LOGINRosella's POV Smoke reached the secure wing first. Thin, Bitter,Real. I sat up, Alexander still slept in the crib, The night light held its soft circle. Leo was already on his feet in the sitting room, phone pressed to his ear. “How close,” he said. Elias’s voice came through, tight. “Greenhouse is gone. Fire team has it contained but the east path is blocked. Tracks lead straight back toward the main house. Toward your wing.” Leo’s eyes met mine across the open doorway. “Toward us.” “Yes.” He ended the call and came to the bedroom threshold. “Stay with him. Door open. Do not go near the windows.” I nodded. The leftover want from the long night still sat low under the new edge in his voice. Damien called from the outer door. “Motion on the lower service corridor. One person. Moving fast.” Leo turned. “Hold the door. I am coming.” He looked back at me once. “Lock it behind me if you have to.” Then he was gone. The outer lock turned. I stayed by
Rosella's POV I stayed awake longer than I meant to. The night light held its circle on the crib. Alexander slept without stirring. Leo sat in the sitting room doorway, phone in his hand, eyes moving between the outer door and the screen. The last message still sat in my head. Come to the old greenhouse. Alone. Or I come to the crib. Leo’s phone lit. He read it, then spoke low. “Elias has movement near the service road. Two figures. Not the driver.” Damien answered from the outer door. “I can take the south path.” “No. Stay on this door. Elias handles it.” Leo stood and came to the bedroom threshold. He did not step inside. “You heard.” “I did.” He looked at Alexander, then at me. “No one from this wing moves. Not for any message.” I nodded. The leftover want from earlier still sat low under the new edge in his voice. He stayed in the doorway a second longer. “When this is finished I am not waiting.” The words landed. My body answered before I could sto
Rosella's POV I stayed on the bed, the silk of the nightdress cool against my skin, eyes on the open doorway. Leo’s profile remained steady in the low light. The same hands that had been under the fabric earlier. The same mouth that had promised no more locked doors. The ache between my legs refused to fade. Time stretched further. Leo’s phone lit once more. He checked it, then spoke low to Damien. “Still nothing new from the lower feeds. Keep the door.” Damien’s answer was a short confirmation. I lay back against the pillows again, still in the nightdress, and tried to slow my breathing. The silk stuck lightly to my skin. The memory of Leo’s mouth on my neck, his hand between my legs, the low voice telling me he had me, mixed with the quiet until I could not tell them apart. Somewhere closer than the cameras, the real writer of those notes was still waiting for one of us to move. A soft knock came at the outer door. Not testing. A proper knock. Leo was on his feet i
Rosella's POV I stayed on the bed, the silk of the nightdress cool against my skin, eyes on the open doorway. Leo’s profile remained steady in the low light. The same hands that had been under the fabric earlier. The same mouth that had promised no more locked doors. The ache between my legs refused to fade. Time stretched further. I heard Damien return, low voices in the sitting room, the soft sound of the outer door being checked again. Leo’s phone lit once, then went dark. No new messages. I lay back against the pillows, still in the nightdress, and tried to slow my breathing. The place where his thumb had brushed my neck still carried heat. The dull ache sat low and steady. The note’s words kept circling. Choose. Or I choose for you. Leo’s voice came from the sitting room, low. “Any movement?” Damien answered, quieter. “Nothing yet. All access points checked. I stay on the door.” Leo did not reply. I stayed where I was, listening to the two men keeping watch, t
Rosella's POV I stayed on the bed, eyes on the open doorway. Leo’s profile remained steady in the low light of the sitting room. The same hands, the same mouth, the same promise that still sat low in my belly. The ache between my legs had not eased. Neither had the fear. They kept feeding each other in the quiet. Alexander slept on in the crib. The night light held its soft circle. Leo’s phone lit once more. He checked it, then spoke low to Damien. “Still nothing on the lower cameras. Keep the door.” Damien’s answer was a short nod I could just see from the bed. I closed my eyes for a moment, then opened them again. Sleep was not coming. The silk of the nightdress felt too present against my skin. The place on my neck where Leo’s thumb had rested still held warmth. The note’s last line kept returning. Or I come in. I sat up once more and looked toward the doorway. Leo’s eyes met mine across the short distance. The heat was still there under the watchfulness. He did not s
Rosella's POV Leo stood between me and the outer door, body still, phone in one hand. The soft testing of the lock came again, slower this time, metal against metal. “Rosella. Stay with Alexander. Do not leave that room.” I stayed by the crib, one hand on the rail. Alexander slept on. The night light kept its soft circle. The silk of my nightdress stuck to my skin where his hands had been earlier. The ache between my legs had not left. It sat low and stubborn, feeding on the fear instead of fading. My thighs pressed together once under the thin fabric, a small attempt to quiet what refused to quiet. Leo checked the lock, then the dark camera feed. His shoulders stayed tight. “Damien is not answering.” The sound at the door stopped. Silence. I watched his back. The same body that had pinned me to the dresser and made me come with his fingers while the house still held danger. The memory did not stay in the past. It lived in the way the silk brushed my thighs, in the way
Rosella's POV.Leo stood in the living room, turning the silver cufflink over in his fingers. The morning light caught the polished metal, making it gleam innocently. My heart slammed against my ribs as recognition hit me like a punch. It was Damien’s. One of the pair he always wore with his dress
Rosella's POV.Morning light filtered softly through the heavy curtains of the master bedroom, casting a deceptive calm over everything. I lay beside Leo, my body still humming from the chaos of the night before, every muscle deliciously sore in ways he could never imagine. He stirred first, his a
Rosella's POV.My heart slammed against my ribs like a caged animal desperate for escape as I stared at the phone screen. Leo’s message glowed mockingly in the dim bedroom light: “On my way home early after all. Be there in 15 minutes. Miss you.” The gate camera notification flashed right after—hi
Rosella's POV.I glanced at the clock on the wall for what felt like the hundredth time. It was already ten at night, and Leo was still not back. I paced the living room in my elegant dress, the fabric hugging my body in all the right places. My heels clicked against the marble floor with every st







