lot of traffic on the way home,” Karin remarks.
“Hey, you want to spend the night over at my place?” Ryan asks innocently. “I mean, we don’t have to do anything. I just thought that maybe since we’re going to be married, you should get to see my home.”
The sheer curiosity of seeing Ryan’s place overwhelms Karin. “That would be cool.”
“I think you’ll like it.”
Karin nervously gathers her things as Ryan dismisses his Research and Design team for the evening. She nervously holds her bag as Ryan gives his final instructions for the evening. “Let everyone in your department sleep in. They don’t have to come into the office until 10 a.m.,” the CEO tells his head of R&D. Ryan motions for Karin to come with him. Together the soon-to-be-married couple get into the elevator and leave the office.
Karin gets into Ryan’s car and they speed off out of the office campus. Her knees knock together. She feels as though her body has run through every type of emotion possible. Ryan confidently navigates his Audi R8 into Palo Alto’s most exclusive enclave. The car slowly pulls up to a set of iron gates that are flanked by 8-foot hedges. The gates open. The CEO of Emperor Technologies guides his car up a cobblestone driveway. Karin looks out at the perfectly manicured landscaped gardens lit by soft ambient lighting. Her eyes are guided forward to the elegant English Countryside style home. It is not a billionaire mega-mansion by any standards. Instead, the young billionaire resides in the kind of estate that seeks to comfort rather than intimidate.
“We’re home,” Ryan tells Karin. Those two words hit Karin’s ears with the kind of warmth that puts her instantly at ease. “This will be home. At least for the next year or so,” Karin tells herself. Ryan stops in front of the entryway of the home. He gets out and opens the door for his fiance. Karin steps out and looks around at the grounds. She is struck by the simple beauty of the old growth trees and the perfectly manicured shrubbery. There is a slight smile on her face.
“What’s the smile about?” Ryan asks.
“This place is so unlike you.”
Ryan opens the front door to his home. “Yeah. Most people expected me to build this ultra modern house. But the truth is, after a long day of work, I want to come home to something that feels warm and welcoming.”
Karin walks inside the home and finds a rather cozy living space with overstuffed couches, several area rugs and a couple of black and white framed photos. The only evidence which would give away the wealth of the owner are the Picasso, Van Gogh and Pollock paintings on the wall as well as several oriental vases and other ancient artifacts. “I hope you feel comfortable here,” Ryan tells her.
“Well, it sure beats the apartment I share with two other girls.”
“Good. Well, I can give you a little tour of the home,” Ryan tells her. They walk down the hallway, where Ryan shows off his home office. It is a simple room, not much more than a computer and a desk. The CEO leads Karin to the kitchen. The young woman is instantly struck by the copperware as well as the high-end appliances. As someone who once worked a summer at an Italian restaurant, Karin can tell there is about six figures with of upgrades in this one room. “I also have a ‘boy room’ over here,” Ryan tells Karin as he leads her to a windowless area filled with pool tables, arcade games and pinball machines. Karin looks at the pool table with particular interest. Her father taught her pool at the age of five and she has been known to hustle games against unsuspecting frat boys in and around Santa Clara.
“Are you good at pool?” Karin asks.
“I’m not bad. How about you?”
“I know my way around,” Karin tells Ryan as she playfully runs her fingers against one of the pool sticks.
“Let’s see what you got,” Ryan tells her as he racks the balls. Karin confidently grabs the stick and places the cue
“Hey, you want to spend the night over at my place?” Ryan asks innocently. “I mean, we don’t have to do anything. I just thought that maybe since we’re going to be married, you should get to see my home.”
The sheer curiosity of seeing Ryan’s place overwhelms Karin. “That would be cool.”
“I think you’ll like it.”
Karin nervously gathers her things as Ryan dismisses his Research and Design team for the evening. She nervously holds her bag as Ryan gives his final instructions for the evening. “Let everyone in your department sleep in. They don’t have to come into the office until 10 a.m.,” the CEO tells his head of R&D. Ryan motions for Karin to come with him. Together the soon-to-be-married couple get into the elevator and leave the office.
Karin gets into Ryan’s car and they speed off out of the office campus. Her knees knock together. She feels as though her body has run through every type of emotion possible. Ryan confidently navigates his Audi R8 into Palo Alto’s most exclusive enclave. The car slowly pulls up to a set of iron gates that are flanked by 8-foot hedges. The gates open. The CEO of Emperor Technologies guides his car up a cobblestone driveway. Karin looks out at the perfectly manicured landscaped gardens lit by soft ambient lighting. Her eyes are guided forward to the elegant English Countryside style home. It is not a billionaire mega-mansion by any standards. Instead, the young billionaire resides in the kind of estate that seeks to comfort rather than intimidate.
“We’re home,” Ryan tells Karin. Those two words hit Karin’s ears with the kind of warmth that puts her instantly at ease. “This will be home. At least for the next year or so,” Karin tells herself. Ryan stops in front of the entryway of the home. He gets out and opens the door for his fiance. Karin steps out and looks around at the grounds. She is struck by the simple beauty of the old growth trees and the perfectly manicured shrubbery. There is a slight smile on her face.
“What’s the smile about?” Ryan asks.
“This place is so unlike you.”
Ryan opens the front door to his home. “Yeah. Most people expected me to build this ultra modern house. But the truth is, after a long day of work, I want to come home to something that feels warm and welcoming.”
Karin walks inside the home and finds a rather cozy living space with overstuffed couches, several area rugs and a couple of black and white framed photos. The only evidence which would give away the wealth of the owner are the Picasso, Van Gogh and Pollock paintings on the wall as well as several oriental vases and other ancient artifacts. “I hope you feel comfortable here,” Ryan tells her.
“Well, it sure beats the apartment I share with two other girls.”
“Good. Well, I can give you a little tour of the home,” Ryan tells her. They walk down the hallway, where Ryan shows off his home office. It is a simple room, not much more than a computer and a desk. The CEO leads Karin to the kitchen. The young woman is instantly struck by the copperware as well as the high-end appliances. As someone who once worked a summer at an Italian restaurant, Karin can tell there is about six figures with of upgrades in this one room. “I also have a ‘boy room’ over here,” Ryan tells Karin as he leads her to a windowless area filled with pool tables, arcade games and pinball machines. Karin looks at the pool table with particular interest. Her father taught her pool at the age of five and she has been known to hustle games against unsuspecting frat boys in and around Santa Clara.
“Are you good at pool?” Karin asks.
“I’m not bad. How about you?”
“I know my way around,” Karin tells Ryan as she playfully runs her fingers against one of the pool sticks.
“Let’s see what you got,” Ryan tells her as he racks the balls. Karin confidently grabs the stick and places the cue
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