His Favorite Girl

Zara Smith got out of the Royce Phantom and looked around her, at the mansion at the center, and the sea of green field surrounding it. The environment screamed serene, like the kind of place you'd wanna be in forever. She slightly nodded and smiled at the guard who'd hurried over to open the car door for her.

"Welcome to the PHOENIX castle, ma'am," Grey Stone, the personal assistant to Lucas Baker, the CEO of the multibillion dollar Baker Conglomerate, said to Zara, gesturing her forward.

Zara offered him a polite smile and made a show of looking around. The mansion was a magnificent sight. She couldn't deny that fact. But, she wasn't here for the aesthetics. Setting her mind on that reminder, she cleared her throat and started to walk forward, towards the building.

There was a guard at the main entrance who ushered her in with a slight bow. She shook her head at the show of curtsy. She wouldn't be able to get used to that.

She walked into a very vast living room, Grey Stone behind her. "Please make yourself at home. I'll be right back," he said to her, gesturing her towards the couch. She nodded meekly and walked towards the couch, then sat and crossed her legs.

Grey Stone disappeared around the corner and Zara looked around the house at the art pieces and picture frames on the wall. Her eyes lingered on the pictures, carefully scrutinizing them. She looked away just as Grey reentered the room.

"Alright, he'll see you now," Grey said, glancing at his wristwatch.

Zara nodded and got up, smoothing down the gray long skirt she had on. "Alright, after you."

They went through numerous corridors on the ground floor, before Grey finally stopped in front of a mahogany double-doored entrance. He knocked twice, then pushed the doors open. He ushered Zara in, going in after her and quietly closing the doors behind them.

Zara's eyes fell on the dark haired figure that sat facing the floor-to-ceiling window in the room, as soon as she walked in. From the arrogant raise of the shoulders, she could tell it was him.

The client she was supposed to be fixing within three months.

Grey cleared his throat, trying to make their presence known. The figure in the chair hadn't bothered offering them any form of acknowledgement. "Sir, the therapist is here."

After a few minutes of silence, and Zara fleetingly wondering if everything was alright in the household, the wheelchair swiveled to face she and Grey.

Lucas Baker closed the book he had in his hand, and dropped it on his lap, then removed his reading glasses. He looked at Zara pointedly, like he was expecting her to say something. She cleared her throat, blinking continuously. What did he expect her to say? This was her first gig as an outpatient therapist, so she was clueless.

She was going to start somewhere, anyway. She cleared her throat again, "uhm, good day, sir.." she started, apprehensively.

"You see," Lucas Baker started, interrupting Zara. "time is a very essential resource, to me, and I'm sure it is to you as well. I'd appreciate it if you just went straight to the point. You saw how Mr. Grey here did."

Zara swallowed hard and nodded. "Yeah, right. Uhm, my name's Zara Smith, and I'm the therapist that'll be tending to you for the next three months."

"When you say therapist, you mean a masseuse, right?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. So, you're the infamous 'magic fingers' I've heard so much about?" Lucas asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, if you decide to label it that, too, then yeah. I'm just good at what I do, that's all," Zara replied, shrugging.

Lucas studied her for a moment, then nodded.

"I know we already signed the agreement form with the spa, Ms. Zara, but tell me again, why should I pick you out of the sea of therapists out there?"

"I believe I came highly recommended, sir. I don't need to validate myself with just my words alone. You would be able to walk well on your own before those three months are over. All you need to do is just trust me, and let me do my job."

Lucas let out a little cynical laughter. "Well, trust is a very strong word. I'll just let you do your job, instead."

Zara nodded. "Alright then. Therapy starts tomorrow, and we're gonna be having sessions in the mornings, afternoons and evenings, to speed up the healing process."

Lucas nodded, "alright, ma'am."

Zara narrowed her eyes at him. Was that a sense of humor?

After a few minutes of silence, she cleared her throat, squeezing her palms together. "Well, uhm, if there's nothing else to discuss, I'll take my leave now."

"Yeah, well, you'll be shown to your room, but before that, I'd like you to meet my family. Well, the few of them that are in town." Lucas signaled to Grey, who stepped closer to him.

"Tell them to come down here, right now," he said to Grey, in a low voice, and Grey nodded. He walked out of the room, leaving Zara and Lucas alone.

"So, Ms. Zara, I'd like you to properly meet them, the few of them, so you don't get confused or taken by surprised when you bump into them here."

"You know, you'll be seeing a lot of them for a while, so it's best you get acquainted."

Zara nodded as he spoke, wishing the three months were over already. She was there to work, not for any sort of acquaintances.

The mahogany doors creaked open again, and Grey walked in briskly, leaving them open. "I've informed them, sir," he said to Lucas, who nodded, fixing his eyes at the entrance.

They all entered one after the other, almost at the same time. Three men.

Zara's jaw dropped open in surprise, when the first man entered. The surprise doubled when the second one entered, his eyes on his phone. The shock almost swept her off her feet when the third man entered.

What in God's name was going on?

The men were equally surprised to see her, except they had different ways of expressing their surprise. The three men had their eyes glued on Zara, like they were silently waiting for an explanation.

The first man, however, happened to react before everyone else. "Zara?" he called softly, inching closer to take a good look at her.

At that moment, Zara wished the ground would open up and swallow her.

It couldn't be?