The Bed You Make
Chapter 23
~ Out of the Frying pan ~
It had long been decided by Cassadine employees that there were those among them who enjoyed a status far above any others in Cassadine employ. The realization was not a cause of dissention among them. Far from it. The success of fellow employees reflected well on them all.
One such privileged employee was Alfred, the butler. Years of service to the difficult men of the Cassadine family had earned him a kind of respectful deference from the other employees. Until Stefan, Cassadine men were not known to be reasonable or cool-headed. Longtime employees joked that Alfred deserved their admiration for simply managing over the years to not find himself gutted by the sharp blade of Mikkos' or Stavros' straight razor.
Another earning deference was Mrs. Sandhill, the British nanny. Hired by Stefan Cassadine to care for three-year-old Prince Nikolas, she had garnered the respect of her fellow employees by safely maneuvering the dangerous territory between Master Stefan's expectations and Matriarch Helena Cassadine's wishes for the young heir.
Mrs. Landsbury, the housekeeper, possessed a status far beyond her fellow employees - and many Cassadine relations as well. The longtime housekeeper moved in and about the private sanctums – and lives - of the Cassadine family members with ease. Her authority was not questioned among the staff; it was common knowledge that both Stefan and Nikolas Cassadine readily supported Mrs. Landsbury's decisions regarding the household.
It was Yuri Petrov, however, who was considered Primus inter pares. Yuri was head of Cassadine Security. The well-being of all Master Stefan loved was entrusted to Yuri's care. Entrusted, some employees corrected, as much as the Master could entrust anyone with the safety of his own.
No one was allowed to stand in the face of Yuri's recommendations. Deceptively polite to a fault, the silent sentry still managed to convey his resolve that his suggestions regarding security be observed.
