LOGINThe shrill alarm ripped through the mansion.Red lights flashed across the ceiling, replacing the warm glow of the chandeliers with an ominous crimson that bathed the hallway in blood-colored light.Aubrey froze."What...?""Intruder!" one of the maids screamed as she stumbled backward, dropping the tray in her hands. Porcelain shattered across the marble floor.The entire mansion exploded into motion.Doors flew open.Men in black suits poured into the hallway from every direction, each wearing an earpiece. Their movements were quick, disciplined, almost rehearsed. Within seconds, they had formed a protective perimeter.Aubrey's pulse thundered in her ears.This wasn't a drill.Someone had actually breached the Frost estate."Stay behind me."Killian's voice was calm.Too calm.He had already stepped in front of her before she even realized he'd moved.His broad shoulders blocked her view of the corridor ahead."I'm fine," Aubrey protested instinctively."I wasn't asking."She opened
The rain had stopped.For the first time in days, the Frost estate stood beneath a pale morning sky, quiet enough that Aubrey could hear birds somewhere beyond the towering walls.It should have felt peaceful.Instead, she woke with an uneasy feeling sitting heavily in her chest.The nightmare had returned.She couldn't remember all of itâonly fragments.A pair of cold gray eyes.Blood staining marble floors.Someone whispering, Run.Then the sound of a gunshot.Aubrey sat upright, breathing harder than she should have. Her hand instinctively rested against her stomach.The baby.She exhaled slowly."I'm okay," she whispered, though she wasn't sure if she was trying to convince herself or the tiny life growing inside her.A gentle knock came at her door."Miss Aubrey?" Mrs. Eleanor called softly. "Breakfast is ready.""I'm coming."She dressed quickly, but the strange feeling refused to leave.Something was wrong.She just didn't know what.The dining room was unusually quiet.Killian
The mansion had never been this quiet.It wasn't peaceful.It was the kind of silence that made every tiny sound feel suspicious.Aubrey stood by the kitchen island, wrapping both hands around a mug of tea she hadn't touched.She hadn't slept.Not after what happened the previous evening.Killian had spent hours inside his office with Marcus. Voices had risen behind the closed doorânever loud enough to understand, but tense enough to know something was wrong.Then, just before midnight...She had seen Killian leave the mansion.Alone.No security convoy.No explanation.And now it was almost eight in the morning.Still no sign of him."You'll burn holes through that cup if you keep staring."Aubrey looked up.Mrs. Evelyn smiled knowingly while arranging fresh flowers on the dining table."You've been worried since yesterday.""I haven't.""Hm.""I haven't," Aubrey repeated.The older woman only laughed softly."If you say so."Aubrey rolled her eyes."I'm just wondering why everyone s
Morning arrived without peace.The Frost estate looked exactly as it always didâperfect gardens, spotless marble floors, staff moving with quiet precisionâbut beneath the polished surface, something had changed.Security.Everywhere.Men in black suits stood at every entrance. More cameras had appeared overnight. Two SUVs were parked outside the main gate instead of one.Aubrey noticed all of it the moment she looked out her bedroom window.She folded her arms."This is ridiculous."A knock came at the door."Come in."The maid entered carrying breakfast on a silver tray."Mr. Frost instructed us not to let you leave the house today, Miss Aubrey."Aubrey blinked."He what?"The woman gave an apologetic smile."Those were his exact instructions."Aubrey let out a dry laugh."He thinks he owns me now?"The maid wisely said nothing before placing the tray down and excusing herself.The second the door shut, Aubrey muttered under her breath."Control freak."âDownstairs...Killian stood
The morning after the hunt felt strangely quiet.Too quiet.Aubrey stood by the enormous bedroom window, watching sunlight spill over the Frost estate. The storm from the previous night had disappeared completely, leaving behind freshly washed gardens and sparkling fountains that looked as though nothing bad had ever happened.Unlike her.She folded her arms.Ever since Killian had dragged her back inside during the blackout, neither of them had spoken about it.Not the way he'd grabbed her hand.Not the way she'd instinctively hidden behind him when the lights went out.Not the fact that, for a brief second, she'd felt... safe.The thought irritated her.She didn't need Killian Frost to protect her.A knock interrupted her thoughts."Breakfast is ready, Miss Aubrey."She sighed."Coming."The dining room looked exactly as lifeless as always.A table large enough for twenty.Two people sitting at opposite ends.Killian was already dressed in a charcoal suit, his silver watch catching
The mansion no longer felt like a home.It felt like the headquarters of a war.Staff hurried through the hallways with lowered heads, speaking in whispers that died the moment Killian Frost walked past. Phones rang constantly. Security guards appeared where Aubrey had never seen them before, dressed in black suits with earpieces that crackled every few minutes.No one smiled.No one dared.Aubrey stood on the second-floor balcony overlooking the grand entrance as three black SUVs rolled into the driveway one after another.The men who stepped out didn't look like ordinary bodyguards.They moved with quiet precision, scanning every corner before entering the house. One carried a silver briefcase handcuffed to his wrist.Another held a tablet displaying what looked like maps covered in blinking dots.Whatever was happening, it was much bigger than she had imagined."You shouldn't stand there."Aubrey turned.Mrs. Agnes stood behind her, clutching a tray of untouched tea."They've been
Living in Killian Frost's house felt less like living and more like existing inside a controlled experiment.Everything had rules. Everything had order. Aubrey was starting to realize she wasn't anything in this house. Not an employee. Not a guest. Not family. Just⊠a condition he had agreed to man
Aubrey had never seen anything like it before.Not in real life. Not even in movies that exaggerated wealth to feel unreal.This wasnât a house.It was a statement.The black gates opened slowly as the car rolled into the Frost estate, revealing a world that felt deliberately separated from everyth
The hospital room felt painfully cold, the kind of cold that seeped into bone and stayed there, refusing to leave no matter how tightly you wrapped your arms around yourself.Aubrey sat stiffly on the edge of the examination bed, fingers clenched together so tightly her knuckles turned white. The
The black Maybach came to a smooth stop in front of a tower of glass and steel that seemed to swallow the sky.Aubrey leaned back slightly, staring up.Frost Corporation.The name was carved into the building in steel work that looked like it cost a lot.Her stomach churned.She stepped out, instan







