Novel

Novel's POV

I woke up in a room that was twice the size of my entire apartment.

“How did I get here?” I whispered to the empty, high ceilings.

Then, the memories drifted back. I must have fallen asleep in the car. I felt a sudden heat crawl up my neck I blushed at the thought that instead of waking me up, he had actually carried me all the way in here.

I stood up and twirled around the plush carpet, my cheeks still burning.

“I feel like a princess,” I giggled to myself.

My little private moment was interrupted by a soft knock. I hurried to the door and pulled it open to find a woman in her sixties. She had striking, deep brown eyes and snow-white hair tied back in a neat ponytail. Despite the white hair, her face looked youthful, though I could tell she had years of experience I’d spent enough time around elderly patients to know the difference.

“Ahem. Can you hear me?” she asked, waving a hand in front of my face.

“Oh! Sorry,” I stammered, snapping out of my trance. Based on her professional poise, I assumed she was the housekeeper. Every rich man in the movies had one, after all.

“I made you food,” she said simply.

“If you are ready, you can come down to eat, or I can bring it up for you.”

“No need,I’ll go down. Thank you,” I said. We stood there for a second, awkwardly staring at one another, before she broke the silence.

“Well, go get ready. Or do you know the the way they?”

“Oh, sorry” I ducked back into the room and shut the door. I quickly changed into a large t-shirt and shorts before hurrying back out to her. She led me down a grand staircase to the dining room, and I stopped dead in my tracks. This room was like all the apartments in my building joined together. A massive crystal chandelier hung like a frozen firework from the ceiling. The table was so long that I estimated twenty people could sit there comfortably.

How rich is this guy, really? I wondered.

A row of maids stood against the wall with their heads bowed. The room felt heavy with tension, almost as if I were an intruder. Maya as I would soon learn her name tapped my shoulder to get my attention.

“You can take a seat.”

“Okay,” I replied with a nervous smile.

“He is on his way,” she added, as if she could read the question on my face.

I relaxed slightly and took a bite of the meat. My eyes nearly rolled back in my head. It was heaven.

“I can't remember the last time I ate something like this,” I admitted between bites.

“Really? I could cook for you every day,” Maya said, her expression softening into a smile.

“Oh, don’t worry, I won’t be staying for long,” I said brightly.

“I’ve just been a bit run down, so Mr. Alexei offered to help. It’s only for a week.”

“What about your parents?” Maya asked, her brow furrowing.

“Won’t they worry that you’re missing?”

I froze, the silver fork halfway to my mouth,

“My parents…” I whispered.

I forced the smile back onto my face, though it felt a little tighter than before.

“No, they won’t be angry.”

Maya nodded, though she looked unconvinced. To change the subject, I asked,

“What about you? Do you have a family?”

“Maya. That’s my name,” she said.

“And no, I don't have kids.”

I was about to ask her why when the heavy doors swung open. Alexei walked in with a sharp scowl on his face, looking like he was ready to tear the world apart . But the moment his eyes landed on mine, his entire face transformed. The hardness vanished, replaced by a look of pure, radiating relief.

“Novel,” he said, rushing to my side. It was only the second time he’d used my name without a formal title.

“Maya, why did you let her come down?” he asked, his voice full of protective worry.

“I wanted to eat here,” I interjected before Maya could get in trouble.

“It’s boring to eat alone.”

He leaned in close, his scent something like cedar and expensive cologne filling my senses. My breath hitched as he placed a cool hand against my forehead, checking my temperature with intense focus.

“Okay, I get it now,” he murmured. He pulled out the chair right next to me and sat down.

“I’m sorry I wasn't here when you woke up. I had a meeting, but I wanted to be here the second you opened your eyes.”

“Oh... it’s okay,” I said, feeling a bit overwhelmed. No one had ever felt guilty for not being there for me before.

“I’m sorry I left you alone. If I had been there, you wouldn't have ended up in the hospital,” he continued, his voice low and sincere.

“It’s okay, really. I would have fainted either way,” I assured him, reaching out to lighty caress his jaw to calm him down.

“My schedule was just too tight, that’s all.”

He leaned into my touch, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made the rest of the room disappear. For a man who had everything, he was looking at me like I was the only thing that mattered. I realized then that while I was only staying for a week, Alexei might have much longer plans and my heart was already starting to agree with him.