At least not you
LINDSEY'S POV
"Are you going to look at me all day." Wow his beauty was worth the stares.
" what are you doing here?" I remembered to ask.
" you are coming with me to our home I can't let you stay here, Stuart could come around any time." I liked the way he was stating as if he had control over me. Like he was the one deciding for me.
"I am not going anywhere." I told him without any hesitation. He stood up and walked towards me ,I was not afraid. Okay I was abit.... no I was scared because he was not stopping yet he was already too close . I thought he would slap me but he leaned in and spoke as though he was whispering.
" if you don't come out in three minutes, the whole world will know about us and your mother, I think she will gbe so proud of you. So you can make your choibut for your own information,I know how stubborn you are, you maybe planning to let me publicly announce our wedding but if you choose that, well and good, I will still take you to my home. I own you." He. Walked past me confidently.
"But what do you think you are, you came here yesterday and found me in my peace. I wake up every morning and run my errands on my own terms infact for all the years I have lived but after all that, you come into my life, force me to marry you and dare to state that you own me, as my father or what. How pathetic. Do you think you can make everyone your slave because you are wealthy. I am not property and you don't own me. I don't know whether it is because you think I have feelings for you, I am not so stupid to love someone like you. I have never loved you and will never love you monster. You will pay for all this one day. I hate you so much. You think you have made it in life.you are a devil, I hate you so much. " I had not seen any change on his face until then, his features were darker he dodged my stare but just pulled my hand dragging me into his car and locked it when he got in then signaled the chauffeur to start the car.
I knew I could change nothing,he was serious about taking control over my life but I wasn't going to accept that. I had no option rather. After around two hours, we arrived in an residence.I didn't expect beauty from him.
He was wealthy, yes, but he was cold, distant, and indifferent in the way people become when they've learned to hide everything. So when the gate opened, I wasn't ready. I was not ready for anything from him at that time It rose tall and dark, wrapped in gold designs that caught the light like fire. Stone pillars stood on each side, heavy and proud, and beyond them, a wide driveway curved through gardens bursting with color. Roses climbed along low walls, lilies leaned toward the sun, and purple flowers spilled over trimmed hedges as if the earth itself was showing off. The air smelled like water and petals.
On the right, a swimming pool shimmered, long and blue, reflecting the sky like glass. Soft lights sat beneath its surface, and white chairs rested beside it as if someone had planned quiet afternoons there. It felt unreal—too peaceful for someone who never spoke about peace.Then the mansion appeared.
It stood tall and white, its walls glowing softly in the sun. Wide windows reflected the clouds. Balconies rested on carved pillars, and flower pots lined the edges like crowns. This wasn't a house. It was a statement of control and elegance, built by someone who never wasted space or feeling. Not at all
When I followed him inside, the air changed.It was warm and smelled faintly of polish and flowers. The floor was marble, pale and shining, and above me hung a chandelier like a frozen storm of crystals. Light scattered across the walls, where gold frames held large portraits painted by artists.The sitting room opened to the left.Tall windows were covered with thick curtains that fell like silk waterfalls. Cream sofas curved around glass tables. But what stopped me were the portraits.They covered the walls.Some were landscapes, some were abstract shapes of color and emotion, others were people painted with eyes that seemed alive. And then I saw that one.
A large portrait of him and his twin sister, stepping out of an airplane, speaking to each other. They looked young there—confident, powerful, untouchable. I felt my chest tighten.I had seen this portrait before.At his sister's house. It showed a world I didn't belong to. And now it stood here, framed in gold, watching me.The staircase rose behind the sitting room like a slow wave. It curved upward in two wide arms, its railings smooth and carved with patterns of vines and flowers.Soft lights glowed along the walls, guiding the way up like stars.A long dark table stretched across the room, surrounded by tall chairs with padded backs. Crystal glasses waited neatly beside white plates. A chandelier glowed above it, warmer than the one in the hall, and the walls were painted in rich colors that made the gold details shine. It looked like a room made for calm conversations and slow meals, not rushed live.
A man in his fifties came and welcomed us. As if he knew I was going there. He introduced himself to me as Butler Dawson. Riven told him to lead me upstairs and he told me to follow himThen he led me upstairs.
The bedroom door opened, and my breath left me.The bed stood wide and high, dressed in soft white and gray sheets, layered like clouds. Curtains framed the windows, and sunlight touched the floor like it had been invited. A small table held fresh flowers—roses and lilies again, matching the garden outside. The room smelled faintly of clean fabric and sweetness. Was it a coincidence that Riven had prepared exactly what I loved. Was it even his house.
I walked in slowly, taking it in. This cold man, who barely showed emotion, had chosen colors, light, softness. His house spoke where he didn't. He was always quiet and unreadable ever.But his walls betrayed him.His rooms whispered things he never said.That he noticed details.That he understood beauty.That somewhere beneath his silence, he knew how to prepare a place for someone.And in that moment, standing in a room made just for me, in a house surrounded by flowers and water and light, I felt something dangerous and tender. What was happening to me was unplanned by me.