Since Caspar and Lauriel were good friends, Caspar of course could not bear to refuse Lauriel's last request. Moreover, he also hoped that over the next few months, Lauriel would change his mind and decide not to take Death.
Lauriel stayed with the Schneider family in their mansion in Palo Alto for a week before they finally left for New York. There, Caspar had a mansion and a townhouse next to the mansion, which he bought because his old neighbors were very noisy. He also had a penthouse in St. Laurent Hotel New York, which was rarely occupied.
In order not to disturb each other's privacy, Lauriel was welcomed to stay in the penthouse while Caspar and his family reside in their mansion. Finland and Caspar would soon start working at the Schneider Group regional head office on Fifth Avenue and, while her parents were working, Lauriel would take Aleksis and look after her.
This arrangement was a win-win for everyone; it even felt as if they were returning to their former life arrangement in San Francisco. The difference was that now Caspar was by Finland's side, and the girl no longer worked in a company owned by someone else; she was working in her own husband's company.
Of course, no one in the office was told of her true identity, so as not to cause awkwardness among her coworkers. The HR had announced that Finland was a transfer employee from San Francisco who would start working on a new division, the Market Research department.
"How do you like our house?" Caspar asked when they arrived at their mansion.
New York was one of the most expensive cities in the world and having a mansion in the center of the city of Manhattan was unimaginable. Finland could only hold her breath.
The mansion consisted of three levels and apparently, before their arrival, Caspar had ordered a flash renovation to have an elevator installed so that his pregnant wife did not have to go up and down the stairs.
Gosh... Finland could only shake her head in amazement.
"You know that going up and down the stairs is a good form of exercise, and pregnant women should workout diligently?" she asked Caspar, unable to hide her amusement.
"We can do other types of workout, ones that are more fun to do," Caspar said, not wanting to lose. He then winked mischievously, provoking laughter from his wife. "Well, I see that you agree with me..."
"You..." Finland could only hit his shoulders in exasperation. Her mischievous husband must mean sexercise. Jeez…
The most beautiful and magnificent bedroom was located on the top floor, which was why Caspar insisted on installing an elevator. He didn't want Finland to go up and down three storeys every day, especially in her early stage of pregnancy.
He also did not want to sacrifice their comfort by living in a bedroom on the ground floor which, in his opinion, was not as perfect as the third-floor bedroom he liked so much.
He quickly helped Finland organize their belongings in the bedroom and later he invited Finland and Aleksis to explore their new home. Everything was really beautiful and it was obvious that the designer had exquisite taste.
Finland remembered Jadeith saying that the mansion in New York was one of Caspar's permanent residences other than the one in Germany. That would explain why the house was decorated with such care - because he spent so much time here.
There were many large rooms and sitting rooms on each floor. There was a library and two living rooms, a very spacious dining room, a kitchen that would make a Michelin starred restaurant owner shy, a beautiful garden in the back with a large swimming pool, and a serene koi fish pond. There was also an artificial waterfall and a gazebo with a swing, perfect for lounging and reading books.
Finland couldn't contain her emotions. Their house was very private and magnificent. Finland felt she that could enjoy staying here for a long time.
"I like the house..." Finland whispered happily, "Our tastes are similar when it comes to home."
"I'm glad to hear that," Caspar said, kissing Finland happily. "Want to eat at home or outside?"
"Uhmm... let's eat at home..." said Finland. She remembered that every time they ate in a restaurant, many people would stare at them, and it felt very uncomfortable. She began to understand why Caspar liked his privacy so much.
"All right... I'll invite Lauriel to have dinner here."
"Good idea," Finland said.
Although Lauriel lived in the hotel penthouse, Finland and Caspar decided to involve him as much as possible in Aleksis' life. Both of them shared the same desire: they wanted Lauriel to cancel his plan to take Death.