Free The Emerald Casket by Richard Newsome

it. Silk sheets swept across his waist. He leaned back on an elaborately carved bedhead, festooned with pillows of all shapes. The walls were hung with tapestries, and block-printed fabrics ballooned like parachutes across the ceiling. Cushions were stacked in the corners of the room and the stone floor was covered with an enormous red, gold and white woven rug.
    â€˜Far out,’ Gerald breathed. Even after living in a billionaire’s mansion for the past month, he was stunned by this step up in luxury and style. He looked down and discovered he was still dressed in his clothes. He swung his feet onto the rug and enjoyed the sensation of silk beneath his toes. The sound of running water again attracted his attention. He crossed to a set of windows, pulled back the shutters and gasped. Outside, a stream of crystal clear water bubbled past the window, tumbling over boulders and winding through an expanse of lawn down to a pond beneath a copse of trees. Butterflies danced in the morning sunlight. If he was still in the middle of a bustling city, this must be some sort of oasis.
    â€˜It’s all fake, of course.’
    Gerald turned around. Ruby was leaning against the door. She was wearing over-sized cotton pyjamas and her arms were folded across her chest. ‘The water’s chlorinated from a pump house,’ she said. ‘The rocks are polished concrete. The pond’s tiled, for pity’s sake. I think the trees are real but that’s about it.’
    â€˜What’s got you in such a good mood?’
    Gerald changed his clothes and followed Ruby into a spacious lounge. Two other bedrooms opened onto the space, which appeared to be the centrepiece of a large colonial villa. Glass walls on two sides overlooked the enormous water feature and the gardens that seemed to go on forever. A covered walkway led across the lawn to a much larger building. Sam lay slumped in a pile of cushions, eating a croissant.
    â€˜Grab one,’ he said in a spray of pastry flakes. ‘They’re delicious.’
    Gerald took a pastry and a glass of lime juice from the sideboard and fell back onto a sofa.
    â€˜What’ve you found to be grumpy about?’ Gerald asked Ruby.
    â€˜She’s just looking forward to seeing Alisha again,’ Sam said with a smirk.
    â€˜You can go jump,’ Ruby said to her brother. She took a bite from an apple and turned to Gerald. ‘You saw how she treated me last time. She was a complete princess, making out she was so much better than me. And now look at this place.’
    â€˜What about it?’
    â€˜Don’t you see? It’s all so fake. Like some theme park for the rich and tasteless. I wish we hadn’t come.’
    â€˜Do you remember how Alisha made fun of Ruby’s shoes?’ Sam laughed. ‘And ignored her after we got the diamond back? That was hilar—’
    Ruby cut her brother short. ‘I thought you were in the process of jumping, melon head. Look, Alisha Gupta represents everything I hate. She’s conceited, she’s spoilt and she’ll bat her pretty eyelids at you boys all day long to get her way.’
    â€˜Um, Ruby,’ Gerald said.
    â€˜No, let me finish. She’s the type who uses her looks to compensate for yawning holes in her personality. And it’s something boys never see through—’
    â€˜Ruby.’
    She counted on her fingers. ‘She’s bland, she’s boring, she’s opinionated—’
    â€˜Ruby!’ Gerald hissed.
    â€˜What?’
    â€˜She’s…behind you.’
    A stillness hit the villa. Ruby’s eyes closed and stayed that way. Alisha Gupta stood in the doorway and for a moment the only noise was the air conditioning kicking up a notch to cope with the inflow of warm air from outside. Alisha stepped into the room as if she was walking on stage. She was dressed in a traditional robe of golden silk, her long dark hair draped loose across her