Chapter 1: The Rule

The first thing I learned about Lucien Blackwood was that he didn't like people.

The second was that he didn't like questions.

The third—

Well, the third was the reason I should have walked out of his mansion before midnight.

I didn't.

That was my mistake.

My name is Serena Vale, and three days before I met Lucien Blackwood, I was counting coins in my wallet to see if I could afford dinner.

Now I was standing inside a mansion that probably cost more than my entire bloodline had ever earned, holding a silver tray with a glass of untouched whiskey on it.

Life had a strange sense of humor.

"Put it outside his study."

Mrs. Reyes, the housekeeper, pointed toward the corridor.

"Don't knock."

I looked at the closed double doors at the end of the hall.

"Why?"

She gave me a look.

"You ask too many questions."

I smiled awkwardly.

"I've only asked one."

"And that's already one too many."

She walked away.

I stared after her.

Wonderful.

I'd been employed for exactly three days, and apparently everyone in this house was terrified of their employer.

Everyone except me.

At least, that's what I told myself.

I had accepted the position because the salary was impossible to refuse.

My mother needed surgery. My younger brother was still finishing college. The apartment we'd been renting was two months behind, and my previous employer had decided that "budget restructuring" was a perfectly polite way to say you're unemployed now.

So when a private recruitment agency offered me a live-in position at Blackwood Estate, I didn't care about the rumors.

I didn't care that Lucien Blackwood was supposedly arrogant, ruthless, and impossible to work for.

I cared about the salary.

And the medical insurance.

And the fact that they had paid my first month's advance before I even started.

Money had a way of making strange things look reasonable.

I placed the tray on the small table outside the study.

Then I turned around.

And nearly walked straight into him.

Lucien Blackwood.

I had seen his photograph before I accepted the job.

Photographs hadn't prepared me.

He was taller than I'd expected, dressed entirely in black. His shirt was open at the collar, his sleeves rolled carelessly to his forearms.

There was nothing flashy about him.

No expensive watch displayed for attention.

No arrogant smile.

Just a quiet, unsettling presence.

His eyes settled on me.

Dark.

Unreadable.

"Who are you?"

I swallowed.

"Serena Vale."

"I know your name."

That stopped me.

He stepped closer.

Not enough to touch me.

Enough to make me aware of how little space remained between us.

"Then why did you ask?"

His expression didn't change.

"I wanted to hear you say it."

My fingers tightened around the edge of my uniform.

"Mrs. Reyes asked me to bring your drink."

"I didn't ask for one."

"I know."

"Then why bring it?"

I glanced toward the tray.

"Because Mrs. Reyes told me to."

For the briefest moment, something flickered in his eyes.

Amusement.

It disappeared so quickly I wondered if I'd imagined it.

"You're new."

"Three days."

"You've lasted longer than most."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

His eyebrow lifted.

"You aren't afraid of me."

It wasn't a question.

I looked at him.

"I don't know you well enough to be afraid of you."

Silence.

Something about the way he stared at me made the hallway suddenly feel warmer.

Then he stepped aside.

"Good night, Miss Vale."

I walked past him.

I made it halfway down the hall before his voice stopped me.

"Serena."

I turned.

"Yes?"

"Stay out of my bedroom."

I blinked.

"I wasn't planning to go there."

"Good."

His gaze held mine.

"Especially after midnight."

There was something strange in the way he said it.

Not a request.

A warning.

I nodded.

"Understood."

I continued walking.

I didn't look back.

But I could feel his eyes following me.

---

At 11:48 p.m., I was still awake.

My room was small compared with the rest of the house, but it was bigger than the apartment I had left behind.

I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at my phone.

One message from my brother.

Kuya: Ma's sleeping. Doctor said tomorrow is okay. Don't worry.

I smiled.

Then another message appeared.

Kuya: Thank you, Ate.

My smile faded.

I put the phone facedown.

Thank you.

Two words that somehow carried the weight of the entire family.

I lay back and closed my eyes.

I needed this job.

I needed to keep it.

Which meant following the rules.

No unnecessary questions.

No entering restricted rooms.

No getting involved with the owner.

Simple.

At least, it should have been.

Then I heard the sound.

A woman's voice.

Soft.

Muffled.

Coming from somewhere down the hall.

My eyes opened.

I sat up.

Another sound followed.

A breathless gasp.

I stared at my bedroom door.

Maybe I was imagining it.

Then I heard it again.

I got out of bed.

The hallway was dark except for the small wall lights.

I stepped outside.

The voice came again.

This time I knew exactly where it was coming from.

Lucien's bedroom.

I stopped.

My heart began beating faster.

I remembered his warning.

Stay out of my bedroom.

Especially after midnight.

I looked at the clock on my phone.

12:17 a.m.

I should have gone back to bed.

Instead, I walked toward his door.

One step.

Then another.

I stopped outside.

There was silence now.

I raised my hand.

Don't.

I lowered it.

Then—

A soft sound came from inside.

I frowned.

Was someone hurt?

I knocked.

Nothing.

"Mr. Blackwood?"

No answer.

I knocked again.

"Mr. Blackwood?"

The door opened.

I stepped backward.

Lucien stood in the doorway.

Barefoot.

His black shirt was open at the throat, his hair slightly disheveled.

He looked nothing like the controlled man I'd seen downstairs.

His eyes were darker.

His breathing slower.

And his attention was entirely on me.

For several seconds, neither of us spoke.

Then his gaze dropped to my lips.

It lasted only a moment.

But I noticed.

"You broke the rule."

His voice was low.

"I heard something."

"You heard something."

"Yes."

"And that gave you permission to come here?"

"I thought someone might be hurt."

His mouth curved.

Not quite a smile.

"Someone was."

My stomach tightened.

"Who?"

He leaned against the doorframe.

"Me."

I stared at him.

"What?"

"I've had a difficult night."

His eyes remained fixed on mine.

"You should go back to your room, Serena."

There was something about hearing my name in his voice that made my skin prickle.

I took a step backward.

Then stopped.

"Was there a woman in here?"

His expression changed.

Barely.

But enough.

"No."

I looked past him.

The bedroom was dimly lit.

I couldn't see anyone.

"Then what did I hear?"

He stepped toward me.

I instinctively stepped back.

He stopped.

The distance between us remained.

Close.

Too close.

"Curiosity is dangerous."

"So I've been told."

"By Mrs. Reyes?"

"Everyone."

He almost smiled.

"Smart woman."

I folded my arms.

"You seem to have a lot of rules."

"I do."

"Why?"

"Because rules keep people from getting hurt."

His words should have sounded protective.

Instead, they sounded like a warning.

He reached past me and closed the hallway door to the guest wing.

The click of the lock echoed through the silence.

My heart skipped.

Lucien looked at me.

"Go to bed."

I should have obeyed.

Instead, I asked the question that would change everything.

"Why did you hire me?"

His face went completely still.

"What?"

"You interviewed six candidates. You rejected all of them."

His eyes narrowed.

"Who told you that?"

"The agency."

"And?"

"And they said you specifically requested someone with my qualifications."

Silence.

I suddenly wished I hadn't asked.

Lucien moved closer.

This time, I didn't retreat.

His voice dropped.

"Do you know what your problem is, Serena?"

"What?"

"You think you're here because you need this job."

I frowned.

"Aren't I?"

He looked at me for a long moment.

"No."

He reached for the doorknob.

Then stopped.

"You were hired because I needed you."

My pulse stumbled.

"Why?"

He opened the door.

"That's something you'll find out soon enough."

I stood there, confused.

He stepped inside.

Before closing the door, he looked back at me.

"And Serena?"

"Yes?"

His eyes moved slowly over my face.

"Next time you hear something after midnight..."

A pause.

"Don't come looking for me."

The door closed.

I stood alone in the hallway.

My heart was still pounding.

I told myself it was because I'd been startled.

Nothing more.

Then I noticed something on the floor.

A photograph.

It must have fallen from somewhere inside his room when he opened the door.

I bent down and picked it up.

The photograph was old.

A young woman stood beside a man I recognized immediately.

Lucien.

But he looked younger.

Happier.

I turned the photograph over.

There was handwriting on the back.

Four words.

She was never supposed to survive.

My blood ran cold.

And beneath those words was a name.

My name.

Serena Vale.