chapter 10

The night was restless. I tossed and turned in the oversized bed, haunted by dreams that made no sense but left me with a lingering heat I couldn’t shake. Every time I closed my eyes, it was him—those silver-gray eyes, the sharp cut of his jaw, the way he seemed to fill the room with his sheer presence. It was maddening, and I hated it.

By morning, I was bleary-eyed but determined not to let him invade my thoughts any longer. I threw on a simple dress and a cardigan, tying my red hair into a loose braid. Staying cooped up in the house only made my mind wander, so I decided to take a walk.

The grounds were beautiful—vast gardens, towering trees, and perfectly trimmed hedges. It felt like stepping into a different world, one that didn’t belong to the man who seemed to thrive on chaos. My body still felt sluggish, the strange heat in my chest lingering from the moment he touched me last. I shook the thought away.

I followed the gravel path through the gardens, clutching a book I’d grabbed from the library. I wasn’t planning on reading it—I just needed something to occupy my hands.

As I rounded a corner, I heard voices. At first, I ignored them, assuming it was just the staff, but then a sharp bark of laughter broke through the air. My steps faltered. That laugh didn’t belong to anyone I recognized.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I crept closer to the sound. Hidden behind a tall hedge, I peeked through the leaves. Alaric was standing with two men I’d never seen before. One was tall and wiry, with a crooked smile that didn’t reach his eyes. The other was shorter, stocky, and had a scar running down the side of his face.

Even from where I stood, I could feel the tension in the air.

“This isn’t what we agreed on,” Alaric said, his voice cold and sharp.

The wiry man raised his hands in mock innocence. “Relax, Moretti. It was a misunderstanding.”

Alaric took a step closer, and I could see the way the other man’s confidence wavered. “A misunderstanding that cost me time and resources. You think I have patience for games?”

The scarred man stepped forward, his tone gruff. “No disrespect, but you’ve been... distracted lately. People are starting to talk.”

My breath caught in my throat.

Alaric’s expression didn’t change, but the shift in his posture was subtle and terrifying. “You’re dangerously close to overstepping,” he said, his voice low and calm—the kind of calm that made my skin crawl.

The wiry man held up a folder. “We’ve got everything cleaned up. No loose ends. Thought you’d appreciate that.”

Alaric snatched the folder without another word, flipping through its contents. His jaw clenched as he read, and for a moment, I thought he was going to explode. But instead, he closed the folder, handed it back, and turned his icy gaze on the men.

“Get out,” he said simply.

The two men exchanged a glance, but neither dared argue. They left quickly, their footsteps fading into the distance.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, only to freeze when I saw Alaric’s head turn in my direction.

“Come out,” he said, his voice cutting through the air like a blade.

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding in my chest. How had he seen me? Slowly, I stepped out from behind the hedge, clutching the book to my chest like it could somehow shield me.

His eyes narrowed as he looked me over. “Spying...again?”

“No,” I said quickly. “I was just... I heard voices, and I was curious.”

“Curious,” he repeated, his tone laced with skepticism.

“I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop,” I added, though the words felt hollow.

He took a step closer, and I felt my pulse skyrocket. “You have a habit of being where you shouldn’t be.”

I wanted to argue, but the intensity in his gaze stole the words from my mouth. Instead, I stood there, rooted to the spot as he closed the distance between us.

“What did you hear?” he asked, his voice low.

“Nothing,” I lied.

His eyes darkened, and I knew he didn’t believe me.

“Vanessa,” he said, my name rolling off his tongue like a warning.

I flinched, clutching the book tighter. “Fine. I heard you arguing with those men. Something about a misunderstanding.”

His lips pressed into a thin line, and for a moment, I thought he might explode. But instead, he let out a harsh breath and ran a hand through his hair.

“You shouldn’t have been there,” he said finally.

“I wasn’t trying to—”

“It doesn’t matter,” he interrupted. “This isn’t a game, Vanessa. People like them... they wouldn’t think twice about hurting you.”

The raw edge in his voice caught me off guard. It wasn’t concern, exactly, but something close to it.

“I can take care of myself,” I said stubbornly.

His eyes flashed with something I couldn’t name. “No, you can’t.”

The words stung more than they should have. “You don’t know that.”

“I do,” he said, stepping closer.

I opened my mouth to argue, but the look on his face stopped me. For the first time, I saw a flicker of something behind the cold, unfeeling mask he always wore.

“You’re stuck here,” he said quietly. “And the sooner you realize what that means, the safer you’ll be.”

I didn’t know what to say. He was right—I was stuck here, whether I liked it or not. But that didn’t mean I had to accept it.

“You can’t control me,” I said finally, my voice barely above a whisper.

His lips curved into a humorless smile. “We’ll see.”

Before I could respond, he turned and walked away, leaving me standing there in the garden with my heart pounding and my mind racing.

Later that day, I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. His words replayed in my mind over and over, each one hitting harder than the last.

'This isn’t a game. People like them wouldn’t think twice about hurting you.'

What was this man into...maybe if I got a good story out of that I would sell it really well. Make enough money and get the hell out of here . Disappear with my little sister and start over.