And unseen.
My nerves thrummed, every hair on my body standing on edge as I passed room after room, my gaze darting to every shadow, every darkened corner.
This place wasn’t just a house. It was a lair.
And I was trapped inside it.
The house was too quiet.
Not the peaceful kind, but the wrong kind. The kind that made my skin crawl like I was being watched, even when no one was there.
My bare feet whispered against the marble as I moved, slipping past dimly lit hallways and cold, lifeless rooms. There weren’t many people here. Just Elena, a few maids I hadn’t even seen properly, and the guards who lingered in the darkness.
For a man who acted like he owned the world, this place was unnervingly empty.
No, this wasn’t home. It was a prison. A well designed one.
I swallowed and pushed down the uneasy feeling clawing at my chest. I didn’t have time for this. I needed to find his room,his office… something that could tell me who the hell he really was.
My gaze flickered between the doors lining the corridor. Heavy. Solid. Expensive.
I pressed a hand against one, testing it.
Locked.
I moved to the next.
Locked.
Of course, the bastard wouldn’t make this easy.
I exhaled sharply, frustration simmering under my skin. I didn’t know how long he’d gone, but if he caught me snooping, I doubted I’d get away with just a warning.
I groaned in frustration and pushed until I reached the end of the hall.
Then I saw it.
A door unlike the others.
Bigger. Heavier. The kind that belonged to someone who had something to protect.
Bingo.
I reached for the handle and—
It turned.
Not locked.
Adrenaline spiked through me as I eased it open, slipping inside before I could second-guess myself.
The scent hit me first.
Dark, woodsy. A mix of leather, expensive cologne, and something deeper – somethinghim. It wrapped around me like a rope. Scratching against my insides and killing me.
I swallowed down the shudder crawling up my spine and forced myself to move.
The room was massive, but not grand, the way I expected. No vanity, no pretentious decorations. Just dark walls, heavy curtains, and sleek functional furniture. A king-sized bed in the middle, black sheets rumpled, like he didn’t sleep much, or when he did, it was violent.
