Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 118410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 592(@200wpm)___ 474(@250wpm)___ 395(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 592(@200wpm)___ 474(@250wpm)___ 395(@300wpm)
I let out a small laugh. Shaking my head, I thought about the seemingly innocent girl I found cowering under my bed. The moment I saw her, I knew she was trouble, and instead of taking it out, I invited it.
Why?
Simple. She intrigued me.
“I got this,” I said through the phone, and hung up without waiting for an answer.
Well, this is going to be fun.
I walked away from the window and out of the room.
***
Ayla
As I followed Nikolay down the stairs, I was finally able to look at the house. Mansion, I corrected myself.
It had the tallest ceiling I had ever seen, decorated by the most gorgeous crown molding. As we walked down the spiral staircase, I noticed another one to my right. They both led up to the second floor and met in the middle in an imperial staircase style. I held onto the wooden banister and felt how smooth it was under my hand. The mansion was immaculate, with white sparkling marble.
I looked up and noticed a big Venetian-style crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, decorated with hundreds of teardrop crystals. It evoked a very vintage, elegant feel.
I was still staring at it when I suddenly crashed into a wall of hard muscles. Stiffening, I stepped away. Nikolay turned around and glared at me aggressively.
“Are you blind?” he barked. I shook my head.
“Then fucking watch where you are going.” This time I nodded. He scared me beyond words.
Nikolay gave me a final glare before turning around. We stepped off the stairs and he started walking toward the left corridor.
As I began to relax again, I continued to inspect the mansion. I lived in a mansion too. My father was wealthy, but our estate was not as big and beautiful as this one. My house was plain, cold, and uninviting.
Whoever decorated this place had good taste and it was obvious they did it with love. Details had been refined and blended. As I followed Nikolay, I was in awe of my surroundings.
When he came to a stop, I quickly halted in my tracks, stopping an inch away from him. My eyes widened and I took a few steps back. I stuck my tongue out to his back and twisted my lips ruefully. I didn’t want to get snapped at again. He was a moody man.
“Lena, I have another maid for you,” he said, his voice soft. I felt my mouth drop as I stared at his enormous back in shock. Did he just talk softly? Was my mouth on the floor? I hoped not.
“Ohh, dear. How lovely. Where is she, sweetie?” I heard a voice ask.
Sweetie? Had I just been transported to an alternate universe?
Nikolay’s back was blocking my sight, so I stepped to the side and my eyes widened. A woman, probably in her early fifties, was standing in front of him, wearing a similar black dress, even though hers was below the knees. She smiled sweetly at Nikolay as she wiped her hands on her white apron.
When she saw me, her smile widened. “Ah, there you are,” she said as she walked toward me. “Look at you. Such a beautiful young girl.”
Before I could do anything, I was swept away from Nikolay. Taking me by the hands, Lena led me into the kitchen through a brown, modern-looking wooden door.
The kitchen was very similar to ours at home, except larger. The big cabinets were beige and there was a big island in the middle. The shiny counter-tops were made with a mixture of different shades of brown.
There were four high chairs placed in front of the bar and I saw two women standing there, wearing the same dress as mine.
They were definitely younger than Lena but older than me. Both appeared to be in their mid-thirties. They looked up when they heard us coming in. As I got closer, they looked me up and down as if they were inspecting an object.
I felt my palm started to sweat in Lena’s hand and I grasped the bottom of my dress with my other hand.
“We have a new maid,” Lena announced excitedly.
“We don’t need a new maid,” the blonde woman said.
I saw Lena opening her mouth to answer but before she could say anything, a voice cut her off.
“Actually, you do.”
My back straightened at the sound of his voice and my body tensed. I swallowed hard when I saw the women’s eyes widened. They suddenly appeared skittish and quickly looked down.
Lena let go of my hand and swiveled around, hands on her hips as she stared at the intruder.
Not intruder. This was his house, anyway.
Licking my lips, I slowly turned around and made contact with Alessio’s blue eyes.
Blue and green, clashing together as we stared at each other silently. I felt my heartbeat accelerate as he kept his unflinching gaze on mine.