter for drinkers in the adjacent corner. These were a good addition because most of the clients get easily bored while waiting for their turn to be received by the receptionists.

The other end of the hall was the receiving area where the staff of The House deals with the clients. Dionne did not particularly enjoy talking to strangers, explaining, and attending to their needs. That was why she was helping more on the administrative level which happens on the second floor.

"Good morning," she greeted Annette as she entered the office.

This was the main office where only a selected few could enter. She could easily smell the scent of old parchments from the rows of shelves. She saw Annette seated behind the mahogany table at one corner of the room.

"Good morning indeed. Have you seen the number of people downstairs? That means more money for us," Annette replied cheerily.

"It also means more work."

"Unfortunately," Annie sighed as she handed some files to her. "Goodness! Sometimes I hate how picky humans are. They're so demanding that I want to drain the blood out of them."

Dionne's eyes widened in horror. "You cannot do that. They are our clients."

"I'm fooling around, Dionne! I won't do that not when I think of Irina's punishments."

"But if there is no punishment for you, will you do it?"

"What? No. I've lived for more than a hundred years. That's enough time to develop some patience."

"What do you need patience for?" asked a male voice coming from the doorway.

"Ghandi," Dionne nodded in acknowledgement and he also did the same. Ghandi's rust-colored hair glinted as the sun rays hit it. His light green eyes held nothing but seriousness, maybe except for when he was with his wife, Karyl, only did Dionne see another emotion.

Dionne knew how to interact with the man because he mostly talked to her when he instructed her during their training. And even outside of their training sessions, he still talked with her in a business-like manner. He was direct to the point like Irina, so she was comfortable with him.

"Oh nothing! Just thanking my blessings and at the same time cursing them," Annette answered his question.

"That's why I'm here to help you. And I see Dionne's also here. No need to be stressed. As long as we earn while achieving our goal, right?"

"Of course. Of course," Annette nonchalantly waved her hand.

"How have you been Dionne?" Ghandi asked as he turned to her.

"I am the same as usual. Will we train today?"

"Yes. You can start with the routines that we had. I'll be at the training grounds after I finish whatever Annette gives me."

"I doubt you'll make it in time. We had a lot of reservations this coming week," Annette interjected.

"What shall I do?"

"Can you sort these files out? I gave Dionne her files," then Annette turned to her and said, "Also, Dionne, after you appoint the clients to their respective escorts, you're free to train."

After Dionne nodded in agreement, she proceeded to look into the files. They were the schedules and events when the clients would be needing the escorts. Sometimes, there were also notes with their preferred physique or some other minor requests like someone who was knowledgeable in a certain field. She just needed to arrange the schedules and input everything into their system's timetable to counter check for any overlapping tasks.

Basically what they were running was an escort business. The House.

Their clients were unsuspecting humans, who were beyond wealthy but could not find any company to join them in their high-class gatherings. They were CEOs, businessmen, politicians, or even mafia leaders who were looking for dates, assistants, or bodyguards for their big events. Of course, these wealthy people could just hire anybody from other companies but The House offered the best.

Because the escorts were vampires.

The Huxley manor household's employees were all human; but The House had all-vampire staff from the security details, receptionists, management and finance up to the escorts.

These vampires, males and females, came from different families from all over the Western Continent. And they were trained to possess what the clients were looking for — physical appeal, intellect, conversation skills and sometimes, strength.

The escorts were not there for the clients' sexual endeavors. No. It was not in their contracts. If the clients tried something malicious, the vampire escorts could surely handle themselves. And the clients would not even see what was coming at them for they did not have a slight idea that who, rather what, they hired were vampires.

The clients often seek the assistance of The House because it provided them with capable escorts. More often than not, they were impressed with the escorts' wide knowledge from art pieces in auctions to economics and political strategies that were helpful during corporate occasions.

"I am done with the task. Is there anything more that I could help you with?" Dionne asked when she finished everything.

"You are very efficient! That's why I like having you around the office. That was like a hundred clients that I gave you."

"Two hundred four," she nodded and confirmed.

"Uh, yeah, exactly. I'll just handle the rest. And maybe Ghandi will also help after he stops sucking face with Karyl."

"Has he been gone for a few minutes?"

"More like a few hours. Don't worry. It's just past noon, so you can have late lunch now," Annette said with a pout. Dionne noted this expression and thought that maybe Annette was hungry but she could not leave the office.

"Would you like me to send lunch for you?"

"Really?" Annette asked but Dionne could not understand what the woman was doing.

"Of course. Can I ask what you are doing with your eyes?"

"My eyes? Oh, I'm doing the puppy eyes. It looks cute when you're asking for a favor."

"But I will still ask for Von to make some lunch for you even if you do not have puppy eyes."

Annette burst out laughing. "Sure. But, some people will find your request hard to resist if you give them the puppy eyes."

"Alright, I think I understand."

"You should try it sometime," Annette winked at her.

Then she left the office intending to get lunch quickly so that she could practice puppy eyes in front of her mirror.