Never Truly Mine

Chapter 5: Crossing the Threshold

The gates clicked shut behind the sedan. Two guards in uniforms stood at the entrance. They watched the car pass with their eyes hidden behind sunglasses. The vehicle rolled up a long winding driveway lined with trees. It stopped in front of a gray stone house. The driver got out, opened my door and handed me my single canvas duffel bag. He got back in the car. Drove toward the garage without saying a word.

I stood on the gravel driveway. I clutched the strap of my bag. The house looked like a fortress. It had lines, huge glass windows and a massive oak front door. It looked like a building designed to keep the rest of the world out.

The front door opened before I could reach for the handle. An older woman with hair pulled tightly into a bun stood in the foyer. She wore a black dress and a white apron. Her face was completely stiff. She looked down at my sneakers and the frayed edges of my duffel bag. Her eyes narrowed.

"I am Mrs. Calloway, the head housekeeper, " she said. Her voice was sharp and formal. "Mr. Knight instructed me to get you settled. Follow me."

I stepped onto the white marble floor. The sound of my sneakers squeaked loudly in the space. The ceilings were incredibly high. They made me feel tiny. Mrs. Calloway did not wait for me. She turned right. I walked up a massive stone staircase.

We walked down a hallway on the second floor. The walls were lined with wood paneling. The doors were all closed. Mrs. Calloway stopped in front of a door at the very end of the hall.

"This is the wing, " she said. "The guest suites are located here. Your belongings from your apartment have already been. Placed in the wardrobe."

She pushed the door open. A large bedroom was revealed. It had a king- bed with white sheets, a dark wood dresser and a large window looking out over the back lawn. The room was beautiful. It felt cold.

"Mr. Knight requires order in this house, " Mrs. Calloway continued. She crossed her arms over her apron. "The staff has a schedule preparing for the Hargrove merger events this week. Do not ring for service unless it is an emergency. We do not have time to accommodate requests."

I set my duffel bag on the floor by the bed. "I don't need any help. I can take care of myself."

Mrs. Calloway did not smile. "Dinner is served at seven o'clock in the formal dining room downstairs. Mr. Knight dislikes tardiness. If you are not at the table on time the kitchen will clear the plates."

She turned on her heel. I walked out. She closed the door firmly behind her.

I sat on the edge of the mattress. The mattress was incredibly soft. My muscles felt completely rigid. I looked at the wardrobe across the room. I walked over. Opened the doors. My small collection of faded jeans, pharmacy smocks and old sweaters hung on the side. On the side sat three expensive designer garment bags that I had never seen before.

I closed the wardrobe doors. I walked out into the hallway. I wanted to see the layout of the house before dinner. As I walked past the staircase two young maids in identical grey uniforms came around the corner carrying fresh linens. They froze when they saw me. They stepped against the wall to let me pass. Their heads were bowed.

As soon as I walked a few steps past them their voices drifted down the corridor in quiet sharp whispers.

"That's her, " one of them whispered. "The hostess from the club."

"I heard her father is dying in a ward, " the other one muttered. Her tone was dripping with scorn. "She probably tracked Damien for months just to get her hands on the allocation. It's disgusting. She doesn't even know which fork to use."

I kept walking. My jaw was clenched tightly. My face burned with heat.. I did not turn around.

At seven o'clock I walked into the formal dining room on the ground floor. A long mahogany table took up the center of the space. Damien Knight sat at the head of the table. He had already taken off his suit jacket. He was wearing a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. He was looking at his phone. His sharp features were illuminated by the light of the screen.

I took a seat at the end of the long table. The distance between us stretched out like an ocean. Damien didn't look up when the maids served the food. We ate in suffocating silence. The only sound in the room was the scrape of silver against porcelain.

When the maids finally cleared the plates and left the room Damien set his phone down. He stood up from his chair. He walked down the length of the table. His footsteps were silent on the rug. He stopped beside my chair. He towered over me.

"The press briefing is scheduled for eight o'clock tomorrow morning at the headquarters, " Damien said. His voice was a quiet baritone. "The Hargrove legal team will be present. I need you to alert Ava. Your face will be on every network by noon."

I looked up at him. I forced my expression to stay neutral. "I'll be ready."

"Good, " he said. He leaned down slightly. His hands rested on the back of the chair next to mine. His dark gray eyes locked onto my face. They were cold and completely unyielding.

"Lets reinforce the parameters of your stay " he said. "The west wing, the dining room and the main terrace are your boundaries. The east wing of this estate is my property. My office and my personal quarters are behind a security lock. You are strictly forbidden from crossing into that wing."

"I remember the contract, Damien, " I said. My voice was steady. "I have no desire to go into your space."

"Make sure you don't " Damien warned. His eyes narrowed. "My security network tracks every motion inside this house. If the logs show your profile anywhere near the east wing corridor it counts as an immediate breach of contract. I will cancel the arrangement. I will terminate the five-million-dollar payout. I will pull the funding for your fathers recovery program before the press briefing even begins."

He stood up straight. His face was completely devoid of mercy. He turned on his heel. I walked out of the dining room. He left me alone in the quiet space.

Midnight arrived. The estate was dead silent. I lay flat on my back in the bed in the west wing. I stared at the ceiling. The heavy curtains blocked out the moonlight. The room was pitch black. I couldn't sleep. My body was exhausted.. My mind was spinning in circles.

I turned onto my side. I looked at my hand resting on the white sheet. The massive emerald-cut diamond ring glittered in the light. It felt heavy. It felt like a metal shackle dragging my arm down. I thought about my dad sleeping in the private recovery unit at Crescent Medical. I hoped the surgery was working. I hoped his heart was getting stronger.

The screen of my phone lit up on the nightstand. The sharp vibration cut through the silence of the room. It made me gasp.

My heart hammered against my ribs. I reached out. Grabbed the device. The screen showed a message from a number.

I opened the text. My breath caught tightly in my throat as I read the words.

"The surgery was a success, Ava " the text said. "Your father is currently stable because of my trust clearance. The debt is officially active. Now it is time to perform your side of the transaction. Damien Knight has a study in the forbidden east wing. Get past the security lock tonight. I need the file directory for the Hargrove merger sent to this server by dawn. Do not make me remind you what happens to your fathers medication rotation if you fail."

The phone screen went dark. The room plunged back into blackness. I sat up in bed. My hands were shaking violently. Victor Kane's threat echoed in my head.

The east wing was off-limits. Damien’s security system was tracking everything. If I stayed in this room Victor would kill my father. If I crossed the threshold into the corridor Damien would ruin me.

I slid my feet out of bed. The cold floor hit my skin. I realized I had to choose my poison before the sun came up.