Zara’s head spun as she was led through the giant gate that opened after a series of biometrics. The elegance—and luxury—of the mansion stunned the senses out of her. It wasn’t really a mansion, was it?
Elephant Gardens. Zara had heard of this place before and had seen it on TV and the internet. The beauty had awed her then, but being so close gave a whole new perspective that she almost lost herself in the view.
And she was standing there, in the large estate-like mansion: the famous Elephant Gardens! It was a fantasy—and one she hadn’t been hoping to fulfil—and her heart was thumping wildly.
The guide led her from the gate towards the western wing of the estate. Mr Sebastian lived on the northern wing. Zara couldn’t help but glance to the north side where the main house stood like a giant, dwarfing the other houses in its shadow like a mighty predator whose head was reared in a snort.
Shaped like an actual elephant, the mansion stood tall, shimmering with elegance. Zara almost day-dreamed if not for the guide, who cleared his throat, apparently irked by her distracted state. Zara snapped to reality and muttered an apology. She had to remember that even the servants here had more authority than her—and money too, apparently.
She was led into a living room in the western wing. It was four times as large as what she called her living room in that rundown apartment. The furniture was glorious and she felt like sitting on it would profane the glory of the palace she was standing it.
But, she took a deep breath. She was here for a meeting and she wasn’t going to let anyone or anything intimidate her. With another deep breath, Zara put on a smile.
“Please,” the servant said, pointing at the couch, a smile on his face. That smile looked so forced and practiced that it made Zara cringe. These people were looking down on her. “Make yourself comfortable,” he said. “Mr Sebastian will meet you shortly.”
Zara’s heart skipped a beat when she heard that. But, she didn’t have need to worry. It wasn’t Mr Sebastian the big boss but the younger son of the Sebastian family. Aaron—though important—wasn’t going to be as hard as the big Sebastian.
She exhaled and eyed the couch reverently before sitting. The servant threw her a look before leaving. A part of her was excited about this day. If everything went well, she’d get a job—and a lot of money enough to solve her life’s mess—and some status—no one would work for one of the most important families in Abuja and not have status!
However, another part of her was shivering, cowering in fear. The way the servants treated her made her feel like she was some trash that needed to be taken out. She didn’t consider herself so bad. Her clothes were clean albeit not so classy. She loved the faded trouser she wore and she was sure it was trendy…well, from three years ago.
But, she was confident of that fact that she was meant to be there. It still came as a shock to her whenever she recalled Aaron asking her if she was up for a job at the mansion. That couldn’t have been a mistake. She had to hope it wasn’t.
A few minutes later and a servant brought her a tray of…well, it was filled with fruit salad and some huge chunks of chicken. She’d never had such delicacy before except in Charlescare and even that had been once a year—during Christmas!
Zara ate the serving with reserved appetite, unwilling to appear uncultured before Aaron. A bad eating habit could get her disqualified, of that she was sure. She’d been there and had done that. It haunted her till this day.
After she was done with the fruits, she dug into the chicken. The chunks were too huge to eat at once, so she held it with her hands and nibbled on it, savouring the flavour and the oily, stringy feeling of the perfectly fried—
The door opened and Aaron Sebastian entered. Zara gasped, the chicken falling from her hands. She glanced about for something she could use in wiping her hands and mouth, but there was nothing. Why had he chosen to come in now? She panicked.
Seeing her like that, Aaron chuckled. “You shouldn’t let my presence unsettle you too much, Miss Peacegiver,” he said, handing her a handkerchief with their company logo on it. “I was once like you, you know? Scared, anxious, fragile? Use this to wipe your mouth. Wouldn’t want the big woman seeing you like this—” he said, then lowered his voice, “—she might think you’re not worthy.”
Zara snatched the handkerchief and cleaned her mouth and hands. The oily feeling remained but she was contented that most of it was gone. That, however, didn’t placate her rapidly beating heart when the door opened again and the ‘big woman’ entered. She was followed by three servants, but she dismissed them upon entry.
She paused and gave Zara a look of contemplation. Zara wasn’t sure whether to stand and give a little bow or just wave in greeting. She was sure that both ways would get her fired right before starting so she kept her greeting to herself, hoping she was doing the right thing.
The woman turned to Aaron. “Is she the one?”
He nodded. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she? Perfect like you wanted.”
The woman nodded slowly, pondering. She turned to Zara and frowned. “But, she’s rude much.”
Zara’s ears pricked and she shot to her feet. “I’m so sorry…madam…”
The woman waved her away. “It’s fine. I understand you’re overwhelmed.” She turned to Aaron. “Have you given her the contract?”
Aaron rushed to a table on the far end of the large living room and retrieved a file. He handed it to her. “Read through it. The job we’re offering isn’t the…most conventional one.”
Zara laughed in her head. What type of job is ever unconventional? She’d done the most demeaning of works!
She took out the documents and saw that it was a non-disclosure agreement. She read through it with furrowed brows. The terms were quite simple: she couldn’t tell anyone about the nature or type of job she was offered unless granted permission by the employer—which, in this case, was Aaron or was it the big woman?
If she breached the contract, she’d pay compensation. Not too hard, she thought.
Aaron handed her a pen and she put it to the contract but stopped. “What happens if I sign this and then don’t want the job?”
Aaron shrugged. “Nothing. However, you will still be bound by the non-disclosure agreement.”
She nodded. How bad could it be?
And so, she signed the contract and handed it over.
The big woman—she still hadn’t figured out her name—sat opposite her and smiled. “Now, let’s get to the main business. We have a job for you to do and it’s a very delicate job. Aaron here thinks you’re fit for the role and I hope you’ll convince me.”
“What’s the job?” she asked, excited. “I can handle anything. I have five years’ experience working several jobs!”
“That’s all well and good,” Aaron said, chuckling. “But, that won’t be needed. All I need is…”
“What?” She asked, impatient.
“Let me ask you a question first,” Aaron said. “Would you like to get pregnant?”
“What?” Zara asked, feeling like she’d been pulled out of her body and thrown into some wild show where everyone was wearing napkins. What had she just heard?
