Chapter 31

{Hailey’s POV}

Kiara popped a strawberry into her mouth, then looked at me like she was about to start a fight. We were sitting in one of the smaller lounge rooms near the east wing, legs kicked up, sunlight pouring through the window like we were two girls on vacation instead of in the middle of some gothic mess.

“Okay,” she said suddenly, smirking. “Which one?”

I blinked. “Which what?”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t play dumb. Which Lachlan brother do you like?”

I choked on my water. “Excuse me?”

Kiara leaned forward like a gossip-hungry teenager. “Don’t act like you haven’t thought about it. They’re all hot. Each in their own tortured-rich-boy way. You’ve been living in the same creepy house as them for how long now? One of them has to be your type.”

I tried to laugh it off. “I don’t have a type.”

“Hailey.”

“No, seriously. They’re all chaos.”

“That’s not a denial,” she said, pointing her strawberry at me.

I sighed, dragging a pillow onto my lap. “Fine. You want the truth?”

Kiara sat up straighter. “Absolutely.”

I hesitated. This wasn’t something I’d planned on saying out loud ever again. But something about her felt safe, and I was too tired to keep pretending.

“You remember the day, we were at the balcony in my room,” I said slowly, “We talked about Craig. You left me to go answer a call.”

“Yeah, the day I left the house…” she said, eyes narrowing in curiosity.

“I saw Julian,” I said. “In the pool. He wasn’t alone.”

Kiara’s brows lifted. “With who?”

“No idea. Some girl. Probably one of those weekend types who show up and disappear like ghosts. He had her pinned against the edge of the pool, and, let’s just say, it wasn’t a friendly swim.”

Kiara’s mouth fell open. “Holy shit.”

“Yeah,” I said flatly. “I didn’t mean to see it. I didn’t even move. I just stared like an idiot.”

“And?”

“And it messed with my head.”

I didn’t look at her when I said the next part. “I left. I ran back to my room. But the image wouldn’t leave my brain. It was stuck. Like it branded itself into my skull.”

“Oh my God…” she gasped.

“I didn’t do it because of him,” I said quickly, “but later that night, I… I was in bed. I couldn't sleep. I started touching myself.”

Her mouth dropped open again. “You did not.”

“I did,” I muttered, cheeks burning. “And guess who walked in.”

“No. No!”

“Yep.”

Kiara screamed into her pillow. “Julian walked in on you masturbating to the idea of him?”

“I wasn’t doing it to him!” I yelled. “I mean… okay, maybe it was a little bit him. But mostly it was just—ugh! I don’t know. I was confused and horny and tired and the door wasn’t even locked!”

“What did he do?”

“He just stood there,” I said, groaning. “Dead silent. We stared at each other for maybe three seconds—which felt like three hours—and then he mocked me. Saying I don't have a man to fuck me.”

Kiara looked like she was about to faint. “That is the hottest and most embarrassing thing I’ve ever heard. Do you know how many girls would kill at that moment?”

“I wanted to crawl into the wall and die.”

“I would’ve moaned louder and made eye contact.”

“Kiara!”

She cackled like a witch. “Oh my God, you totally have a thing for him.”

“No, I don’t,” I lied instantly.

“Do you think he has a big—”

“Kiara!”

“I’m just asking the real questions!” she said, hands up like she was innocent. “You saw him making out. Was it giving… big energy?”

I covered my face. “We are not having this conversation.”

“Too late, we’re already in it.” She leaned in close, grinning. “So? How big?”

I peeked at her through my fingers. “I didn’t see anything. But the confidence was… yeah. Let’s just say he didn’t look like someone who lacked experience.”

Kiara raised both brows. “So you’ve imagined it.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Girl. Please.”

I gave her a look. “Fine. Maybe once. Okay, twice. In my defense, have you seen the man?”

“Oh, I’ve seen him. Broody, sexy, haunted. Ten out of ten would ruin my life.”

I laughed so hard I nearly fell off the couch.

“But he’s also a walking red flag,” I added, sobering. “Moody, hot-and-cold, arrogant. He’s everything I shouldn’t like.”

“Which is exactly why you do,” Kiara said, nodding like a wise old sage.

I sighed. “He’s not just some guy, though. He’s part of all this. George’s secrets, the will, the riddles. Eloise. Everything here feels tied to him somehow.”

Kiara tilted her head. “You think he’s hiding something?”

“I know he is,” I said. “They all are. But Julian? He’s the hardest one to read. One minute he’s looking at me like he wants to burn the whole world down. The next, like he’s trying not to care.”

“Maybe he does care,” she said softly.

“Maybe that’s the problem.”

We sat in silence for a while, both of us staring at nothing. The room felt suddenly too quiet, like the house was listening.

“Be careful with him,” Kiara said finally. “That boy has a storm behind his eyes.”

I nodded slowly. “I know. But I don’t think I’m afraid of storms.”