Enemies To Endgame

CHAPTER 5:GHOST FROM THE PAST

CHAPTER 5

RILEY

The Oxnard mansion was a place to make people microscopic. It was so huge. The big mansion: golden gates, marbled floor, a big water fountain, and a yard the size of a farm.

It was more than I could describe. My jaw kept hanging in the air the more I walked. I hadn't even realised I was at the front door until the maid interrupted my thoughts.

She opened the door and led me to a library, the size of a museum. This was supposed to be a home library. It looked like art figures should be displayed here or something.

The maid led me to one of the chairs, a table in the centre. “Mr Oxnard would be down to join you shortly. Do you need anything: drinks or water?”

I shook my head slowly. “No, thank you.”

She nodded, “I'd be just right outside if you need me.”

She left soon after, leaving me in the awe gripping library. It wasn't hard to get into the mansion, especially since they recognized me. I'm guessing Dylan told them about me before I arrived.

I looked around the library, admiring it. I couldn't help but get up and explore all the books in it. Just the architecture of the library was enough to have me hooked.

“Roaming around now, are we? Ashford.”

My body stiffened. It was like I had been caught in a trance. I hated how my body reacted to him, especially since I was supposed to hate him. He's mare my life nothing but torture.

But there was just something about the way he called my name. The way it rolled off his lips so easily.

Snap out of it.

I took a deep breath. In and out. Then turned to look at him. My breath caught—-he was dressed in grey sweatpants that hung low on his waist and a black tee that wrapped around his body perfectly, displaying those chest muscles and biceps for my eyes to feed on.

“Take a picture. It lasts longer.”

I was immediately brought back to reality, and wished I could wipe off that smug face. But I just composed myself instead and returned to the chair.

“Are we going to get the project ready?”

“Or are you going to stand there looking handsome?” I ached to say.

I had to bite down hard on my lips, to stop those words from slipping out. He sat on the chair next to me and I immediately went into focus mode.

I brought out my laptop and for the next fifteen minutes, I was discussing my research and the basis of it—through highlights. Then I suddenly looked up and found him staring at me with an intense gaze.

My chest tightened. “What are you looking at?”

“You.”

I felt a summersault In my stomach—f**k.

I hated that feeling so much. I ignored his intense gaze, and continued with my project. I wasn't going to let him distract me one bit.

Then suddenly I felt his hands on my hair, I tilted my head to look at him and saw him putting loose strands of my hair back in place. My heart stopped beating for a second there.

“Now I get to see your gorgeous face,” he whispered.

What is this switch up?

We kept working in that stupid big study for hours and hours. I kept waiting for Dylan to pull some prank or say something mean but he was actually crazy smart.

Like he knew everything without even looking it up. I hated how he was good at this. We argued about dumb dates and stuff but somehow we got so much done. It was annoying.

The AC was freezing my butt off and I was trying not to shiver too much but of course he noticed. He didn’t say anything, just grabbed his blazer from the chair and dropped it on my shoulders like it was nothing. It was warm from him and smelled like his cologne and I hated that it felt nice.

We kept reaching for the same pen or book and our fingers kept touching by accident. Every time we both just froze for a second before pretending it didn’t happen.

He kept calling me Ashford the whole time until one time he just said “Riley” real soft and we both stopped breathing. I looked at him and he looked at me and my heart was doing stupid flips.

Then the front door slammed so loud the whole house shook. Heavy footsteps. Some man yelling about business or whatever.

Then he walked in. Jim Sinclair

I knew that face. From prison visits. From old pictures Mom hid. From every bad dream I ever had.

My chest went tight. I couldn’t breathe right. Everything got blurry. I think I said something about the bathroom but I don’t even remember. I just ran.

I barely made it to the bathroom before my legs gave out. Locked the door and slid down to the floor. I was shaking so bad and trying to breathe but it wasn’t working. My hands wouldn’t stop trembling.

I stayed in there forever trying to calm down. When I finally came out, Dylan was standing right there looking all worried. Actually worried. I never saw him look like that before.

“Riley what happened?” he asked real soft like I was gonna break.

I lied bad. “Claustrophobic,” I mumbled looking at the floor.

He didn’t believe me I could tell but he didn’t push. I just wanted to grab my stuff and get out. I walked super fast to the front door trying not to run.

I just saw the guy who destroyed our whole life. Everything just broke inside me. I heard Dylan say my name behind me but it sounded far away. I didn’t think. I just ran.

Dropped my bag, kicked my shoes off, ran barefoot out the big doors, past the gates, into the street. It was pouring rain now but I didn’t care. I just kept running till my feet hurt and I couldn’t breathe.

I heard him chasing me. “Riley! Wait! RILEY!”

I didn’t stop. Called a cab with shaky fingers and jumped in soon as it came. Last thing I saw was Dylan standing in the rain holding his soaked blazer, yelling my name like it hurt him bad.

He looked like someone just took his whole world away. I didn’t care anymore.

Not one bit.