Mr. Mellone’s unique сollection
Mila Pavlova

Proofreader Ekaterina Serbo

Designer – illustrator Katerina Vorobyova

© Mila Pavlova, 2023

ISBN 978-5-0060-6383-9

Created with Ridero smart publishing system

I express the greatest gratitude to my family, relatives and friends for their comprehension, help and support during this story writing.

⠀

The author

Chapter 1

Los Angeles! This is a city of sins and temptations! This is a fantastic combination of reality and illusion! Los Angeles is a fairy tale city for some, and a cursed paradise for others.

A young pretty girl resolutely entered the panoramic elevator of a skyscraper towering in the center of the metropolis. She was on her way to a meeting in one of the luxurious offices, which was located on the twenty-first floor of the business center.

Mr. Devon turned out to be a very personable man with reptilian eyes. When the girl saw him, the phrases «airless space» and «temperature below absolute zero» for some reason immediately came to her mind. However, this made absolutely no impression on her. On the contrary, she was finally convinced that the order she was going to receive was quite real. And it meant that the incredibly generous fee for its implementation was also real.

– You are very young, – Mr. Devon’s voice was colorless and even lifeless. – But your recommendations are impeccable, and the people who gave them… However, you know everything yourself…

Mr. Devon picked up the remote control. A huge screen flashed behind him. A two-story mansion appeared on the screen, located in the forest, apparently somewhere in the mountains. The screen went blank after a couple of seconds.

– We have only this. There is no appearance, no signs, and no habits. We have only a photo of the house where the Object lives. – Mr. Devon’s voice was rustling somewhere beyond the hearing limit. – The subject is very cautious, suspicious and does not let anyone near him. The territory is guarded like Fort Knox, and even better. His cook, his housekeeper and his personal bodyguard who also acts as a chauffeur constantly stay with him in the house. The rest of the guards live on the territory, but these people are not seen or heard, although they see and hear everything. They are more loyal to the Object than watchdogs and they guard him just as zealously. There are no postmen, no pizza delivery men, or anything else. Getting close to the Object from the outside is simply unrealistic. But we were lucky. The Object needed a secretary. So there is an opportunity to get close to him from the inside. This is exactly what the customer needs.

Mr. Devon walked over to the window and folded his hands behind his back. The girl shrugged her shoulders and thoughtfully drawled: «There is a possibility… In that case, why is the amount for completing this order so astronomical?».

Something like satisfaction flashed in the reptile’s eyes. Or was it just imagination?

– Because any violent death is excluded, as well as an accident, – the unblinking cold reptile eyes stared into the surprised, puzzled eyes of the girl. – It must be suicide. This is an indispensable condition of the customer. The level of your professionalism is respected. You’re very creative. That’s why we chose you, – the rustling whisper stopped, and the eyes closed.

The visitor tilted her head to one side, pretending to think. But in fact, she has already decided everything. She decided everything at that moment, as soon as she heard about the impossibility of the task carrying out. She was hardly interested in money, because she had more than enough of it. During her not very long, but very successful career, she managed to earn for two or even three comfortable lives, if only she had them. She was attracted by everything unusual, non-standard and practically impossible. She was very adventurous and loved difficulties very much. And the more unattainable the goal was for her, the sweeter the taste of victory was. She has earned an impeccable reputation in her professional field precisely because of all of the above. Another merit of her was that she could cope with any order.

The reptile snorted contentedly and nodded his head almost imperceptibly.

– I am glad that our interests have coincided. Now I will provide you with the introductory data, there are very few of them. The Object is a collector. It is unknown what exactly he collects. We know that he loves classical music, painting and general art in all its manifestations, knows several languages. Despite his closed lifestyle, he leads an active virtual life. He has friends and partners in all corners of the earth. And more – he is disabled and confined to a wheelchair. It was a car accident.

– I noticed how your eyes twinkled. – Mr. Devon raised his hand and shook his index finger. – No wheelchair-related death. This will be regarded as an accident. He must commit suicide in the house and leave a suicide note in handwriting. His house is stuffed with cameras from top to bottom. Therefore, the fact of suicide, as well as murder, will be recorded from different angles, be sure, – the yellow-green eyes closed again.

The screen flashed anew, showing a sheet of newspaper with the announcement: «Live-in secretary required. An educated, young girl (knowledge of languages is welcome), able to keep up a conversation on any topic, with a great sense of humor. She must know office work, as well as be able to compile and maintain catalogs of archives. Payment …, – rather big payment was offered for the work. – Contact by…» – then the email address was specified. The screen went blank. The girl got up from her chair and walked towards the exit. Mellie, a professional killer of the highest class, has taken her new job. The reptile behind her made no sound.

Chapter 2

She sent her resume on the same day to the email address indicated in the advertisement. And almost immediately she got an answer. She was invited to an interview.

The mansion was impressive. The place where she arrived was striking in its solitude. It was hard to believe that such places could exist in the XXI century. And it was hard to believe that such places could exist near the city, which was boiling and bubbling like lava in the mouth of a volcano. Wherever Mellie looked, there were mountains covered with impenetrable forests, sheer cliffs and bottomless abysses. The road she took was like the road to hell. Although Mellie hoped never to find out what the road to hell looks like, for some reason she assumed that this is how this road should look like. After all, these were continuous cliffs, dizzying turns, ascents and descents. And in some places the passage was so narrow that one of the wheels of her car sometimes almost ended up in the air.

– Yes, – the girl thought with a smile. – Even if you order a pizza, you will hardly wait for it. No one will come here in their right mind and of their own free.

However, riding a mountain serpentine that would drive anyone else crazy only lifted her spirits. She loved danger, loved risk, loved speed and loved life very much! Therefore, she enjoyed it with full spoons and in all its manifestations. So Mellie stopped by her car in front of the wrought-iron gate under the gaze of video cameras bristling from all sides and breathed in the tart smell of pine needles after the rain that had just passed. How beautiful it was after all! And quiet! The silence was not terrible, empty, ringing, but appeasing and soothing.

Only a steady and muffled hum came from somewhere. She couldn’t find an explanation for this hum, and she didn’t want to. The hum did not interfere, it fit perfectly into the overall picture. For a minute, the thought even flashed – to build a house somewhere in the same place and retire after completing this order… Mellie pushed the thought away. How could she bury herself alive? Even in the most beautiful place on the planet – no, it’s not for her. The girl shook her head impatiently. Why is it taking so long to open the gate? She could always wait as long as she wanted. She could have remained completely motionless for hours, but now… Something seemed to be spurring her on from within. This order was extremely strange… And the Object was also strange, because almost nothing was known about him. And Molly couldn’t wait to see him.

Usually she received a photo along with the order, as well as a description of habits, routes of movement, and sometimes even audio recordings. She could look at the photo for hours, listen to the voice on the film, catch barely noticeable intonations and changes in the voice, imagined how the face in the photo would change depending on the conversation.

This time she had nothing! It was intriguing. In addition, she only had to come into contact with an Object a couple of times in her entire practice, and only for a short time. She will have a long communication, and the way of fulfilling the order will be more than extraordinary. It will take time, perhaps a very long time. But Mellie was in no hurry. She enjoyed the beginning and anticipated the pleasure she would get during this whole game. The only thing that darkened her mood, and then quite a bit, was the thought that the Object would turn out to be a feeble, harmful old man with a croaking, rasping voice. Oh, how she didn’t want that! She didn’t want to at all! She preferred worthy opponents capable of resisting. Then the whole game took on a special meaning.

Finally, the wrought-iron gates opened, slowly, as if reluctantly. Mellie got back into the car and drove into the yard under the gaze of numerous video cameras. It was the beginning of an interesting game.

Chapter 3

She was already expected. Mellie had no sooner climbed the steps to the door than it opened hospitably. She saw a woman whose age she could not determine. It was obvious that she was not young, but it was also impossible to call her old. The smile on the face of the person who met her was not on duty, but the friendliest. Mellie smiled back.

And the lady saw in front of her a young girl with large grayish-green eyes, not a beauty in the literal sense of the word, but very pretty. Too big nose for a thin face and somewhat asymmetrical facial features gave the guest a peculiar charm. But the girl’s hair immediately attracted her attention – it was a magnificent waterfall of thick long hair. Mellie was very proud of her hair and took care of it like a mother of a child. Her hair was dark by nature, but she achieved an amazing shade with the help of highlighting and various coloring. Her hair shimmered with pearly mother-of-pearl and sparkled in the sun. This radiant splendor flowed down his back to his knees. The hair was thick and heavy, so the girl usually tried to tie it in a knot or fasten it with hairpins. But in very rare cases, Mellie simply put her hair in a ponytail so that everyone could see the rare beauty. And such a case was just that day. Mellie noticed a note of admiration in the eyes of the stranger who met her.

– Are you Mellie? – the voice was deep and somehow homely. Mellie had been completely devoid of any sentimentality for a long time. She very diligently eradicated the beginnings of any feelings in herself, whether it was sympathy, anger or hatred. She could portray any feeling and reflect it on her face, but not in her soul… However, the girl wasn’t sure if she had a soul. But hearing this voice, for some reason, it seemed to her that it became warmer and more joyful …on the soul? No. It was just that the mood was good, the day was wonderful, and the woman was nice and kind. No soul.

– Come in, please, Mr. Mellone is waiting for you! – the lady stood aside, letting Mellie go ahead.

She found herself in a small but very cozy hall, which seemed to be bathed in sunlight. There were flowers, climbing plants, a minimum of furniture and silence all around… The silence was the same as there, outside the gate, not empty and cold, but peaceful and warm. Passing through the hall, they entered a long wide corridor, at the end of which was a large arch with a heavy door. The woman pointed to the door and said: «This is Mr. Mellone’s cabinet. I hope this office will become your workplace!», and went ahead. If Mellie had been alone, she would have galloped down the corridor, she was so eager to see the Object, but she was forced to trudge like a hobbled horse and feigned indifference. Her trained eye immediately identified the location of the cameras, half of which were artfully hidden, and it became clear that Mr. Devon was right. There was not a single corner in the mansion that would hide from the all-seeing eye. For a moment she felt like a frog, crucified on the glass of a large microscope, which was going to be dissected. The feeling was extremely unpleasant, incomprehensible and somehow new. She had never felt anything like this before. Millie was angry at the unfamiliar sensations that bothered her, and with difficulty refrained from showing her tongue, and with it her middle finger to the nearest camera. It is in the nearest one, so that it can be seen well! Although she suspected that those sitting on the other side could freely count how many breaths she took in a minute.

«Why does he need so many cameras? Fucking paranoid! – Mellie chuckled to herself. – No, he is not paranoid, because I, for example, didn`t come to pay a courtesy call at all…». She had to get used to the idea that her every movement was recorded – a turn, a tilt of the head, a look, a conversation. In addition, there was no doubt that the observers were able to read lips, in case the sound suddenly disappeared or someone spoke in a whisper. She was so lost in thought that she almost jumped, but no, thanks to her experience, when she heard the voice of a friendly companion: «Mr. Mellone, this is Miss Mellie!». The friendly lady again, as at the entrance doors, stood aside, letting Mellie to go ahead.

Chapter 4

The girl had no choice but to enter first. The office was huge, but at the same time very cozy. Rows of books from floor to ceiling occupied countless shelves. Some had magazines and catalogs on them. «Apparently, I’ll have to work with them…», – Mellie had thought. There was a full-length table by the huge panoramic window. «It’s not very smart to sit near such a window, considering how the owner is afraid of an assassination attempt. This is a great target, even a blind man will not miss!», – this thought flashed automatically, because the easiest way to fulfill the order was excluded. Another table was located slightly to the side. It was smaller, in the form of a horseshoe, with a laptop, an organizer and a printer. «Probably, this is my workplace…», – Mellie stated to herself. The heavy peach-colored curtains were pushed in beautiful waves into the corners. There was even more sunlight in the cabinet. It seemed like she could swim in it, like in a warm sea. The parquet, polished to a shine, sparkled all over from the sunbeams. Mellie saw her reflection in the parquet, as in a mirror. And when she raised her eyes to the ceiling, she gasped. There was no ceiling! More precisely, it was, but made of solar mirrors! It took her a while to figure it out! She had never seen such a thing anywhere before.

Due to the abundance of sunlight and the striking beauty and grandeur of the situation, the girl did not notice the man at all. He was sitting at a large table in a comfortable chair with half a turn to the window.

– Mellie… A beautiful name, and it suits you very well, – the voice was quiet, enveloping and the same as everything around, soothing.

The guest almost jumped in surprise for the second time in a short time. «What kind of place is this, it’s just enchanted!», – she was angry at herself for her inexcusable absent-mindedness. Although the brain was still clearly and quickly fixing everything around, there was a feeling of some unreality, as if she was looking at an iridescent postcard – here is a clear image, and everything is clear, but you turn a little, and everything slips away, changes, and you have a completely different picture in front of you. Mellie shook her head resolutely and promised herself not to disperse, briefly noting that her movement did not go unnoticed. There were enough cameras here. In her opinion, there were even an abundance of cameras. And all of them diligently turned their glass heads, accompanying every sigh, every flutter of eyelashes. It was already starting to make her feel a little queasy, but the nausea was immediately forgotten, as Millie began to study the man sitting in front of her with interest.

Chapter 5

The girl could not determine the age of the Object, as well as the age of the woman who let her into the house. He wasn’t young, but that was all she could say about his age. Thick, black hair below the shoulders was carefully styled and made the white face even paler, but it strangely suited him. The high forehead was without a single wrinkle, the brown almond-shaped eyes, fringed with long eyelashes, looked attentively and friendly without a shadow of wariness under the well-defined beautiful sweep of black eyebrows. Mellie’s gaze slid over his face like a sunbeam on water, not really lingering anywhere, but at the same time not missing anything. The nose was straight, classic. The swollen upper lip made the curve of the lips more sensual. A dimple on his chin and high cheekbones, as if carved out of stone, completed the picture.

Mr. Mellone wore glasses with large smoky lenses in thin frames, he was clean-shaven and perfectly dressed. The shirt cut the eyes with its whiteness, a black velvet home jacket could decorate any fashion show. One could guess a lean, but strong and trained body under the shirt. He had thin white hands with long elegant fingers and… that was all. Then the table interfered. Mellie even took a few steps forward to see what was under the table, but stopped abruptly. Her gaze went to the panoramic window, or rather to the picture that opened behind it. She understood why the cautious Mr. Malone was sitting so calmly by that window. And she realized where the steady hum that she had heard there on the street was coming from. It was impossible to see anything from where she stopped, so she erroneously concluded (it was very and very badly, because a mistake was synonymous with death in her profession) that because of this window, Mr. Mellon became an ideal target. As if not so! Almost immediately, the abyss began outside the window, where a waterfall fell from a huge height on the other side of the cliff. Tons of water rushed down, breaking on the rocky shores, which is why a cloud of spray constantly hung in the air, enclosed in a rainbow frame! The sight was so amazing and overwhelming that Mellie took her breath away. She frankly admired the fantastic beauty, so it did not immediately dawn on her… Silence! But there must have been such a roar in the room that would have burst eardrums! And again, the enveloping, quiet voice took her by surprise: «Noise isolation! It was a qualitative work. I strongly do not recommend opening the windows here!», – and the girl saw Mr. Mellone smiling for the first time.

Chapter 6

Mellie learned later that Mr. Mellone had a whole arsenal of smiles. It can be said that he had smiles for all occasions. Mr. Mellone no doubt knew how to smile and did it with a mark of quality. However, in the near future, she was to find out that this strange man does everything with a mark of quality. And she considered him strange, because… Well, take at least how he looked! He was a middle-aged, lonely cripple in the company of an equally middle-aged and, apparently, also a lonely woman. He did not expect any guests, he was not going anywhere, but he was always dressed as for a social event with a huge number of people. He was always perfectly combed and perfumed. Mr. Mellone’s shoes looked like a mirror. «Maybe he dressed up like that in honor of me? Still, my arrival is an event in his gray monotonous life…», – Mellie smiled contentedly to herself. If that were the case, it would make her goal of making the Object fall in love with her a lot easier. Anyway that was the plan for the moment.

The owner of the chic cabinet continued to smile with his inviting smile and at the same time to demonstrate his perfect and white teeth. He inquired in French how she got there. «Wow, it looks like everything here is serious, and getting this job will not be so easy…», – Mellie thought with some surprise. She thought that her resume, good looks and gorgeous hair would be enough to win immediately the favor of a lonely, sick old man. «Well, it’s even more interesting!», – she thought and with pleasure shared her impressions of the road in the purest French, noting the satisfaction that flashed in the eyes of her interlocutor. This was followed by a strange dialogue in Spanish, Italian, German and Russian. She had no problems with these languages. Mellie was a polyglot, proud of it, and was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but the next question, asked in Arabic, quickly brought her down to earth. Having difficulty grasping the essence of the question, she gave the answer with the same difficulty, absolutely not sure if she was answering correctly.

She saw the satisfied nod of her future employer and nevertheless exhaled, even almost relaxed, but it wasn’t there, because Mr. Mellone spoke in Chinese! She did not know this language at all, and could only shake her head in response to a questioning look. The same thing happened when a question in Portuguese followed.

Confused, Mellie cursed everything in the world to herself, literally burning with shame and anger. She was angry at Mr. Devon for not warning her, and she was even angrier at Mr. Mellone for making such excessive demands! The words were spinning in her head: «There is nothing to do for you, an old stump in a wheelchair! Just sit and teach others! And, by the way, there are still a lot of interesting things in life, especially for a young and pretty girl!».

Mellie said: «I’m sorry!» and got even angrier, at herself. «Sorry for what? Sorry for who? What kind of nonsense am I talking about?», – her thoughts were confused for some reason, although she had never noticed such a thing before. Contrary to her expectations, Mr. Mellone’s smile became even more benevolent.

– When will you be able to get to work? – there was a smell of wildflowers heated by the afternoon sun, the murmur of a stream and the chirping of cicadas could be heard when he spoke.

She shook her head to get rid of the obsession. The intonation and the voice itself caused audible and almost tangible hallucinations, but the meaning reached her. She passed! He hired her! And making a note to be extremely careful in conversations with this man who became her boss, Mellie said: «Now! If it is necessary!». She promised to give later a scolding to her imagination.

Smiling another disarming smile, Mr. Mellone told Mellie to present herself to the cabinet the next day at ten in the morning, wished her a good rest and drove off somewhere in his wheelchair.

The girl had the opportunity to take a good look at him during the conversation. The boss turned out to be a tall man, rather broad-shouldered, but of a fragile build. Mellie managed to see a lot – long, beautiful legs and quite impressive dimensions of what very expensive trousers almost tight hid below an even more expensive belt made of fine leather.

She sighed with regret involuntarily, imagining these dimensions in working condition, so to speak. But, apparently, Mr. Mellone had not cared about women for a long time, and this made the task a little more complicated. But everyone knows, no matter what they say that physical contact plays a big role in a relationship, and, in Molly’s opinion, so in general the main one. But this made the game even more interesting.

The girl admitted to herself that she was quite satisfied with the acquaintance. Her employer had a pleasant voice, a disarming smile. He was polite and did not give the impression of a willful person. And the fact that he was not handsome and not young was not so important. She would not have to sleep with him, thank God. But there was something in his appearance that attracted the eye.

Chapter 7

The mood was wonderful. And the girl agreed with great pleasure to assist with lunch preparation to the friendly housekeeper, when she asked Mellie if she wanted to help her. The woman introduced herself as Mona, and they both laughed at the funny coincidence – their names began with the same letter. Mona suggested to start with lunch, and then to show Mellie the house. But before that, she took the girl to the room where she was to live, so that she would lay out her things and take a shower after a hard road.

Mellie liked the room very much. And the part of the estate that she had time to consider, too. It seemed that everything in the house was thought out to the smallest detail, there was nothing superfluous, but at the same time there was everything that was necessary. The stairs diverged from the hall of the first floor in both directions to the floor above. Lacquered, carved wooden railings smoothly flowed around a large transparent column, inside of which flashes of the northern lights flowed, constantly changing color and shape. The column went right up to the roof, where it broke into many branches, or lianas, intertwining all over the ceiling above the hall. Therefore, it seemed that the ceiling was constantly changing. The spectacle, of course, was amazing! The first time, Mellie did not pay attention to this because of the abundance of fresh flowers and various plants, besides, she was very eager to see her employer. Therefore, she enjoyed looking at the beauty that surrounded her. She climbed the stairs, touched the transparent glass with her fingers and smiled when multi-colored lights, as if alive, ran across her palm. At that moment, the girl was again covered with a feeling of the unreality of what was happening. It was as if she was not just looking at the iridescent postcard, but was inside it.

The forked staircase ended at the second floor. A barrier of carved railings wrapped around the column like a thin bracelet. Mellie could see the first floor hall into the open space between this barrier and the glass. She and Mona climbed the stairs to the left, and after walking only a few steps down the left corridor, they found themselves at the door to the guest room – it was Mellie’s bedroom. Mona’s bedroom was a little closer to the stairs and almost opposite. Two more bedrooms were located further down the corridor, but they were empty. On the right side of the second floor the owner’s apartments were: his bedroom, the second mini-cabinet, a bathroom and a dressing room.

– I have to constantly be in touch with the owner and be close, he is practically helpless, – tears flashed in Mona’s eyes.

– Of course, of course, – Mellie hastened to answer and nodded in the affirmative.

– I just feel really sorry for him. It’s so unfair! Do you know how many people he helped and helps? Even me… He did so much for me that my life is not enough to thank him! I won’t bore you with the details, and, to be honest, I don’t want to, but it is happiness for me to be next to him and know that I can be useful to him, – Mona opened the door for Mellie with these words and continued. – Well, make yourself at home!

The room was wonderful. Firstly, it was located on the sunny side! And Mellie loved the sun very much – she associated life with it! Secondly, the room was spacious, but at the same time very cozy. It had a large, comfortable bed, built-in wardrobes, a dressing table with a mirror and even a small sofa with a tea table, but most importantly, the room had a balcony! Mellie was an avid smoker, but she really didn’t like it when someone smoked indoors, and she never did it herself. She preferred to go outside even in restaurants and cafes instead of visiting the smoking room.

– How does Mr. Mellone feel about the smell of cigarettes? I indicated in my resume that I smoke. Or does he smoke too? – Mellie asked, looking around the room.

– No, Mr. Mellone doesn’t smoke, but he’s absolutely not against smokers, – Mona smiled. – As he says, if people themselves want to ruin their health, we will not interfere with them. Of course, this does not mean that you can smoke in his cabinet or even in his presence, but no one prevents you from going out for a smoke break if you want.

Mellie’s mood rose even more. No, of course, if smoking was strictly prohibited, she would have quit… for a while. She could do anything for the sake of successful completion of the case, but it is much more pleasant to combine business with pleasure.

Chapter 8

Mellie spent her first night in her new home almost without sleep – she sorted through the accumulated information and impressions.

Firstly, she almost failed the interview, so decided to fill in the gap and learn a couple more languages. It is unknown where and with whom her life will throw in the future (and she absolutely had no doubt that her life would be long and interesting), but it certainly won’t be superfluous. Languages were easy for her, so she didn’t see any problems in achieving her goal. Moreover, there was someone to practice her speaking with.

Secondly, her employer turned out to be a very interesting person. He was an incomprehensible person… But, whatever it was, he was still a man – aged and in a wheelchair, and she was a young girl, she was full of life, so it shouldn’t have been difficult to fall in love with him. The main thing was to find the right approach. Usually, Mellie understood at first glance (very rarely from the second) how and what she needed to do to fully clarify the situation, but here… Nothing was clear. Her boss acted like he was the king of the entire universe. His whole appearance said: «I am not interested in what you think about me, the main thing is what I think about you!».

To be honest, the girl expected to meet with a rare bore in an old dressing gown and a hood, an embittered grouch for the whole world because of his illness. And here… It was very interesting… Especially considering that he wasn’t interested in women. More precisely, perhaps he was interested in them, but that’s how they say: «The eye sees, but the tooth is numb». But it didn’t seem to bother him at all.

Mona told while cooking dinner that Mr. Mellone’s disability was the result of a car accident. He barely survived then. It seems that some kind of evil fate was chasing him, because a month after what happened to him, his wife died in a car accident. A young secretary of his wife died in the same accident. It was rumored that she and Mr. Malone seemed to have an affair, but Mona did not believe it, because she saw how much the owner loved his wife.

– Poor fellow, he changed so much for the worse after the news of his wife death, – telling, Mona secretly wiped her tears. – And he stayed in a wheelchair. He moved here after everything that happened to him. It used to be some kind of forestry, but Mr. Mellone redid everything and arranged it to his liking. Now it has become a whole kingdom! However, no one ever comes here. We live very secluded. These are Mr. Mellone’s rules. But everyone who lives here is quite happy with this, because the owner helped everyone very much at one time, and people are happy to share his loneliness with him as a sign of gratitude.

Millie listened, memorized, but for some reason the picture did not add up, no matter how hard she tried. Therefore, the girl promised herself to thoroughly sort everything out, since there was plenty of time.

Chapter 9

The conversation continued over dinner. According to Mona’s words, the boss had a lot of business correspondence, as well as friends around the world. And he preferred to communicate with everyone in the language of the interlocutor. Mr. Mellone believed that this brought them closer together and allowed them to conduct business more successfully. And, undoubtedly, he was right.

He also played the piano very well, and Mona often enjoyed his playing in the evenings. The owner did not drink, did not smoke, did not arrange orgies and never raised his voice at anyone. He was always ready to listen carefully and, if necessary, to help.

«This is not a human, but a straight angel of some kind!», – Mellie mused, listening attentively. But, apparently, this angel still flew over the road to someone or touched with a wing, since such an order was received for him. Yes, and with the condition not just to destroy, but… It would be very interesting to look at his will. Apparently, Mr. Mellone had unlimited funds. He had no children, no wife already, and, based on what he saw and heard, he was not going to marry a second time. «Yes, even if he was going to, he wouldn’t have time», – Mellie smiled cynically. If to find out to whom all his property will go, then the customer will immediately become known.

As if reading her thoughts about the will, Mona wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and said: «He left everything-all his property and money to orphanages, hospitals and animal shelters! He’s so wonderful!».

«It is very-very interesting! Who opened the hunt for you, and why, our wonderful?», – there was no limit to Mellie’s surprise. She liked everything to be clear, but here… The further away, the fog gets thicker! The object was just an angel in the flesh, he had no heirs, he was no longer young and he was sick, and it may be that he was about to die soon…

«So why the hell would someone have to shell out a fortune to get rid of an old man, and even in such a strange way? – Mellie continued to ponder. – Well, in fact, street dogs did not cooperate to improve their living conditions! And why should it be suicide? He is disabled. An accident would be just right and would save a lot of time. It’s crazy! Or maybe he drove someone to suicide a long time ago (when he wasn’t so perfect)? Or is it the brother or fiance of some girl from Mr. Mellone’s distant past (looking at him now, she can imagine that in his youth he was very nice), who committed suicide because of unrequited love for him? Maybe that’s why this is how he should die? Suffering too? Damn, this is already some kind of vendetta!».

Thoughts were swarming in рук head like a swarm of bees, but the only true thought didn’t emerged. In principle, all this did not matter at all for Mellie. She had an object and a customer who had to pay very good money. And it didn’t concern what anyone’s motives were. She was just very curious, that’s all…

Chapter 10

Mellie learned from Mona’s consistent and verbose stories that the estate was incredibly huge, and everyone who was there could go for a walk at any time, or even on a short trip. There was also its own mountain route, a hunting lodge right on top of one of the mountains and a guest house on the shore of the lake. There was even an island in the middle of the lake, where there was a hut, in case anyone wanted to feel like Robinson Crusoe. The only thing that was strictly forbidden was to cross the perimeter. In fact, those living on the estate were practically in prison, on a life sentence, only voluntarily. «How much does life have to beat to agree to such an existence?», – Mellie didn’t ceased to be surprised. Everything, absolutely everything there was strange and incomprehensible to her. And she was incredibly glad that she, so loving life in all its diversity, would not have to stay in this place for a long time.

The girl also found out that the boss always had breakfast, lunch and dinner alone in the large dining room. But the table was always served as if it was waiting for many high-ranking guests. Each meal was necessarily accompanied by quiet classical music, which Mr. Mellone simply adored, and always chose himself, depending on the mood, what he would like to listen to. He also loved to walk very much, so the paved paths ran away from the porch in all possible directions. In case he wanted to rest or have a snack, gazebos with everything necessary were located on the lawns and on the sidewalks for this.

In general, Mellie’s employer was very sensitive to his beloved and created for himself a kind of paradise on earth. In his paradise, everyone and everything was designed to maintain paradise conditions in perfect order and make living as comfortable as possible for Mr. Mellone. «Well… Whoever pays, orders the music. It’s not known how I would be weird if I were in his shoes with his money…», – Mellie even began to feel something like respect for her boss. Anyway, it took a strong hand and a remarkable mind in order to build such an empire, and even so that everything functioned as in a well-oiled mechanism. Both the strong hand and the remarkable mind of the owner were very well felt. Especially the hand, it was not just strong, it was steel and incredibly powerful, like the grip of a Doberman. Speaking of Dobermans… These cute dogs turned out to be a dime a dozen on the territory! And all of them, as a selection, were taught to kill. They were trained to kill at once. They were trained to kill any outsider. Therefore, it was not recommended to leave the house at night, and in general it was recommended not to stick out without an escort once again. «It can be very dangerous for your health!», – that’s how Mona put it. Mellie laughed until she hiccupped at these words! Indeed, your health can be significantly shaken if five not very friendly dogs cling to you at once!

– You need the dogs to get used to you. You won’t tame them at all, you’ll still remain a stranger, but so that they at least know that you can walk everywhere unhindered. Mr. Mellone will introduce you to them later.

«And thanks for that! It’s not enough for a killer of my qualifications to stupidly become a dog’s dinner…», – Mellie thought. For some reason, Mona’s words made her uneasy. The rich imagination immediately reacted and gave out a video clip with musical accompaniment about how Mr. Mellone took her to the dogs and in his velvety voice gave a single command: «Take it!». Ten minutes later, only bloody fragments remained of Mellie, but Mr. Malone only smiled leeringly, looking at all this. This was followed by a series of retrospective shots telling that throughout his life, once a year, the boss arranges a holiday for his dogs and feeds meat to young girls whom he allegedly hires for work.

Mellie shook her head: «That’s it! I think I’m tired after all, and it’s time to rest! I’ve never seen anything more idiotic in my life!». Spitting in her heart and scolding her overly exuberant imagination, Molly asked where she could smoke. After all, if it was impossible in the house, was it possible to go out at least on the porch without fear of being devoured by carnivorous dogs? It turned out that it was possible to go out on the porch, but only accompanied by Mona. It was for the time being.

Chapter 11

The next morning, Mellie walked into the office at exactly ten in the morning. She put on a pantsuit and gathered her hair into a strict bun. Her boss was already sitting at his desk, perfectly dressed and combed, as if a whole crowd of hairdressers and stylists had worked hard in the morning. Mellie realized that his appearance had nothing to do with her arrival, Mr. Mellone always looked like this, and she was dreaming…

The owner asked in his velvety voice how she slept in her new place and whether she liked the estate. The girl thanked him for the excellent room and replied that she had not had time to see everything yet, but she really liked what she managed to see. When the exchange of pleasantries was over, the boss pointed to a whole stack of catalogs that needed to be updated and sorted. All of them were in different languages. The work has begun. The silence in the cabinet was broken only by the tapping of keys and the rustle of pages. When Mr. Mellone announced a lunch break, Mellie just shook her head and continued to work. The lesson captured her with her head. She had imagined a boring, monotonous routine, but it was nothing like that – the illustrations themselves were colorful and the explanations for them were interesting. It was as if she went on a tour of some fabulous places and learned a lot of interesting things. Surprised by the fleeting way the case fascinated and captured her, the girl was delighted. It was incredibly wonderful that the work brought her pleasure.

Mellie was so engrossed in what she was doing that she didn’t even notice when Mr. Mellone returned from lunch, as evening came. Only when she heard: «That’s it for today!», she realized that the working day had come to an end, and felt how hungry she was. After collecting the papers, Mellie put them in front of the boss and came across an attentive look with a note of curiosity.

– Are you interested? – how did he manage to say that? It seemed that the voice enveloped from all sides at once.

– Very much! It’s all so breathtaking! – Mellie was really very excited, she didn’t expect this from herself.

– That’s wonderful! I rarely make mistakes and after meeting you, I assumed that you are an inquisitive, dreamy and generally multifaceted nature. I am very glad that I was right this time too. But in the future, I ask you to take breaks anyway, it’s mandatory for lunch. I don’t want you to faint from lack of oxygen or from hunger! – One of Mr. Mellone’s dazzling smiles graced his face.

Mellie unconsciously smiled in response, it suddenly dawned on her that she really hadn’t left the office – neither to the toilet, nor for a smoke break.

Chapter 12

Mellie slept like a log that night, and she had wonderful dreams – she was traveling. She woke up in the rosiest mood and literally flew down to the kitchen to share her impressions with Mona. She swallowed her breakfast, chattering incessantly, in a hurry, as she was very impatient to get back to work faster. Mellie thanked Mona, ran out into the hall and almost bumped into Mr. Mellone, who was sitting in his chair with the look of an emperor. He was wearing a cocoa-and-milk shirt and mustard jeans.

– I would like to introduce you to our lesser friends, – it seemed that the voice penetrated into the blood and spread throughout the body like raspberry jam. Mellie immediately realized who he was talking about, and involuntarily shivered.

– Don’t be afraid of them. Dogs feel fear, more precisely, an excess of adrenaline in the blood, but they do not distinguish feelings, so they take it as a sign of aggression. If you are friendly, they will feel and respond to you in the same way, – brown almond-shaped eyes looked friendly and soothing.

The girl thought: «Thanks a lot, my kind boss! The last thing I would like is for a pack of killer dogs to decide that I am an enemy for them!», but she said out loud: «I really love animals!».

Mr. Mellone’s smile at these words became downright unrealistically wide. And Mellie decided that this is how an alligator smiles in anticipation of a hearty lunch.

The wheelchair smoothly rolled down the ramp and stopped in the middle of the yard. There was a soft, barely audible whistle, and they turned out surrounded by a cheerfully bouncing flock. Each of the dogs tried to lick Mr. Mellone’s hand or face, and he laughed merrily and ruffled their necks. But as soon as he spoke, everyone, as if on command, stopped jumping, sat down in a circle and stared at him with devoted eyes. The boss introduced Mellie according to all the rules, just like at a social event. Each dog took turns coming up and sniffing Mellie, and she in turn had to pat the animal on the head.

Finally, the introduction ceremony was over, and they returned to the house to work. As on the previous day, Millie plunged into the most exciting travels and barely broke away for lunch. She ate lunch very quickly and returned to the cabinet. The day again flew by unnoticed. In the evening, giving the updated catalogs, Mellie suddenly had like an electric shock, and she couldn’t help but ask: «All these places… You were there yourself, weren’t you?».

– You are not only very talented and efficient, but you are also a very perceptive girl! Yes. That’s exactly how it is. And if it’s interesting to you, I can somehow share my impressions with you, – Mr. Mellone’s voice was as stringy as white honey, and the same transparent, and his cat eyes shone from the inside.

«Do I want to? Yes, of course I do! And not ever, but right now, right now I wouldn’t refuse!», – Mellie flashed through her head, but she politely thanked aloud and said that the idea was just wonderful. Then she said good night to Mr. Mellone and left.

This time the girl slept much worse, she couldn’t sleep for a very long time. She was haunted by the thought that something was wrong. Or rather, everything was wrong. She really worked; moreover, the work brought her great satisfaction. Inquisitive by nature, Mellie absorbed information like a sponge. And she really wanted the boss to share his emotions with her. And she, in turn, wanted to share her emotions with him. All this was more than strange, because the priority should have been her main job, her goal, for the sake of which she was doing the work. And the details of the execution were just an addition to the overall picture. But it was the opposite. Only two days had passed, and the girl did not want everything to end faster. She managed to understand that her boss was an extremely interesting, even one might say, unique person. She had never met anyone like him before, and she wanted to get to know him better, she wanted to hear what he would tell in his velvety voice, she wanted to share her opinion.

Cold reason stubbornly insisted that he didn’t like everything that was happening, but the adventurous streak blithely waved away, they say, we have a lot of time, why not spend a little for your own pleasure.

Reassuring herself that it was just a period of adaptation, and everything, as always, would fall into place, Mellie was able to fall asleep after all.

Chapter 13

The days filled with interesting work flowed. Mellie no longer thought that something was going wrong. She gave herself completely to life on the estate. As rivers and streams have a current, so this house also had its own current. Slow, measured, but very powerful, it captured imperceptibly, so there was no strength to turn back or get out, and, to be honest, there was no desire either.

«I am on vacation! – Mellie repeated to herself every time common sense gave voice. – And really, why not? I have no time limit, and to impress Mr. Mellone, looks and youth alone are not enough at all!». The girl realized this the very next day after her arrival. Therefore, she needed time to do the main work. This is how she calmed her professional «I» when this «I» began to scream hysterically from her inaction. In fact, she simply enjoyed a calm, measured life in the house, with very interesting and complacent people. And she wasn’t going to rush. Because even time went differently in this place. Everything here was different. And everyone here was different. And it was all so interesting!

The week was coming to an end, and Mellie could not wait for the weekend to climb everything up and down. In fact, she had not seen anything yet, only the house, and even that was not all. However, on Friday evening, at the end of the working day, Mr. Mellon announced that tomorrow morning they would go to the house in the mountains, and in the evening they would go down to the mountain lake and spend the night there.

– Do you have the right clothes? If not, contact Mona, she will pick up something for you, – the boss did not take his brown eyes off her, in which a cheerful chuckle splashed. – Or did you have other plans? In any case, I strongly do not recommend refusing, it will be very interesting! – his quiet voice murmured.

Looking into his eyes, Mellie thought: «I wonder if anyone would dare to say «No» to you, especially after the words «I strongly do not recommend refusing»? Mellie was sure that such an abnormal person would not be found, not only in the house, but throughout the entire globe.

Mr. Malone had an amazing ability to subdue everything and everyone, and without any effort on his part. He smiled sweetly, kindness itself shone in his eyes, but any more or less sane person immediately understood that insubordination could lead to consequences and, possibly, very unpleasant. «I’ll have to investigate everything another time… Yes, well, God help him, tomorrow promises to be very interesting!», – she sedately left the cabinet, but as soon as the door closed behind her, she galloped into the kitchen to discuss everything with Mona.

The morning plunged the girl into despondency. The sky was covered with powdery white clouds that hung so low that the treetops tickled their thick sides. There was no sign of the sun. «Well, that’s what a fun weekend is about to come…», – glancing longingly out the window again, she trudged to the kitchen. But, to her surprise, there was a cheerful animation in the kitchen. The driver, a middle-aged man, tall and sturdy, who was also a gardener and a housemaid, was putting groceries in a backpack, joking with Mona. After greeting, Mellie expressed her bewilderment about what was happening with a look. Without interrupting her studies, Mona explained that the weather was just what they need to visit a house in the mountains, and indeed for long walks: the sun was not very active, there was pleasant coolness and humidity in the street. «Aha! And it will be absolutely wonderful if the downpour kicks in and we all get wet to the skin!», – the skeptical mood did not want to leave her, but, pushing this mood into the farthest corner, Mellie gladly joined the fun commotion.

Mr. Mellone was already waiting on the porch when the merry trio fell out of the house. There was no limit to Mellie’s amazement again – he looked stunning even in a tracksuit and a baseball cap, and his hair was still carefully arranged in a ponytail. The boss wore glasses only while working with papers, the rest of the time he did without them, so she could see the cheerful rays of wrinkles in the corners of his eyes when he looked at all three of them, smiling. «How does he do it? Be sure to figure it out! How does he manage to immediately attract the eye to his person, having an outstanding appearance and figure? So much so that it is impossible to look away. How does he manage to look like a victorious king with his inability to move?», – Mellie added another note to her piggy bank of questions and found that there was almost no spot left. But the piggy bank of answers was absolutely empty.

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