"So, where are we going, Evie?" I asked, falling in step with her, as we got into the elevator and headed for the third floor. Her office had been on the second and her parent's had been working on the sixth. It truly was a massive premise.

Both, my father and my brother, and told me on numerous occasions that I had a certain gift for managing to annoy people with a single statement. 

The look Evangeline gave me at calling her Evie made me wonder if they, in fact, had been wrong. Perhaps I didn't even need an entire statement. I could probably do just fine with a single word.

I made a mental note to start saying random words in the middle of conversations and checking my hypothesis once I got Evie (she was definitely Evie, now) to stop being so mysterious and pretentious and just reveal our final destination.

"First," She began, as the doors to the elevator closed behind us, "Do not, ever, call me Evie. And second, until we figure this out, you're on a need-to-know base."

I arched an eyebrow, "I'm travelling with a stranger, in a building that is even more strange than her. I think that qualifies as 'a need to know'."

"No," she replied, "I don't think it does."

"You think wrong then."

"Your presence here, with me, in this plane of existence is wrong!" She yelled suddenly, making me jump, "What I am doing, is the only way out for the both of us and so, I would deeply appreciate, if you could just stop bugging me!"

I stared at her. People yelling at me didn't bother me much, and I had never been the type who would whip himself into a frenzy because of a trigger, but even I needed to catch a break now and then. 

My day hadn't really been a walk in the park, either.

"Look, sweetheart," she bristled under the nickname and I mentally patted myself on the back, "I'm not going to follow you anymore if you cannot be upfront with me about things. You're apparently my soulmate just as much as I am yours, and I hate to break it to you, but you've fulfilled your quota of panicking and being dramatic. It's my turn now, capisce?"

We were in this together, and at some point she would have to tell me at least the bare minimum. I knew I was resourceful enough to help out, but it was rather hard to help when you didn't really understand what the problem was.

She glowered back, and I starting preparing myself for the hurricane that was about to sweep through the elevator, but a moment later she entirely deflated.

"I'm not supposed to have a soulmate."

Okay, so we were starting with information I already knew. I suppose it is some kind of progress?

"I have really high ambitions of reaching the very top and being in-charge of the entire Soulmates Group. Like every branch in the world reporting just to me, you know?" She sighed dejectedly, as if she would never be able to fulfil that dream, "And then you come along and suddenly I have a soulmate. I don't know what it means for my future, not just personally but also professionally. Is this a test? Is this a trick? I do not know anything!"

It suddenly dawned upon me that she didn't like being the person without the answers. Even when I had come here with Christopher, and then again with my father, she had always known what to say. She had trained herself well enough to handle anything that was thrown her way.

But she wasn't trained to tackle this.

I decided to ask her something she did know, "So, what's our next plan of action?"

The elevator doors pinged open at this moment at the third floor, and my jaw dropped.

Evangeline snickered beside me, "This is."

The walls and the ceiling on this floor were padded like in a mental institution, but light pink in colour, instead of white. Designs of black and gold ran across their lengths, forming elaborate patterns. A small ceramic fountain bubbled sparkling water at the very entrance of the elevator, and two big, graceful swans fluttered across.

My eyes fell on the paintings of gold that were embedded into the padding, showcasing elaborate scenes from, what I assumed was, family history. 

One particular painting caught my attention. It showed a man and a woman facing each other with their hands extended forward. A string joined the two, but it wasn't just any string. I could see fine designs on it, embellishment of jewels like sapphires and rubies.

I had been around my father for long enough to know that all the material used was real and not just those fake coloured glass beads. I didn't have to check them up close. A strong silent power radiated from them, one that anyone could feel.

A single painting must have been worth millions, and around a dozen glittered in the hallway.

Evangeline cleared her throat and beckoned me to move it, "My great-grand uncle was a master craftsman. He didn't have much business acumen, but he had a lot of love for his family, particularly Mama Hale. He made these for her."

Her jaw was clenched from giving me this information that I instantly knew wasn't meant for anyone outside the family. There was vulnerability there, but also a hint of warning.

"I won't tell anyone," I swore. 

I was slowing realising that it wasn't so much about not being able to trust me, as it was about not being able to trust anyone who wasn't family for her.

There were no doors in the entire hallway except for large ones at the very end. Evangeline's stilettos clicked against the black marble on the floor and I stared down. The floor was shining enough to show me my reflection. Streaks of gold ran along, even on the floor, giving it a swirly texture. 

A massive crystal chandelier hung in the middle of the hallway, and I barely stopped myself from asking about its origins. My father would kill to have such a beauty displayed in our foyer.

When we finally neared the massive doors, I realised they, too, were made of gold.

"Is that gold-plated or solid metal?" I asked, unable to contain my curiosity any longer. We didn't deal in gold as much, but my brother had introduced a line of gold and silver jewellery last year, much to my father's chagrin. We had recovered the cost of investment almost instantly. People had clamoured to buy affordable jewellery with the Allister mark.

Evie raised an impressed eyebrow in my direction, "Solid, of course. Nothing but the best for Mama Hale."