007

Elara

The mansion was quiet, but it didn’t feel peaceful.

It was the kind of silence that sat heavy in the air, thick with tension, like something was waiting to go wrong.

I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the suitcase I still hadn’t unpacked. Exhaustion pressed against my skull, but sleep wasn’t an option—not yet.

This was only my first night here, and Xander Blackborne had already made one thing clear.

He was going to make my life hell.

I let out a slow breath, rubbing the back of my neck. I had worked with difficult patients before, but he was something else. Rude, sharp-tongued, impossible to deal with.

But more than that, he was angry.

Not just at me. Not just at his situation. At everything.

Most patients struggled after an injury. They lashed out when they realized they had to rely on someone else. But Xander? He wasn’t just struggling—he was fighting like hell against it, like accepting help would be worse than losing his sight.

A sharp knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts.

My lips pulled into a frown, It was late.

When I opened it, one of the maids stood there, shifting on her feet uncomfortably.

“Miss Jones,” she said hesitantly. “Mr. Blackborne won’t eat.”

Of course he wouldn’t.

I exhaled through my nose. “I’ll handle it.”

The maid looked relieved as she scurried away, leaving me to make the familiar walk to Xander’s room.

The door was cracked open, and as I got closer, I heard his sharp voice from inside.

“I said, get out.”

A second later, the door swung open, a different maid stumbled past me, her eyes wide as she practically ran down the hall.

I pushed open the door without knocking.

Xander sat in his wheelchair, facing the massive window like he could actually see outside. His posture was tense, his jaw locked tight, his hands gripping the armrests like he was barely keeping himself together.

He didn’t acknowledge me.

“You should eat,” I said, shutting the door behind me.

Nothing.

“You haven’t had anything all day.”

Still nothing.

I crossed my arms. “So, what? This is how it’s going to be? Sitting here, pretending I don’t exist?”

His fingers twitched slightly against the armrests.

“I don’t need a nurse breathing down my neck,” he muttered.

“No, you just need someone to clean up the mess when you start breaking things out of frustration.”

His grip on the chair tightened, his knuckles going white.

I didn’t give him a chance to argue. I grabbed the tray from the nightstand and set it beside him.

“You can eat on your own, or I’ll help you,” I said. “Your choice.”

His head snapped toward me. “I’m not a child.”

“Then stop acting like one.”

Silence.

For a second, I thought he might actually throw the tray just to prove a point.

But then, without a word, he picked up the fork.

I stayed quiet, watching as he fumbled slightly before finally managing a bite. It wasn’t graceful, but at least he was eating.

Then another bite.

Then—

His hand jerked, and the glass of water beside him crashed to the floor.

The sharp sound of shattering glass cut through the silence.

I stepped forward immediately. “Don’t move.”

“I’m fine,” Xander snapped.

I ignored him, crouching down to pick up the larger shards. “Breaking things won’t make you any less blind, you know.”

His fists clenched. “You really don’t know when to shut up, do you?”

I let out a dry, humorless chuckle. “What, are you going to glare at me? Oh, wait.”

He went perfectly still.

For a split second, I wondered if I had gone too far.

But instead of snapping at me, he tilted his head slightly in my direction, like he was studying me. Like he was trying to see me without actually seeing me.

Interesting.

I stood, brushing off my hands. “I’ll have someone bring another glass.”

He didn’t respond.

I turned toward the door, ready to leave, but just as I reached for the handle, his voice stopped me.

“Why did you take this job?”

I glanced over my shoulder. “Excuse me?”

He was still in the same position, but something about his posture felt different now—sharper.

“I know you’re not here out of kindness,” he said flatly. “So why?”

I hesitated.

I could have lied. Said something about responsibility, duty.

But something about the way he asked made me pause.

I exhaled. “I needed the money.”

There was a beat of silence before he let out a low, humorless chuckle.

“Of course.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.”

His smirk said otherwise

And for some reason his response infuriated me more than no response at all..

I gritted my teeth in annoyance, turning back toward the door. “Goodnight, Mr. Blackborne.”

This time, he did not stop me.

But just as my hand touched the doorknob.

“I don't trust you”

I froze, his words holding me in place.

Slowly, I turned back to face him. “What?”

He didn’t move.

“I don’t trust anyone,” he said evenly. “Especially people who pretend they don’t have something to hide.”

A chill ran down my spine.

He didn’t know.

He couldn’t know.

Still, the way he said it made my skin crawl.

I forced a smirk. “You should get some sleep, Mr. Blackborne.”

Then, without waiting for a reply, I walked out, shutting the door behind me with a soft thud.

But even as I made my way back to my room, his words rubbed me in some type of way, sticking to my mind like glue.

Not because they scared me.

But because, for the first time since stepping into this house. I wondered if he was the one hiding something.

Even then, a thought struck my mind as i realised that i didn't know anything about the man even though i live with him now.

My mind rang with a different question;

“Who is Xander Blackborne?”