Chapter eight

I bent down to retrieve the handbag I’d left on the floor, but when I tried to stand, I was stuck. Something cold and tight was gripping my blazer.

"Please, don't move," his voice commanded. It was calm, yet it had the authority that got me frozen in place.

"What’s happening?" I asked, my voice almost shaking.

"You bent too low. There’s a security measure down there. One that's supposed to trap intruders."

"I still don't get it," I snapped, irritation overshadowing my fear. My lower back was already beginning to ache from the awkward position I've been forced to stay in.

"It’s a specialized trap," he said casually, as if we were merely discussing the weather. "Stay still."

He was closer now. I could smell him. Cinnamon and wood hit my nostrils as he drew nearer. "You’ll have to take off the blazer," he muttered.

"What? No!" My heart pounded. Without the blazer, I was practically naked in the backless dress I had chosen to wear to a business meeting.

"Then get comfortable. After ten minutes, that device won’t just be gripping your blazer, it'll be gripping something else too."

I squeezed my eyes shut. "Fine! Just, get me out of here."

I felt him move behind me. Before I could process it, he leaned in. My face was angled toward the floor, my hips arched in a position so vulnerable it made my skin flush. He worked smoothly, avoiding any physical contact as he began dismantling the device.

A few seconds later, he slid the blazer off my shoulders. I heard a deep, guttural groan, It was followed immediately by a loud, forced cough.

I stood up and turned to face him. His eyes weren't just looking at me, they were boring into my skin.

"You have to leave. Now," he said, turning his back on me immediately.

I could only nod. I grabbed my bag and my rumpled blazer and turned to leave, but a sharp pain shot through my lower abdomen. I gasped, crouching down and clutching my stomach. Mr. knox was by my side in a flash.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I nodded, even as he led me to a seat. His eyes searched mine, and for a fleeting second, I saw a flicker of panic on his face. "Are you sure? I can call a doctor."

I gritted my teeth, unable to speak. And then it came. Slow and deliberate. I’d had irregular cycles ever since the trauma that had nearly cost me my ability to ever have children. But this was the most aggressive, instant pain I’d ever felt.

I felt another piercing pain, forcing me to clasp my legs tightly.

"That's it, I'm calling the doctor," he said, moving toward his desk.

"Wait, please... don't."

"Why? You're clearly not okay. I don't want you to die in my house."

So that was it. He didn't want a corpse on his clean foors. "I'm not sick," I whispered, the embarrassment was the biggest I've faced yet.

I tried to stand, but his gaze followed my movement to the chair. The crystal chair was stained with red. I sat back down and buried my face in my hands. I was here to save a legacy, and Mother Nature had chosen this moment to make me look weak and feel pathetic.

"It's... that time of the month," I muttered into my palms.

Silence stretched between us. When I finally looked up to see why he wasn't saying anything, he was processing the words. "I mean, I'm on my period," I clarified.

The look on his face shifted from relief to horror in an instant. He finally realized what that meant.

He slammed a button on his desk, and his butler, Bernard, appeared almost instantly.

"Find a pharmacy, Bernard. Clear it out," Michael commanded. "Bring every brand of sanitary product. Every size. Every type. Now."

"Every..single one?" The butler stuttered.

He didn't say a word. He just looked at the butler with those piercing dark eyes.

The butler scrambled out of the room like someone being chased.

"Mr. Knox—" my voice was barely a whisper.

"Do you take painkillers?" he asked, ignoring my protest. When I couldn't answer, he was already on his phone. "Can a woman on her period take painkillers? Recommend the best ones and send the list to my butler. Immediately."

He hung up and turned to me, he didn't look at me with disgust. He might be traditional, but he respects women. And the look on his face was full of concern. "You'll be alright. I'll get the female staff."

He walked out, and a few minutes later, two women entered. One was the haughty girl from earlier. Teresa, and the other was a plump middle-aged woman.

Teresa looked at me like I was a something that should have left the earth a long time ago. "Mr. Knox hasn't let a woman in here since his wife passed," she sneered. "And you had to come and taint the place."

"Shut up, Teresa," the older woman snapped. "Do you think she came here wishing for this to happen?"

"I've worked for spoilt brats my whole life, I know a fake when I see one. Especially one trying so hard to hold unto something that'll stop her from completly falling from grace."

I didn't reply to Teresa. I knew girls like her will only go back and forth once you give them attention. I took the wipes from her hand with a tight smile, cleaned the crystal chair until it sparkled, and then turned to the older woman. "Please, where can I drop this?"

"Follow me, ma'am," she said gently, as she made her way out of the room. I followed her. "I'm Lucy, the head cook. Mr. Knox has prepared a guest room for you. The supplies are on their way, and a meal is being prepared. You can stay till you feel ready to leave.'

"Thank you, Lucy," I whispered.

"Don't thank me. Thank him," Lucy said as we walked. "He’s never opened those rooms to a stranger. But he let you into his study and he's currently clearing out an entire pharmacy for you."

"She’s married, Lucy," Teresa’s voice trailed behind us, dripping with spite. What's her problem? I don't even know her. "Look at the ring. He’d never want a woman for more than a night, much less a married one. He's just being generous to a little girl."

I ignored her, she looks older but she's probably still a little girl too.

Lucy looked at me, then at the ring I had forgotten to remove. "Now that you aren't squeezing your face, you actually look young, too young for him and married. Oh well, all's good."

"I'm just here to continue my family's legacy." I said.

She nodded, and kept walking.

I followed her to a suite that was more luxurious than my own bedroom. "You’re way too young to be carrying all that weight on your shoulders, what about your husband?" Lucy asked looking at my wedding ring.

I just shifted my weight from my right leg to the left. This woman is another version of Aunt Matilda.

She might have noticed I was uncomfortable with the topic.

"Well, you look strong to me. Go on, take a shower. Everything you need will be waiting."