Chapter 4 The Lifestyle

Debbie sat quietly at the back seat of the cab immediate to the window. Her fixated eyes remained stiff, lost in deep sob. She hardly winked as she fantasized in her mind. There was no doubt that she was fantasizing about Alex. He couldn't escape from her mind. Her mind remained occupied until the cab driver interrupted by calling her name. The cab driver was familiar with Debbie's residence as she was her regular customer along that street. He reminded her that she had arrived at her doorstep and it was time to alight.

She snapped from her desired dilemma and paid the chauffeur his dues with the change left to her by Alex. She alighted and walked towards her apartment as the chauffeur drove off. At the other end of the town, Alex followed Mike's car closely as they sped along Rhodes highway making a left turn in a diversion towards Spring Valley. Spring Valley was the residential quarter renown to be the residence of high profile individuals who literally owned Sun City town holding large established businesses. Sun City was a small town with low density population. Any unfamiliar face in Sun City would not go unnoticed by the residents. This is why Alex was quiet an attraction of the day and the talk in everyone's lips all night long.

Sun City derived its name from its natural climate which was hot with high temperatures. It was more of an industrial town than a formal establishment collecting most of its raw materials from the agricultural estates in Spring Valley. Spring Valley was therefore a residential area dominated hugely by large scale farmers and few formal individuals including managers like Mike. The major cash crops in Spring Valley were barley and grapes. Sun City was therefore a processing center of these raw materials with the industries producing the finest wine in the country and other products concentrating along Delta Street.

Lincoln Avenue was the road that entered into Sun City town from either north to south or vice versa. Rhodes Avenue entered from Spring Valley the western side of Sun City town joining Lincoln Avenue at the middle of the town. These were the two major streets of Sun City with Rhodes Avenue becoming a highway as it stretched away. The streets were named in honor of the two major business tycoons of the town. Sir Lincoln owned most of the businesses in Sun City including the Dracula where Debbie worked. The Pluto was also his, being the largest hotel establishment in the town. In addition, Lincoln owned a huge barley estate in Spring Valley where he resided in a mammoth mansion about the size of Rhodes' only marginally smaller. Rhodes, an allegiance of Lincoln lived a few yards from his counterpart owning a stretch of both barley and grape estates equaling hundreds of hectares. Rhodes Avenue was named in his honor and Delta Street harbored his wine processing plant with other factories operating under his name forming the Rhodes holdings. His mansion rested on an acre of land artistically furnished with an attractive garden.

Artistic sculptures lined along the path of the residence's entrance with sparkling fountains pouring over them leaving the masterpieces shinny and elaborate. A few meters from his mansion at the backyard, was his horse stables surrounded by an attractive green lawn smartly trimmed with running sprinklers. Farther ahead, was the beginning of the barley and grape estate stretching kilometers away leaving a varnishing horizon the image in the eye. No one matched Rhodes in Sun City not even Lincoln who was in his early sixties. They presented themselves merely in casual sporty looks unlike Alex who seemed flashy in his dressing perhaps due to his tender age. Alex was thirty five when he came into the town.

In Rhodes mansion lived his wife Elizabeth, daughter Maria and son Kimi. Others living in the mansion were his servants ranging from drivers, housekeepers and gardeners. Senior estate managers in his establishment lived in their own homes several of them owning small businesses in the town. Lincoln on the other hand was a widower having lost his wife Lindsey to cancer. He however lived with his son Matt who was extremely in disciplined squandering most of his father's wealth. Matt was Mike's friend in need and in picking prostitutes along Lincoln Avenue. Matt therefore, was a disgrace to his father and a thorn to his principles and humble reputation. Matt was in his mid twenties frequently visiting his father's clubs especially the Dracula where he took the front seats with Mike directly facing the strip dancers. They were a pair like birds of a feather. Only Mike could handle Lincoln's son. In contrast, Rhodes son Kimi was a composed young man mature in both mind and character with great managerial aspects. He was also about Matt's age only elder. He maintained his father's estate with great professionalism. Despite his credentials as a lawyer, his preference was working in his father's holdings. He however, owned a law firm at the far north of Sun City town in Crempton city where he employed proficient legal professionals. Maria, his sister worked in the firm as the chief executive officer. Maria was an aggressive young woman who was an angel in appearance and character. Her chocolate skin tone borrowed from her mom's genes who was dark toned and her father's, who was white, made her sparkling beautiful. Her dressing was elegant and stylish abode to the legal customs with simplicity and keen to detail. She was every man's desire but extremely hard to get. Definitely, Rhodes was blessed with a good family thanks to his wife Elizabeth who nurtured Kimi and Maria in zeal and zest to discipline and integrity.

After a fifteen kilometer drive from Sun City town and fifteen minutes drive from Rhodes highway, Mike halted in front of a wide metal gate painted in black. Alex was right behind him and as he stopped, the synchronized gate slid across its rail to open. It was an electric gate. They drove in. The path that led to the castle was tarmacked and farther ahead stood lamb stands that shone brightly in different colors driving the darkness away. At the top of the castle, large lamp stands equally shinned attractively forming a rainbow from the beams of light. Along the electrified perimeter wall that protected the castle, were tender trees planted in perfect spacing. At their bottoms were species of beautifully colored flowers reflecting the beams of light from the glowing bulbs atop the wall, the exterior finishing of the building's walls was a smooth surface painted white giving it an attractive appearance. They parked their cars at the left side of the house where the garage extended to accommodate five cars. Alex alighted showing a radiant face filled with excitement and contentment affording a light smile across his face. Mike alighted leaving Ashley in his car and walked towards Alex to capture his reaction to his new residence. Alex's reaction was crucial for Mike as he was responsible in acquiring the castle on his behalf.