A minute into the drive to Miss Anderson's family's mansion, Benjamin glanced at the woman seated with him in the backseat of the Rolls-Royce Phantom from the corner of his eye.
Though he had noticed it before, it was only now dawning on him just how imposing and intimidating the woman was.
Her stunning good looks were enough to make any able-bodied man second-guess himself before making any romantic gestures to her. But that was merely the tip of the iceberg of what would make them cower in her presence.
Her immense wealth, elegance, and towering height—standing at over six feet tall—made her a figure that left everyone, man and woman alike, feeling inadequate in her presence.
Unfortunately, Benjamin was no different. In fact, the only reason he had managed to speak to her back at the police station had less to do with bravery and more to do with desperation.
He was so desperate that all the warning signs that would normally stop him from speaking to her—let alone approaching her—were completely ignored.
However, now that he was in an environment where he could do nothing else but assess the woman more carefully, those intimidating factors stood out more glaringly than headlights to a deer on the highway.
Benjamin's heart pounded as he wondered how he was going to ask the one question that plagued his mind and had made him look at her in the first place.
"Are you going to keep staring at me, or are you going to say what it is you want?" Miss Anderson asked, making Benjamin jolt.
"You saw that?" he asked, chuckling awkwardly.
"Did you think I was joking when I told the police captain that you wouldn't escape my sight for the entire period I'll have you in my custody?" she asked.
Benjamin, realizing just how serious she had been at the police station about keeping an eye on him, gulped. Clearly, the beautiful woman wasn't planning on taking any chances with him—especially after all the warnings Captain James had given her. Her eyes and full attention were locked onto him like a hawk.
"So, are you going to say what you want or are you going to keep staring at me like a lost puppy?" She asked after Benjamin had been quiet for too long without addressing her first question.
Benjamin cleared his throat, his smile still awkward and showing how embarrassed he was.
"If it's not an inconvenience, I was wondering if I could use your phone to make a phone call. My mother and sister must be worried sick after I was arrested, so I want to let them know that I'm fine and out of the police station", Benjamin said.
Benjamin had thought that mentioning his mother and sister would appeal to the woman's feminine side and make her sympathize with him.
How wrong he had been, as instead of sympathizing as he had expected, Miss Anderson frowned.
"Do you seriously think you are anything close to being fine?" She asked and Benjamin's demeanor changed.
"In case you've forgotten, this is a temporary arrangement and your freedom depends on whether you can keep to your end of our deal. So, instead of thinking about calling your mother and sister with my phone, focus on coming up with ways to help my father when you see him" Miss Anderson said.
"So, it's a no for the phone then," Benjamin said.
The beautiful woman glared at him— her beauty not being able to overshadow how intimidating and scary she was. In fact, it bolstered it.
"I'll answer myself and take that as a no", Benjamin sighed exasperatedly and looked forward.
He checked the countdown timer and prayed for the mission to end quickly so he could finally speak to his family again.
More time passed, and the car approached the massive ebony-and-gold-colored gate that protected the Anderson family mansion from outsiders.
Benjamin stared at the intimidatingly large gate and was speechless.
A few seconds passed, and Benjamin noticed that the gate remained closed, with no sign of the gatekeeper stepping out to check who had arrived. Surely, whoever worked there should have known of their arrival by now, so what was causing the delay?
"Is the gatekeeper sleeping or something—?" Benjamin asked but was cut off by a sharp and annoyed exhale from Miss Anderson.
"Daniel," she said in an annoyed tone.
"I know, boss" Daniel replied and, for the first time since arriving at the gate, honked the horn.
He honked it not once, not twice but three times, then waited a few more seconds before the gate was finally opened.
"Get us in there before I lose my temper," Miss Anderson said as she rolled her eyes and sighed exasperatedly.
As the car drove through the gate, Benjamin looked at the building beside it where the gatekeeper was situated, and he saw the disapproving expression on the elderly man's face as he watched the car drive in.
Once inside, Benjamin saw the gatekeeper—still looking disgusted as he stared at the car—press a button to close the gate. He wondered why the man, who was the estate's first line of defense, was in such a bad mood. Then, glancing at the two people in the car with him, he noticed that they, too, didn't look pleased.
Benjamin wondered what that was all about but kept his curiosity to himself since it wasn't any of his business. After all, he was only there to fulfill his promise and hope that Miss Anderson would keep her end of their deal.
The car continued to drive further into the estate and Benjamin saw sights that left him in awe.
On both sides of the smooth, perfectly polished stone pavement they were driving on stretched vast expanses of well-trimmed greenery and meticulously crafted topiary.
Lining the edges of the pavement were evenly spaced ebony lamps, designed to illuminate the road at night, guiding the way to the mansion like runway lights.
It felt as though Benjamin had stepped into an entirely different world—one far removed from his own— as he had never encountered such a grand display of wealth outside of the movies he had watched.
Impressed, Benjamin turned to Miss Anderson and said, "I can't believe you get to live in a place as spectacular as this every single day of your life."
Miss Anderson looked at him and with all seriousness asked "Who says I live here?"
Benjamin was taken aback.
Does that mean she doesn't live in the mansion she herself called her family's mansion? It seemed like there was some drama that Benjamin wasn't aware of. However, since it didn't concern him, he chose to mind his own business.
The car finally got to the magnificent mansion and parked in front of it.
The chauffeur came out of the car and opened the door for Miss Anderson first, then he went to open for Benjamin.
Exiting the car, Benjamin took in the sights and, just as he was acclimating to the environment, his attention was drawn to the estate workers who all had their eyes on him.
Immediately, he became self-conscious— a feeling of unwelcome washing over him.
"Come on, let's go," Miss Anderson said as she walked to the front of the car.
"Okay," Benjamin said, then he looked at Daniel who remained by the car, and thanked him for the ride with a bow.
Immediately, Daniel felt like he might have judged Benjamin too harshly, as he seemed like a respectable young man.
Benjamin hurried to catch up with Miss Anderson as she made her way to the mansion. Just as they were about to step inside, a group of individuals who appeared just as wealthy and influential as Miss Anderson emerged, blocking their path.
"I could hardly believe it when the gatekeeper called to say you had arrived and even threatened to fire him if he was lying. But it looks like he wasn't," said the blonde-haired man standing in front of the others, a smug look on his face.
"Henry" Miss Anderson said, annoyed.
"You know you're not welcome here, so what the hell are you doing here, Anderson?" Henry retorted, scowling at Miss Anderson as if she were a piece of dog shit on the ground.
Observing the situation and seeing the looks everyone was exchanging with Miss Anderson, Benjamin looked at the estate workers again and realized something.
He wasn't the one they had been glaring at when they first arrived. Rather, it was Miss Anderson—because, for whatever reason, she wasn't welcome on her own family's estate.
What was that all about? Benjamin wondered and became worried that whatever drama this was would affect his ability to accomplish his mission.
"Shit!" Benjamin thought.