Wesley simply waved his hand. "Then it’s settled. Trina, if it’s convenient right now, do you want to move your things alongside Maria’s? Maria can’t wait for you to move in."
Maria looked at Tina expectantly. "Trina, the new television at our new house is awesome. If you move in now, we can have a movie night."
Touched to hear that, Tina nodded repeatedly. "Okay, okay. I’ll move now."
Maria punched her hand into the air and cheered. "I’ll help you pack your luggage!"
As soon as Tina saw the Carter family’s new mansion, she exclaimed, "Wow, this feels like paradise!"
The mansion wasn’t huge or flashy, but it had this perfect mix of charm, class, and coziness.
It was perched on top of a small mountain.
And an iron fence more than 6.5 feet tall ran along the base. Inside the fence, a ring of tall oak trees stretched all the way around. Even though it was winter, the oak trees still looked green and full of life. There was no way anyone could sneak past the fence and oak trees to get into the Carter family’s property.
Peering through the oak trees, Tina caught glimpses of flowers, plants, runways, buildings, and people, but nothing was clear enough to make out. The mystery only made it all the more inviting and enchanting.
Tina had Maria drive around the base of the mountain so she could take in the row of oak trees.
It was a smart move having the oak trees there, great for both privacy and the aesthetic.
The Carter family’s iron gate was beautiful, but nothing too flashy.
There was a small gate next to the big one, so if one wasn’t driving, they could still use that to come and go.
Once they passed through the main gate, the road stretched on for more than 300 feet, lined with greenery on both sides. On the left, there was a parking lot behind the green belt, and on the right, a few small buildings. Maria explained that the small buildings were for security guards, drivers, and helpers.
Ahead was the main house. It wasn’t huge, just about 300 square yards.
There were also a bunch of two-story buildings scattered around, behind, and beside the main house. Each one was nothing too big, between 1 thousand square feet and 2 thousand square feet, and had its own style. Maria explained that those were for the children of the Carter family, designed to their liking.
She pointed out each one. "The one with the Grythos-style section on the left belongs to Jaden’s family. The oriental-style one is for Brandon. Zayn’s got the bungalow with all the floor-to-ceiling windows..."
She went on, "Josie’s place is the fairytale-style one, and mine’s the medieval-style one. Avery’s got the futuristic-looking one."
Tina couldn’t help but think, ’The rich really live in their own world...’
Maria took Tina to her section. "Josie and I both stay on the second floor. Want to stay up there too?"
"Sure," Tina said, looking around. "By the way, doesn’t Josie live in that fairytale-style house?"
Maria laughed. "She loves it, but it’s just too quiet for her. She couldn’t handle such a big house all alone, so she moved in with me." She added, "It’s the same with Arthur and Alaric. They couldn’t stand living in one building by themselves, so they ended up sharing." That was why Maria’s family had avoided building anything too massive.
Tina had to bite back a laugh thinking about Arthur and Alaric. Those two were always at each other’s throats. They were a real pair of clowns.
Instead of picking a room next to Maria and Josie, Tina chose one at the far end of the second floor to keep a little distance.
The rooms were all decked out with everything one would need, including a bathroom, bed, wardrobe, and a desk.
After unpacking, Maria took Tina on a tour of the place.
There was a special fitness building. with an indoor and outdoor pool on the first floor, and on the second floor, there were boxing rooms, yoga rooms, and all sorts of equipment.
Next, they checked out the learning and entertainment building. The first floor had a movie theater, and the second was a library.
Behind the main house was a small garden and vegetable patch, and past that was a basketball court, tennis court, and running track. On the outside of the track were flowers, shrubs, and fences.
There was truly everything and anything one could ask for.
Tina was impressed. "What’s that?" she asked, pointing at a platform in the lawn, supported by a few giant pillars.
Maria scratched her head, looking a bit embarrassed. "That’s where we’d park a helicopter. We don’t actually have one yet, but the family’s planning to get one eventually."
She added, "That way, Jaden can fly to the farm in the morning and come back at night. It’ll also be easier for Zayn to get to work."
Tina just shook her head. "Rich people..."
Before long, the sky started to darken.
They headed back to the main house to join everyone for dinner.
The Carter family’s move to the new mansion was kept totally under wraps.
No one in the neighborhood even knew they’d moved there.
Plus, the family owned the whole mountain, so their nearest neighbor was at least 100 yards away. No one needed to pass by their gate to get in or out of the community.
The mansion had a pretty private entrance, so the family could go out without worrying about fans or paparazzi spotting them.
For the first time in a while, they finally had some peace.
Meanwhile, Avery was starting her last semester at college.
On her first day back, a group of girls, including Gia, Jodie, and Zoe, blocked her.
Gia grinned and said, "Avery, we heard you hooked up with Alexander and became one of his lovers. Congrats! So, how much money and perks did you get out of it? Come on, tell us."
Jodie puffed out her chest and cooed, "We’re all betting on how long you and Mr. Moran will last. Think it’ll end with a miscarriage, or are we going to hear about the recognition at Southeast Talandra?"
Other girls chimed in, mocking, "Your brother’s a top celebrity because you sold yourself to Mr. Moran, right?"
Zoe just stood behind them, quietly watching the drama unfold.