CHAPT.5: Shadows in the Dark
796 Words
The silence inside the luxury limousine on the ride back to the estate was suffocating. Alexander sat rigidly on the opposite side of the leather seat, staring out into the dark, rain-slicked city streets. His jaw remained tightly clenched, and a dangerous, dark energy radiated from his silhouette.Clara looked down at her lap, her fingers nervously tracing the smooth silk of her green gown.
The memory of how tightly his arm had held her waist back at the museum still made her skin prickle with heat."Is he always that reckless?" Clara finally asked, breaking the agonizing quiet.Alexander didn't turn his head. "Julian Sterling is a scavenger. He doesn't want you, Clara. He wants anything that belongs to me, simply to prove he can take it. Do not let his cheap charm fool you.""I am not a fool, Mr. Thorne," Clara snapped, her proud nature flaring at his dismissive tone. "I handled him, just like I handled your stepmother. I am keeping my end of the bargain.""Then remember Rule Number Four," Alexander said coldly, his gray eyes finally snapping to hers. They were devoid of the fierce heat she had seen back at the gala. "No scandals. If I see you whispering with him again, the contract is void."
The car pulled up to the dark mansion, and the heavy iron gates shut behind them with a definitive clang. Without another word, Alexander stepped out of the vehicle and vanished into the western wing of the house, leaving Clara alone with her thoughts.
By 2:00 AM, Clara was tossing and turning in her massive, unfamiliar bed. Her mind was a chaotic storm of frozen bank accounts, her brother’s fragile health, and the razor-sharp gaze of Alexander Thorne. Her throat felt painfully parched.Giving up on sleep, she slipped on a soft cotton robe and quietly padded out of her bedroom. The mansion was completely dark, illuminated only by the faint silver glow of the moon shining through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows.
She walked down the long, unfamiliar corridors, trying to remember the layout Mrs. Gable had shown her earlier. The architecture was confusing, a maze of identical doors and stark, minimalist hallways. Feeling her way along the cold walls, she finally pushed open a tall, heavy mahogany door, expecting to find the grand kitchen.Instead, she stepped into a room that took her breath away.It was a vast, sprawling suite dominated by deep charcoal tones, leather furniture, and a massive king-sized bed.
The scent of expensive woodsmoke and distinct masculine cologne instantly filled her senses.Clara froze. Her heart leapt into her throat. This wasn't the kitchen.She had accidentally crossed into the western wing. This was the forbidden master suite.Before she could spin around to escape, a sudden, iron-grip hand wrapped around her wrist, pulling her deeper into the shadows of the room. Clara gasped, her back colliding softly against a broad, solid chest."What did I tell you about the rules, Clara?"Alexander’s voice rowed through the darkness, low, dangerous, and completely stripped of his corporate mask. He was wearing nothing but a pair of dark silk lounge pants. His chest was bare, his skin radiating a chaotic, intoxicating heat against her back.Clara tried to pull away, but his grip on her wrist was unyielding. "I... I got lost," she stammered, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs. "I was looking for the kitchen. I wanted a glass of water."Alexander slowly turned her around in the dark, forcing her to face him.
The moonlight caught the sharp angles of his face, making him look less like a CEO and more like a predator. His gaze dropped to her trembling lips, then traveled down to where her robe had slipped slightly, exposing her collarbone."The eastern wing is your domain. This wing is mine," Alexander whispered, his voice dropping into a harsh register as he stepped closer, trapping her between his body and the heavy door. "If my stepmother’s spies saw you entering my room at midnight, our little charade would get a lot more complicated.""Then let me go," Clara whispered back, her breathing shallow as the intense physical proximity sent a wave of dizziness through her. "I’ll go back to my side."Alexander didn't move. For a long, agonizing heartbeat, his slate-gray eyes burned into hers with an intensity that completely contradicted his bloodless contract. His thumb lightly brushed against the pulse point on her wrist, feeling it race."Don't break the rules again, Clara," he murmured, his gaze darkening before he abruptly released her wrist and stepped back into the shadows. "Get your water. And stay where you belong."Clara didn't wait for him to change his mind. She turned and sprinted out of the room, her heart pounding a frantic rhythm all the way back to her golden cage.
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to be continued....*
- Writer
