Chapter Two—The New Kids on the Block
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"I think that's the last box," Ted DiBiase said hopefully. He dropped a cardboard box on the floor of the foyer of his new home. The sandy-haired young man leaned his exhausted body against the wall in the foyer. He turned to his fiancee. "That is the last one, right?"

His fiancee, Maryse Ouellet, peered out of the formal living room's large window and spotted Ted's dad, Ted, Sr., bringing the last two boxes from the U-Haul truck. The beautiful platinum blonde smiled. "We're all done."

Ted, Sr. pushed through the huge double doors and set the two boxes next to the one Ted had put down. He gazed in wonder at the mansion that now belonged to his son and future daughter-in-law. He smiled. "How's it feel to own a house in The Palisades?"

Ted smiled and shrugged. "I thought it'd be a whole hell of a lot longer before I got here, that's for sure." Ted thought that with good reason. It was common sense that no couple as young as he and Maryse had the money to live in a place like The Palisades. It took money—and shit loads of it—to live in a place like this. The Palisades was by far the most exclusive neighborhood in L.A. If you had a house here, it pretty much meant you had made it. That's why Ted, heir apparent to his dad's million-dollar real estate empire, felt like this was exactly what he'd been waiting for: a purchase that screamed "expensive as hell" that he'd paid for all on his own.

Maryse had been more instrumental in picking the house itself, which Ted was okay with. Yeah, he had expensive taste as far as décor went, but he couldn't bear to go into all those details. So, when he told his soon-to-be wife he had his eye on a home in The Palisades, he'd pretty much let her choose it. It hadn't taken the French Canadian beauty long to decide: a three-story beast of a home at 10890 Lakeview Drive with columns adorning the massive front veranda that gave way to their double doors. Not that Ted had ever doubted Maryse's choice in houses, but even he was shocked at how stunning their new home was.

The elder DiBiase laid a hand on his son's shoulder and smiled. "Have fun getting settled in. I'm gonna hit the road."

"Why so soon?" Ted asked.

"Rush hour traffic is a nightmare," his father replied, "the 101 is gonna be a mess."

Ted winced. L.A. traffic was infamous for being the worst. "Good point."

Ted, Sr. hugged his son. "I'll be back in a few days once I get back from my meeting in Denver to see what the lovely Maryse will have done with the place by then."

"Sounds good," said Ted, hugging his father.

Once his dad had left, Ted went upstairs to join Maryse, who was getting dressed…well, re-dressed.

Ted walked into the cavernous bathroom of him and Maryse's bedroom. His fiancee was in the mirror—one of her many mirrors—dressed in her favorite Stella McCartney jeans, a flowy navy blue top and four-inch black Jimmy Choo heels. She applied make-up to her flawless face with a practiced hand.

Ted grinned. "All this for me?" he asked, standing behind Maryse with his arms around her waist.

Maryse smiled at her and Ted's reflections in the mirror. "Of course not, silly," she replied, "it's for the neighbors."

Ted raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

"Oh, come on," replied Maryse, "you know image is everything in a place like this! I've gotta be on my A-game. How much do you wanna bet that the other wives—or fiancées, girlfriends, mistresses, whatever—around here are smokin' hot?"

"I wouldn't bet a damn thing," said Ted, "'cause I bet none of them can hold a candle to you."

Maryse turned to face Ted and kissed him. She laughed. "You just want some, don't you?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah," Ted replied, "how about we have our own house-warming party?" He gave Maryse a mischievous smile.

"Alright, I'll make you a deal," said Maryse, "you help me make a good first impression with the neighbors, whoever they are, and I'll blow your mind when we get back. Deal?"

"Deal," replied Ted, "but I do have one question."

"What?" Maryse asked.

"Is my mind the only thing you're gonna blow?"

A/N: So how was it? Yeah, yeah, I know what you might be thinking: where's everyone else? Relax, I've gotta build up to that. All in due time(: Reviews would most definitely be appreciated.