CHAPTER THREE
1750 Words
---
Adriana remained rooted to the spot, staring at the doorway long after Max disappeared.
Chris let out a low whistle.
"Ouch."
She turned to him.
"Does he always... talk like that?"
Chris scratched the back of his neck.
"That's actually one of his better days."
Her shoulders slumped.
"He said I should meet him in his room."
Chris's playful smile disappeared.
"For your own sanity..."
He hesitated.
"...don't argue with him."
---
The walk upstairs felt much longer than it really was.
The third floor was eerily quiet.
Unlike the rest of the mansion, which was filled with warmth and laughter, this wing felt...
Cold.
The dark wooden floors reflected the dim lights overhead.
Every door remained shut.
At the end of the hallway stood the largest room in the mansion.
She raised her trembling hand and knocked.
"Come in."
His deep voice carried through the door.
She swallowed hard before stepping inside.
The room looked less like a bedroom and more like the private office of a billionaire.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city.
Bookshelves lined one wall.
A sleek black desk occupied another.
Everything was perfectly arranged.
Everything except...
The man standing by the window.
His back was turned toward her.
He was in the middle of putting on a white shirt when she entered.
"You wanted to see me?"
He buttoned up his shirt to half, revealing his packs. He slowly turned around to face her.
"What happened this morning..."
Adriana lowered her head.
"I'm sorry."
"I wasn't talking about your apology."
Her brows knitted.
"I'm talking about your attitude."
She frowned.
"My attitude?"
"You raised your voice at my employee."
"He splashed muddy water all over me!"
"He was driving my car."
"And I was walking!"
Max folded his arms.
"That doesn't give you the right to yell."
She stared at him in disbelief.
"So I was supposed to thank him instead?"
A dangerous smile tugged at his lips.
"There it is."
"What?"
"The real you."
She blinked.
"What are you talking about?"
"The sweet, innocent orphan act disappears the moment something doesn't go your way."
Her chest tightened.
"I'm not pretending."
"No?"
He walked toward her.
Each step made her heartbeat faster.
"Girls like you always have a plan."
"I don't know girls like me."
He stopped directly in front of her.
"You came into this house for one reason."
"I didn't."
"The money."
"I didn't!"
"The Williams name."
"No!"
"My family's inheritance."
"I don't want any of it!"
Her voice echoed through the room.
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Max looked at her for several seconds before speaking again.
"If that's true..."
He opened a drawer.
A leather folder landed on the desk with a dull thud.
Inside were several printed sheets.
"What is this?"
"My rules."
She looked at him.
"...Rules?"
"If you're going to live under this roof, you'll follow every single one."
He pointed toward the paper.
"No entering my office."
"No touching my belongings.
"Do not speak to my brothers".
"Avoid any encounter with me."
"Do not try to impress me."
"Do not show your face at my company."
"No pretending to care about me in front of my mother."
Adriana's mouth slowly fell open.
"Excuse me?"
"And one last thing..."
His eyes met hers.
"If I ever find out you're trying to manipulate Chris or Alex to get closer to this family..."
He grabbed her by her waist. Pulling her closer to himself.
He leaned in just enough for his next words to sting.
"...you'll regret it."
She managed to free herself from his grip and reached for the stack of papers on his desk.
Then....
"Rrrrip"
The sound of tearing paper echoed through the room.
She let the pieces fall between them.
"I won't follow rules written by someone who refuses to see me as a human being."
Without another glance...
She turned toward the door.
She paused without looking back.
"I don't need your permission to breathe in this house."
The door slammed shut behind her.
---
Max remained motionless.
His eyes drifted to the torn pieces of paper scattered across his desk.
No one...
No one had ever dared speak to him that way.
His jaw clenched.
Instead of calming down...
He found himself smirking.
"Breathtakingly stubborn..."
He muttered under his breath.
Then his smile disappeared.
"It won't last."
---
Downstairs...
Adriana leaned against the wall, finally allowing herself to breathe.
"What kind of man is he?" she whispered.
"You'll find out."
She spun around.
Mrs. Martha stood in the hallway, carrying a tray of freshly baked cookies.
Her kind eyes softened.
"Master Max wasn't always like this."
Adriana frowned.
"What changed him?"
Martha sighed quietly.
"That's a story for another day."
She shoved the cookies in Adriana's face. Giving her a signal to take some.
"No, thank you, I'll be in my room".
She turned back around to leave for her room.
---
"Miss Adriana, Mrs Williams calls for you"
One of the housemaids had come to tell her.
She went to join her at the study.
"He said something cruel again, didn't he?"
Mrs Williams asked her,after they exchanged pleasantries.
Adriana smiled weakly.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Come with me,my child."
Mrs. Williams takes Adriana to her room.
She opens an old wooden box.
Inside it was photo albums.
Not just Williams family photos.
Also photos of Adriana as a baby.
Adriana freezes.
"How...?"
Mrs. Williams smiles.
"Your mother and I were inseparable."
Adriana stares softly as she sees her little self.
Her parents,
Young Mrs. Williams,
Young Mr. Williams,
Baby Max,
Baby Chris,
Baby Alex.
She noticed a partially faded photo where little Max age 11 is giving her a piggyback ride.She was just a toddler then.
Adriana laughs.
"That can't be Max."
Mrs. Williams laughs too.
"Oh, it is."
"He used to be the sweetest boy."
She glances through other photos, smiling.
"I was supposed to give this to you a long time ago."
Mrs. Williams gives Adriana a handwritten birthday card...
"It was written by your mother years ago."
"I was supposed to give you this on your 26th birthday,but,I want you to have it now."
"What's in it?"
Adriana curiously asked.
"You'll find out....."
---
Adriana returns upstairs.
She's smiling for the first time that day.
She passes Max's room.
The door is slightly open.
She leaned closer and hears him inside.
He's talking to someone on the phone.
His voice sounds cold.
"Find everything you can about Adriana Smith."
"I want every detail."
"I don't trust her."
Adriana stops walking.
Her smile disappears, allowing her emotion take over her face.
She realizes,he hasn't stopped investigating her, and he truly believes she's here for his money.....
---
Adriana's room
Adriana closed the bedroom door behind her with a weary sigh.
"What a day."
Her phone vibrated.
A smile spread across her face when she saw the caller ID.
Zoe.
Her best friend since secondary school.
She answered immediately.
"Zoe......."
"Don't talk."
Her friend's voice sounded breathless.
"Just check your phone."
Adriana frowned.
"What happened?"
"I said don't ask questions."
There was a pause.
Then Zoe spoke again, her voice trembling.
"Open Fifth Line."
Adriana's smile slowly disappeared.
"What are you talking about?"
"Please..."
Another pause.
"...just promise me you won't panic."
Her stomach tightened.
Without another word, the call ended.
Confused, Adriana opened Fifth Line,the campus gossip app.
Almost immediately...
Her phone buzzed again.
A message from Zoe appeared.
Zoe: Don't read the comments if you're not ready.
Adriana's heart skipped a beat.
She stared at the screen.
Her thumb hovered over the trending post at the very top.
The title alone was enough to drain the color from her face.
She swallowed hard.
"No..."
With trembling fingers...
She tapped it.....
---
- Writer
