At first glance it was a peaceful scene that unfolded in the Sheffield's living room that Saturday morning. The youngest daughter, Grace, knelt on the floor between sofa and coffee table, drawing, while her father looked on over her shoulder.
But the scene wasn't as peaceful when you looked a little closer. There was tension in the air as Maxwell Sheffield repeatedly checked his watch. As a coat was draped over the back of the sofa and a small suitcase stood by the door, he was clearly waiting for someone.
And yet, when the doorbell finally rang, he didn't get up, but instead called for his butler. "Niles?" Lowering his voice to talk to his daughter he continued, "That'll be the taxi, darling, finally."
Niles, who walked into the room from the back of the house, heard those words while, with a scowl aimed at the back of his employer's head, he walked to open the door.
"You can take the luggage out already," he said as he opened the door. Outside, however, stood not the expected taxi driver, but C.C. Babcock, Mr. Sheffield's business partner.
"Why don't you do it yourself? I'm sure you already have ample experience with it, having first packed it and then brought it down," C.C. retorted as she strode in past him.
Maxwell twisted around on the sofa so he could look at her. "Ah, C.C. I'll be out in a minute. Just saying good bye to Gracie."
C.C. offered him a smile that implied he might be talking about a cat instead of his daughter and she wouldn't know the difference. "No problem. I'll just drop these on your desk while you do." She waved a few sheets of paper about as she headed towards Maxwell's office.
"So, darling, good bye," Maxwell said to his daughter who was looking up at him. "Daddy will be home again tomorrow evening."
"I know, you told me six times already," Grace replied with a benevolent smile. "Have a good trip, daddy."
"Thank you, darling." He kissed her cheek, got up and reached for his coat. His suitcase was still waiting by the door, and he pointedly looked first at the piece of luggage, then at Niles.
"Yes, of course, Sir. Just waiting for you," Niles said hurriedly and reached for the luggage he, indeed, had both packed and carried downstairs earlier. Thankfully it was just a small suitcase and not too heavy.
While he took it outside to the waiting taxi, C.C. returned from Maxwell's office and sidled up to her partner. "Ready for a night out?" She tried to make it sound lascivious but didn't quite hit the right tone.
Maxwell raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing in reply, opting for a safe, "We'd better get going if we don't want to miss the flight."
Disappointed by his evasive return, C.C. walked out the door, Maxwell following on her heels.
Niles let them pass, then re-entered the house and shut the door behind them. He walked through to kitchen, leaving Grace alone in the big front room. She worked on her drawing for a while until the tip of one of her coloring pencils broke off. Unperturbed she got up and walked towards her father's office to find a pencil sharpener.
She entered the office and immediately walked to and then around the desk to open one of the drawers, knowing exactly where her father kept the desired item. While she worked on her pencil, she noticed the papers C.C. had brought just minutes ago. The top one was a note in C.C.'s hand, and at first Grace struggled a little with the unfamiliar handwriting. But there weren't many words and she had soon deciphered them. 'Maxwell, please refund me for 2 x Ring – $1,090'
Grace blinked in confusion. Why would C.C. buy two rings and ask her father to pay for them? Well, what did two people need rings for?