Chapter 3

Dominic Blackwood did not follow people without reason.

He stood near the tall windows of the ballroom, watching the reflection of the departing guests in the glass rather than the guests themselves. Conversations buzzed around him, investors, socialites, admirers but his attention had already narrowed elsewhere.

She was gone.

He hadn’t intended to confront her. Not at first. But the way her gaze had lingered ,controlled, deliberate had been impossible to ignore. It wasn’t admiration. It wasn’t infatuation.

It was an assessment.

That bothered him.

When he finally spotted her leaving, slipping through the crowd without drawing notice, something in his chest tightened,not irritation, not suspicion, but something far less comfortable.

Curiosity that refused to be dismissed.

He waited exactly thirty seconds before moving.

Not rushing. Not chasing. Just… following.

From a distance.

Outside, the night swallowed the sound of the party quickly. Dominic stepped into his car without ceremony and tracing the cab the girl had entered.

He didn’t close the distance when her cab pulled away. He didn't rush through intersections or draw attention. Dominic watched from behind tinted glass as the city unfolded, streetlights blurring into long streaks of gold.

She lived nowhere near the districts he expected.

Not among luxury towers or guarded estates. Not in the areas reserved for people who attended balls like that.

Instead, the cab turned into quieter streetsolder buildings, softer lights, a neighborhood built on routine rather than prestige.

Interesting.

He leaned back slightly, arms crossed, eyes never leaving the road ahead.

MADISON'S POV

I woke up from my short nap and I pulled off my dress so I could take a cool bath and find something to eat after bathing.I had just stepped out of the bathroom when the knock came.I quickly put on a night dress I could find and made my way towards the door.

I froze, one hand still gripping the thin fabric of my dress, which I had changed into hastily something soft and loose meant only for sleep. My hair was damp, clinging to my shoulders, my skin still warm from the shower.

No one ever knocked this late.

Another knock followed. Firmer this time.

My heartbeat spiked.

I moved quietly toward the door, peering through the peephole.

And my breath caught.

Dominic Blackwood stood on the other side, perfectly composed, as if he belonged there. His dark coat was buttoned neatly, his expression unreadable, his presence filling the narrow hallway beyond my apartment.

What was he doing here?

I cracked the door open just enough to see him, keeping one hand tightly clutching the neckline of my dress.

“Can I help you?” I asked coolly, though my pulse betrayed me.

His gaze dropped just briefly taking in the situation. The loose dress. The bare feet. His eyes travelled down to the cleavage between my breasts, bringing a dark flush to my skin.

His jaw tightened.

"ummm can you wait a minute I need to wear something appropriate"I said.

"Do you think I care if you're half dressed or naked?I just need to know why I was being watched at the party"he growled.

" What? I told you at the party that I find your face interesting and that's the truth,so please can you leave now before I call the police "I said angrily.

“I don’t enjoy being dismissed,” he said quietly. “And I don’t enjoy being watched and lied to.”

I met his eyes, refusing to step back. “I told you the truth.”

“You told me part of it.”

I tried to close the door.

His hand didn’t move but the door stopped.

“I warn you,” he said calmly, his voice dropping. “I am not a man who responds well to provocation.”

I swallowed, anger flaring beneath the nerves. “And I warn you,I didn’t invite you here.”

For a moment, I thought he might argue.

Instead, he exhaled slowly and removed his hand.

“Then invite me,” he said.

The audacity of it stunned me.

“You followed me,” I accused.

“Yes.”

“You traced my home.”

“Yes.”

“And you think that’s acceptable?”

“No,” he said simply. “But it was necessary.”

I stared at him, incredulous. “Necessary for what?”

“To understand you.”

Silence stretched between us, thick and uncomfortable.

Finally, against my better judgment, I stepped aside.

I opened the door wider and let him step inside.

"Give me a minute,I need to change into something more appropriate"I said and dashed into my bedroom.

Once there,I changed into a pair of jeans and a tee_shirt. Dressed in my normal attire,I began to feel more in control. Determined to insist the man leave,I marched down to the living room, only to find that he wasn't there.He was not in the kitchen either.Then I became relieved thinking he got bored and left.

Retracing my steps down that hall,I went into the room I used for a studio and found him standing in front of my paintings with the cloth raised examining the drawings.

"It would appear to me that being an artist is the only thing you didn't lie to me about..... Madison Reynolds".He turned to face me,his expression black.

Shit!!.

"Miss Reynolds,I have a bodyguard by that name.Is it possible that the two of you are related?".He asked.

"Carson's my brother"I saw no sense in lying at this point.

"Ohh I see"he said dryly.

“You don’t belong in places like tonight’s party,” he said.

“I know.”

“And yet you were there.”

“My brother asked me to be.”

"You're an artist right?".He asked.

"Obviously"I said getting annoyed already.

“Well since you're one I want to give you an offer.”

I blinked. “An offer?”

“You want better work? Because I see that your painting isn't bringing you enough money".he said.

“Something stable. Quiet.”

My chest tightened. “How would you know that?”

“I know people,” he replied. “And I know situations.”

I waited.

“I need someone I can trust in my house,” he continued. “Someone who doesn’t belong to my world but can observe it without being corrupted by it.”

My stomach twisted at the implication.

“You want me to work for you?”

“Yes.”

“As what?”

“ A house keeper he said plainly.

I stared at him. “You followed me home to offer me a job?”

“Among other reasons.”

“And why would I accept?”

“Because I’ll pay you twice the standard rate,” he said calmly.

That hit deeper than I expected.

“I don’t need your money,” I said.

“It's a live_in position "he said,"There's a bedroom with a private bathroom off the kitchen,and the person has to be willing to adjust to an irregular schedule".

“And if I refuse?” I asked.

His gaze softened not kindly, but honestly.

“Then I’ll leave,” he said. “And pretend I never knocked on your door.”

I searched his face for manipulation, for arrogance.

Instead, I found patience.

That frightened me more.

“I’ll think about it,” I said finally.

He nodded once. “You have twenty-four hours.”

Then he turned and walked toward the door.

Before leaving, he paused.

“You should be careful,” he said without looking back. “You draw attention without meaning to.”

The door closed behind him.

I stood there long after he left, heart pounding, mind racing.

Because I knew one thing with terrifying certainty

If I accepted his offer, nothing in my life would ever be simple again!.