"Ha-ha-ha!" Gerald laughed good-naturedly. "I'm glad you're not giving up, son. Get some rest, you'll start work the day after tomorrow."
"Hmm... He didn't answer..." Richie thought. "I'm starting to get suspicious."
***
Rich Group's head office is located at 70 Rich Street in London. It's in the heart of the city, close to Green Park and Hyde Park. The Theatre Royal, the London Wax Museum, the Royal Academy of Arts, and Marble Arch are nearby. Big Ben is a leisurely stroll away.
The office occupies an entire four-story yellow brick building from the nineteenth century. The structure stretches for about fifteen meters, flanked on either side by two four-story buildings: a beige one on the left and a white one on the right. This is essentially a classic central London development, with three- and four-story buildings located close together.
There's a sidewalk in front of the office, and then a road, part of which is used as a parking lot. A sign on a steel pole states that only company vehicles are allowed to park here. The space is limited, just enough for three cars.
The buildings across the street house the modern art gallery "Sofia" and the bank "Gatehouse." A little to the right of the gallery is the coffee shop "Soho." Small tables for two are set up in front of a large, transparent display case on the street. To avoid blocking the sidewalk, there aren't even any umbrellas or canopies, and the tables and chairs are huddled forlornly against the wall.
The building next to the Rich Group office, marked "69," is built in a slightly different style. It has light beige walls, and the entrance door is hidden under a canopy supported by two round columns. A balcony extends from the flat canopy, running the length of the second floor. This building still has four floors, but the windows, unlike the rectangular ones in the office, are slightly rounded at the top, giving them the appearance of arches. This building is only ten meters long. In addition to sharing a wall with the office, this building shares a parking lot on the roadway. This parking lot is an extension of the Rich Group parking lot and can accommodate two small cars or a luxury sedan. Currently, a beige Bentley 8 was parked there.
In front of house number 69 Rich Street, a tall wrought iron fence with a gate stands five feet from the wall, directly beneath the balcony. The vertical steel bars almost touch the bottom of the balcony, which also serves as a rain shield. Behind the fence, the top of a door leading to the basement is visible. If you look closer, you'll see that the gate leads to a staircase landing that descends into the basement.
What could possibly be so special about this house? But Richard knew exactly what it was.
When his father told Richard about the family's real estate, he mentioned only estates and villas. But the Richs also own many other properties. For example, a modest house of 500 square meters, including the basement, located right next to the office.
It's only natural that you wouldn't be able to commute to London from an estate near Chester. It's four hours there, four hours back. So, you'll be driving all day. It's a different matter to occasionally come to London on business, sort out the accumulated paperwork, and then spend two or three days in the spartan confines of a "small" city house.
And so Richie was settling into his new place. He'd already explored the entire house. He'd visited the basement, the main entrance to which was via an interior staircase. There was nothing special there, just a basic gym with a couple of machines, a set of weights, a pull-up bar, and a free space for calisthenics.
The ground floor also contains nothing special: an entrance hall with a small dressing room, a guest bathroom, a kitchen and a dining room.
The second floor was more interesting. It housed a large living room with a balcony and floor-to-ceiling windows. There was also a bathroom and a small library.
The owner's quarters were located on the third floor. Gerald had an office, a spacious bedroom with a huge walk-in closet, and a large private bathroom.
On the fourth, top floor, there are three bedrooms. Richie occupies the largest of them, with its own bathroom. The other two rooms share a bathroom and are intended for guests or servants. Currently, one of the rooms is occupied by the young gentleman's valet, John, and the other by an elderly woman, Jane Stein, the housekeeper who looks after the house.
Jane was about sixty years old, tucked her gray hair under a headscarf and dressed in a formal, dark-toned maid's dress. She tried to be inconspicuous, but judging by the state of the house and its cleanliness, it was clear she was doing her job well.
Mrs. Stein also prepared the food. Of course, her cooking wasn't quite as good as the masterpieces produced by the Duke of Westminster's personal chef, but Gerald had no intention of shuttling a chef around. Jane's cooking was satisfactory, and in a pinch, they could order food from a restaurant.
And so Richie, dressed in a dark gray suit, accompanied by his father, went out into the street.
A few passers-by were walking along the sidewalk.
Richard and Gerald walked seven meters and entered through the transparent sliding doors into the Rich Group office building.
The interior was richly decorated. The walls were painted light beige. The floors were white marble tiles.
After climbing four steps, the reception desk was located on the right. Behind it, a security guard in a black uniform with a "Security" patch on his sleeve sat on a chair, along with a pretty secretary who looked to be about twenty-five. The secretary was dressed in a gray pantsuit, her black hair a modern style-very voluminous and flowing.
A little further on were the turnstiles. Behind them, the wall was painted green and decorated with portraits of all the Dukes of Westminster. They were arranged from right to left, from the first Duke to the sixth, whose portrait hung near the elevator.
The security guard and secretary immediately recognized the company's most important figure. Both stood and stood at attention. The brunette's lips curved into a wide, welcoming smile.
"Mr. Rich, we are glad to see you," she said.
"Good morning," Gerald said, giving the staff a curt nod.