Chapter 7

Olivia

I had just finished unpacking my things when I noticed a strange scent drifting through the room.

Citrus.

Fresh and sharp with something warm underneath it.

It smelled incredible.

For a second, I honestly thought the Hawthornes must use some insanely expensive air freshener throughout the mansion because I had never smelled anything like it before.

Curious, I left my room to go find Mrs. Hawthorne.

As I descended the staircase, I spotted the back of a tall dark-haired man standing at the bottom.

Ethan?

No… wait.

Mrs. Hawthorne had introduced the other twin yesterday.

This one had to be Logan.

As I stepped closer, I realized Mrs. Hawthorne had been speaking quietly to him, but the second she noticed me, she immediately stopped.

“Olivia,” she said smoothly, “this is my son Logan.”

Right.

Twin number two.

“Hello, Logan,” I said politely.

He didn’t turn around.

Okay… weird.

Was this some rich people thing? Because honestly it just came across as rude.

“Logan,” Mrs. Hawthorne said sharply, “where are your manners? Say hello to your sister’s nanny.”

Slowly, he turned toward me.

And immediately looked like he regretted it.

His jaw tightened the second our eyes met.

Then he just nodded once.

Again with the nodding.

Ethan had done the exact same thing yesterday.

Did these people not know how conversations worked?

Then I realized the citrus scent was stronger now.

Much stronger.

It was coming from him.

So that amazing smell wasn’t an air freshener.

It was his cologne.

Although honestly, calling it cologne felt wrong somehow. The scent felt… natural.

Weirdly natural.

“Now then,” Mrs. Hawthorne continued, eyeing her son suspiciously, “where exactly is your brother?”

Logan glanced at me briefly before looking back at his mother.

“He didn’t come home last night,” he muttered.

Interesting.

And judging from the slight embarrassment in his voice, Mrs. Hawthorne intimidated her sons just as much as she intimidated everyone else.

“Of course he didn’t,” she sighed. “Well, I expect both of you here this weekend. Your brothers are returning from their trip, and for once I’d like all four of my sons seated at the same dinner table.”

Logan shrugged one shoulder lazily.

Honestly, this man barely spoke.

Then again, Ethan hadn’t exactly been chatty either.

“Kindly pass that message along to your brother,” Mrs. Hawthorne said coolly.

Then she turned toward me.

“Olivia, come with me. Lily should be finishing breakfast by now.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

As I stepped off the final stair, I passed close beside Logan.

My arm brushed his accidentally.

A sharp spark shot through me instantly.

Static electricity.

At least, that’s what it felt like.

Except there wasn’t any carpet nearby.

Logan inhaled sharply behind me.

I glanced sideways at him in confusion.

What was wrong with this guy?

“You all right?” Mrs. Hawthorne asked him immediately.

He nodded once.

“Just tired,” he muttered. “Long night.”

Mrs. Hawthorne narrowed her eyes like she didn’t fully believe him.

“Then perhaps you should sleep it off.”

Without waiting for a response, she turned and motioned for me to follow her.

As we walked through the massive mansion toward the dining room, she sighed softly.

“Forgive Logan,” she said. “He’s not usually that strange. Whatever nonsense he and Ethan got themselves into last night, I’m sure I’ll uncover it eventually.”

I nodded politely.

“I see.”

Though honestly, “strange” felt like an understatement.

The second we entered the dining room, I spotted Lily sitting alone at the far end of the enormous table.

She looked tiny there.

Tiny and sad.

An untouched bowl of cereal sat in front of her.

“Lily, sweetheart,” Mrs. Hawthorne said warmly, “your nanny is here.”

Lily looked up instantly.

The second she saw me, her entire face lit up.

“Liv!” she squealed excitedly. “You came back!”

I couldn’t stop myself from smiling.

“I did.”

The little girl looked genuinely relieved.

Mrs. Hawthorne glanced between us before speaking again.

“All right, I’ll leave her with you. Make sure she’s occupied and happy.”

Then her expression shifted slightly.

“And Lily stays inside.”

I blinked.

“Inside?” I repeated. “She’s not allowed outside to play?”

“No.”

The answer was immediate.

“It’s her father’s rule,” Mrs. Hawthorne explained. “And it is not open for discussion. It’s for her safety.”

Safety?

I didn’t understand that at all.

What kind of danger could possibly exist outside on their own property?

Still, it wasn’t my place to question their parenting on my first official day.

“Understood,” I said carefully.

But suddenly Lily’s sadness made a lot more sense.

She wasn’t just lonely.

She was trapped.

Mrs. Hawthorne gave me one final look before leaving the room.

The second she disappeared, Lily leaned closer toward me conspiratorially.

“She says I can’t go outside because bad things happen,” she whispered dramatically.

I raised a brow.

“Bad things?”

She nodded seriously.

“Daddy says monsters are out there.”

Well.

That definitely wasn’t unsettling.

I pulled out the chair beside her and sat down.

“So,” I said with a grin, lowering my voice playfully, “have you ever played hide-and-seek in a giant mansion before?”

Lily gasped.

“No.”

“Well then,” I said, standing slowly, “I think we should fix that immediately.”

Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

And for the first time since arriving at this mansion…

The house actually felt a little less cold.