Chapter 2 - Whispers in the Dark
The lock clicked into place with a definitive, echoes-in-the-chest finality. Bridget stood in the center of the vast, dimly lit bedroom, clutching her blanket around her body like armor. Shadows danced across the mahogany furniture, cast by the low-burning fire in the hearth.
Victor set the heavy brass candlestick onto the bedside nightstand with a quiet thud. He turned to face her, his broad shoulders blocking out the light behind him.
“How long have you been sleeping outside my door?” Victor tightly asked, his voice low and dangerous.
Bridget swallowed hard, her knuckles white against the blanket fabric. “Three weeks,” she quietly replied.
Victor froze in utter disbelief. Three weeks. For twenty-one nights, while he sat inside reviewing ledger files, planning corporate takeovers, and securing perimeter lines, she had been sleeping on three inches of foam on the freezing marble, directly outside his room.
“Why?” Victor demanded, stepping closer. The dark suspicion in his eyes melted into a sharp, intense resolve. “Why didn't you stay in the east wing? You have a full suite.”
“The east wing has windows at ground level,” Bridget said, her voice shaking as tears glistened in her eyes. “The locks are old. People walk through the gardens at night, Victor. I hear footsteps outside the glass every time you leave for the docks.”
Victor’s jaw tightened. The east wing had been assigned to her by his uncle, Julian—a man whose loyalty to the family had grown increasingly questionable over the last month. Julian had insisted Bridget be placed far from the main security hub, claiming it offered more privacy.
“Julian told me it was the safest room,” Bridget whispered, looking down at the rug. “But every night, someone tries the terrace handle.”
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Victor took two strides forward, closing the distance between them until he stood directly over her. He reached out and gently cupped her face, forcing her to look up into his eyes.
“Nobody touches you in this house,” Victor swore softly, his voice trembling with a fierce, possessive promise. “You sleep in here from now on.”
