From the snooze, Joseph quickly fell into a deep sleep, and even though it was in a car, for him that seat was like a king size bed and felt like he was sleeping in the clouds and of course, he felt like that because, well, in the cell he slept on the ground, didn't even have a bed or something he could have at least used to be in some kinda comfort. But now he was so comfortable that Pablo didn't even want to wake him up as they went through the first security gate of the neighborhood where the house was.
Like he too understood that this day was crazy, and ten years in there deserved a good sleep, and well, Joseph sounded like a straight piped V12, which just meant more that he was having a good sleep, but he needed to be up.
"Joseph…" Pablo said as he poked his shoulder, but nothing, he just snored even louder, and to be true, it was a funny scene.
A much older, half blind man who was once a deadly special forces member was now poking Joseph like he was a king or more like a fragile child.
"Boss…" He poked him again, now a little harder, and rather than on his shoulder, he poked him straight into his rib cage and well, it worked.
Joseph opened his eyes like he was never even asleep, like he was just relaxing, and stared straight at Pablo.
"We are here…" He said as the car came to the second security stop.
"Here…?" He asked as he turned to the other side, to the window, and noticed that they weren't near what he expected.
He thought when Pablo said "home," he referred to the old family house, the house of the Cassians, that big ass mansion that had more than fifteen rooms and even a bowling room with an indoor pool. But as he looked out of the window, it wasn't that, at least he remembered some of the landscape, and what he was seeing wasn't that.
What he saw was a big iron gate and security outside, with literally assault rifles in their hands, and the name written on the wall.
"North Hill…?"
"Yeah, a gated and high security neighborhood. It was built while you were in prison." Pablo explained to him with proudness in his voice.
"Gated community for millionaires–" He couldn't finish it, or more like his voice suddenly cut off as the car started moving away from the security gate, and what he saw wasn't a millionaire lifestyle, but more like a billionaire… lot of billions, because the first house he saw wasn't even fair to call a house… it was more like a palace, at least from what he could see, because the whole thing was surrounded with big hedges all along the high walls, and it wasn't just one house like that.
As the car went on, there were even houses that had domes, not even talking about the fact that all of them had more security outside patrolling like it was a military base or something.
It was enough for him to understand that they really went overboard with spending the money he gave them as help and also realized that what waited for him is really like how his family lived. Behind high walls, behind, armed security in a luxurious mansion.
"Billionaires Hill, that's the second name." Pablo said with the same smile."Basically, everybody who lives here is a criminal or has the right ties to make big money." He explained, and Joseph was just still glued to the window.
And well, of course he was, because now in the distance came a huge golf couse with a giant lake, and he could see it… even if he was still dizzy, his vision was still fucked and was hurt by the sunlight… he could see it precisely…
The women in bikinis… yeah, he could clearly see them and for a moment, he even forgot about all his pain, all of the suffering, but he quickly came back as they made a sharp left turn, and then they came to a stop.
"We bought this house specifically in a dead-end so we don't have neighbors, and at the back of the house there's another lake, so we can protect it even better." Pablo explained to Joseph, who was looking out of the windshield and realized they went overboard with it… like too much.
Hedges, big hedges all along the at least two meter high walls with barbed wire and cameras all over it. But before even accessing the gate of the house, there was a checkpoint with security personnel, like at the entrance of the neighborhood he just saw and when finally the iron gate was opened, the view came into his vision that was just… enormous in a way that it was actually like a joke, and he just froze down staring out the windshield while Pablo already hopped out as fast as he could to open the door for him.
"Welcome home," he said with a smile to Joseph as he opened the door. And when he stepped out, he just got more mesmerized.
The house wasn't a house but a palace. A literal palace like one that the emperor had, because it had six enormous marble pillars with carvings on them, but the thing that caught his eye was the fucking statues.
In front of every pillar there were statues carved out of something black, but all of it was some kinda soldiers with swords in their hands. The second thing was the fountain in front of the whole house, and to the right, a driveway going down onto an underground garage, while the left side driveway was going to the back… which he couldn't even imagine what was there.
But first came something that was more shocking than the enormous palace, the people all around. All of them seemed to stop where they were when the car rolled in. All of them were frozen down, they didn't move an inch, and their heads were all bowed down at Joseph.
"They are your bodyguards, who will protect the house and will escort you everywhere you want to go." Pablo said to him, and it made sense.
At least as Joseph was looking at them, he noticed the assault rifle and SMG in their hands, and well, the plate carriers. For him, it seemed more like a mercenary group than bodyguards.
"Jota." Pablo waved his hand, and a man who was the only one that was dressed in a more casual fit, a short and t-shirt stepped to them. "This is Jota Birma, the head of security. He is making sure everything is protected at the house and outside of it, and of course you."
"Nice to meet you, Jota." Joseph said as he wanted to shake his hand but his head was bowed down, not even making eye contact, like how Pablo was before… it was just strange again, because this man literally had grey hair, at least in his 50s, and he's bowing down in front of him.
"Nice to meet you, Don Cassian." He said, and even his voice was old, like the type of voice you get after smoking 3 packs of cigarettes every day for years, but at the same time, it carried danger in it, like it was deep and telling he was not someone to fuck with.
"Just call me Joseph." He said, and for a moment Jota looked up a bit, but as he made eye contact, he straight shot down his head again, which just confused Joseph more.
Like he knew very well that the name Cassian is danger itself, but this is just too much not even his father man did this.
"Well then, let's go inside, shall we?" Pablo said, and with that they just turned and walked to the front, to the staircase past the pillars which were more enormous up front, but, the house inside was more grand and mind blowing as they stepped in.
Even inside it had pillars, and a big staircase in the middle going up and it wasn't just the beautiful wood staircase or the all expensive furniture which mesmerized him but the… women standing in front of him… in maid clothes.
What… the… fuck…
"Welcome home, Don Cassian!"