Chapter 2
***Ada***
The first time I’d spotted the Carrington Estate, I was ten and had been standing on the other side of the lake, the side for tourists and ‘poors’.
My parents had brought me on a weekend trip to splash around in Lake Dun and I hadn’t been able to stop staring at the mansion that overlooked the water.
It was something straight out of one of my storybooks.
I would’ve watched the house for hours if some teenager hadn’t pooped in the water as a joke.
I’d left Lake Dun with conflicting feelings that day.
Part of the Carrington Lore was that their estate was guarded by men with giant guns who’d shoot on sight if you didn’t look nice enough to be there.
I didn’t believe that rumor for a second.
Another rumor was that the brothers lived there with an entire harem of women who just existed for their pleasure.
That one I had a harder time discounting.
Despite only ever seeing the top of their faces, I could attest to the fact that the brothers were.
..decent looking. If they’d ever taken their faces out of their phones, I might’ve even deemed them handsome.
One of my favorite rumors was that the brothers weren’t real.
A bunch of local kids claimed to have scaled the fence surrounding the property and watched the brothers shapeshift from men into lizards.
It was my favorite rumor because I loved the idea of the three of them hearing that people thought they were lizards.
Maybe I’d held a little bit of a grudge against them even before they’d gotten me fired.
Moving to Lake Dun as an adult meant I didn’t grow up with the Carrington Lore so everything just sounded.
..asinine. They strode through life like kings while everyone around them threw their jackets over puddles to make sure the men didn’t sully their perfect feet. It was gross.
Normally I would’ve stopped my negative thoughts and focused on something happier, but I was angry. I was beyond angry. I’d just lost my job because of the brothers, so lizard people or not, I was going to give them a piece of my mind.
I drove down Hall Street and signaled to turn left onto Carrington Way but a wave of summer visitors appeared in their giant trucks and massive SUVs.
I sat there, fuming, and thought about what I was going to say.
I was going to bring up the lizard thing, for sure.
I couldn’t leave that out. I was probably going to mention that it wasn’t my hair.
I didn’t like the idea of anyone thinking I just left my hair on people’s plates and in their food. Gross.
I finally got a chance to turn and just as I did, another vacationing family in a cream-colored SUV raced towards me from out of nowhere.
My car stalled and I had to put it in park and turn it off before I could start it again, all while the soccer mom honked at me and her husband waved his hands around, not unlike Henry.
I wanted to flip them the bird but instead I flashed a forced smile and waved an apology.
I didn’t flip people off. Maybe I’d flip the Carringtons off, though.
I checked my rearview mirror once more to make sure no angry SUVs were following me and then I shook my head to myself.
I needed to focus. I wanted to have my speech nailed down.
I turned the radio off and gripped the peeling steering wheel with both hands as I drove up the winding road that acted as their driveway.
“You bunch of jerks got me fired! You’ve gotten a dozen other waitresses fired and I’m sick of it!
You can’t just go around ruining people’s lives because you have more money than god!
” I nodded along, really getting into it.
“Also, how about you look up at the people serving you every once and a while? And loosen up a bit, would you?!”
I felt an odd sense of freedom that came with being mean. I was never mean. I was usually a pretty happy person but they’d caught me on a bad day and I was going to make them cry! Or...at least, try to.
I frowned as I got closer to the mansion and saw that the tall, wrought-iron gate was wide open.
It was a mammoth and definitely made me understand why people thought the brothers were hiding things.
I just hoped that one rumor about the dead bodies was wrong.
It would suck if I ended up buried under a mansion during my first angry rant at three virtual strangers.
I drove past the gate and yelped when it swung shut behind me.
I was trapped inside the Carrington Estate.
My stomach knotted but my anger persisted.
It wasn’t fair that I’d lost my job because of the Carrington’s incessant demand for perfection.
I’d been a good waitress and I’d never had any real complaints.
Sure, in the back of my mind I understood that Henry was the one who’d lied and fired me, but he wouldn’t have if everyone around Lake Dun didn’t fear the brothers like they were Grim Reapers.
All the crap that had been piling up in my life was going to come out at three men I’d never have to see again.
Camden’s cheating, the never-ending bills, the eviction notices, my dad’s health, my mom’s constant asking about babies, and, of course, losing my job.
I was going to take it all out on the brothers and it was going to feel great.
Still, I found myself hesitating just inside of the gate, wondering what the hell I was actually doing.
Honey caught more flies and even bears, not sour vinegar.
Honey was my kind smile and ability to let the small stuff roll off my back. I was out of honey.
I started driving forward again and the road was swallowed up on either side by trees that grew taller and taller the closer I got to the home.
My headlights clicked on automatically when the trees blotted out enough sun.
Everything was lush green and velvety. I felt a bit like I was driving through a fairytale and then I drove out the other side and the log castle was in front of me, waiting for me.
The Carrington Mansion was four stories of log walls, windows, and at least four fireplaces jutting up from the tall, steepled roof.
I was in the driveway, which sat at the back of the mansion and I was still absolutely in awe by the sheer magnitude of it.
It was warm, with more lush green landscaping that led down to a private beach.
My heart beat harder at the sight of the home and I wondered for a second why I’d never felt that same rush over Camden.
The top four floors of the mansion had massive wraparound decks and woodwork that looked handcrafted by viking gods.
Or giant wood elves? I didn’t know. I just knew it was magical.
And that just spurred my anger. How could anyone be such dicks when they lived in a magical castle?
Disney could’ve created a franchise around the Carrington Estate and the brothers walked around like they hated life. It was bullshit.
I had to wrestle my car door open and I did so while thinking of my own Disney princess story.
I imagined myself strolling around the decks in a beautiful dress and a pretty braid while reading from my giant library of books.
There would be no prince in my story, though.
Disney could shove that idea up its butt. Princes sucked.
That thinking pumped me up as I stalked up to a ten-foot-tall wooden door that had driveway access and a panel next to it on the wall.
It definitely wasn’t the front door, but I wasn’t picky.
I knocked hard on the heavy door and winced when my knuckles ached.
Was that why I didn’t notice a surplus of security?
Were their doors metal, made to look like wood?
I shook out my hand and froze when I heard screaming coming closer.
The thought of running flashed through my head but I braced myself and told myself I was doing the right thing.
I should’ve practiced what I was going to say more, but it was too late.
The door was swinging open and one of the brothers was staring out at me with a desperate look on his face while he held a screaming toddler.
“Thank fuck, get inside now!” the brother yelled.
Before I could react, he reached out and tugged me into their home.