Excelsior

Chapter 15: Villa Magnífica

The bell rang one last time to announce the end of the school day, and students flooded the halls with their gossip and wild steps to the roundabout at the entrance. Chloe and Meryl were commenting on the last bad news in everybody's mouths, and for a moment, they made eye contact with a disappointed Diane, who gave them an indifferent look and continued on her way.

"Do you think she knows?", Meryl asked.

"It is better not to ask her."

Diane took her pone to call her chauffeur when the content of a chat caught her ears:

"They say it was weed", she heard a girl say.

Diane turned to her and asked: "Who says that?"

"His best friend Gary told me so."

The girl smiled viciously. Young Mary-Anne was known in the school for always bringing the juicy news to the student body.

"Didn't you know, as you're his sweetheart?"

Diane sighed looking quite offended. Those talking to Mary watched Diane in silent, expecting an answer.

"Just kidding, girl!" she laughed. "Didn't you really know? Mrs. Hudson found weed in his bag and Mr. and Mrs. Benson were called. He's suspended for a week, which is too little in my opinion."

"It is imposible -for Luke hates smoking, he has always stated that. And he does not fall for alcohol's promises either since he likes having control over his own body. Cannabis is certainly against two things that don't please him."

"Aha! You're defending him because you're madly in love with him!"

Diane didn't reply.

"Just kidding! Anyway, who told you it was for self-consumption."

"Do you imply he wanted to sell it?" Diane laughed. "He doesn't need to."

"Then he was keeping it for a friend, who knows? Remember that he and his pack are very close, and he would refuse to say anything that would endanger his friends, Diane."

"I thought you knew everyting." She raised her eyebrows.

Those nex to Mary showed some trivial satisfaction with her comment.

"I'm just kidding." Diane said. "Anyway, I have to go home."

She continued down the hall and left the building. As she got into her car, Meryl invited Chloe over to her house for a chat before the weekly debate club meeting began.

"I would like to; sadly, I'll go to Sabrina's house."

Meryl insisted to know the reason of such an improbable visit.

"She invited the whole club to her house while the classroom is being renovated here."

They said goodbye and Meryl got into her car. Chloe then looked for Sabrina, who was chatting with her friends on the sidewalk. When Chloe arrived, she said goodbye to them and took her in her car. Along the way they talked to Margaret, the youngest of the Russells, and also about the club's plans that year. Sabrina again insisted that Chloe run for president, to which, painfully, Chloe could only agree.

The Russells lived in the very famous Villa Magnífica, a neoclassical white palace located in one of the mountains of St. Dominique Hills. The roundabout of the mansion was surrounded by tall cypress trees and a fountain stood in the middle of it.

Chloe was amazed, for she had never seen anything so elaborate and large as Villa Magnífica. The lobby was three stories tall and made entirely of white marble. Four gigantic Corinthian columns of green marble with golden acanthus leaves supported the ceiling: two from the first floor, and another two from the second-floor corridor. Seeing this type of house enraptured her to such an extent that her eyes shone and she smiled involuntarily. These traits were noticed by Sabrina, who complimented her; she couldn't contain her happiness.

While the place was neat, the view was ruined by numerous cables coming from outside, and an unusual group of people in front of the doors leading to the drawing room. A woman holding a board with some papers approached them:

"She is Mrs. Nicole Phillips," said Sabrina, "the director of the show."

"Good afternoon." she woman smiled. "I'll have to ask all of you to remain silent while you're in here since we're filming for Society Mothers, is that okay?"

Chloe nodded and Mrs. Phillips thanked her collaboration.

Sabrina said that her mother participated in a reality-show, and the way she told that showed how much the girl disliked that fact, which was also not very liked among other society women. She also mentioned that the mansion was built in 1906, and that was the first one on the street, that was in turn named Magnífica Road. Since 1963, the house had stopped being used for personal purposes and was acquired by the Russell-Grant Bank to house its chief manager.

And while the name could sound too pretentious for some, Chloe understood that it didn't do justice to the house once they walked out the back door: the property was built in the edge of a high slope from which a panoramic scene of the city could be seen with all its buildings to the south-west limit in Bristol. There was no doubt that the sunrise could be seen spectacularly. The wind was blowing hard and Sabrina's long hair danced gracefully with it.

There were seats all over the garden, and the girls sat next to a table where Mr. Bernard served them tea for them three while they waited for the rest of the club to arrive.

Chloe had never seen a house like this. It was no doubt more surprising to her than the Hamilton House which she frequently visited and which earned her her appreciation; or the meticulously built Palais du LeClercq where she used to gather with her friends to play tennis. Greedy eyes contemplated the building while she imagined the luck of her classmate to live there.

When the clock struck three-thirty, the guests promptly crossed through the portal, and gathered in the study room, where Margaret was unable to read her books because of the bustle of the club, which had started with the presidential nominations.

Sabrina didn't wait for the president to solicit nominees when she mentioned Chloe, who, modestly, was pressured to accept. With an expected reciprocity, she nominated Sabrina, who only smiled back.

The president asked if there were more nominees, and a young girl raised her hand:

"I nominate Henry. He has shown great leadership this last year."

The young man lowered his head in thanks. When the president asked for more possible candidates, no one took the floor anymore, and that phase was concluded to start the practices for a contest that was soon to be held.

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Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed. English is not my native language, so any feedback, suggestion or advice to change the grammar would be really appreciated.