Chapter 5 The Mansion

• When my signature was perfectly legible on that document, he placed his where it belonged and gave me a copy of the contract.
• I went upstairs and stored it in my mother's chest, where so many treasured memories were kept. And if there was something precious to me in that contract, even though I didn't know what it was, where better than in that chest?
• My house locked up and the door of his car opens, waiting for me to get in. These were the two things that marked the beginning of my new life, my new self, and my greatest hell, including trips to heaven.
• Everything that happened from that moment on led us to the Russian roulette of life, where everything spins and nobody knows where it might stop.
• In that car, the only words that were heard were his promise to pay off all my debts, and if I violated the contract, I would be reported to the police for things we both knew and for some that I didn't, but he did. He was so mysterious in everything that it was frightening.
• He also mentioned that like any commercial agreement, there was a millionaire compensation in case of contract violation. A simple procedure that guaranteed him a little more that I wouldn't back out halfway.
• Seeing him regal, impeccable, and so cold told me that he was not a person to have pity. That's why I called my blind prison a tradable agreement. He was as icy as he was calculating, and nothing could fail in his interest. That was something that every move he made shouted from the rooftops.
• I was twenty-six years old. With my whole life ahead of me and now I was nothing more than a prisoner of time. This man had me imprisoned in his life.
• The captor next to me seemed older than me. He was still young, but not as much as me. His blond beard elegantly wrapped around his strong and perfect jawline. He was as tall as he was strong, and an impressive body could be guessed beneath that suit. The muscles in his arms fought against the fabric of his clothes, and the thick veins on his wrists confirmed what had been observed. The guy was one sexy beast.
• We passed by some views and I decided to change mine. I got lost in life beyond the car window and my monumental tragedy.
• The road was very narrow. Despite not having left the state, we were in the middle of nowhere, advancing towards more nothingness.
• Trees and half-dry trees decorated the road. The wind announced a cold night that matched perfectly with the man next to me and my future with him. My gaze pierced through the window glass, envying each and every one of those trees that moved freely with the wind.
• Incredibly, at the end of that perfectly paved road, there was a large entrance with a remote-controlled gate that allowed us to pass, activated by Mr. McGregor. Even inside his car, he controlled everything.
• His scent made me nervous. Everything about him did. It was too intense and manly. Seeing him sent shivers down my spine, I didn't want to know what it would be like to feel him. To taste the bites of those waxed teeth in that powerful jaw. Hands that swore they were made to disturb everything they touched. And an aura of wild sex, that couldn't be hidden even from a blind person.
• I pushed those thoughts out of my mind and focused on the mansion in front of my eyes.
• I couldn't define that beauty justly.
• It was almost like a majestic period castle.
• It had several domes and tons of meters of house for just one man.
• Eternal columns and ceilings that seemed like immense skies.
• All the furniture as classic as it was elegant. The place was full of countless classical and perfectly placed riches, evidencing that an expert in decoration had done that exemplary work.
• I had never seen anything like it in my life. I stopped in the middle of the living room, raising my gaze to see how the ceiling of the room was made of glass and you could see the sky from any sofa. Absolutely stunning.
• As I spun in circles, with my eyes increasingly eager for views, a clearing of the throat caught my attention.
• —Miss Thompson, I am the housekeeper, Mery, and I will be your assistant in everything you need —a chubby lady with a sweet appearance smiled at me, informing me —.The rest of the staff won't even notice you're here, but Robin the chauffeur and I will be your go-to people for anything you need.
• I offered her my hand and she took it warmly. The chauffeur looked like he was around her age, which made me wonder if they were spouses.
• She had gray hair, he had a little less, and they both projected an admirable sweetness, especially when they were in service of whoever they were.
• —Is Robin your husband? How long have you both worked for Mr. McGregor? Does he treat you well?
• I think I felt that I could finally speak and I blurted everything out suddenly. The questions came out of me like an explosion and I was unable to control them.
• She smiled at me sweetly.
• —Relax, my girl, you'll see that he's not so bad. Robin and I have been married forever and even before Alex was born, we were already working for the McGregors.
• —Alex?
• That familiarity indicated how much they valued him; she wouldn't understand me.
• When emotions are involved, reason is lost.
• She gestured for me to follow her up the stairs on the side of the room. Impressive black marble stairs with glass handrails, uniquely and almost magically adorned.
• She walked ahead of me and I couldn't stop staring at the place. I felt like Belle in the Beast's castle.
• My reference was quite fitting, I thought. Only this Belle could never love that Beast.
• Meters and meters of house later, we arrived at a room where she opened the door for us to enter. She stood to the side and gestured for me to go in. And so I did, but I stayed in the doorway.
• —This room is my son Alex's, and now it's yours. Everything inside is for both of you. In the closet, you'll find clothes for yourself, wear whatever you want. You're so beautiful —she caressed my face with her wrinkled knuckles as soon as I crossed the threshold —,you never should have fallen into this game, but all I can ask is that you make him fall in love with you. That's the only thing that can save you from the purchase. You're beautiful, sweet, and strong-willed, just what he lacks and likes in a woman, make him fall in love with you and save yourself, darling —she sighed, dejected —and save him too.
• She left, and neither of us reacted, nor did she say anything else.
• I didn't understand how a man like him could be single. I knew and it was evident that he was a cold man, but perhaps there was someone in his life who had been able to enjoy his warmth. Even the darkest of human beings have a white part.
• The images I saw through the window were breathtaking. This place was incredibly luxurious; if it were my house, I would never leave.
• In the distance, I saw horses trotting freely in expansive fields.
• There was a fabulous pool by the other window, and I would have time to explore more parts of this glorious place.
• The door slammed open behind me, hitting the wall and startling me.
• I turned around, hand on my chest, and there he was. Staring at me strangely.
• His gaze ran over my appearance, sending chills down my spine. It also made the hairs on my body stand on end, and I could swear that my heart was pounding too fast.
• Our eyes locked, and I held his gaze. I wouldn't back down from his intensity. I had to match his cruelty. He put his hands on his chest and began to unbutton his shirt, slowly. Advancing into the room without breaking eye contact with me. He stumbled with his watch as he undid the buttons on his cuff, dropping it on the bed as if it didn't matter and it wasn't expensive.
• The hair on his chest stuck out between his fingers, and I couldn't help but follow the path they made across his chest. He was an incredibly sensual man, and it was clear that he was sexual as well. He emitted too much intensity and power.
• He threw the shirt onto an armchair next to the door when he finished taking it off and walked towards me. I trembled on the spot and took a step back.
• Removing his belt, he got close enough, holding it in his hand, for me to think he would hit me.
• —Undress, now —he growled in my face, so close that we held each other's gaze. No matter how much I tried to distance myself, he managed to corner me.
• My breathing was heavy, my body trembling without showing it, and my hairs standing on end from the sensation of his proximity, which stupidly made me nervous.
• I didn't do anything other than run out through the open door. I gave him a push he didn't expect, and the element of surprise gave me an advantage.
• The first corridor I came across became my destination.
• I ran without looking back; it seemed endless, and my feet couldn't be stopped. I ran and ran and ran, and continued running without knowing where I would end up.
• I knew he might want to take my body, but I didn't imagine it until I was in that situation, I suppose. I had innocently believed him when he said there would be no sex between us, and I assumed he changed his mind after seeing the amount of indecent looks I gave him.
• I ran out of a path, right in front of a huge, antique wooden door.
• I looked back, and he wasn't there. I rested my forehead and hands there, and I could hear voices from the other side. I pressed my ear against the thick wood and felt it again. I had to go in.
• Trying to slow down my breathing, I grabbed the doorknob and started turning it.
• I slowly peeled the wood back, and the light that was inside escaped through the crack. I kept pushing until I was lifted from the ground, suspended in the air by the hands of that blond man with icy blue eyes.
• He carried me on his hip, as if lying in the air, treating me like a sack of anything, and he didn't even seem to exert much effort. He truly was, as I had thought before… a giant.
• The path back felt shorter. Just two or three steps with his long legs, and I found myself back in that room.
• He dropped me onto the bed, making me bounce on the mattress, and with a kick, he went and closed the door. The sound made me shiver. I remained still, lying on my side as he had left me, and tried to look at him through my peripheral vision.
• He glared at me furiously, and I quickly dragged myself with my palms across the bed, trying to move as far away from him as possible.
• —Undress now —He no longer had his belt on; he was still shirtless, and his tone of voice was terrifying. He only spoke with violence —.Or I'll do it myself…