Arriving in Goldsville

Cassandra lugged the suitcase behind her, grunting with effort as its wheels dragged slowly across the asphalt. She had known that she had over-packed but she hadn't considered the possibility of actually carrying the luggage herself. They had promised her that someone would be waiting to help her as soon as her plane landed. That had been two hours ago.

"Watch where you are going," She snarled at a man who had bumped into her.

The man held his hands up in silent apology and quickly disappeared into the sea of people that littered the airport. He must have sensed the dark cloud of irritation that hung over Cassandra like a storm. She couldn't blame him. She was exhausted from the flight, her transport was nowhere to be seen and she didn't even know where she was going. The expression on her face would scare anyone away.

She made her way through the bustling crowd being jostled and bumped into all the way to the exit. She was tempted to just drop her luggage and get back on the next plane to New York but she knew she couldn't do that. Goldsville was a new start for her, an opportunity to reinvent herself and live her best life. It's not every day that a 23-year-old psychology graduate was offered a job as a billionaire's assistant. It was the opportunity of a lifetime so she could endure some minor discomforts if she had to. The money she was being offered was so unbelievable that for a while she had thought it was a scam or some kind of human trafficking trap. It was after hours and hours of research that she had finally been able to accept that Shivers Inc was a real company and she had been extremely lucky to be accepted there. The company was offering her enough money for her to support herself and her parents, hell it was enough money for her to never think about money again.

Cassandra made it to the exit and set her luggage against a pole that supported the bus stop shed. She couldn't remember the name of the hotel she was supposed to be taken to so she fished out her phone to check her emails. The Sunset Palace, the name sounded fancy. It made sense that they had booked her into a high-end hotel, they had a reputation to maintain after all. They should keep that same energy when it comes to punctuality, Cassandra thought, sighing with exasperation. A lot of taxis were parked across the road but she knew they were already spoken for. She hoped she could find someone to take her to the hotel but the small crowd occupying the benches in the shed filled her with doubt. It looked like some of them had been waiting for transport for quite a while.

Of course, she could just call Anna, the company representative she had been communicating with, and ask about the driver, but she didn't want to do that just yet. Cassandra was determined to fit seamlessly into the company so she didn't want to give anyone a reason to dislike her. She could handle her own transport issues, there was no need to make waves over it. It might even be a test, she mused.

She was about to cross the road and try to find a taxi when a black car pulled up right in front of her. Cassandra was startled, the driver had parked expertly, just a hair's breadth from where she was standing. She didn't know much about cars but she could tell that it was expensive. It also looked new, with a gleaming black hue and spinning rims. The door opened and a tall man stepped out, his features obscured by the baseball cap and sunglasses he wore. He walked around the car, his eyes appraising each person in the shed until they landed on Cassandra.

"Miss Fisher?" The man inquired, his gaze searching Cassandra's face.

"Yeah, that's me," Cassandra responded relief flooding through her.

"Excellent, I'm here to pick you up," The man said moving to heft Cassandra's suitcase.

You could have gotten here two hours ago Cassandra thought inwardly but she didn't let her feelings show on her face. Instead, she smiled extra brightly to mask her irritation.

"Thank you so much."

The man loaded her luggage into the trunk and opened the door to the back seat for her. She slid in and sighed with contentment at the feel of the soft seats against her tired muscles. She wanted to fall asleep there and then but that could wait until she got to the hotel.

The driver got in, started the car, and drove away from the airport leaving onlookers gazing enviously in the car's wake. This car really must be super expensive Cassandra thought to herself. The ride was smooth, she hardly felt the car's movement on the road, like she was sitting in a shockproof bubble.

"If you look outside you can see the Ingot mall, you will find that anything you want can be acquired there," the driver supplied, nodding at a large complex to Cassandra's left. The building was massive with several stories, stark white walls, and multicolored glass windows. A couple of kids played outside, laughing their hearts out as they bounced in a jumping castle. Since the car was moving very fast, she didn't get to see anymore but she made a mental note to visit as soon as she could. She loved shopping so it would be a thrill for her to explore what it had to offer.

"Is it far from the hotel?" She asked the driver. Since didn't have a car, she would have to limit her travels until she understood the public transport system better. The driver must have sensed the direction of her thoughts.

"It's a very close miss but doesn't worry, all employees are issued with a car or a driver whenever they want."

"Oh, thank you," Cassandra replied.

She remembered seeing something about a car in her contract but she hadn't spent too much time on it. At the time she had been ecstatic at the multiple zeros that had been written on the document. Getting her own car would make her adjustment to the new city so much easier. Once again she found herself thanking her lucky stars for this opportunity, it felt like a dream, only in her case she would never wake up from it.

"And that over there is the...," The driver went on for the rest of the journey.

He showed Cassandra all the interesting spots along the way and he did it so well she was tempted to ask him if he had ever worked as a tour guide. His deep voice droned on introducing her to Golsville with every mile they covered. Cassandra gazed out the window, enraptured by the beautiful city that was going to be her new home. She asked questions at every turn, eager to learn everything she could about Goldsville. Her earlier irritation started to ebb away and she felt like she could almost forgive the driver for being late, almost.

By the time they got to the hotel, Cassandra was feeling much better. The beautiful scenery and the courteous manner of her driver had made her feel pretty relaxed. The car pulled up in front of a beautiful building that had to be the Sunset palace. The hotel was massive, bigger than any she had ever stayed in, even the rows of palm trees that sentineled driveway added to its grandeur. It was a towering victorian structure with cream-painted walls and red tiles on the roof. The windows were of an improvised sash design, with their sills painted crimson to match the roof. There was a turret attached to the left side of the hotel, a gleaming silver bearing the hotel's name poised on the top of its steeple.  It really did look like a palace,  like the kind of place that aristocrats and young heirs to billion-dollar fortunes would patron. It certainly wasn't anything she could afford on her own.

"This is where you will be staying Miss Fisher," the driver said as the car shut down. He got out of the car and opened the door for her before proceeding to take out her luggage. What a gentleman, Cassandra thought to herself hoping all her workmates would be as welcoming as the driver. She got out of the car and made to take her language.

"Oh don't worry about that, someone will be along to carry it up," the driver supplied.

As if on cue, a young woman in black slacks and a maroon shirt rushed out of the hotel's red doors and made a beeline for Cassandra.

"Welcome to the Sunset Crest Miss Fisher, my name is Emily and I will be helping you settle in," The girl beamed, the smile transforming her face into an angelic visage. She did a sort of curtsy at the driver and he nodded back.

"Thank you, Emily, it's nice to be here," Cassandra smiled back, the girl's cheer was infectious.

"Well then, I'll leave you in Emily's capable hands, Miss Fisher," the driver announced.

"Thank you very much for the safe trip and the tour guide. I won't tell your boss you were two hours late," Cassandra joked, smiling at the driver.

"I'd appreciate that very much," The driver smiled back, his sunglasses hiking up his nose just a bit so that Cassandra saw one dark hazel eye. Now that she was paying attention she could see the driver was handsome, even under the glasses and cap. He had a strong, clean-shaven jaw and pink full lips that contrasted nicely with his almond skin. The way his mouth stretched as he laughed at her joke, stark white teeth flashing made her thoughts drift in an inappropriate direction. She would have loved to see him fully without the cap and glasses but he was already starting the car and backing out the driveway.

Control yourself, Cassandra admonished herself, her first day at a new job and she was already drooling after the first man she met. Her mother would be mortified. She dragged her eyes from the retreating car and noticed that Emily was also watching the car drive away, but with a look of apprehension. She briefly wondered what the girl might be anxious about then she decided it was none of her business.

Emily grabbed Cassandra's luggage and started pulling it towards the hotel, looking over her shoulder to see if Cassandra was following. Cassandra followed.

"You are going to love it here Miss fisher," Emily said, the earlier frown gone from her face, Cassandra was half convinced she had imagined it.

"Please call me Cassandra or just Cassey," She said, noting that the girl wasn't that much younger than her.

"Are you sure?" Emily asked.

"Definitely, you don't have to be formal with me, "Cassandra replied, smiling at Emily.

"That's great Cassey, let me show you to your room," Emily invited, dragging Cassandra's case through the mahogany doors.

"Normally, there would be a porter to carry your bags but I was expressly commanded to help you with everything," Emily said, disappearing through the entrance.

"Oh, is that the protocol for all guests that work for Shivers Inc?" Cassandra inquired, hurrying behind Emily.

"I haven't been working here for long but I think it's just you, "Emily replied.

Cassandra wondered why she was getting special treatment then concluded that it was because she was new to the city and her new boss probably knew the hotel owners and had made the request. She was about to voice her thoughts to Emily when she was struck speechless by the interior of the hotel. It was beautiful, with a high ceiling, a massive fireplace, and a grand staircase that rose to the stories above. Next to the staircase was a vintage elevator behind a screen with ornate gold designs, like a doorway to an era long past. There was a lot of artwork on the walls and even her untrained eye could discern that it was exquisite and most likely expensive. The floor was shining parquet in concentric designs that gave the illusion that the floor was moving. Cassandra felt out of place in her denim jeans, black halter top, and airforce 1 sneakers.

"That's where I usually work," Emily said pointing to an area sectioned off by a wall that had the words "Reception" emblazoned into its middle with gold ink."I'll give you a proper tour later in the evening, I'm sure you would like to rest for now."

Cassandra nodded her assent, following the girl into the elevator. Emily pressed a few buttons and the elevator doors closed and it ascended. The elevator rose smoothly, it only looked vintage Cassandra realized, its inner systems were probably made from the latest technology. The elevator stopped and Emily walked out, the language behind her. She took a key from her pocket and unlocked the first door in the hallway.

"This is your room Cassey, it's an en suite so you can freshen up anytime you want and if there is anything you need, you can call me on that phone over there," Emily supplied, handing Cassandra a key on a Sunset Palace logo keyholder.

"Thank you," Cassandra replied, entering the room.

Like the rest of the hotel, it was exquisite. The same high ceilings, a thick fluffy carpet on the floor, and a gold chandelier over a queen size bed. The room was tastefully decorated with furniture that screamed expensive, but Cassandra only had eyes for the bed. She would take a quick shower in the adjoining bathroom and crawl between the inviting silk sheets.

"Do you mind if I ask you something," Emily said, fidgeting in place, a nervous look on her face.

"Not at all," Cassandra assured, wondering why the cheery girl was suddenly apprehensive.

"Um, what do you do for Shivers Inc?" Emily couldn't meet Cassandra's eyes like she thought her question was inappropriate. Cassandra was relieved, she had thought Emily was about to say something scary or something.

"Oh, I'm just a personal assistant to the CEO, more of a glorified receptionist to be honest," Cassandra chuckled.

Emily took nodded at the response but there was still a tiny frown on her face.

"Why do you ask?" Cassandra probed.

"Well, I figured you had to have a super important job you know since Mr. Drake drove you here himself", Emily said her eyes widening at the look of confusion on Cassandra's face.

"Mr what?" Cassandra sputtered, her jaw dropping to the floor.

"Oh my God, you didn't realize. That was Mr. Drake who dropped you here, your new boss," Emily confirmed.

"Somebody kill me now," Emily mumbled, mortified.

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