As the car stopped in front of the steps that led to the massive door, Victor was still stunned by the sheer majesty of what he saw around him. They got out of the car, and Uncle led him up the stairs. He pushed open the massive front entrance door. The interior of the palace was just as impressive as the exterior. The central hall was a cavernous space, its ceiling a breathtaking dome painted with celestial scenes and encrusted with millions of precious and semi-precious stones, catching the light from hidden sources. The walls were a mosaic of white marble, inlaid with intricate patterns of gold, lapis lazuli, malachite, and mother-of-pearl.
The columns supporting the vast ceiling were solid white marble, spiraling upwards, with bands of pure gold intertwined within them, appearing as if woven into the very stone.
The floors were polished to a mirror-like sheen, reflecting the grandeur above, inlaid with gold dust patterns under a protective, transparent layer. Paintings and intricate sculptures decorated the space, as well as chandeliers that were so intricate and beautiful they seemed to glow with heavenly light. Victor stood transfixed at the display of opulence and splendor he was beholding. Servants and members of the family alike looked at him sidelong as he stood there, a knowing look in their eyes, many of them having seen people behold the palace before for the first time and have much the same reaction.
Victor was snapped out of his trance by Uncle clearing his throat behind him, and Victor turned to face him. "We wouldn't want to keep the Godmother waiting. Follow me, and don't touch anything," he said, walking ahead of Victor with long, purposeful strides. Victor followed him, his face slightly flushed in embarrassment as he walked through the extravagant halls of the palace behind Uncle. Victor tried not to let his nerves show, though his nerves were completely understandable, as he was about to meet the most powerful person in the world, and he had no idea what he was supposed to say to her.
Soon, Uncle stopped in front of an ornate door at the end of a long hallway and knocked softly.
"Come in," came the response from a clear and naturally seductive voice. Uncle pushed open the door, and Victor followed him inside. The office they found themselves in was the most lavish and luxurious office he had ever seen. The floors and walls were just like the rest of the palace, but the decor and personal touches in the room set it apart from all the other rooms he had seen in the palace along the way. The massive black desk at the far end of the room was handcrafted from a single piece of wood and had the crest of the family upon it, hand carved and intricately detailed. The chair behind it appeared to be a custom-made masterpiece made from materials Victor couldn't even begin to attempt identifying.
Behind the desk and chair was a massive agarwood executive wall unit displaying all manner of things, from priceless works of art and weaponry to personal photos and small sculptures made out of precious metals. Along the right wall was a luxurious fireplace with custom-made black chairs with red trim on either side of it, sitting atop a black Persian rug. The fire crackling softly as it burned top quality cherry wood, filling the office with a comforting and pleasant aroma. The other side of the room was home to a massive entertainment center made from the same wood as the structure behind the desk that held the biggest television Victor had ever seen.
From the look of the massive drawers and cabinets built into the entertainment center, Victor guessed that they likely held every possible console and media device or accessory you could possibly hook up to a television. In front of all that was a massive black couch made from silk velvet that looked bigger and more comfortable than any bed Victor had ever seen. On each side of it sat a handmade side table, painted black with a deep crimson cloth on each of them, made from silk velvet.
But the splendor of the room was instantly forgotten the moment he laid eyes upon the person who had summoned him for this meeting. Victor's eyes went wide as he caught sight of the woman leaning casually against her desk with her arms folded, watching him with a soft smile and an amused light in her blue eyes. She had long, dark hair and blood-red lips, as well as creamy, porcelain-colored skin and a body that looked like it was sculpted with the very word perfection in mind.
She was wearing simple jewelry that somehow seemed to be enhanced by her beauty instead of the jewelry enhancing its wearer's beauty. She wore a red blouse that barely contained her large breasts and that hugged her curves perfectly. She wore black leggings that accentuated her perfect legs and black fur-lined boots. She was quite simply the most beautiful woman Victor had ever seen.
She watched in amusement as Victor stood there tongue-tied for a moment, until Uncle suddenly cleared his throat and spoke. "While it would be amusing to continue to tease young Victor here, I believe we should move on to more important matters." Uncle looked at the woman as he said this, a small smile of amusement on his face. The woman laughed, a seductive and enchanting sound. Then she spoke. "Welcome, Victor, to the Vesmierta Family. I know you must have a thousand questions, and I'm here to answer as many of them as I can for you." She smiled at Victor after she said this, and her smile made Victor's breath catch in his throat, trying desperately to compose himself. He asked a question that he was certain he already knew the answer to: "If you don't mind me asking, who are you?"
The woman's smile deepened slightly before she answered. "I am Annabella De La Marca Vesmierta, the Godmother of the Vesmierta Family. Nice to meet you at last, Victor Lucian. I've been watching you for a very long time, and I'm proud to see how you have grown. Sponsoring you was well worth it."
Victor stood there stunned for a moment before saying, "Thank you for sponsoring me all this time, but I have so many questions, and I'd like some answers." Uncle bristled a bit at Victor's rudeness, his mouth setting into a hard line. But before he could do anything else, Annabella raised her hand, a gesture for him to stop, and Uncle relaxed. "Ask your questions, Victor. At this point, you've earned it," Annabella said. Victor took a deep breath before asking the question that was the most prominent in his mind.
"Who was my mother?" he asked. A look of sadness briefly flashed over Annabella's face before she answered him. "Your mother was my best friend, and she helped me found the Vesmerita family as it exists today. My father founded the company, Vesmierta Holdings, but as it expanded and it touched more lives, it started to garner attention and enemies far outside the scope of what my father was able to handle. So after he died, the Vesmerita family was founded to protect my father's legacy. Yet for an organization like ours to be established and taken seriously, blood had to be spilled, and many people gave their lives. I'm sorry, but your mother was one of them."