Page 24 of The Naughty Or Nice Clause

“Something to say?” she asked, turning to face the mirror, exposing the low back where the fabric draped at her waist.

“It’s perfect,” he said, rising to stand behind her again, his voice low. “But something isn’t right.”

Lyla groaned, wondering what else it could possibly need.

“Get changed. I’ll have a word with the assistant,” Mason said, suddenly disappearing to the front of the store.

Lyla was nonplussed.Does he want the dress or not?He hadn’t said to bring it to the counter, so she left it on the hook. When she joined him, a deal seemed to have been struck; Mason was placing a few gold coins, the same she had seen him use all morning, into the assistant’s hand.Is he ordering the dress? Why is he being so secretive about a damn dress?

“Your order will take some time, but we’ll have it delivered to your house on the day of the gala,” the assistant assured them, though Lyla wasn’t sure what would be arriving.

“I don’t think I could ever get used to this,” she said once they were out on the street. Despite the cold, she was glad to be out of the stuffy dressing room. “Where do you even get those coins? I didn’t ask earlier because I was having too much fun spending them. Now that we’re finished, I want to know.” She kept close so people on the street wouldn’t hear her.

“The gold comes from the mountains. Since we’re cut off from the rest of the world, we have our own currency.”

That surprised her, but why shouldn’t they? Many countries had their own currency.

“So how do you trade with the outside world?” she asked, wondering how they went about sourcing outside goods.

“We aren’t completely cut off. We have a bank to exchange the gold for other currencies when we need to trade. Many of our people who’ve left over the years to work in the outside world are able to source what we need without leaving a trace.” Klaus walked ahead of her at an exaggeratedly leisurely pace.

“Sounds awfully complicated.”

“Complicated? What place isn’t?”

“Surely if someone is trading with Yule, they’ll have questions about where the goods were being sent?” she pressed, but he merely shrugged.

“You’d be amazed how little people care about where the goods are going, as long as they get paid, and get paid well.”

Lyla was beginning to understand how he knew the business world so well for someone so young. “All the secrets, making sure nobody finds out the truth… it must take up a lot of time,” she said, wondering how they had managed to keep Yule secret for so long.Bribery? False documents?She wasn’t sure she wanted to know, and she doubted he was going to tell her everything about his home.

“In Yule,” he told her, “there’s only one season to rush. Otherwise, it’s the most tranquil place in the world.”

Chapter Ten

THE FOLLOWING MORNING, Lyla woke before the rest of the house and found her way to the office Mrs Klaus had mentioned. Icicles had formed along the outer glass wall, making her feel like she was walking through an ice palace. Knocking softly on the door, she made sure no one was inside.

“Wow!” she exclaimed at the chaos within. Shelves full of scrolls and old leather-bound books lined the walls, broken only by an imposing family portrait hung above a great mantle covered in holly. The family in the painting seemed to date back a few generations.Probably a couple of centuries, judging from the style.Lyla’s mum being an artist gave her some insight into art, but she couldn’t tell exactly when it was from. Two wooden desks sat across from each other on either side of the room – it was cosy, in spite of the chaos.

The fire was out. She considered leaving it, but it was far too cold. All it took was a spark to get it going.

No more distractions. Find the laptop!She wasn’t sure whose desk was whose until she noticed the half-open laptop on the one closest to the door. At Mrs Klaus’s desk, Lyla pushed aside the letters and what looked to be beautifully addressed invitations –must be for the gala –and opened the laptop, breathing a sigh of relief when there was no need for a password.

The internet was incredibly slow, and watching it connect only irritated her further. While she waited, Lyla gathered up some of the books from the floor and placed them on the shelves. When curiosity got the better of her, she pulled out one of the scrolls from a shelf marked with a brass 1990s plaque. Once it was unfurled, she gasped. In her hand was the ‘Naughty and Nice list 1991’. Scanning the seemingly never-ending list, she figured she would never find her own name, but when she ran her fingers over the gold letters, it suddenly lit up on the ‘Nice’ column. She smiled at the comfort of it.

Would a Klaus be on the list?she wondered, thinking of Mason.How was the list even written?

The laptop chimed, breaking her train of thought, and she placed the scroll back on the shelf. Reclaiming her seat, she found herself staring at the lonely desk across the way and understood how hard it must be for Mrs Klaus to see the chair remain empty each day since his passing.If Mason stayed, he could take the desk and she wouldn’t have to work alone.

If he did decide to stay, it also meant she would get control of her company again. Without him, she could run it the way she’d always wanted, without any interference.

Finally connected to the internet, she sent an email to Sam. He would be eager to hear her plans, even if she couldn’t disclose everything, or even understand everything herself.

Sam,

I don’t have much time, but I hope you’re having a nice break. I’m sorry to let you know like this, but I must cancel our plans for Christmas dinner. Please apologise to Jamie for me! I was looking forward to it. Something has come up that I can’t really explain. Don’t ask because I can’t tell you where I am, but I had to take a trip to a rather extraordinary place. Don’t worry about me either; I’ll be home after the holidays. I need you to do me a favour – it’s of the utmost importance. In my office, there are the documents for transferring company shares. Everything has already been drafted. I need you to scan them and send me the files. I’ll explain everything when I return.

Please respond to this address and not my own. I didn’t take my phone or laptop with me. I’ll delete this email afterwards, so please return the requested documents with a different title and subject. I don’t want to have to explain in case my plans turn out differently. But if everything goes the way I hope, we might have a new CEO soon and one less financial advisor.

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