Chapter 4 - THE MANSION

Aubrey had never seen anything like it before.

Not in real life. Not even in movies that exaggerated wealth to feel unreal.

This wasn’t 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 everything she knew. High walls wrapped around perfectly cut gardens, fountains rose and fell in controlled rhythm, and sleek luxury cars lined the driveway like it was some kind of exhibition.

Even the air here felt different—cleaner, heavier.

Aubrey pressed her hand lightly against the seat, suddenly feeling out of place in this whole new environment.

“This is ridiculous,” she whispered under her breath.

Killian, seated beside her, didn’t look impressed or entertained. 

“You’ll get used to it,” he said calmly.

Aubrey turned toward him sharply. “I highly doubt that.”

That earned her nothing. Not even a glance of acknowledgment.

The car continued forward, tires gliding over polished stone until it finally stopped at the grand entrance.

The mansion rose before her like something carved instead of built. Tall pillars, glass reflecting the sky, and a presence so imposing it almost felt alive.

When the door opened, a uniformed driver stepped aside. Guards stood at a distance—not openly threatening, but clearly present enough to remind anyone that this place had rules.

Aubrey stepped out slowly.

The ground felt too expensive. Like it was repelling her presence here.

Killian followed without hesitation.

“Stay close,” he said simply.

Inside, the mansion swallowed her whole.

Marble floors stretched endlessly, reflecting light from massive crystal chandeliers above. The silence was not empty—it was intentional. Controlled. Like even sound had to ask permission before existing here.

A maid appeared almost instantly, bowing slightly before leading them upstairs without a word.

Aubrey followed, each step echoing softly in a space that felt too large.

When they reached the hallway, she noticed doors spaced far apart, each one likely leading to rooms bigger than her entire apartment.

Finally, they stopped.

“This is your room,” the maid said politely before stepping aside.

Aubrey opened the door.

And froze.

This wasn’t a room.

It was a suite.

High ceilings. A wall of glass overlooking the estate. A bed so large it looked unnecessary. A sitting area. A private bathroom she could already tell was bigger than her entire old living space.

She walked inside slowly, her voice barely audible.

“This room is bigger than my entire life.”

Killian leaned against the doorway, watching her reaction with quiet observation.

“You’ll stay here for the duration of the pregnancy,” he said.

Aubrey turned sharply. “And if I hate it here?”

His tone didn’t change. “You won’t.”

That confidence irritated her more than she expected.

“Wow. Thanks for deciding my emotions for me.”

Silence.

Then, almost nothing—but something close to amusement passed his expression.

Before she could say more, another voice interrupted.

“Killian?”

The temperature in the room changed instantly.

A tall blonde woman stepped into the doorway as if she owned it. Elegant dress. Perfect hair. Expensive makeup that looked effortless.

But what hit Aubrey first wasn’t her beauty.

It was her certainty.

The woman didn’t ask permission to enter.

She simply did.

Her eyes immediately locked onto Killian—but only for a second. The moment they shifted to Aubrey, everything about her expression changed.

Confusion first.

Then suspicion.

“Who is she?” she asked sharply turning to Killian.

The room became tense.

Killian didn’t move. “She’s staying here.”

The woman blinked once, slowly.

Then laughed softly, like the idea itself was insulting.

“You’re joking.”

“I don’t joke,” Killian replied.

Silence.

Aubrey watched carefully now, realizing she had just stepped into something she didn’t understand.

The woman’s gaze dropped briefly—

And stopped.

Right on Aubrey's stomach.

The realization hit instantly.

“No,” she said quietly almost in a whisper.

Lucien didn’t answer.

That silence was an answer.

The woman’s face changed.

Not dramatically.

Worse.

Controlled fury.

“You’re replacing me with a surrogate?”

The words hung in the air like something poisonous.

Aubrey frowned immediately. “I’m not—”

But she stopped when the woman lifted a hand slightly, not acknowledging her at all.

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

That was the first time Aubrey felt it clearly.

She wasn’t the center of this conflict.

She was the object inside it.

Killian stepped further into the room, closing the distance between them.

“This is a contract arrangement,” he said evenly. “Nothing more.”

The woman laughed humorlessly.

“Nothing more?” she repeated. “You bring a stranger into your home and tell me it’s nothing more?”

Killian's eyes narrowed slightly. “You left.”

The words landed heavily.

She flinched.

“I left because you shut me out of everything that mattered to you,” she said sharply.

Aubrey shifted slightly, suddenly feeling like she was witnessing something she shouldn’t.

Something too personal.

The woman finally turned fully toward her.

Now Aubrey had her full attention.

And it wasn’t kind.

“So this is her,” she said slowly.

Aubrey stood her ground. “Yes.”

A pause.

Then a faint, dismissive smile.

“You don’t look like much.”

Aubrey tilted her head slightly. “I wasn’t hired to look like anything.”

A flicker of surprise crossed the woman’s face.

Just for a second.

Killian's gaze shifted toward Aubrey—briefly assessing.

The woman stepped closer, circling her slowly.

“You think this is simple?” she asked quietly.

Aubrey didn’t move. “I think I signed a contract. That’s all I think.”

The woman smiled again—but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Oh, sweetheart. Nothing in this house is ever just a contract.”

Killian exhaled quietly. “Enough.”

But neither woman listened.

Instead the tension thickened.

The woman crossed her arms. “How far gone?”

Aubrey hesitated.

Killian didn’t answer immediately.

Silence.

Finally, he said, “That’s not relevant.”

The woman’s expression darkened.

“It is to me.”

Silence stretched again.

Aubrey suddenly understood something very clearly.

She hadn’t entered a business arrangement.

She had entered a battlefield she didn’t ask for.

The woman’s gaze hardened again. “You didn’t even tell me.”

“There was nothing to tell you,” Killian replied.

“Nothing?” she repeated.

His voice dropped slightly. “You chose to leave.”

“And you chose to erase me,” she snapped back.

The room felt smaller now.

Aubrey could feel her heartbeat in her ears.

The woman looked at her again.

This time slower.

Measuring.

Judging.

Finally, she spoke softly.

“This house doesn’t stay calm for long.”

Aubrey met her gaze. “I’m not here for calm.”

A brief pause.

Then the woman smiled faintly, almost sadly.

“You should’ve said no when you had the chance.

Killian stepped forward immediately. “Leave.”

The command was final.

The woman didn’t argue this time.

But before she turned away, she looked at Killian one last time.

“This isn’t over,” she said quietly.

The door clicked softly behind her as she left.

Silence returned.

But it wasn’t peace.

Aubrey exhaled slowly, realizing she had been holding her breath for far too long.

She turned slightly toward Killian. “Was that your ex?”she asked although she knew the answer.

“Yes.”

“That’s it?”

“What else do you want me to say?” he asked.

Aubrey let out a short, dry laugh. “Maybe a warning would’ve been nice.”

Killian turned toward the window. “I assumed you could handle yourself.”

Aubrey stared at him.

“That’s a very expensive assumption to make about someone you just moved into your mansion.”

He didn’t respond.

And that silence told her more than words ever could.

Something had already begun.

And she was now part of it.

Whether she wanted to be or not.