Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 25039 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 125(@200wpm)___ 100(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25039 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 125(@200wpm)___ 100(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
It might not have been a good life, but it could have been a lot worse.
These were the words he had lived by ever since the death of his biological parents. But in his younger years, he had thought such words would eventually change. Once he, Rush, and Mikey became successful, they could finally say they all had a good life.
But somehow, the emptiness was always there.
Even when they had all started building a name for themselves, and Mikey had enjoyed global fame while he and Rush had become self-made billionaires of their own right—-
The emptiness didn't go away.
And it still wasn't a good life.
By the time Hale had celebrated his 30th birthday six years ago, the emptiness had turned into ennui, and in his desperation to feel something, he had decided to challenge himself by putting up an ambitious project like the Sanctuary.
Since his life in the worst neighborhood in Chicago had made him witness senseless violence even towards animals, Rush wanted this time to protect all the things he once hadn't the power or money to protect.
And for a time, the Sanctuary had served its purpose.
His ennui had faded.
For a time.
His feelings of emptiness were replaced by a sense of purpose.
For a time.
The Sanctuary had even become a source of pride - but also for a time - having won awards left and right for architectural excellence and wildlife conservation.
National Geographic had even described the whole of Sixty-Acre Woods as a modern-day Eden and the Sanctuary as a bed-and-breakfast set in Paradise.
All six of their luxuriously appointed suites had an eighteen-month waiting list, and last year alone, the Sanctuary had received a record-breaking 200 million dollars in donations.
Life had been good.
For a time.
But now, it felt as if life had gotten even worse.
Because of her.
Hale remained on his feet as he watched the blinds in his office slowly roll down. This was also taking place in every room in the Sanctuary. The lights were still on at this moment, but even if they were to suffer from power loss, the Sanctuary had more than enough generators and solar-powered batteries to keep the place running for days.
The Sanctuary's resident cats and dogs had been temporarily rehomed with the staff. All of their staying guests had already checked out early this morning. It was just him now...and the hamsters.
Hale got moving as soon as he remembered the furry little things. While he would never admit this out loud, and least of all to Devon and his wife, he had known from the start that he had nothing to worry about if they were in Heaven's care.
He would check on them all the same, make sure they had everything they needed for the night, and fuck!
Tension turned his entire body rigid when he caught sight of a figure running down the steps. It was too dark to tell who it was, but when the figure headed to the reception counter, and the desk light illuminated the person's face—-
"What the hell are you doing here?"
Heaven
MY WHOLE BODY IS A mess.
I'm unable to move, but I can't seem to stop shaking either.
All I can do is stare.
What is he doing here?
I know he owns the place, but he's a billionaire who has properties all over the world.
Shouldn't he be somewhere else?
Or at least any other town that isn't expecting the first season's first big snowstorm to blow in?
I don't understand, God.
Either Aryan Hale has completely lost his mind or...oh.
Shock turns to worry.
For him.
I forget that he hates me, and I forget that I've decided to stop caring for him.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Hale. Did you lose track of time, too?"
Being trapped in the Sanctuary isn't that bad a thing for me, but Mr. Hale is a billionaire with an incredibly demanding schedule. He's sure to have a million better things to do than getting stuck here, and I can't help feeling bad for my boss as I watch him take the steps leading down to the lobby.
He's right in front of me in moments, and my concern grows when I see his brooding expression.
"You're right," he says abruptly. "I lost track of time."
"I'm so sorry about that. Perhaps there's someone you can call—-"
"I'm afraid not."
Oh. Okay. Huh.
Didn't he answer that a little too quickly? He doesn't sound as troubled either. But maybe that's because he's still in shock at how things have turned out.
"I'm so sorry again. Is there anything I can do for you—-"
"Yes. There is."
Well, that was...fast?
"Do you know how to cook?"
Unbelievable.
It's the only word that's been echoing endlessly in my brain for the past twenty minutes.
Unbelievable.
If someone told me I'd be alone with the boss and cooking dinner for him, I'd have totally laughed.
Or cried.
Either way, it would have been too good to be true.
But I was wrong, obviously.
And that's why—-