Riley's POV
The sunlight streaming through the gap in the curtains woke me. Stretching, I glanced around the opulent bedroom, still slightly disoriented. It was only a few days ago that I’d been living in my small, cramped apartment, and now… now I was waking up in Norman’s mansion, in his bed. The sheer scale of the change was still surreal. Norman had insisted I move in, claiming it was safer for me after what Kirk had done, and honestly, I hadn’t really argued. Part of me had been scared, yes, but a larger part had been… relieved. His presence, his strength, felt like a comforting shield against the lingering fear.
The room was silent. Too silent. I usually woke up to the sounds of the house slowly coming alive—the distant hum of the cleaning machines, the muted chatter of the maids.
