Chapter 3: The Devil's Mansion.
994 Words
Chapter 3: The Devil's Mansion
Ava spent the entire ride glaring out of the window.
The city lights blurred past as the black luxury car moved through the nearly empty streets, while the silence inside the vehicle grew more uncomfortable with every passing minute.
Nobody spoke.
Not Ethan.
Not the bodyguards.
Not even the driver.
It was as if everyone had agreed that silence was the safest option.
Ava hated it.
She shifted in her seat and stole a glance at Ethan, who sat across from her with a tablet in his hand, calmly reading through documents as though he hadn't been attacked less than an hour ago.
The man was unbelievable.
"Do you ever relax?" she suddenly asked.
Ethan didn't look up.
"No."
"That's not healthy."
"I wasn't asking for medical advice."
Ava rolled her eyes.
"There it is."
"There what is?"
"The arrogance."
This time Ethan looked up.
His expression was completely blank.
"You're still talking?"
Ava gasped dramatically.
"Excuse me?"
The bodyguard sitting beside her lowered his head, pretending not to hear the conversation.
Ethan returned his attention to the tablet.
For the next ten minutes, Ava spent her time imagining different ways to throw it out of the window.
Finally, the car slowed down.
Ava looked outside and immediately froze.
Massive iron gates stood before them.
The gates slowly opened, revealing a long driveway lined with perfectly trimmed hedges and fountains illuminated by elegant lights.
Her eyes widened.
The driveway alone looked bigger than the neighborhood where she lived.
The car continued moving.
And moving.
And moving.
"Why is the driveway so long?" she muttered.
One of the bodyguards smiled slightly.
"We're almost there."
"Almost?"
Ava stared at him.
"What do you mean almost?"
A few seconds later, the mansion finally came into view.
Ava's mouth fell open.
The building looked less like a house and more like a palace.
Its enormous windows reflected the lights surrounding the property, while the elegant architecture made everything appear impossibly expensive.
For a moment, Ava forgot to breathe.
Then she remembered who she was sitting beside.
"I'm charging rent for looking at this," she said.
Ethan ignored her completely.
The car stopped.
Several staff members immediately appeared at the entrance.
Ava watched in disbelief as they lined up neatly.
Were they expecting a king?
Ethan stepped out first.
The staff instantly lowered their heads.
"Good evening, sir."
Ava followed him out of the car.
Nobody greeted her.
Which was fine.
She didn't want to be here anyway.
As she climbed the stairs, she couldn't help staring at the massive chandelier hanging from the ceiling inside the entrance hall.
It was probably worth more than everything she and her grandfather owned combined.
"Stop looking around like that."
Ava turned toward Ethan.
"Like what?"
"Like you're planning to steal something."
Her jaw dropped.
"Excuse me?"
"I've seen that look before."
Ava couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"You brought me here against my will, insulted me three times, and now you're accusing me of theft?"
"You seem offended."
"I am offended!"
For the first time, one of the older housekeepers struggled to hide a smile.
Nobody had ever spoken to Ethan this way.
Nobody.
Ethan removed his suit jacket.
"Take her to the guest room."
A young maid immediately nodded.
"Yes, sir."
Ava crossed her arms.
"I'm not staying."
"You are."
"I'm leaving tomorrow."
"We'll discuss that tomorrow."
"We're not discussing anything."
Ethan stopped walking.
Slowly, he turned toward her.
His patience was hanging by a thread.
Ava could practically see it.
"Miss Carter."
"What?"
"If you continue arguing with me, neither of us will sleep tonight."
"That's your problem."
"No," Ethan replied calmly. "It's yours."
Ava opened her mouth to argue again.
Then immediately closed it.
Because, annoyingly enough, he was right.
She was exhausted.
The maid stepped forward nervously.
"Miss Carter, if you would follow me..."
Ava glared at Ethan one last time.
"This isn't over."
A few bodyguards looked horrified.
Ethan simply nodded.
"I know."
The maid quickly led Ava upstairs.
Several minutes later, she entered a guest room larger than her entire apartment.
Ava stood frozen.
The bed was enormous.
The furniture looked expensive.
The bathroom looked like something from a luxury hotel.
"This is ridiculous," she whispered.
The maid smiled.
"If you need anything, please let us know."
The door closed behind her.
For the first time since the attack, Ava was finally alone.
She sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled out her phone.
Her grandfather had called twelve times.
Guilt immediately washed over her.
Quickly, she called him back.
The phone rang twice before he answered.
"Ava!"
Relief flooded his voice.
"Grandpa, I'm okay."
"Where are you?"
Ava looked around the luxurious room.
Good question.
She honestly had no idea.
"I'm... safe."
There was a pause.
"Ava."
She sighed.
"I'll explain everything tomorrow."
After reassuring him several times, she finally ended the call.
Then she lay back on the bed.
The mattress was so soft it felt unreal.
Her eyes slowly drifted toward the ceiling.
What had started as a normal trip to the grocery store had somehow ended inside the mansion of the most arrogant man she had ever met.
And something told her things were only going to get worse from here.
Meanwhile, across the mansion, Ethan stood inside his office while one of his most trusted men delivered a report.
"The attacker who escaped still hasn't been found."
Ethan's expression darkened.
"Find him."
"We're trying."
"Try harder."
The room fell silent.
Then Ethan glanced toward the security monitor showing the hallway outside Ava's room.
His bodyguard noticed.
"You don't trust her?"
Ethan looked away.
"No."
The bodyguard frowned.
"Then why bring her here?"
For several seconds, Ethan didn't answer.
Because he wasn't entirely sure himself.
All he knew was that Ava Carter had already become the biggest complication in his life.
And she had only been in it for a few hours.
- Writer
