Seri rolled his eyes, but his smile remained. “We are actively looking for a house, and you are talking about moving somewhere else already. But no, I don’t care where I go, as long as they have my program, and the ones running it are competent. That is all I care about. Which is why I think we should end our tours, get a bite to eat, and then go home and relax. Because I don’t plan to look at any schools seriously until I am ready to go back.”
Severo sighed. “Fine, fine, fine! Let's get out of here and eat.”
“Just you wait,Seri. All the plans Severo and I have made! The party is going to be amazing!” Bellamy chimed.
Severo had to say, Seri looked a touch concerned, but smiled at his friend anyway.
Grinning, he wiped Skya’s face as the subject switched away from his gummy bear's first birthday, to a new clothing store that Bellamy was in love with.
It had become a standing practice for them to eat at Hidden Places at least twice a week. The food was excellent, and while the company was always good, no matter where they ate, because they were together, he was happy to come and be the interloper as Seri talked with his new friend.
His phone dinged. Setting the napkin down, he pulled the device out of his pocket and released the screen. His brow rose when he saw it was from their new realtor—Tory Venz. The woman had sent them a few options so far, but nothing had clicked, even if they had been worlds better than those their old realtor had been trying to sell them.
Unlocking his phone, he clicked the message and then the link she sent. His eyes widened as he saw the house, scrolling through the pictures and details, and then the virtual tour. The house had three floors, six bedrooms, six full bathrooms, two office spaces, a dining room, living room, gym, library, a heated indoor pool, a full-sized kitchen, and all in the architectural style that Seri and he loved. The property also came with a sizable piece of land attached, that was already fenced off, with an impressive list of security measures in place. But best of all, on that property, there just so happened to be a large lake.
It was…bigger than what they wanted…and a hundred and fifty years old, which meant they likely would need to replace a few things…yet… “It’s perfect!” he gasped.
The two Nymphs looked over.
“What is?” Seri questioned.
Severo excitedly handed his phone over. Seri took it, the man’s eyes widening slightly when he saw it.
“Wow, what a gorgeous property,” Bellamy squealed.
“It’s…” Seri hesitated, scrolling.
“Everything we wanted,” he said.
“It is…but…the price… And it’s a bit big, isn’t it?”
What was the price? He hadn’t scrolled that far down.
“Seri, we have enough. And I mean, a little extra space can only be a good thing, right?”
“I know…but…”
“There’s privacy, there’s water, there's space, and it’s only thirty minutes away from the CEB Headquarters! It has everything we wanted. Why not at least make an offer?”
“Oh, oh! Yes, do it! Make an offer!” Bellamy gushed. “Oh, how exciting.”
Seri rolled his eyes, but did chuckle. “It's a bit high, don’t you think?” the man asked, handing the phone back.
Severo frowned, scrolling and grimacing as he finally caught sight of the price. Thirty million was pricey, even for what it was. Which was odd, as this realtor had avoided sending them overpriced listings so far. His phone dinged again and he read the text. It was the realtor again.
TORY
I believe this is exactly the type of property you have been looking for. Before you nix it because of the price, there is one thing to note. It’s been on the market for a long time. Part of the issue is that the owner has stubbornly priced it at least double the market value…but I’ve been hearing some odd rumors about the place that I am looking into. So, while I’ll have to get back to you on that, I’d suggest you offer twelve. Which I know is below market, but I think once I’ve gotten to the bottom of whatever the owner has buried, we will still end up getting the house at a major discount.
SEVERO
Not going to lie, it is perfect. I’ll discuss it with Seri and then let you know if you should proceed.
“The realtor is thinking we can get it for twelve. Do you want to just try and see what happens?”
Seri stared. “I hate that I now think twelve million for a house is reasonable. Before you, I’d have cried for joy if that much ended up in my bank account. No doubt I would have been able to live off it for many years to come.”
Bellamy giggled. “Be around rich people long enough, and you’ll be surprised at what you start to think is a reasonable expense.”
