Reborn in 1994: Internet Empire

48 The tour

       Evan Williamson waited for the group to gather at exactly 1:30 pm. He was stiff for some reason, and with some self-introspection, he realized that it was due to the fact that he hasn’t waited on anyone for quite some time. If anything, he was incredibly giddy. Especially since he hasn’t seen the girl that he practically raised in the longest time.

       “Oh, Julia. You’ve gone and grown up out of my sight… haven’t you?” he said nostalgically to himself.

       Suddenly, he heard a commotion upstairs. It seemed that the group was outside the hall chatting, and walking toward the stairs. Before long, they appeared in the living room where Evan waited. They were able to take in the view of the spacious living room for the first time, as they went straight to their own rooms to unpack. Now they were able to take in the room in all its glory. The white walls stretched up the side of the rooms, and the windows that they saw initially were even bigger than they originally expected. The couches made of white microfiber couches, which were incredibly soft to the touch. On the couches sat red and white square pillows that were clothed in silk. These couches were arranged around a large TV with the latest gaming console connected to it, which already caught Trae’s eyes. Finally, around the room were carefully curated art pieces and sculptures giving the mansion’s room an air of elegance and modern flair.

       “Do you like the view?” Evan asked as he saw the group staring at different things in the room.

       “It’s just really something else, being in a place like this,” Charlie said, as his eyes landed on an interesting piece of sculpture just next to the couch.

       “Yes, it’s almost like we are in some weird simulation,” Lina said as she looked at what was an impressive painting that took up almost all of one of the walls.

       “Well, thank you for those kind words. I’m sure that the curators, interior designers, and architects are all proud of their work here. As well as the artists,” he said with glee. “As for that painting, young miss. Julia’s father made sure to pay 150% of the original price placed on that. He really cares for the art industry in that way and invests in several art organizations. Hence, all of the most talented artists offer their work to him.”

       “I see. It’s good that these artists are in good hands,” she said with a kind smile.

       “Of course, after all. It’s the artists that catch the eyes of the consumers first! Max should know the best about that now, doesn’t he?”

       “I sure do. That’s why we recruited Lina in the first place. The better something looks, the better it sells,” Max said in reply to the wise butler.

       “Indeed. That’s precisely why Julia’s father is so successful. Everything plays its own part. And when that part works efficiently and effectively, only then will sales come back in floods. He knows that better than anyone. So when he chose your software for the company, he believed that yours was the best, and the most efficient. In short...Worth the investment.”

       The group awed for a while at the fact that Jules’ butler was such a knowledgeable, almost sage-like, person. Even more so, they never realized the gravity of their success with Jules’ father until now. He was not among the richest people in America because of a lack of trying. He worked. He thought. He conceptualized. He wrote. He tested. He saw opportunities. He took them. Every bit of his work reflected in the work that he put out, as well as the wise decisions that he made. And it was monumental in their eyes.

       “But! I’ve gone on a bit of a ramble… Haven’t I? Shall we continue the tour?”

       “Yes! I’m excited to see more, Evan,” Max said with a smile.

       Evan nodded and spun around. Every movement he made was precise and carried a regal air to it. It was as if he himself was the royalty. He waved for them to come along, as he walked at a brisk pace down the hall.

       “I can’t wait for you guys to see everything else!” Jules said as she skipped along after him.

       The group followed as soon as she moved. Before long, the tour was in full swing.

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       Evan led them and showed them everything that they had to look forward to. First, they came along to the dining area. It was a long table, adjourned with the finest dining ware. The silver spoons, forks, and knives were shined until they were almost blinding. The silk table cover stretched across the entire rectangular table, which was easily nearly twelve feet long.

       “This is the dining area! We will be ringing a bell as a signal for you to come for your meals,” Evan said, as he jingled a bell which we pulled out from under the table. “Now, let’s continue.”

       They walked past the table to the bar area. This area was mimicked after a typical bar set up, with a high table and high stools. The stools that were planted into the floor had red velvet cushions and a mahogany frame. The bar was littered with all sorts of expensive-looking drinks, in all sorts of bottle shapes and colors.

       “This is the bar. Each one of the butlers or maids is trained as a bartender as well. Each one of us is capable of giving you wonderful and refreshing cocktails. We can also spice up your straight hard liquor, assuming any of you drink that kind of liquor. Depending on who you ask, your drink may come back to you sweeter, or stronger,” Evan said with a chuckle.

       “And if we ask you?” Trae said.

       “Stronger, of course, young sir,” Evan rebutted.

       Trae nodded his head with a smile and pointed at Evan playfully.

       “I like you, man,” Trae said in enthusiastic approval.

       Evan with a chuckle bowed in appreciation before moving onto the next part of the tour. He walked past the bar area, into two wide doors that swung open. The group followed into what was probably the biggest kitchen they had ever seen in their lives. Their jaws dropped to see the number of ingredients that were available to them. The reddest and juiciest meat slabs were being prepared with precision. And the marbling on the beef was absolutely exquisite. The fish that were brought in were absolutely fresh and shiny. The chefs scaled all of them with precision and speed that would make the average chef dizzy. Also, there were all sorts of varieties of fish. Snapper, Salmon, Tuna, Cod, Flounder, and every fish under the sun. Finally, their eyes fell onto the most expensive ingredients in the kitchen. Tins of caviar lined in a row sparkled like small pearls. Trays were filled with the most amazing and fragrant white and black truffles. And finally, the desserts were being made before their eyes. Rich, velvety creams. Soft, decadent sponge cakes. And irresistible ice creams. All for them to indulge in.

       “I’m dreaming,” Charlie said as he tried to take everything in. “That’s the only explanation right now. I’m dreaming.”

       “Surely sir, you are not. Anyway, welcome to the kitchen. We only serve the finest dishes in the world. And we take requests. Whether you want a sashimi dish, filled with assorted fish for your tasting, to the finest Kobe beef steak, it is up to you. For the first night, however, we have humbly created your dinner menu. Firstly, you will start off with french onion soup, covered with gruyere cheese infused with black truffle. Then you will move onto a heart lamb shop, crusted in herbs and spices, and finished with a green chimichurri. And finally, you will have a wonderful dessert course of a bite of every cake we have in the pantry, served in 24 karat gold spoons,” said the butler, as he reached a printed menu over to the group. “Oh and of course, we are open 24/7, so if you have any sort of midnight cravings, just walk over and press the button just at the seat on the table. We will send one of our chefs our and they will prepare your dish.”

       Finally, Evan turned and exited the kitchen through a door that led to the outside.

       “Shall we continue?” Evan asked, peaking through the door.

       The group was slow to leave the room as they were still entranced by the food options that they were being given. However, once they stepped out, they saw the most beautiful view that anyone could ever imagine. The imposing rock faces on both sides were even more impressive up close, and the beach was just there within walking distance. There were several small cabanas that they could rest in and sip on some cold drinks. The cold drinks were handled by the outside bar, which is walking distance from the beach itself.

       “And finally, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. This is the beach. This entire area is yours to roam around and explore. We have a half a kilometer of beach for you to enjoy. We also have rappelling for the adventurous ones among you. And finally, we have a minibar for you to enjoy refreshing drinks. Perfect for you all to enjoy your Christmas break,” Evan said with a smile. “And that’s the end of your tour. Enjoy to your hearts’ content.”

       With that, Evan turned around and walked away leaving the students to enjoy their break in the most beautiful island that they have access to.