"Is there a Mrs Bryce?" I tried to sound as professional as possible and not the slightest bit interested either way, other than for factual gain.
"No, Bryce is a single as they come, at first I thought he was afraid of sharing what he has and himself for that matter, you know, afraid of the whole commitment thing. That or he was simply too selfish for a relationship, but I've come to realise in recent years that he just hasn't been tempted yet, hasn't found the right person to whole heartedly give himself too and I think that is what he is waiting for. My brother doesn't do things by halves as you can see, if he sees something he wants, he goes for it and gets it, professionally and personally."
I deliberated what she had said as we left his room. He was a very powerful man, money means power and he had a lot of it. We reached the staircase.
"You'd think he'd have an elevator in here, how are you coping with these stairs?"
"I'm fine and he does. It's his personal elevator; it starts at his private basement and accesses every floor, every level in his private residence, the Helipad and the Observatory."
"Observatory?" Next I'll find out he has his own personal Zoo!
"Bryce dabbles in astronomy; it really is magical on the perfect night."
Nate would love the Observatory, he is mad for planets, stars and more importantly Star Wars! I'd been meaning to take him to the Observatory at Scienceworks, but had never gotten around to it.
We reached the lower level again and Lucinda opened the doors to the balcony, it was a stunning day and it seemed a shame this spectacular outdoor space was unoccupied. I could very easily kick off my pumps and take refuge on one of those comfortable looking sun lounges. As we walked past various things Lucinda pointed them out.
"Pool, Gym and just around this corner is the Helipad." The Helipad was not empty, placed beautifully on the large white painted letter H was a black Helicopter with R44 printed on it and in gold lettering 'Clark Incorporated'.
"This is the company Helicopter, it is mainly used for scenic flights and the transportation of VIP guests, Bryce takes it out every now and again too. All flight requests need to be approved by him, Abigail will email you the request forms when a VIP is scheduled and you will need to get him to sign them off."
"Sounds easy enough, but backtrack a couple of steps, you said Bryce takes it out, do you mean he actually flies it himself?"
"Yes, he is a fully qualified Helicopter Pilot."
"Is there anything your brother can't do?"
"Yes, sing!" I laughed
"Nobody is perfect." But he was close to it.
We sat on the balcony for the rest of the afternoon and between answering her mobile on and off, Lucinda filled me in on what will be required of me. Basically it was whatever Bryce asked for, if he needed room service; order it. If he needed house-keeping; organise it, schedule meetings, book flights and accompany him to events and appointments if required.
We also got to know each other a lot better. Lucy, as I was now told to call her, was a little younger than me. She was 32 and lived in Richmond with her partner Nic, who was actually a Nicole, they had been together for 8 years and had been part of an IVF program for a year, they were over the moon in love. It was clear Lucy idolised Nicole, who had rescued her from a very dark period in her life. Bryce and Lucy were two of three children to Stephanie and Lindsay Clark who tragically died in a car accident with their youngest son Lauchie when Bryce was 19, Lauchie was only 11. Bryce inherited Clark Incorporated from his father who had a small chain of hotels in Melbourne and Sydney. Lucy inherited her parents Toorak mansion but could not bring herself to remain living there so sold it and bought a couple of smaller properties around Melbourne, she also drank and smoked a lot of her inheritance away. Lucy had sunk into a huge hole of depression and anger after her parents and brother passed, Bryce on the other hand had been determined to make the most of his life and innovatively, expanded and changed the direction of Clark Incorporated into the multi-billion dollar company it was today. Their cousin Gareth was the son of Lindsay's brother Charles, Charles had had a love hate relationship with his brother. According to Lucy he was very jealous of his brother's money and achievements, when Lindsay died and passed the company to Bryce, Charles was furious and very bitter towards Bryce; their relationship is still on thin ice. Bryce and Gareth however were close, hence Gareth being in the position of Vice President.
"I'm so sorry for the passing of your parents especially at such a young age, that must have been unbelievably hard?"
"It was, I hated the world and everyone in it and I hated the fact that my Uncle Charles became my guardian, not that he had any control over me whatsoever. Bryce had objected to the guardianship, he fought it but as he was only 19, he wasn't successful. Bryce did everything he could to keep me from getting into trouble, but I was selfish and made his life hell. I didn't realise at the time that my actions were causing him more pain and that was adding to him not being able to grieve his own loss. I think what also assisted my rebelling and anger was the fact I was subconsciously dealing with my own sexuality." She twisted a ring on her wedding finger.