Chapter 40
"My present," Dylan drawled in his deep voice.
Kendall blinked. "Didn't I already give it to you this morning?"
"I told you. You need to give me one every time I come back."
Kendall was dumbstruck. She began checking her pockets, but she found nothing that could be used as a gift.
In the end, she took off her hair clip and passed it over to him reluctantly. Her voice was a little embarrassed as she said, "I don't have anything prepared, so if you really want a present now, I can only give you this."
Dylan glanced at her waist-length hair and the hair clip in her hands. It was an ordinary hair clip that was worth less than five bucks.
Although she had returned to her wealthy birth family, she did not change her lifestyle or habits.
Dylan took the hair clip from her and closed the window.
Kendall was surprised that he actually took it from her.
The procession of cars slowly exited the compound.
Kendall stood at the entrance and watched until the cars were completely out of sight before she turned back into the house.
Terence had been standing there the whole time watching them, and when Kendall turned around, he fixed his contemplative eyes on her.
"Is something wrong, Mr. Luther?"
Terence smiled. "No, there's nothing wrong. I should take my leave now, Miss Kendall."
He did what he was told to do, and Dylan had left as well, so he should not linger any longer.
"Would you like a cup of tea before you leave, Mr. Luther?"
"No, thank you. Maybe some other time, Miss Kendall."
Since Terence was firm about leaving, Kendall did not keep him. She wanted to see him off, but Terence declined once more.
Once Terence left, Kendall allowed herself to relax for a bit, but she became crestfallen again the moment she thought about her BMW that was still without its wheels.
Dylan had changed the subject so smoothly that she forgot all about demanding compensation.
"Young Mistress Kendall," Amos called out respectfully.
Kendall turned around and said gently, "Mr. Miller, you don't need to call me that. Just call me Kendall. Dylan and I are... well, married in secret. Old Madam Coleman and the others don't even know about us."
She was not going to say a word either if Dylan did not make their relationship public.
Just in case he played her for a fool again.
"Shall I call you Young Mistress Kendall when we're in the presence of Young Master Dylan, and Miss Kendall when there are outsiders?"
Amos's attitude toward Kendall was polite and respectful. He could tell that Dylan behaved rather unlike himself because of her.
For a man as stubborn and domineering as Dylan to break his own rules, it meant that the person he did it for was someone who had an important place in his heart.
Amos looked upon Kendall favorably.
"Sure."
Kendall felt no need to make a fuss over a form of address.
"Are you going to take an afternoon nap, Young Mistress Kendall?"
"Is there something else I should be doing?"
"Young Master Dylan has asked me to give you a tour of the Coleman Mansion and make as many rounds as necessary until you're familiar with the surroundings. He said that it's fine if you don't remember the other paths, but you must remember your way in and out of this house," Amos informed with a smile.
Kendall was a little peeved. "...The paths are all lined with greenery and crisscrosses in all directions. It's just like walking around in a maze."
It was pretty challenging to remember the way in and out.
"You're right, Young Mistress Kendall. The paths near the entrance were designed to act as a maze so that outsiders would get lost and have a hard time finding their way to the areas of residence. This was a feature to protect the household's privacy and security."
The paparazzi kept a close eye on the Colemans, and any word that got out about them would spread like wildfire across Orapolis.
The outside world was very intrigued by the mysterious Coleman Mansion, but they could only rely on the paparazzi to dig up a little dirt now and then.
Therefore, the paparazzi were very keen on snapping photos of the Colemans' private life. Many of them would try to sneak into the compound when the security guards were distracted, so the maze-like entrance was designed to hinder them. There were also over a dozen fearsome dogs who were kept further in the compound, near the areas of residence.
Kendall pursed her lips and grumbled softly, but she followed Amos on a tour of Coleman Mansion. As they strolled the paths repeatedly, she forced herself to commit it to memory as she did not want to be stuck outside again.
By the time they finished their tour, Kendall's feet were killing her. Thankfully, she had not been wearing heels, or else she would be limping by now.
"I'm just going to take a seat for a while, Mr. Miller. It's so tiring to walk around such a large compound. Wouldn't it be good to have an electric scooter or two?"
Kendall went over to a stone bench and took a seat. Fortunately, there were various stone benches and swings scattered across the compound for anyone who needed to stop and rest.
Amos asked pleasantly, "Do you remember your way now, Young Mistress Kendall?"
"About that... Mr. Miller, I was so worn out by the walk that I don't remember anything. In fact, I think I've only become even more muddled. What should we do now?"
When Dylan came back, would his temper flare up if he found out that she still did not know her way in and out?
Amos was a little speechless.
"In that case, let's make another round, Young Mistress Kendall, and if you still can't remember the way, we'll spend the entire day tomorrow making rounds again. You should be able to remember by then."
"Alright," Kendall said forlornly.
Ring, ring!
Amos' cellphone began ringing.
He took it out and checked the caller ID before picking up the call.
Kendall did not know who the caller was, but she heard him say, "Please inform Mrs. Coleman that she'll be there in half an hour."
Once the call ended, Amos turned to Kendall and said, "Young Mistress Kendall, Mrs. Coleman would like to see you. It will take us about half an hour to reach the main house, so we should get going now. We can't leave Mrs. Coleman waiting for too long."
Her mother-in-law was looking for her?
"Mr. Miller, do you know why Mrs. Coleman wants to see me?"
She was Dylan's mother, and she despised Kendall for cutting her wrist back then to decline the marriage proposal, which had been a blow to Dylan's dignity.
Kendall was certain that it would be an unpleasant meeting.
Dylan was away right now. If this mother-of-law of hers tried to make life difficult for her, should she try to fight back, or should she take it in silence?
"I don't know. The butler at the main house was the one who called me and told me to inform you."
"Oh," Kendall said as she got up. While walking, she asked, "Mr. Miller, is there a butler for every house?"
"Yes."
Kendall fell silent.
She felt uncomfortable being among such wealthy families, and she had a hard time adjusting to their lifestyles.
However, she had already latched herself onto Dylan and even wormed her way into becoming his wife, so there was no way for her to shirk away from this. She had to confront this head-on.
Do your best, Kendall!
This was her second time entering the extravagant living room in the main house, and just like last time, she was stunned by the opulence around her.
However, the living room had been full of people the last time, whereas this time, there was only Emily, who sat alone on the couch waiting for her.
Emily was displeased, and when she saw Amos bringing Kendall in, she reprimanded grimly, "Are you a tortoise? No, a tortoise would've gotten here faster than you."
Kendall retorted, "If it were a tortoise, it would still be on its way here tomorrow."
After all, she did not come from Dylan's house. She had been near the residence of someone from the extended family, and it was quite a distance away.