Chapter 515
[ 510 words ]
Chapter 515:
His head was pillowed on his crossed arms, and a thick, heavy book was lying open across his face, blocking the sun. A law textbook, she noted. His legs were crossed casually at the ankles. He appeared to be fast asleep.
She hesitated. He looked so out of place, so completely at ease. He could be a guest, a student hired for the summer, anyone. The thought of disturbing his nap felt like an intrusion.
But a glance back at the endless sweep of the unfamiliar garden spurred her on. She was not late for dinner, but she was lost in a private estate large enough to hide entire histories in locked rooms and forgotten wings. Pride was not a good enough reason to keep walking in circles. She had no choice.
She stepped off the stone path and onto the soft, manicured grass. Her sneakers made no sound.
As she got closer, she saw the edge of a tattoo peeking out from under the rolled-up sleeve of his hoodie, a complex swirl of black ink.
She stopped about three feet away, clearing her throat softly. “Excuse me?”
There was no response. His chest continued to rise and fall in the slow, deep rhythm of sleep.
She moved a little closer, peering down at him. A pair of black, wireless earbuds were nestled in his ears. He was completely sealed off from the world.
Yo𝘶r 𝗇𝘦x𝘵 𝘧a𝘃𝗼r𝘪𝘵e r𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘪𝘴 о𝘯 𝗀a𝘭𝗇o𝘷e𝘭ѕ.c𝗈𝘮
She bit her lip in frustration. There was only one option left.
She leaned down, her knees bending, and reached out a hesitant hand. She gently tapped his shoulder.
The reaction was instantaneous and violent.
His entire body went rigid. He moved with the explosive speed of a startled predator, launching himself into a sitting position in a single, fluid motion.
The law book slid off his face and tumbled onto the grass, revealing a face that was startlingly handsome and utterly furious. Sharp cheekbones, a strong jaw, and a mess of dark hair falling over his forehead. But his eyes were narrowed, filled with a raw, aggressive hostility.
He ripped one of the earbuds from his ear, his expression a mask of pure, undiluted annoyance. His gaze, sharp as a shard of glass, sliced toward her.
Caroline was so taken aback by the sheer force of his hostility that she instinctively took a half-step back.
His eyes raked over her, a quick, dismissive appraisal. They lingered for a fraction of a second on the simple cotton dress she’d thrown on, the one she’d worn to cook in.
A slow, malicious smirk curled his lips. It wasn’t a smile. It was a weapon.
He opened his mouth, and the words that came out were coated in ice.
“Who the hell gave a clumsy new maid permission to wander onto the private lawns and wake me up?”
The words were a slap. Cold, arrogant, and utterly dismissive.
Caroline blinked, momentarily stunned. She glanced down at her simple, slightly wrinkled dress, then back at his sneering face. She understood the mistake instantly. In his world, a woman dressed like this, in this part of the estate, could only be one thing.
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