Lines Drawn
872 Words
Chapter Two
Anna Rivera's fingers tightened around the mop handle as she stood in the corridor outside the Montgomery drawing room. She had just finished polishing the marble tiles, but her hands were shaking—not from exhaustion, but from the impossible conversation still echoing in her ears.
Marriage?!
Her? To Ethan Montgomery?
She stared blankly at her reflection in the hallway mirror. The young woman looked back at what she wore, nothing expensive, just faded jeans, scuffed trainers, a dark braid slung over one shoulder. She looked exactly like what she was: a cleaner, a student, a girl clawing her way through college by scrubbing other people's homes.
Not a wife. Not a CEO's wife.
The door opened behind her. Anna turned instinctively as Ethan stepped out. His black shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, the sleeves pushed up to his forearms, revealing a silver watch and a line of muscle that should not have looked so good on someone so infuriating.
He didn't acknowledge her at first. Just walked past, slow and deliberate, like she wasn't even there. But just as he reached the grand staircase, he spoke without looking.
"I don't care what arrangement my mother thinks she can force. You and I, we're not happening."
Anna let out a breath through her nose. "You think I want to marry a man who doesn't even say hello to the help?"
That got him. He stopped. Turned. Eyes sharp like flint.
"You've had your place in this house," he said. "Don't mistake kindness from my mother as a promotion."
Anna crossed her arms. "Funny, because I was about to say the same thing. Don't mistake your last name for actual decency."
His jaw clenched. For a second, something flickered across his face, surprise, maybe even amusement, but it was gone in a flash, replaced by the cold mask he wore like tailored armor.
"You're good at fighting," he said.
"Comes with growing up broke," she replied evenly. "You learn early not to let people walk all over you."
"I'll give you that."
Anna blinked, caught off guard.
"But don't misread the situation," Ethan added. "You're only here because of my father's will. That's it."
"And yet," she said with a soft smile, "it's your empire that might crumble if I walk away."
They stood there, both refusing to blink. Then a voice interrupted.
"Ethan," Vivian Montgomery said, emerging from the study, "your fiancée has work to do. And you have a wedding to prepare for."
Ethan turned to his mother. "This isn't a game."
"No," she said calmly, "it's legacy. And legacy is never for the weak."
Anna left without another word, retreating toward the kitchen. She needed space, air, as well as the time to think.
She ducked into the laundry room, where she found Sam Whitaker, her closest friend in the house, sorting clean linens with headphones in. The room smelled of lavender and starch.
"Hey," she said quietly.
Sam glanced up, removing one earbud. "You look like you saw a ghost."
"Worse," Anna muttered, dropping onto a stool. "I'm trying to understand the whole situation."
Sam paused. "What could that be, dear?"
She told him everything. Vivian's announcement. Ethan's outrage. The will.
When she finished, Sam just stared at her for a long moment, then said, "Well, damn. That's extreme."
"I know," she whispered.
"You're going to marry him?"
Anna looked down at her hands. "I don't know. But if I say no, the board takes over. That company meant a lot to his father, and Mrs. Montgomery has been more than kind to me."
Sam gave a low whistle. "So this is bigger than just you and him."
"Exactly."
Sam stood, walked over, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Then whatever you decide, I've got your back. Always."
Anna smiled faintly, touched by his loyalty. "Thank you."
At that moment, a sharp sound echoed outside the laundry room, raised voices.
Anna opened the door a c***k and peeked out.
Grace, Ethan's girlfriend.
Dressed in an emerald dress that fit her like a second skin, Grace Bancroft stood at the base of the stairs, clutching a handbag that cost more than Anna's semester tuition.
She was arguing with Ethan.
"Don't do this, Ethan," Grace hissed. "Marrying some charity case? This isn't you."
"It's not your concern anymore," Ethan replied flatly.
"I gave you five years," Grace snapped. "I was there for every board meeting, every family gala, every time your father compared you to your perfect brother."
"You were there for the perks," he said, voice sharp.
Anna should have walked away. But she didn't. She couldn't.
Grace's words sliced through the hallway like a knife.
"I won't be replaced by some cleaner, never!!. And if your little orphan bride thinks this house will protect her, she's in for a rude awakening."
Ethan's voice dropped, cold and lethal. "Don't test me, Grace."
"Oh, I plan to." Anna backed away from the door, her breath caught in her throat. Sam looked at her, eyebrows raised.
"What?" he whispered.
"I think I just became a target," she whispered back.
And for the first time since the day started, Anna Rivera felt something worse than fear.
She felt hunted.
- Writer
