Then, finally—finally—he spoke.
“What were you doing in the library?”
My heart slammed against my ribs. Fuck.
No. No, no, no. He knew.
I felt the blood drain from my face, my stomach twisting so hard I thought I might be sick. Stay calm. Stay—Did Elena tell him? Did someone see me? Oh my god. He must have had cameras around. I wouldn’t be surprised if he did. He was testing me all this time, then? Wanting me to tell him myself?
I gripped the armrest of the chair as my nails dug into the leather. I needed to think. One wrong word and I was done.
“I was looking for something to read,” I forced my voice to remain calm.
He didn't move. Didn’t even blink. Just watched me like a predator watches a wounded animal—knowing it was only a matter of time before it collapsed. I swallowed hard.
He assessed me with that sharp steel gaze of his, and I forgot to even think. He’d make me speak anyway.
“And you found it… behind the hidden door?”
I stopped breathing. I should react—deny, lie, or run. But my body had locked up, frozen in some kind of sinful way. I was hyper-aware of his gaze. That steely grey piercing gaze. Threatening to rip me alive.
Shit.Shit. How did he know?
“I—I got lost,” I tried, visibly shaking.
He let out a low chuckle. The kind that sent more ice down my spine.
“Lost?” He casually tilted his head, leaning onto his elbows and meeting my nervous eyes.
The way he said it made my pulse stutter.
“It’s a big house,” I muttered.
“It is,” he agreed, nodding. “Plenty of places to get lost. Plenty of places to hide things.”
I swallowed hard.
He didn’t break eye contact. He didn’t need to.
Oh god.
I clenched my fists, forcing myself to hold his gaze. If I cracked now, I was as good as dead.
But then… he smirked. A slow, knowing curve of his lips.
“Did you like what you saw?”
My stomach dropped. My breath caught in my throat.
The red room.
Leather. Steel. Restraints bolted to the walls. Silk ropes, whips, clamps—things I didn’t even have the words for.
Heat licked up my neck. Not the good kind. The terrifying kind.
“You went through my things, Dolcezza, you saw what was there,” he mused, rounding the desk like he had all the time inthe world to play with his prey. “Curiosity is such a dangerous thing. Especially when it leads to places you don't belong.”
I gripped the edges of my dress, trying to keep my hands from shaking.
