CHAPTER 5 THE FINAL RULES

"There is one final rule."

My fingers tightened around the diamond ring resting on my hand.

I looked up at Mr. K.

The playful moment from earlier had vanished. His expression was serious again.

"What is it?" I asked quietly.

For a moment, he didn't answer.

The silence stretched between us.

Then he spoke.

"No matter what happens, you are never to enter the west wing of this house."

I frowned.

"The west wing?

"Yes."

"Why?"

His dark eyes met mine.

"Because I said so."

I stared at him.

"That's not really an explanation."

"It's the only one you're getting."

Something in his voice made my stomach twist.

The servants had already disappeared from the dining room. The enormous space suddenly felt colder.

"What's in the west wing?" I asked.

Mr. K picked up his wine glass.

"Nothing that concerns you."

I wanted to argue.

I wanted to demand a real answer.

But I remembered the contract.

Six months.

Six months of following his rules in exchange for Lola's future.

So I swallowed my curiosity.

"Fine."

His gaze lingered on me for a second.

"Good."

Dinner ended shortly afterward.

A maid escorted me back to my room while Mr. K disappeared somewhere deeper inside the mansion.

The entire walk upstairs, one thought repeated itself in my mind.

The west wing.

Why forbid me from going there if there was nothing important inside?

The question followed me into my room.

It followed me while I changed into my pajamas.

It followed me while I brushed my teeth.

And it followed me while I lay awake staring at the ceiling.

Sleep refused to come.

Every time I closed my eyes, I remembered the way Mr. K had looked when he mentioned that part of the house.

Not angry.

Not annoyed.

Almost...

Afraid.

I sat up.

The digital clock beside the bed read 12:43 AM.

Everyone was probably asleep.

I slipped quietly out of bed.

"I'm just taking a walk," I whispered to myself.

The excuse sounded weak even in my own ears.

The hallway was silent.

Moonlight spilled through the tall windows, creating pale silver patterns across the carpet.

I walked slowly.

Past closed doors.

Past expensive paintings.

Past antique tables covered with fresh flowers.

The mansion felt completely different at night.

Lonelier.

Colder.

Almost haunted.

I reached the end of the second-floor hallway.

There it was.

A pair of black double doors.

Unlike the rest of the mansion, these doors were plain.

No decorations.

No paintings.

No flowers.

Just black wood.

The west wing.

My heart pounded.

I shouldn't be here.

I knew that.

But curiosity pulled me forward.

Slowly, I reached for the handle.

Locked.

Of course.

I let out a breath.

"See?" I whispered to myself.

"Nothing to worry about."

Then I heard it.

A sound.

Soft.

Faint.

Almost impossible to hear.

I froze.

It sounded like...

Music.

A piano.

The melody drifted through the door.

Sad.

Beautiful.

Lonely.

The hairs on my arms stood up.

Someone was inside.

Mr. K had said there was nothing there.

So why could I hear music?

I pressed my ear against the door.

The melody continued The sadness in the music tugged at something deep inside me.

For a moment, I forgot where I was.

It reminded me of the nights when Lola couldn't sleep. She would sit by the window and hum old songs while the rain tapped softly against the roof.

The melody behind the door carried the same loneliness.

The same pain.

As though someone had been trapped in sorrow for a very long time.

My curiosity grew stronger.

Who was inside that room?

Pagkatapos niyan, tuloy na agad sa:

Then suddenly

It stopped.

Then suddenly

It stopped.

Silence.

My heart hammered against my ribs.

A second later, footsteps echoed from the other side.

Coming closer.

Closer.

Closer.

I jumped away from the door.

The footsteps stopped directly on the opposite side.

Whoever was inside was standing there.

Listening.

Just like I was.

Neither of us moved.

Neither of us spoke.

The silence felt endless.

Then—

"Maya."

My blood run cold.

The voice was low

Male.

Familiar.

Mr. K.

I spun around.

He stood at the end of the hallway wearing dark pants and a black shirt.

His expression was impossible to read.

But his eyes...

His eyes were furious.

For the first time since meeting him, I felt genuinely afraid.

"I told you not to come here."

My mouth went dry.

"I was just—"

"Curious?"

His voice was dangerously calm.

I nodded.

The muscles in his jaw tightened.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then something unexpected happened.

The anger disappeared.

In its place was exhaustion.

As if he had been carrying a burden for years.

"You need to learn something, Maya."

His voice was quieter now.

"Some doors exist for a reason."

I glanced back at the black door

The piano music was gone.

The hallway was silent once again.

"What are you hiding?" I whispered.

A strange shadow crossed his face.

For the first time, Mr. K looked vulnerable.

Just for a second.

Then the mask returned.

"Go to bed."

"Mr. K—"

"Now."

I knew better than to argue.

Slowly, I turned and walked away.

But before I disappeared around the corner, I looked back.

Mr. K was still standing there.

Staring at the black doors.

As though whatever was behind them frightened him more than it frightened me.

And for the first time...

I wondered if the real mystery in this house wasn't the west wing.

It was the man who owned it.

End of Chapter 5