Drake stepped into the mansion, greeted by the familiar stillness. It wasn’t unexpected—this place, despite housing several people, often felt like a ghost town. Most of them were too caught up in their own lives to be here outside weekends. To them, the mansion was just a bed to crash in. Some didn’t come back at all when work swallowed them whole.
As he strode down the hallway toward his room, his thoughts flickered to Samantha. Was she asleep? It was late—too late, really. She should be.
He pushed open the door, and then—pause.
She wasn’t asleep.
She was sitting on the bed, completely absorbed in a book. The soft glow of the bedside lamp cast a warm halo around her, catching in her hair.
Drake lingered in the doorway, watching her, the sight throwing him off for a moment.
Was she
