I Opened The Door… And Regretted It
1382 Words
Darien.
Before my brain could even digest the fact that DARIEN was waiting for me in his room—
Why his room? Not a sitting room?
The thought barely crossed my mind before Miss Vivian was already walking away, leaving me standing there by myself.
“Miss Vivian!” I called, hurrying to catch up with how fast she was walking.
She was obviously avoiding my questions.
Why didn’t she want to say anything about that man?
Did he ask them not to? Or were they all working together?
My brain bounced from one question to another as I followed after her.
“We’re using the stairs,” she said, interrupting my thoughts as she practically flew up the staircase like someone was chasing her.
I stopped dead in my tracks.
Processing.
I definitely didn’t hear that right.
“What?” I gasped, my eyes widening.
She didn’t answer. Instead, she darted her eyes toward the elevator.
I followed her gaze.
That man was standing right in front of it, smirking—like that was the only thing he knew how to do.
I hissed and looked away, pretending to be cool while my blood boiled inside me.
“When do we get to the top?” I asked.
She was seriously avoiding the elevator because of that big-headed man?
Was she scared of him or what?
I didn’t get it.
Why was everything so scary around here?
Maybe it was time to share my location with Maddie. She needed to know where I was… just in case.
But not now.
After the wedding.
I still had my little secret plans.
Who knew what these people were up to?
Miss Vivian continued climbing the stairs.
I followed.
At some point, I stopped again.
“Hurry up. Don’t worry, we’ll use the second elevator,” she said.
Because how exactly was she expecting us to climb all these stairs?
I was going to faint.
I let out a tired breath and continued following her.
And honestly, I figured it was finally time to ask her.
So I did.
“Miss Vivian, you still haven’t said anything about that man. That man harassed me.”
I said it that way on purpose.
Maybe she’d finally tell me something.
Anything.
Silence.
Only our footsteps echoed against the hardwood floor.
Seconds passed.
Then minutes.
Nothing.
Finally, she spoke.
“Please, ma’am. We need to get you dressed before you go to his room.”
My chest tightened so hard my teeth nearly cracked.
God.
The audacity.
She changed the subject completely.
I wasn’t going to say anything.
But I did.
“I’m okay this way.”
“You have to—”
“I said I’m fine.”
My voice came out sharper this time.
Harsher.
I was pissed.
Why was she always hiding everything?
Why?
She didn’t say another word after that.
Neither did I.
I simply followed her.
Eventually, we reached the top floor.
Used the elevator.
Stepped out.
And now we were on what looked like the third floor.
My eyes scanned the area.
It felt familiar.
I remembered this place.
“The east wing leads to your room in case you want to change into the dress he asked for,” she said, pointing toward the east hallway.
“And the west wing…” She pointed in the opposite direction. “Walk down there. The tenth door is Darien’s room. Knock before going in. Good luck.”
I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore the nervousness building in the pit of my stomach.
“What?” I asked, like I hadn’t heard her correctly.
But she was already walking away.
I knew she’d heard me.
She never turned back.
Was she upset?
Or did she think I was about to start asking questions again?
Then it clicked.
Wait.
What?
My room and Darien’s room were on the same floor?
Just a short distance apart?
Hold on.
I seriously hoped what I was thinking wasn’t true.
Still, I shoved the thought aside.
I took a deep breath and adjusted my clothes.
I already knew this was another form of punishment.
Whatever.
I walked in the direction she’d pointed.
It had to be around nine o’clock at night, and I was heading toward the room of a man whose deep, rich voice made my entire body react.
What exactly was I supposed to expect?
I knew Darien didn’t want me.
This had to be something else.
I pushed the thought away and kept walking until I finally reached the door.
And just as I was about to reach for the doorbell, something on the floor caught my eye.
A wallet.
A huge one.
More like a purse.
I froze.
My heart skipped.
Who drops something like that?
I glanced around.
Nobody.
I took another cautious step closer.
Looked around again.
Still nobody.
With a racing heart and trembling hands, I bent down and picked it up.
Slowly, I opened it.
My pulse thundered in my ears.
The first thing I saw was Darien’s picture.
My heart skipped again.
What was this?
I kept searching.
There was a childhood photo.
More pictures.
Several folded letters.
Short handwritten notes.
Then—
Footsteps.
My heart nearly jumped out of my chest.
I immediately hid the wallet behind my back and held my breath.
The footsteps stopped.
I peeked in every direction.
No one.
Weird.
I was about to open the wallet again when—
The cameras.
I suddenly remembered there were cameras everywhere in this house.
“God,” I muttered.
Quickly, I shoved the wallet inside my bra until it fit.
I didn’t know much about its contents yet.
But I was sure it contained useful information.
Because that freaking man?
I was going to find out everything about him.
Every single thing.
If he wanted to use me for his benefit without caring how I felt, then I was going to use him too.
I was still caught up in my thoughts when muffled voices drifted from inside the room.
I froze.
Listening carefully.
Maybe my ears were playing tricks on me.
But…
Wasn’t that a woman moaning?
My chest tightened instantly.
And then, before I could talk myself out of it, I gathered courage from God-knows-where, took a deep breath, grabbed the handle, and pushed the door open.
Without knocking.
Just like I’d been warned not to.
And I was right.
It was freaking Darien.
And his witch of a girlfriend.
On the bed.
She was half-dressed.
They were kissing.
God.
Time froze.
I couldn’t even explain the way my chest tightened, squeezing the air right out of my lungs.
I couldn’t believe it.
My vision blurred.
Then Darien pushed her away.
The second our eyes met, his eyes widened.
He looked shocked.
I was about to turn and leave when something caught my attention.
A picture frame hanging beside his bed.
And the person in it…
I knew him.
Or at least I thought I did.
He looked exactly like my father.
Just younger.
Much younger.
Oh.
My.
God.
Or maybe I was losing my mind.
I couldn’t connect the dots.
Why was that frame hanging there?
Why did everything somehow lead back to me?
Everything was becoming frustratingly complicated.
At this point, it would be completely accurate to say I’d jumped straight from the frying pan into the fire.
My head was still trying to figure out where I’d seen that little boy in the picture when her voice pulled my attention back.
“Oh, honey, I know you love them,” Soraya purred.
“Touch them. Suck on them. They’re all yours.”
I simply stared at her.
Speechless.
How shameless could one person be?
In my presence?
“Raya! Leave. Now.” Darien barked, like he hadn’t been enjoying himself two seconds ago.
The woman took her sweet time adjusting her clothes.
And honestly?
Forget what I said earlier.
She wasn’t beautiful anymore.
Not to me.
By the time she finished, her eyes were already locked on mine.
Dark.
Hard.
Cold.
She walked toward me, her heels clicking against the hardwood floor.
Then she stopped directly in front of me.
“Tell me, little girl…” she said, glaring down at me. “Have you ever heard of knocking?”
- Writer
