Novels by Nora

Aria's POV I was dusting the long console table near the front entrance when the sound of car doors and footsteps reached me.The main door stood open to let in the mild afternoon air. For a brief second my stomach tightened. I turned, half-expecting to see Julian stepping inside, already preparing to lower my gaze and disappear down the staff corridor before he could speak to me.Instead I saw two men in dark uniforms carrying polished leather bags through the foyer.Bags.I frowned slightly. Who was moving in?Then he stepped through the doorway.Tall. Broad-shouldered without being heavy. Blond hair that caught the light, styled with the kind of careless precision that only looked effortless. Sharp bone structure. A clean, expensive coat worn open over a crisp shirt. And green eyes that moved across the entrance hall with lazy confidence before they stopped on me.His gaze lingered.Not polite. Not passing. The kind of look that assessed and already decided something. The air in t

Aria’s POVThree days had passed since the clinic.The headache was gone. The heaviness in my chest had lifted. I could walk without feeling like the floor might tilt under me. By the third morning I was done with being treated like I might break.I found Julian in his home office just after breakfast. He was already dressed for the day, sleeves rolled, focused on something on his laptop. He looked up the moment I appeared in the doorway.“You’re supposed to be resting.”“I’m better,” I said. “I want to go back to work.”He closed the laptop slowly. “The doctor said three to four days minimum.”“It’s been three. I’m fine. I’m not a guest here, Julian. I was hired to work. Sitting around while everyone else carries the load doesn’t feel right.”He studied me for a long moment, that familiar assessing look in his eyes. I could see the protest forming.“I’m not asking to go back to full duties,” I added. “Just something. I need to feel useful again.”Silence stretched between us. Finally

Julian's POVI closed the door to my room harder than I intended.The sound echoed down the hallway before the house swallowed it whole. I stood there for a moment with my hand still on the handle, jaw locked, the image of Aria sitting on that narrow bed refusing to leave me. She had looked too pale under the soft light. The bandage at her temple had been slightly crooked. She kept insisting she was fine in that quiet, stubborn way of hers, even while her body clearly said otherwise.I had seen people push themselves past their limits before. In business. In this family. But the way she treated exhaustion like something ordinary unsettled me more than I wanted to admit.I pulled off my sweater and dropped it over the back of the chair. Sleep was not going to come. My thoughts were already moving too quickly, circling the same point again and again.The knock came less than ten minutes later.I knew who it was before I opened the door.My mother stood on the other side, perfectly compo

Aria's POVI sat on the edge of the bed staring at the opposite wall.The new sheets were still smooth. The thicker blanket Lila had left was folded neatly at the foot. Morning light filtered through the small window in a thin, gray band. From the angle of it, I guessed it was around half past eight.Lila was already gone.On the nightstand sat a small tray with toast, a covered bowl of fruit, a glass of water, and the two pills the doctor had left. A scrap of paper rested beside them in her uneven handwriting.Eat. Take these. Stay in bed. I'm serious.I read it twice, then set it down.When I finished, I sat back against the headboard and stared at the wall again.Boredom settled in faster than I expected.I stood and smoothed the already-smooth sheets. Then I adjusted the blanket. Then I moved the tray to the dresser, wiped an invisible speck of dust from the surface, and put the tray back. I rearranged the two books on the small shelf. I folded and refolded the spare towel hanging

Aria's POV I woke up to the sharp, clean smell of disinfectant.For a moment I didn’t know where I was. The ceiling above me was white and unfamiliar. Soft light came through half-drawn curtains. When I tried to turn my head, a dull throb spread across my temple. My fingers brushed against a bandage.“Easy.”The voice was low and controlled. I turned carefully and found Julian sitting in a chair beside the narrow bed. His dark suit jacket was gone, sleeves rolled up, his eyes fixed on me with an intensity that made my stomach tighten.“What… happened?” I asked, my voice rough.“You fainted in my office,” he said. “Hit your head on the way down. You’re in the estate clinic. The doctor already checked you once while you were out. He’s coming back now.”The memory returned in fragments: the dizziness, the shelf, the floor rushing up, his voice calling my name. I closed my eyes for a second.“How do you feel?” Julian asked.I let out a weak breath. “Like I’ve been knocked by a truck.”Be

Aria's POVI was only half-awake.The thin blanket barely covered me. My body wouldn't stop shivering. Every joint ached, and my throat burned with each shallow breath. I kept my eyes closed, trying to will the pounding in my head to quiet down, when I heard the soft creak of the door opening.I didn't open my eyes. I didn't have the strength.A moment later, without warning, a wave of freezing, filthy water crashed over me.I gasped and bolted upright as the cold shock stole the air from my lungs. Muddy water soaked through the blanket, my nightclothes, my hair, and the mattress beneath me. It ran down my face and neck in dirty rivulets. The smell hit me next: sour, earthy, and foul.I wiped at my eyes with trembling hands, blinking hard against the water and the sudden brightness of the room.Evelyn stood at the foot of the bed.She was already perfectly dressed for the day. The empty metal bucket dangled from her fingers."Still in bed?" she said lightly, almost as if she were comm