Brice Manor

4. The Command

The sun had barely begun to peek through the curtains when Emily stirred from her slumber. As she slowly opened her eyes, she noticed something was off. The room was filled with the sound of banging and clanging. Her ears ached with the whirring of machines, and the occasional shout of construction workers that filled her surroundings. It was as if the mansion was being torn apart from the inside out.

At first, Emily rubbed her eyes and tried to ignore the noise. But as it continued to grow louder, her irritation began to mount. She sat up in bed and glared at the window as if she could silence the noise with just a look. But of course, that was impossible.

With a deep sigh, she threw off the covers and stormed over to the window. She flung the drapes open and peered out, her eyes scanning the grounds of the estate. Sure enough, she could see workers swarming around the property, carrying tools and equipment, and generally making a racket.

One person in particular, who seemed to have swallowed a goose by how high pitch he yelled the word, "Hammer," made her narrow her eyes. It was Oliver. The young man donned an orange overall with a worker's helmet that looked too big for his head.

Emily clicked her tongue. She glanced at the grandfather clock - a thing that for a moment made her eyes wide and filled with appreciation - showed 4:30 AM.

"It's too damn early," she complained.

As the noise continued and seemingly increase by the second, her annoyance quickly turned to anger, and she began to mutter profanities under her breath.

As her frustration boiled over, she began to yell incoherently, her voice echoing off the walls of the room. It was as if she was trying to drown out the noise with her own anger. She stomped around the room, slamming drawers and doors, muttering curses all the while. How dare they disturb her peace like this?

But just as the words registered in her head, another set of profanities escaped her mouth as she remembered that she wasn't there for a vacation. She was there to work!

"Damn it," she muttered as she hurriedly made her way to the bathroom.

As Emily stepped inside the first thing that caught her eye was the intricate pattern of the tiles on the floor. They were made of marble, and each one had been carefully placed to create a stunning mosaic pattern.

She couldn't help but gasp. There wasn't a lot of luminance the night before and she was so tired that she hadn't had the opportunity to peruse the bathroom.

Letting her eyes linger on, her jaw almost dropped as every detail of the bathroom registered in her head and swelled her designer heart.

The walls were lined with white tiles, and the ceiling was painted a soft shade of blue with patches of white which Emily suspected was meant to serve as clouds.

As she moved forward, she noted that the bathroom was spacious. It has a large bathtub that sat in the center. A bathtub that had carvings of flowers on them. They looked like lilies. Emily with her eyes wide drowning in the magnificence of furniture walked over to the bathtub and ran her hand along the smooth marble surface. She marveled at the magnificence of the craftsmanship of its carvings. Then her eyes rested on the brass fixtures that adorned the bathtub, and a smile further spread across her face.

The fixtures were ornate, with intricate carvings and designs. They gave the bathtub an old-world charm, and Emily couldn't help but gape at their beauty. She turned on the tap and watched as the water flowed out, filling the tub with warm, steaming water.

As she waited for the tub to fill, Emily continued her perusal of the rest of the bathroom. The sink was made of the same marble as the floor, with a large mirror above it that was framed by a delicate gold border. The light fixtures were made of crystal, and they cast a soft glow around the room.