Chapter 23
TWENTY-THREE
Who knew I’d be spending my Wednesday afternoon in a freaking Rolls Royce? Definitely not me.
The leather beneath me is buttery soft, so soft in fact it makes me want to nap right here.
Oh, how nice it would feel to bless myself with this.
But though that might have been an option had I been sitting with anyone else, it is certainly not an option now.
Everything in this car reeks of wealth; the black dashboard practically gleams like a mirror, reflecting a constellation of tiny, glowing buttons.
And the scent… it’s a blend of leather, woodsmoke and something else.
Something sharp and clean. It’s intoxicating, overwhelming… too much.
I don’t belong here.
Everything about me is wrong for this place, this moment. I almost feel like I’m trespassing. Be it my pitiful shoes, if you can even call them shoes, or basically anything else about me that screams anything but fortune.
And then there’s Kai. He’s slouched beside me, legs crossed at the knee, scrolling through his phone like he hasn’t got a care in the world. He’s dressed in a long black trench coat that looks as if it costs more than my entire year’s rent and a scarf draped casually around his neck.
The boy has style, I’ll give him that.
I glance at him out of the corner of my eye, trying to be discreet.
The sharp angles of his face catch the dim light just right, making him look like he stepped out of a painting or a dream.
Like he was sculpted rather than born. There’s something so magnetic about him.
Something undeniably beautiful. It’s quite annoying actually.
“What?”
His voice slices through the silence and my heart skips a beat. He’s not looking at his phone anymore; his sharp eyes are fixed on me, unblinking.
“N-nothing,” I stammer, my cheeks flushing hot. “I wasn’t… I wasn’t doing anything.”
His lips quirk, but it’s not a smile. “You were staring.”
“No, I wasn’t,” I blurt out, shaking my head too quickly. Too much. Damn it, Adeline, pull yourself together.
“Oh, you definitely were.”
The intensity of his gaze pins me right in place. It’s like he can see through me, see every secret I’ve ever tried to bury. Like he’s peeling back every layer.
My throat goes dry, and the car suddenly feels stifling. I hate it when he looks at me like that—like he knows exactly how much he unnerves me. Like he enjoys it.
But then, as abruptly as he starts, he looks away. His eyes go back to the window, to the snowy world rushing past, and I can finally breathe again. I exhale quietly, silently grateful he cares so little. I don’t think I can manage him staring at me like that all the time.
Eventually, I find myself drawing my own gaze to the window.
Snow blankets the ground in soft layers, and the trees are coated in frost that sparkles under the pale light.
It’s beautiful, serene. For a moment, I almost forget where I am, who I’m with.
How much time has passed? Too long for my liking.
I’m half-awake when we finally slow, the change in momentum making me jolt. It’s at that moment I realize how tightly I’ve been clutching the edge of my seat. How nervous I’ve actually been. It’s sad really… god I’m pathetic.
“We’ve arrived, sir,” the driver announces, looking at us in the rearview mirror.
“Thank you,” Kai replies, already moving to open his door.
But me? I’m still gawking at the magnificent sight in front of me.
There, standing at the end of a long, snow-lined driveway is the Steele house—sorry, mansion.
It’s grand, but cold and grey. Yes, literally grey.
With white stone columns that rise against the sky.
It’s not what I expected, but it is at the same time.
It’s absolutely breathtaking, and gothic.
The kind of place that exists in fairy tales and nightmares.
“Adeline,” Kai says, his voice dragging me out of my daze.
I scramble out of the car, nearly slipping on the icy ground as I follow him.
The cold bites at my skin, but I’m too distracted to care.
My gaze is fixed on the mansion. Everything about it is beautiful, yes, but there’s something else, something…
off. There’s absolutely no way something this perfect isn’t hiding secrets.
But even if it is… I don’t want to know.
“My father isn’t home,” Kai says when I finally fall into step with him, his tone light, conversational.
I nod. “Okay.”
“But that doesn’t mean you should forget where you are,” he adds, still pleasant, but firmer now. “Try not to do anything… impulsive.”
I blink. “I wasn’t planning to.”
He casts a look over his shoulder, all calm eyes and cool restraint. “Then we’ll get along just fine.”
I fall quiet, unsure how to respond. There’s no edge in his voice, nothing overtly cruel, but something about the way he says it makes my spine straighten.
“I just mean—” I start, then stop. What do I mean? That I’m not here to cause trouble? That I don’t belong in places like this?
“Don’t wander,” he says, still walking. “And don’t touch anything unless I say it’s alright.”
“Got it,” I murmur, wrapping my arms around myself against the cold.
He glances at me again, and this time, there’s the faintest smile on his lips. “Good,” he says softly, and then continues toward the mansion, the snow crunching lightly beneath his boots.
The door swings open, and I’m struck silent.
If the outside of the Steele mansion was impressive, the inside is simply overwhelming.
My jaw drops, but I’m too stunned to care.
The floor beneath my boots is marble, gleaming white with veins of grey that swirl like smoke.
A chandelier hangs above us, massive and glittering with crystals that catch the light and scatter it into a thousand tiny rainbows across the walls.
The space is vast and open, the ceilings so high it feels like they belong in a cathedral rather than a home.
My gaze lands on the grand piano. Sleek, and black, and perfect. I’ve never seen one in real life before, and seeing it now, I am most definitely not disappointed. Who else in this family plays? I wonder. Or is it just for Kai?
Kai strides past me, breaking me free of whatever daze I was in. He moves with his usual confidence, shrugging off his trench coat and scarf in one fluid motion. He hangs them on a hook near the door and takes off his shoes before gesturing to me to do the same.
“Mr. Kai, you’re back later than usual.”
The voice comes from the side, and I turn to see a woman approaching. She’s middle-aged, with soft brown hair streaked with grey, pulled back into a neat flower clip. Her eyes are warm, kind and she’s wearing a simple but elegant blouse and skirt. I notice a slight accent too, undoubtedly French.
Kai slows beside me. “I got held up,” he says smoothly, his tone polite.
My cheeks heat under his gaze, but I say nothing, locking my hands together to keep them from fidgeting.
It’s then that the woman notices me. Her gaze shifts, as though she’s only just realized I’m standing there, and her expression flickers with mild surprise.
“And who is this?” she asks, curious. Her eyes move between the two of us, studying.
“Mr. Kai rarely brings guests, let alone female ones. Are you by any chance—”
“No,” Kai interjects, smoothly but firmly.
The woman’s eyes widen slightly, but she recovers quickly, a soft smile spreading across her face. She glances between us again, slower this time before her gaze finally settles on me.
“What’s your name, darling?” she asks, her tone as warm as her eyes.
“Adeline, Miss,” I say, my voice quieter than I intend and the woman smiles.
“This is Sue. If you need anything, just ask her. She’s here to help,” Kai interrupts before either of us can say anything else. So she’s a maid? It looks like the two of them are close. Or as close as one can get to Kai at least.
I turn to Sue again, but the warmth in her smile has shifted.
It’s still there, but there’s something else now, something I can’t exactly place.
Suspicion? Uncertainty? Her gaze flicks to Kai for a moment, and they exchange a look.
One that’s so quick and subtle, it almost feels like I imagined it. But I know I didn’t.
Like a silent conversation, one an outsider like me can’t understand.
Kai nods slightly, and Sue inclines her head before stepping away, disappearing down one of the many halls.
I glance at Kai then, but his expression gives absolutely nothing away, as usual.
He starts walking without a word. I take that as a sign I should most definitely follow, unless I want to get lost in this maze of a house.
***
My steps progressively slow down as we pass by a long stand of polished wood tucked against the wall. It’s the kind of thing you’d see in any family home, filled with pictures and trophies.
Except this one has a ridiculous amount of trophies, and awards. And by a lot, I mean a lot. I stop, leaning in to get a closer look. I stare in awe at the certificates framed and hung up on the wall, almost all of them marked with the same name: Kai Oren Steele.
My eyebrows shoot up. “Distinction, Grade 8 piano examination.” And more like it, lined up neatly: Grade 7, Grade 6, all the way down to the beginner levels. There are more too, for Elliot, who I can only assume is his brother.
I guess he’s carrying on the tradition.
It’s no wonder they have a grand piano. There’s even a framed certificate of his GCSE results, and when I properly read it my eyes almost bulge out of my head.
A completely perfect, flawless result. For everything.
“Oren, huh?” I murmur under my breath. I tilt my head, letting the name roll around in my mind. It isn’t one I’d ever heard of, but for some reason I like it.
It’s unique, and beautiful, and fitting.