It’s been over a month since I arrived at the mansion. But until now, I haven’t really explored it much.
So I decided to wander around this afternoon. I don’t have much else to do anyway. My friends are busy, and so is Liam. And I’m sure my parents are at the company.
Almost every hallway I pass has paintings hanging on the walls. It seems that the Andersons are fans of paintings as well.
I couldn’t help but feel a sense of melancholy. It reminded me of my biological mother and how she loved to paint.
This mansion has three floors, and each floor has more than three rooms. Stephen mentioned to me once that sometimes his friends stay over and use some of these rooms. Perhaps they occupy most of the rooms here.
But I was brought to a halt when I reached the far end of the mansion. There was something that caught my attention.
I approached it slowly, and I was right in my assumption. There was a staircase leading down to a basement.
I scanned the surroundings and noticed there weren’t any guards in this area. Out of curiosity, I cautiously made my way down. Before me, a door stood. I furrowed my brow. Could this be another guest room? Why is it so secluded, though?
But I quickly set aside my conclusion when I noticed the eye-sensing security system beside the door.
I raised an eyebrow. It seems that something important is inside. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have tight security here.
I was about to reach for the door when Cole’s panicked voice suddenly echoed from behind.
“Madame!”
I almost jumped out of my skin in surprise. Irritated, I turned to him.
“What the hell? Why do you suddenly start shouting like that?”
He slowly stood up, catching his breath. It looked like he ran just to get here.
“This area is restricted, Madame,” he explained.
That piqued my curiosity even more. “Is that so? Does that mean, even though I’m Stephen’s wife, I still can’t have access to this place?”
He scratched his head. “I’m sorry. But no one is allowed in there except for Sir Stephen. The valuable antiques owned by their family are kept in that room. That’s why he’s very cautious about them.”
I nodded at him. But I couldn’t shake off my doubts. I had a strong feeling that he was lying.
Valuable antiques? Cole must be kidding me. He can fool the others, but not me.
“Okay. You just mentioned that only Stephen has access to that room, so you don’t need to panic. Because even if I wanted to go in, I can’t, right?”
He gave me a slightly awkward smile. “Yes, that’s correct. And I also came here because Sir Stephen is looking for you.”
I furrowed my brow and glanced at my watch. It was only two in the afternoon. Isn’t he coming home too early?
I followed him without saying a word. As I walked, I glanced upward and immediately noticed the scattered CCTV cameras around me.
Perhaps Cole had gone to the control room earlier, which is why he was able to find me so quickly. Moreover, he probably wouldn’t hurry to reach me and get flustered if there were just some old items in that room.
Surely, that room contains items and information related to Stephen’s transactions, which could also be connected to the underground society.
But do I still want to use it against him?
I proceeded to our room, the one I shared with Stephen. Inside, I found him sitting on the bed, looking troubled.
When he looked up at me, I was surprised when he suddenly stood up and pulled me into a hug.
My heart felt like it had jumped out of my chest due to its sudden, rapid beating.
Stay still, my heart.
“S-Stephen? W-What’s—”
“Stay still, please. I just want to hug you for at least five minutes.” Fatigue was evident in his voice.
I couldn’t utter a word. I held my breath as his embrace tightened even more.
And then I found myself instinctively hugging him back. There must have been something bad that happened for him to act this way.
“Is there a problem?” I asked with concern.
I heard his deep sigh. “You won’t leave me, right? Even if you hear or find out something about me, you won’t leave me, will you?”
I was taken aback by his question. What is he talking about?
I slowly pulled away from him and gazed into his eyes. They held a mixture of sadness and worry.
“We both know I don’t have a choice, right? Even if I wanted to leave, I can’t. Because I might not even make it out of the mansion alive without getting shot,” I explained with a laugh. The current direction of our conversation wasn’t making me feel good.
He chuckled bitterly before he sighed. “So, if I let you go, would you really leave? Would you continue with your initial plan to expose me? Don’t you want to stay by my side?”
My lips fell slightly agape, and I stared at him. Truth be told, I was determined to gather information I could use against him in the beginning. I wanted to escape the confinement he put me in and the kind of relationship he forced on me.
But in the past few days, I almost forgot about that. I’ve grown accustomed to the life I have now with him. Even my feelings and perception of him have slowly changed.
I worry whenever he’s not around, especially when he comes home late at night. I feel content and safe when I’m with him. My heart beats faster, racing like a stallion, whenever he’s close, especially when we’re side by side on the bed.
I let out a deep sigh. Do I still really want to leave his side if I have the chance?
“Don’t you love me too?”
I involuntarily blinked at his next question. Does he really love me?
“You really love me?” I asked in disbelief.
He nodded slowly before approaching me again. I felt like an electric shock ran through my body as his hand gently caressed my cheek.
“Yes, baby. I fucking do. You don’t have any single idea how much I do.”
I swallowed hard and looked into his eyes, trying to hide the joy I felt upon learning that he truly loved me.
“What if I tell you that I don’t love you?”
He paused in what he was doing. But a wicked grin slowly formed on his lips.
“Then I will make you do it.”
Before I could even respond, I felt his lips pressing against mine.
Oh, God. This is bad because I already fell for this guy.