chapter 7

Night had settled quietly over the mansion when Lewis woke up from his nap. It wasn't his intention to fall asleep but the gawking eyes watching him shot invisible lasers of sleeping pills.

He noticed that the house that had been filled with footsteps and voices during the day was now silent. What could he do to save himself? He thought.

He stared at the old woman as if his answer was on her face. Meanwhile, she was breathing steadily now and her color had improved. She had even shifted slightly in her sleep earlier.

That was his answer. She was fine. And since she was fine, he had no reason to stay there. He closed his eyes again, thinking of the best and least dangerous way to escape.

As he opened his eyes slowly, looked around the room and realised it was empty. No guards, no Paulo. Just the quiet sound of the woman breathing.

He glanced at the clock on the wall, it was past midnight. They were asleep already, he thought.The perfect time for him to escape.

Carefully, he stood up from the chair. He picked up his medical bag, hesitated for a moment, then placed it back down again. He quietly walked to the door and opened it just enough to peek outside.

The hallway was empty. His heart started beating faster as he went to retrieve his medical bag.

He stepped out and gently closed the door behind him, careful not to wake the old woman.

For a moment, he stood at the entrance, listening. But he heard nothing. Perfect. The universe was finally on his side, he thought.

He started walking.

At first, he moved slowly, trying to remember the direction they had brought him in earlier that day. But the mansion was huge, and every hallway looked the same.

Lewis turned a corner, hoping it would lead him to his destination, but it didn't. He turned another corner again, same long corridor, paintings on the walls, door on both sides of the corridor.

“Okay…” he whispered to himself. “This must lead somewhere.”

Then he turned again but it was the same thing. At this point, he was getting more frustrated at himself.

Five minutes later, he found himself staring at the exact same painting he had passed earlier.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered under his breath.

He rubbed his forehead, as frustration gnawed at him. But giving up wasn't an option. So he kept moving.

He turned left, he turned right, again. Luckily, he found another hallway. A new staircase leading to a new door.

Hope filled him up as he opened the door, but it only led to a large empty study with doors connected to each side. A fresh wave of frustration settled on him, again.

From study to a library. From the library to the dining hall. Lewis sighed heavily.

“Who designed this house?” he thought as he kept walking.

Eventually, he reached another hallway he hadn’t seen before. The lights there were dimmer, almost red.

Lewis frowned. “That’s… strange,” he thought but he kept moving until he got to the end of the hallway.

He stood in front of the heavy door, contemplating whether to turn back or open it. His curiosity pushed chose the later option.

He grabbed the handle and slowly opened it. The moment the door creaked open, a deep red glow spilled into the hallway.

“What the hell was this?” He thought as he stepped inside.

The room was… red. Not just red lights. Everything was red. Red walls and red leather furniture,

Metal bars were attached to parts of the wall. Chains hanging neatly from their hooks. The shelf was lined with objects Lewis didn’t even want to guess the purpose of.

The air itself felt heavy.

Lewis stared around the room, his eyes widening more and more.

“This is…sinful,” he muttered.

He slowly walked further inside, turning in a slow circle. The room looked carefully designed as if the owner had spent a lot of time building it exactly the way he wanted it to be.

But the longer Lewis looked, the more uncomfortable he felt.

“Okay,” he said quietly to himself. “The owner of this house was insane.”

He quickly walked back toward the door.

“I’m definitely leaving.”

As he was about to step out, he noticed another door. If he hadn't looked well, he would have missed it. He went closer, leaned in to hear something or anything.

Just as his body touched the door, he felt the vibration of music.

Music? He wandered. “Why would anyone be playing music in a house at midnight?”

Well, the answer was behind the door. Lewis hesitated for a moment. Then he pulled the handle and the door opened.

The moment he stepped inside, his entire world stopped.

The room was big. Red lights glowed across the ceiling, filling the space with a dark, sensual atmosphere. Slow music played loudly. The smell of alcohol filled the air and laughter echoed across the room.

Men were everywhere. Some half naked, some fully clothed. Some sat on large leather couches, laughing and drinking. While some leaned against the bar, talking casually.

And he saw a stage with poles. Men were dancing on them. Not just dancing, they were stripping.

Some wore masks, while some had heavy makeup.

Their bodies moved with practiced confidence as the crowd watched them.

Lewis’s mouth slowly fell open in awe. He had never in his life imagined that a place like this would exist inside someone's house.

“What… was this place?”

He took a few steps further inside, completely stunned as he watched a man spin smoothly around one of the poles while another group cheered loudly from the couches.

It felt like he had entered another world entirely. A sinful world hidden beneath a mansion.

Lewis shook his head in disbelief. “This can’t be real…”

Then he had a strange feeling. The feeling of being watched. Lewis felt a strange chill run down his spine. He slowly turned his head and immediately, he saw what was wrong.

Across the room, sitting alone on a sofa with a cold expression on his face, was a man in black suits. As he looked at the man well, he noticed the deep frown carved across his face as if it had always lived there.

But his eyes…His eyes were locked directly on Lewis. He had been watching him.

But for how long, Lewis had no idea.

As he maintained eye contact with the strange man, the noise of the club suddenly felt distant.

Lewis couldn’t look away, neither could the man.

He didn’t know who the man was. But something told him that he had just found the true owner of the house. And the man looked dangerously interested in him.