Chapter 50. Nadie
Lilly Bradley
Friday. Finally, the last workday of the week had arrived. I had already made a list of movies I would watch in bed, in my pajamas, with a pizza box all to myself. I would take the car this time; Jackson wouldn't find out anyway. I had gone over everything from yesterday, our kiss, then it was spoiled by Oliver's unexpected arrival. Leah had told me the rest of what happened when I first got home—the moment I almost ran to take a cold shower. Then I started thinking, was Oliver waiting, perhaps? I raised my eyebrows. Could he have seen our kiss? I took a sharp breath, remembering lunchtime.
"Daydreaming, Bradley?" I turned my head towards the entrance. No, this time it wasn't Maxima; it was Basil, the company technician. He was smiling under the doorframe, seeing my reaction.
"Basil, hi, how are you?" I asked, happy to see him.
"Good, good. How's it going? Have you settled in?" he asked curiously.
"Yes, it's going well. I haven't had any complaints yet," I laughed, and so did he.
"Perfect, perfect," he cleared his throat. "By the way, I need to do maintenance on your computer at six in the evening. Will you be busy then?" I shook my head quickly.
"It looks like I'll be leaving early today," I glanced at the clock; it was already noon, then looked back at him. "So you can work freely."
"Alright," he cleared his throat again and checked if anyone was nearby. Seeing no one, he looked at me. "Can I ask you a question?" I nodded slowly.
"Sure, go ahead."
"Are you dating Johnson?" I raised my eyebrows and tried not to show any expression that would confirm anything.
"Johnson? Our boss?" he nodded.
"No, of course not. Why do you ask?"
"There are rumors going around that you two are seeing each other." Damn.
"No."
"Good. I hope it never happens," his comments surprised me.
"Why do you say that?" I wanted more information about what was being said.
"Because the gossip says he's a very dangerous man." I raised an eyebrow, wondering. Could it be the same Johnson we're talking about?
"Dangerous? Jackson Johnson?" he nodded repeatedly. He entered the office and approached the other side of my desk.
"They say every woman who enters his life... disappears. Without a trace. He has several houses and takes them to one of those places. After a few days, nothing is heard from them."
"What? Are you serious?" he widened his eyes and tensed up.
"I have to go," he turned towards the exit and then disappeared.
"That... was strange," I murmured, watching him leave.
One in the afternoon, and I was still in the office. This time I wouldn't go out for lunch; I had ordered Chinese food, and in half an hour, I would go to Maxima's errand. The smell of food filled the place, reminding me to buy an air freshener.
"Lilly," it was Maxima. I heard her behind me. I covered my plate of food, quickly wiped my lips, and turned around as if nothing had happened. She smiled. "Sorry to interrupt your lunch break, but I wanted to remind you that the drive to the house is almost an hour and a half. I need you there by three in the afternoon."
"Yes, yes, I was just finishing up," liar, "but I was about to gather my things to leave. By the way, I'll be back," she shook her head.
"You'll take too long, so we'll see each other on Monday," she was about to leave but stopped. "How is it driving from the other side of the seat?" I opened my eyes wide. How do I tell her I couldn't drive?
"Oh, nothing out of the ordinary. I can handle it," I smiled, pretending to be confident.
"Perfect, then. Remember, you need to be there at three to wait for the new agent."
"Yes, I'll leave right away, you know, the traffic," she nodded in agreement, then said goodbye. My heart sank as I lied. "For lying, karma will come," I quickly shook my head. The sound of my phone announcing a low battery made me rush to find my charger in my bag, then plugged it in while I went to the bathroom. I tried to remember if there was an outlet to charge it on the way. I entered the restroom and found other employees who didn't speak to me. "Oh yes, I'm going to die because they don't talk to me," their looks irritated me. The worst part was that we had never spoken or even said good morning. When I tried, they turned their faces away as if they were superior.
I brushed my teeth and touched up my makeup. The door opened, and Maxima appeared, looking worried.
"I just got confirmation that the furniture is on its way," I hurried quickly.
"I'm leaving now," I burst into the office like a tornado to gather my things while Maxima was giving me detailed directions on which main roads to take to avoid the traffic jam. "Yes, yes, I have it written down." She accompanied me to the underground parking lot, and for a moment, I felt overwhelmed by everything she was saying in a rush without giving me a chance to breathe. She complained about the furniture companies that never kept to the schedule, and now that no one was around, they were delivering early. As I got into the car, she listed all the streets I needed to take, gave me another couple of instructions, and then I started my journey. I kept a close eye on the GPS. I took the streets she had recommended, and indeed, I barely encountered any traffic. It had been half an hour since I took the directions when I opened my eyes wide, almost going out of orbit. "No, no, no, no..." I stopped by the side of the road as carefully as possible, still nervous about making a wrong move and crashing. I turned on the hazard lights and searched inside my bag. And yes, I had indeed forgotten to bring my cell phone. I pressed my forehead against the steering wheel and started cursing under my breath. The way Maxima had pressured me to leave irritated me. I looked up and peered over the edge of the steering wheel. I checked the clock and shook my head. I couldn't go back for it. I had the paper with the directions and everything, but... What if something happened? I didn't know ANYONE'S numbers. "Calm down, Bradley. Breathe. Breathe. Please, do it." My hands started to tremble; I had to calm down. The main point was to get there, receive the furniture, and wait for the agent. Then, I could head home. But a moment of desperation hit, and I had to get out barefoot to get some air. It was just two in the afternoon; I still had time. "But seriously, Bradley? How could you forget to take your phone and its charger? Now, what if something happens?" The breathing exercises went to hell, and I got back in my seat and resumed the journey. Maxima's directions were on the GPS. And to find the house, it was on the paper. My fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly; I had already taken the highway. I relaxed quite a bit since there were no cars. It was just me and the road.
After a long while of driving, I started seeing signs on the side of the road, one of which was the Johnson real estate logo. I smiled like an idiot as I drove. Ten minutes to three, I had reached the point where I saw myself on the GPS. I checked Maxima's note and backed up to enter a rocky path. I drove in, and as I advanced, I saw the roof of the grand house and was amazed at how majestic it was. All rustic, with modern touches. I finally stopped the car and, before getting out, put my shoes back on. My jaw almost dropped when I saw the garden I hadn't noticed when I entered. It was full of colorful flowers. I snapped out of my amazement and walked to the door, inserted the key, but it wouldn't open. I frowned, thinking it might be for the lower lock, but no, none of the keys were for the house.
"I want to think Maxima made a mistake in her rush." I sat in the small seating area on the porch, and now it was time to wait.
For a long while I waited, but neither the agent nor the moving truck arrived. I noticed there was light near where I had parked the car, thinking they might be solar lamps from the flower beds. I looked at my watch; it was almost five in the afternoon. I was determined to leave when I heard a car in the distance, feeling relieved, thinking the agent was finally arriving. But no. To my surprise, it was a Bentley. And a new one. Who else could drive that car? Jackson Johnson. From my spot, I saw him and noticed the confusion in his eyes upon seeing the company car parked in front of the house. He got out and furrowed his brow. He climbed the steps and, without seeing me yet, knocked on the double oak door.
"Is anyone there?" Jackson said, knocking with his knuckles, but no one answered. When he turned to look through the window, he gasped in surprise. "Shit, you scared me. Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like that, it's just that I didn't see you and you appeared out of nowhere..." He placed a hand on his chest. He saw me now, a bit calmer, and approached me. "What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for the moving truck and the real estate agent, but apparently neither is here yet," I said, sounding annoyed. "And they gave me the wrong key. It doesn't open this." I showed him the key in the palm of my hand. He snorted, rested his hands on his hips, and shook his head repeatedly. His jaw tensed, and then he looked at me.
"Who asked you to come?"
"Maxima." He raised an eyebrow. Then he looked at the car and back at me. "Don't scold me, I drove well, and it won't be a problem getting back."
"But you took a risk. Weren't we supposed to practice driving on Sundays? Something could have happened to you." I noticed irritation in his voice. I stood up and looked at him.
"Nothing happened, Jackson. Besides, I drove well, and it won't be a problem getting back to the city." I repeated the last sentence.
"You're not driving back to the city in that car; you'll come with me."
"Jackson, no." I crossed my arms. "Can you call Maxima and ask her what's going on? The truck with the furniture was supposed to arrive at three, and the agent too. After that, I was going to head home."
"What?" I could see confusion in his eyes. "She told me I was meeting a potential client at four, but then she said it changed to five-thirty. I wanted to get here early to check the house before showing it..." He trailed off, lost in thought.
"Can you call Maxima?" I insisted.
"Give me a moment." He searched for his phone inside his jacket and dialed, starting to get impatient. He checked the screen and clenched his jaw. He dialed again.
"Maxima," he said. "What's going on? You told Lilly to come to the house, said a moving truck would be here, and she'd meet an agent before heading home. Can you explain?" He listened intently. "The truck broke down? And why hasn't the agent come? Last-minute illness? And why didn't you inform Lilly?" A pause. "She forgot her phone." He shook his head at me. "She's been waiting since three in the afternoon; it's past five now. Tell me, is the potential client still coming, or did they cancel too?"