Before we made it to the front door, a woman was tending to flowers in the garden bed on the side of the house. She was a brunette wearing overalls covered in dirt. "Ah perfect, you can meet my youngest. Zofia!" August shouted.

  The woman looked up to see us approaching and started to wave. Zofia stood up and extended a hand to me. "It's nice to meet you, sir. Daddy told us you were coming today. I hope you like the property!"

  "It is definitely a very nice place. Your father was giving me a tour, and I have to say the sculptor has quite the imagination. You can call me Tom," I said, shaking her hand. Meeting Zofia's gaze, she had hazel green eyes. If I wasn't mistaken, I thought she winked at me. Nah, must have been the wind.

  "Ah yes, Zofia is working towards her degree in plant biology. She wants to become a botanist. Ever since she was a child, she's always loved nature," August said.

  "Master August, do you remember the days when Miss Zofia would sit in a pot and ask to be watered so she could grow big and tall like a Coast Redwood tree?" Bennet said.

  August walked over to hug his daughter. "Yes, I remember those days well, Bennet." He pulled away slightly to look down at his smiling daughter. "And now my little seedling is all grown up, isn't she?"

  Zofia pulled away with a smirk on her face. "Jeez dad, could you not embarrass me in front of everyone?" she said with a laugh. Looking back at me, she continued, "If you need anything, Tom. Anything at all. Don't hesitate to ask," she said in a seductive tone with a wink.

  Eyes wide, I looked over to Bennet, but he was already turned away with a wiggling eyebrow and smirk, almost as if he was fighting the urge to laugh. Okay, I wasn't wrong. She was definitely hitting on me in front of her father. "Uh yeah, sure. I'll let you know."

  "Alrighty Tom, let's make our way through the rest of the house. Toodle-oo, love bug," August said, messing with his daughter's hair.

  As we moved through the house, Bennet left us to speak with the kitchen staff and grab my map from the security office. We were moving through yet another hallway. It almost seemed like we were in a maze rather than a home. "As you can see, there is a camera at the end of each hallway."

  "Quick question, August. This place is a bit of a maze. How do you even train new employees to find their way around?"

  "That's a really good question, Tom. We've always had cameras installed inside the house. Their security recordings go back much farther than the ones outside. But the tech they're using is very old, and Karlo is able to give us some state-of-the-art stuff like night vision and motion detection. As for training new staff, they're partnered with a seasoned staff member who teaches them the layout and all the various ways to get around the place," August said, opening a door to reveal a large garage.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  The garage was filled with vintage cars and the latest models of various foreign luxury cars. They lined the walls from the entrance to the back. I thought my eyes were deceiving me, so I started to rub them. "No, your eyes are not deceiving you. That is the actual Mystery Machine from the 2002 Scooby-Doo film."

  "Wow, that's incredible. It must have cost a lot," I said.

  "No, it was rather cheap, only about $100,000. When they told me the price, I thought it was on clearance," August said. As we walked down the line of cars, we stopped at a girl working inside the open hood of a 1967 Chevrolet Impala. The girl had fiery red hair and wore only the bottom portion of her coveralls, the top half tied around her waist, leaving her exposed in just a sports bra. In her hands was a bottle of antifreeze, and she was pouring it into a funnel sticking out of the engine. She caught us out of the corner of her eye.

  Finishing her pour, she placed the bottle on the ground and looked over towards us. "Hey Daddy, who's this slice of handsome?" she said, wiping her dirty hands on her coveralls.

  August laughed. "Now, now Rue. This is Tom. He will be Karlo's replacement for the project." You're totally cool with her hitting on me in front of you!? So far, they live up to their reputation as an interesting bunch.

  "Uh yeah, it's nice to meet you," I said, extending my hand for a handshake.

  Rue took my hand and firmly grasped it. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Mr. Tom. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask, ya hear?"

  "Uh… of course," I said, taking my hand back from that uncomfortably long handshake.

  "So, Tom, before we go," August said, pointing up to the ceiling. "The cameras are there and there. These are the interior cameras Karlo installed when he installed the ones in the garden, so if you think they belong in a different place, don't hesitate to make an adjustment."

  August reached over and rubbed his daughter's hair. "Lunch will be ready soon, honey bunch. Bennet will give you a call when it's ready." Turning around, he started to leave the garage. I followed close behind, looking back to see Rue wink at me before she picked up her bottle of antifreeze and continued pouring it into the engine. "Okay Tom, let's look at the remaining part of the house."

  August showed me a few places that either needed camera updates or new installations, including the movie theater, bowling alley, indoor pool, and bar. Finally, we arrived at the study.

  Walking into the room, we saw a woman with blonde hair reading a book. "Hey there, Ania, what are you reading?" August said, approaching his daughter in the big comfy lounge chair.

  Ania looked up from her book. "Oh, just a book on anthropology. Is this Tom, Karlo's replacement for the time being?" she said, taking a sip from her glass of water with ice.

  "Don't tell the other two, but this is why you're my favorite, Ania. You're the only one that pays attention to me when I talk," August said, turning to me. "Tom, this is my oldest daughter."

  Walking over to her, I extended my hand. "It's nice to meet you."

  "Likewise," she said, shaking my hand briefly. Finally, a normal one.

  "How is your asthma, Ania? Is it under control now? You're not hyperventilating anymore, are you?" her father said, concern written all over his face.

  "Yeah, I am feeling much better today. I haven't had any problems with it recently."

  The tension in August's shoulders fell as his daughter gave him the reassuring news. "That's good news." A chime came from his pocket, and he pulled out his phone. "Ah, it's Bennet. He said that lunch is ready. Tom, after you eat your fill, feel free to get started. You can stay as long as you like. We already have a room prepared for you, and Bennet will give you directions to your room. If you need anything, you have both my number and Bennet's."