The moment I stepped inside Xavier’s estate, I knew I wasn’t in any ordinary mansion. It wasn’t just the size or the absurd luxury-it was the silence, the kind that made you feel like every move was being watched.
Marble floors glistened beneath crystal chandeliers, and expensive art lined the walls. It was cold, calculating, and strangely… beautiful. Just like Xavier.
He walked a few steps ahead of me, his hands casually tucked into his pockets, as if he hadn’t just ripped me out of my life and dragged me into his world.
I crossed my arms, glaring at his back. “So, this is your idea of protection? A gilded cage?”
He glanced over his shoulder, amusement flickering in his dark eyes. “Better than a grave, don’t you think?”
The weight of his words hit me hard, but I refused to show it. “I didn’t ask for this.”
“No,” Xavier murmured, stopping at the base of a grand staircase. “But you need it. Trust me on that, Alyssa.”
“Trust you?” I let out a bitter laugh. “I don’t trust anyone-especially not you.”
He smiled, slow and dangerous, and for a moment, I swore there was a flicker of something warmer beneath his usual icy exterior. But it was gone before I could grasp it.
“Come on.” He jerked his head toward the stairs. “You’ll stay in one of the guest rooms. You’ll be safe here.”
Safe. Right. Safe with a man who claimed to protect me while slowly tightening his grip around my throat.
The room Xavier brought me to was breathtaking-floor-to-ceiling windows with a view of the gardens, plush furniture in deep blues and golds, and a bed so large it looked like it could swallow me whole. It was the kind of place I’d dreamed of as a kid, but now, it only made me feel trapped.
“Make yourself comfortable,” Xavier said, lingering in the doorway like he was waiting for me to say something.
Instead, I crossed my arms and leveled him with a glare. “When do I get to leave?”
His jaw tightened, just for a second, before he masked it with that same unreadable calm. “When it’s safe.”
“And who decides that? You?” I challenged.
“Yes.” His voice was firm, final. “Until then, you stay here.”
I wanted to argue, but I knew it would be pointless. Xavier Reed wasn’t the kind of man you could bargain with. And yet… there was something almost soft in the way he looked at me, like he wasn’t just holding me here out of control but out of something else-something unsettlingly close to care.
Over the next few days, life at Xavier’s estate became a strange routine. I rarely saw him during the day. The few times we crossed paths, he was polite but distant-until I challenged him. Then, the mask would slip, and I’d see the obsession lurking beneath.
He was protective to the point of suffocation, ensuring that I was guarded at all times, monitored as if I was both a guest and a prisoner. And yet, there were moments when he seemed almost… kind. A cup of tea waiting for me in the morning. A soft knock on my door at night, just to ask if I needed anything.
It was unsettling-how easily he shifted between ruthless and tender, between a man who wanted to protect me and one who wanted to possess me.
One evening, after another long, tense day, I found myself standing outside his office door. The house was quiet, Xavier’s men stationed elsewhere. My heart pounded in my chest as I reached for the handle.
I knew I shouldn’t do this. But something gnawed at me-a suspicion that wouldn’t go away. There was more to Xavier than he was telling me, and I needed to know what it was.
I twisted the knob, and the door swung open with a soft creak.
His office was dimly lit, the scent of leather and expensive cologne lingering in the air. Papers and folders were neatly arranged on the desk, but it was the filing cabinet in the corner that caught my attention.
I stepped inside, my pulse quickening. Every instinct told me this was dangerous, but I couldn’t stop myself. I had to know the truth.
The drawers slid open easily, and I flipped through the files, skimming for anything with my name or my father’s. My fingers froze when I saw it-a folder labeled Morgan.
Heart pounding, I pulled it out and opened it on the desk. My breath hitched.
Inside were photos-old, grainy ones. My father, standing beside Xavier. In some of them, they were younger, laughing like old friends. In others, the mood was darker-serious meetings in shadowy places.
And then there it was.
A report.
Subject: Robert Morgan. Status: Deceased. Cause: Unspecified Incident-Ordered by Xavier Reed.
The room tilted, the words blurring before my eyes. I pressed a hand to my mouth, bile rising in my throat. Xavier had something to do with my father’s death.
I staggered back, the folder slipping from my fingers and scattering papers across the desk. My heart raced as the weight of betrayal crushed me. All this time, Xavier had acted like he was protecting me. But the truth? The truth was a knife to the heart.
Just as I gathered the papers, footsteps echoed down the hall. My breath hitched. I shoved the files back into the drawer, heart hammering as the doorknob twisted.
Xavier stepped inside, his dark eyes locking onto mine. For a moment, his expression was unreadable-then, a flicker of suspicion crossed his face.
“What are you doing in here, Alyssa?” His voice was low, dangerous.
“I-” My mouth went dry. “I just-”
His gaze dropped to the desk, where a single sheet of paper lay askew. My father’s name was printed at the top.
Xavier’s eyes darkened. The calm veneer he wore so well cracked, and something dangerous slipped through.
“You shouldn’t have seen that,” he said softly, but there was no warmth in his voice now-only cold, hard truth.
I backed away, panic rising in my chest. “You lied to me.”
Xavier’s jaw tightened. “I didn’t lie. I just didn’t tell you everything.”
“You killed him.” My voice broke. “You killed my father.”
He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. “It’s not that simple, Alyssa.”
“Don’t!” I held up a hand, my voice trembling with rage. “Don’t you dare try to justify it.”
Xavier exhaled slowly, as if reining in the storm inside him. “If you want the truth, I’ll give it to you. But not like this.”
The walls felt like they were closing in, and I needed to get out-needed air, space, anything but him.
I turned to leave, but Xavier’s voice stopped me cold.
“You can run all you want, Alyssa.” His tone was low, almost gentle. “But you’ll never outrun the truth.