BREAKFAST

The smell of pancakes filled the kitchen as I flipped the last one onto a plate.

I stepped back and admired my work.

For someone who rarely cooked anything beyond instant noodles, the breakfast spread looked surprisingly impressive.

There were pancakes, eggs, toast, bacon, and fresh orange juice arranged neatly across the counter.

Max sat nearby, watching me with hopeful eyes.

“No. You can’t eat pancakes.” I said, and his ears drooped.

I laughed. “Nice try.”

The morning had started peacefully enough. The cleaning woman had arrived before sunrise and left before anyone else woke up.

Apart from her, the enormous mansion felt strangely empty, especially for a place this size.

I glanced toward the dining room.

The table was ready, the food was ready, and everything was ready except Jason.

I hadn’t seen him all morning, not even once.

Part of me was grateful for that, while the other part found it annoying.

If I had gone through the trouble of making breakfast, the least he could do was show up.

Maybe he was still asleep.

I checked the time and realized that he was definitely asleep or avoiding me. Honestly, either option seemed possible.

With a sigh, I wiped my hands on a towel.

“Come on, Max.” I said.

The dog immediately jumped to his feet and together, we headed upstairs.

The mansion was quiet. Eventually, I stopped outside a large wooden door.

It was Jason’s room.

I hesitated, then knocked but heard nothing.

I knocked again, still nothing.

“Jason?” I called out and frowned when I didn’t hear any news.

Was he even inside?

After another failed attempt, I noticed something. The door wasn’t fully closed, it sat slightly open just enough for me to peek inside.

“Jason?”

There was still no answer. Slowly, I pushed the door open.

The room was enormous, of course it was. Everything about it screamed wealth.

It had dark modern furniture, a massive television mounted on the wall, floor-to-ceiling window, expensive artwork, and a walk-in closet bigger than my bedroom back home.

The entire room looked like it belonged in a luxury magazine.

Not a single thing seemed out of place, even the bed was perfectly made.

I stepped inside carefully. “Jason?”

Still I heard nothing.

Maybe he’d already left to somewhere. My attention shifted to a collection of framed photographs displayed along one wall.

Curious, I moved closer. Most of them showed Jason at different ages.

Some with his parents, others with him alone. One thing remained consistent. He rarely smiled even as a child.

I found that strangely sad.

My eyes lingered on one particular photo. Jason looked younger, maybe eighteen or nineteen.

For once, he was actually smiling.

The expression transformed his entire face. He looked…Human.

Before I could think further, a sound behind me made me jump. The bathroom door opened, and I spun around so quickly that I nearly lost my balance.

Jason stepped into the room.

My heart immediately launched into my throat. His dark hair was damp from a shower. Droplets of water slid down his neck as he walked forward.

Clearly, he hadn’t expected to find anyone standing in his room.

For a brief second, surprise crossed his face, then it vanished and was replaced by amusement.

I forgot how to speak completely.

“Good morning,” he said.

The sound of his voice snapped me back to reality.

“I…”

Brilliant. Very articulate, Clare. I was already acting stupid.

“I was looking for you.”

His eyebrow rose. “Were you?”

“Breakfast is ready.”

The words tumbled out faster than intended.

“I made breakfast and you weren’t downstairs and I knocked and you didn’t answer and….”

I stopped. Jason stared and, to my horror, a small smirk appeared.

“You talk a lot when you’re nervous.”

I immediately wished the floor would swallow me. “I am not nervous.”

“You absolutely are.”

I crossed my arms. “Breakfast is getting cold.”

The smirk remained and For some reason, that annoyed me a lot. Instead of answering, Jason walked toward the door.

My relief was immediate.

Good, now I could leave.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans. As Jason reached the doorway, it suddenly clicked shut behind him.

The sound made me jump, and my eyes widened.

For one horrifying second, I thought he’d done it intentionally.

“Why did you close the door?”

Jason blinked. “I didn’t.”

“You didn’t?”

“No.”

We both stared at the door, then realization dawned on me. The automatic closing mechanism.

Of course.

This mansion probably had doors worth more than my entire apartment.

I let out a slow breath. “You scared me.”

A chuckle escaped him. It was the first genuine reaction I’d seen from him.

Unfortunately, it only lasted a second then his usual expression returned.

His cold, reserved, and difficult stare.

I headed toward the exit. “Well, breakfast is downstairs.”

Jason stepped aside. “Okay.”

I paused. That was unexpected. Before I could think properly, he slid his towel off his body and headed towards the closet to grab his lotion. I looked away quickly, my heart racing.

He noticed my fear, and quickly dressed up while I stood facing the wall like a thief.

“What’s for breakfast?” He asked, pulling a black T shirt over his perfect body.

“You mean you’re actually going to eat it?” I asked, still not looking at him.

His eyes narrowed slightly. “Should I be concerned?”

I grinned despite myself. “Depends.”

“On what?”

“Whether you enjoy food poisoning.” I said with a straight face. I turned to face him now, and was met with an evil smirk on his face.

For a moment, silence filled the room. Then, unexpectedly, Jason laughed.

It was enough to surprise both of us, neither of us mentioned it.

Instead, we headed for the door together.

And for the first time since meeting Jason Wilberg, I wondered if there might be something beneath all that arrogance after all.