Mia closed the door to her small guest room and let out a sigh, the tension of the morning still clinging to her shoulders like a heavy cloak. She had spent the first few hours observing the mansion, learning the routines of the staff, and carefully avoiding Aiden's piercing gaze. Her body ached from the nervous energy she had poured into preparing for her first real day of work, but she didn't dare relax—not yet.
She set down her bag, unbuckling the straps as she began to prepare for a quick change. A clean blouse and skirt awaited her, neatly folded on the chair. It was a simple act, mundane even, yet in the silence of the mansion, every movement felt amplified.
Mia slipped out of her jacket, unaware that the soft click of the door opening behind her would shatter the fragile calm she had built.
"Mia," a cold, sharp voice rang from the doorway.
She froze. Her heart leapt into her throat as she realized she had not heard anyone enter. Slowly, she turned her head and found herself staring into Aiden's gray eyes, sharp and stormy, fixed on her with an intensity that made her knees weak.
"I… I didn't hear you come in, sir," she stammered, her cheeks flushing crimson.
His eyes narrowed, and his lips pressed into a thin, displeased line. "Do you think this is… acceptable?" he asked slowly, each word deliberate, heavy with accusation. "Do you think I would let a girl like you just hired, barely inside this house—use… your… body to blind me? To seduce me, like the others?"
Mia's heart skipped, a cold wave of panic washing over her. "Sir, no! II'm not trying to
...."
He cut her off, stepping slightly closer, his wheelchair moving almost imperceptibly toward her. "Don't lie to me! My mother has hired women like you before smiling, sweet-talking, pretending to be helpful. They all had the same goal: to climb, to seduce, to steal. You think I'm naive?"
Mia backed up instinctively, her fingers clutching the hem of her blouse. "Sir, please! You're misunderstanding me! I'm just… changing my clothes! That's all!"
Aiden's eyes flickered, the storm of anger and suspicion still raging. "Changing your clothes? And you do that… where? Right here? In front of me? Do you take me for a fool?"
Mia swallowed hard, her voice trembling now. "I didn't know you were coming in! I… I wasn't… trying to—"
His gaze softened just a fraction, enough for her to sense the faint trace of vulnerability beneath the harsh words. But the suspicion and hurt were still there, thick as the silence that filled the mansion.
"I said… stay out of my sight if you intend to behave like that," he said finally, his tone cutting, yet restrained. "Do you understand?"
"Yes… sir," she whispered, nodding frantically. Her chest heaved, relief and fear battling within her. She could feel the weight of his judgment, the walls he had built around himself, and she realized just how difficult it would be to earn his trust.
As Aiden wheeled back toward the window, turning his gaze away, Mia sank to the floor beside her chair. Her hands shook as she pressed them to her face.
One thing was certain: the mansion was colder, harsher, and more unforgiving than she had imagined. And Aiden he was not just untouchable; he was a fortress, his emotions guarded behind walls she didn't yet know how to breach.
But even in the fear, Mia's determination hardened. She had a purpose, a promise to keep, and no misunderstandingno storm of suspicion or anger would stop her.
She would break through those walls. Somehow, she had to.