Chapter 20: Feelings
TERESA'S P.O.V.
The mansion was filled with the kind of stillness that always reminded me of an ancient library. Tall, stately bookshelves stretched against the walls in certain rooms, and there was a comforting scent—cedar wood and the faintest hint of Lucian's cologne, something dark and subtly spicy that lingered around me like a ghost. The place was so vast, filled with rooms that led to more rooms, that I'd managed to get lost almost every day during my first week here. Lucian had laughed at that—well, not really laughed, just a smirk. The closest thing I'd ever seen him do to smile.
It had been three weeks since I moved in, and I was finally getting familiar with the place, enough to not have panic attacks whenever I accidentally wandered into yet another mysterious corridor. And as I got more comfortable here, I was also slowly getting used to the people.
Not that they all liked me. I caught the glares sometimes, especially from the younger women on the estate. They'd size me up when they thought Lucian wasn't looking, their eyes sharp, as if I was some stranger trespassing on sacred ground. Not that I wasn't a stranger. I was still the "new girl," timid, naive Teresa who'd somehow landed in the orbit of Lucian Blackwood. Most of them seemed to hate me on sight, which was confusing at first—until I noticed they turned sweet as sugar if Lucian so much as looked their way. But he didn't look, not at them. He looked at me sometimes though. But it was always in that strange, guarded way, like he was torn between telling me something and running as far away from me as he could.
I mean, Lucian wasn't just your everyday rich, charismatic guy—he had an aura about him, something almost... otherworldly. Sometimes, when he'd pass by, I felt this strange shiver crawl down my spine, like he was carrying some deep, powerful secret.
He was unfailingly polite, charming even, but in a way that kept you at arm's length. I'd find myself holding my breath whenever he spoke to me, his words laced with a combination of sarcasm and an edge that made me feel a bit dizzy. I'd stare at his sharp jaw, the way his eyes would pierce right through me, and my heart would race. I couldn't help it; I was starting to fall for him, hard. Not that I'd ever admit it, of course.
I'd made friends, though, which helped keep my mind off my foolish feelings. Max, Juliette's younger brother, was always cracking jokes, and Britney and Katrina would drag me along for shopping trips and movie nights. They even convinced me to help out with something they called "cleaning duty," which I wasn't exactly thrilled about but did anyway, happy to be useful. And Juliette, bless her, was my self-appointed bodyguard. She followed me everywhere, which had felt weird at first, but now her presence was like a security blanket. I didn't realize how comforting her quiet, watchful gaze could be until I grew used to it.
One evening, I shuffled down the hall, glancing at the polished walls that gleamed like they'd been polished with the tears of the young women who often threw me nasty looks whenever I passed by.
"Are you coming with us tonight?" Max asked, leaning against the doorway with his usual cheeky grin.
"Tonight?" I blinked. My cheeks felt warm just from the way his friendly smile felt like a rare normality in this surreal world. "What's tonight?"
"Movie night. We're finally dragging Lucian out of his lair." Max winked, clearly finding the idea both exciting and impossible.