chapter 4

Chapter 4

Vincent’s POV

The room hadn’t changed much. My old study still smelled faintly of leather and dust, like time had been waiting for me to return. I dropped my suitcase by the door and walked to the tall windows, watching the last light of day melt into the hills beyond.

But I couldn’t focus on the view.

Her face kept appearing in my mind—those wide eyes, the way her lips parted like she was caught in a secret she didn’t mean to share. That look… it wasn’t just curiosity. It was something else. Something that tugged at the part of me I thought was long dead.

I hadn’t even heard her name.

That irritated me more than it should have.

Dinner was already being prepared. I wasn’t particularly hungry, but I went anyway—more out of routine than desire. The long dining table was filled with familiar staff. Some faces I remembered, others I didn’t care to know.

They moved quickly, trained hands placing plates, pouring wine, keeping their eyes down as they served. But she wasn’t among them.

I leaned back in my chair, eyes scanning the maids one last time.

No sign of her.

I set down my fork and spoke for the first time since entering the room.

“Where is the other one?” I asked coldly.

Madam Mary blinked, confused. “Pardon, Master?”

“The younger maid. The one who stood at the end of the line when I arrived. She’s not here.”

There was a beat of silence before Mary responded, cautious. “Ah… Lisa, sir. She’s on laundry duty tonight. I thought it best not to overwhelm the new ones too soon.”

I didn’t answer right away.

Lisa.

Even her name sounded soft.

I waved a hand dismissively and returned to my meal, pretending not to care. But deep down, I was irritated. Not at her, but at the sudden awareness of her absence.

Why did it bother me that she wasn’t here?

I finished quickly and left the table early, the staff scattering as I walked past them. I needed air. Or maybe I needed something else—something I didn’t want to admit.

Later that night, I stepped into the master bedroom. The bed had been freshly made. The curtains drawn. The scent of lavender lingered faintly in the air.

She’d been here.

I could tell.

My eyes drifted to the pillows, the neatness of the folded sheets, the delicate way the room had been touched. There was care in it. A kind of quiet affection that made the space feel... alive.

Damn her.

I ran a hand through my hair and sat at the edge of the bed, fingers clenched. I’d spent years building walls no one could cross—walls even Lilian had never cracked. But that girl, with one accidental stare, had rattled something inside me.

Something dangerous.

Something I didn’t like.

She was too young. Too innocent. Too off-limits.

But still… I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

How her eyes widened when she saw me. How her cheeks flushed like she wasn’t used to being looked at. How beautiful she looked without even trying.

I shifted on the bed, tension pulling tight through my body.

This wasn’t just attraction. It felt like an awakening. And I hated it.

I needed to control it. Distance myself. She was a maid. A girl with no place in my world.

But as I lay back and closed my eyes, all I could see was her standing in that line—nervous, sweet, and completely unaware of the storm she’d just stirred in me ....