The Kingsley Obsession

Katherine Bennett knew all too well what Damian Kingsley must think of her. A gold digger. The daughter of the one who married his billionaire father. An interloper. And he had yet to meet her. Her stomach twisted as the enormous wrought iron gates opened up before her. Next to her, her mother radiated with excitement. "Look at that." Katherine turned to see. The sprawling mansion loomed upon a hill that overlooked the city. No ordinary house. More like a kingdom. Glass windows glinted under lights reflecting from afar while fountains shone brightly against the backdrop of twinkling stars. Money was screaming in front of Katherine. Money that she only saw in magazines. Now, she was expected to call it home. "I can still back out," Katherine murmured. Elaine giggled. "No, you can't." "You watch me." "Katherine." "I am." Her mother sighed. "You have made this promise." Katherine glanced out the window again. A promise. Exactly what made her nervous. Because it was not just moving to a new house. It was stepping foot in another world. One she did not belong to. A world belonging to the Kingsleys. And the future ruler of that kingdom already despised her. The vehicle came to a halt. Katherine's stomach tensed. The gates to the mansion were flung wide open. A man appeared. And for a moment, Katherine forgot how to breathe. Black shirt. Dark pants. Wide shoulders. Tall enough to instill fear just by walking down those steps. He descended from the front porch with ease. The ease of someone who got everything he ever wanted effortlessly. Until he fixed his gaze on her. Those cold blue eyes locked with hers through the window. It happened instantly. Succinctly. Suddenly. And dangerously. Each sense Katherine possessed screamed the same thing to her. Stay away from him. Unfortunately, she didn't have that luxury. "That's Damian," Elaine said softly. Of course it was. No other person could ever look that threatening. The driver opened Katherine's door. The cool wind played along her face as she got out. For a brief moment, neither one spoke. Only looked at each other. Damian stared at her with the air of an analytical eye. She raised her chin proudly. If he was trying to make her uncomfortable, he would not succeed. Then Richard Kingsley arrived after some minutes. Unlike the other members of the family, he looked happy. "There you are." He hugged Elaine affectionately before turning towards Katherine. "Katherine, welcome back." Back home. That sounded silly. But still, she smiled nicely. "Thanks." Damian did not say anything. However, his silence seemed more noticeable than anyone else’s speech. For the entire journey to the castle, she could hear his scrutinizing eyes watching her. Evaluating. Judging. It was starting to annoy her. Even the interior of the castle looked ridiculous. Marble floors. Chandeliers made of crystal. Stairs that should belong to a palace. Katherine suddenly felt inadequately dressed despite wearing one of her best dresses. The Kingsleys were people from another planet. Neither did dinner seem impressive. While Richard and Elaine conducted all the talk, Damian sat quietly across her table without talking to anyone. He ate little, if anything. And never once looked anywhere else but her eyes. Inevitably, there came a point where she could no longer ignore the tension. "What?" she asked after a moment. Silence ensued. Richard nearly choked on his wine. Elaine looked shocked. Damian simply sat back in his chair. Not a muscle moved in his face. "You look uncomfortable." Katherine smiled. "You're staring at me." "You're in my house." The words grated her nerves. My house. Our house. Dad's house. His house. Setting down her fork, Katherine turned toward Damian. "And?" A muscle in his jaw twitched. "And I get uncomfortable around strangers." She felt herself bristle at the subtle accusation. Strangers. "Not for twenty minutes," she shot back sweetly. For the first time in what seemed like hours, something sparked in Damian's eyes. Interest. Only the slightest glimmer, but Katherine was grateful to have caught even that. Quickly changing the subject, Richard saved her from further conflict. But the tension continued nonetheless. As did Katherine. Seeking out the balcony, she stepped out into the cool night air. Looking down over the skyline spread out before her, Katherine felt her muscles relax for the first time all evening. "You tend to run away." Closing her eyes, Katherine listened. Sure. Damian. She turned around. He was leaning against the door frame, his hand stuffed into his pocket. Staring at her. As usual. "Do you show up every time when nobody invites you?" His lips barely moved. Almost. "No." "Good." Silence. The odd thing was, it wasn’t awkward. Neither was it pleasant. It was tense. Like standing too close to the edge of the cliff. "You don't like me." The truth slipped through her teeth. Damian didn’t refute it. Or even flinch. "No." Her breath hitched. She knew most people would have denied it or lied through their teeth. Not Damian. "Why?" His eyes bore into hers. Thanks to the darkness surrounding them, they looked even colder. "Because people always want something from my family." It hit home right on the mark. Katherine’s lungs clenched. "Do you really believe that I want something from you?" "That everyone wants." They remained quiet for a while. Then Katherine laughed. Not in amusement. In disbelief. "I find that quite ironic." Damian frowned. "What?" "Why?" "I was just saying the same about you." His expression changed. Unexpectedly. Startled. For the first time tonight, Katherine found herself surprising him. And for some strange reason... She liked it. Too much. The breeze picked up, blowing strands of her hair. Neither of them looked away from each other. Neither of them moved. There was a definite electricity between them. But then Damian abruptly took one step forward. Just one. It was all he needed. Because Katherine could feel her heart betraying her. His eyes fell on her lips, then moved back to meet hers. An ominous silence loomed between them. "Katherine." Hearing her name come from his mouth was disconcerting for her. "Yes?" Her jaw clenched. As if he were having an internal fight. As if he wanted to tell her something but despised the fact. He finally let out a breath. And then he told her the last thing she ever would've imagined. "You should leave." Katherine blinked. "What?" "I heard you, Katherine." Rage filled her at once. "Pardon me?" "The house." He never broke eye contact with her. "You need to get out of here now." For a few moments, Katherine only stared at him. Then she laughed. A real laugh for once. It was because she knew that the threat made zero sense. "What exactly should I be afraid of?" The look in Damian's eyes got darker. He answered so softly that she nearly didn't hear. "I am." Before Katherine could say anything, Damian started walking back into the house. She stood alone on the balcony. Heart racing. And horrified when she realized something new. She actually believed him.