Kaia gripped the handle of her silver suitcase. Her knuckles were white. She placed her other hand on the brass doorknob of her bedroom and took one last, deep breath.
She twisted the knob.
The hallway was dead silent. From the floor below, the faint, annoying sound of a reality TV show echoed from the living room, mixed with Caron and Aniya's laughter.
Kaia lifted the suitcase off the ground. She didn't want the wheels rolling on the hardwood. She walked down the stairs, her steps light and fast.
She reached the center of the grand foyer.
Aniya walked out of the kitchen, holding a glass of orange juice. She froze.
Aniya's eyes dropped to the suitcase in Kaia's hand. A nasty, triumphant smirk spread across her face.
"Getting kicked out already?" Aniya mocked, her voice dripping with fake pity. "Couldn't even last one day?"
Kaia kept her eyes locked on the front door. She didn't slow down. She walked right past Aniya, her pace accelerating.
Aniya's smile vanished. She hated being ignored. She lunged forward, stepping directly in front of the heavy oak doors. She reached out, her manicured fingers clawing toward the handle of Kaia's suitcase.
"I'm talking to you!" Aniya snapped.
Just as Aniya's fingers brushed the plastic handle, the massive front door swung open from the outside.
A blast of freezing wind and rain whipped into the foyer.
Ethan Cole stood on the threshold. He wore a razor-sharp black suit. He held a massive black umbrella over his head, the rain bouncing violently off the waterproof fabric.
Ethan's cold, deadpan eyes locked onto Aniya's outstretched hand.
Aniya gasped. She yanked her hand back as if she had touched a hot stove. She took a clumsy step backward.
Ethan stepped into the foyer. He gave a slight, perfectly measured bow.
"Mrs. Wilson," Ethan said. His voice wasn't loud, but it cut through the foyer like a blade.
Aniya's face turned a mottled shade of purple. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. The jealousy burned so hot in her eyes it was almost physical.
Kaia looked at Ethan. The tight knot in her chest instantly loosened. Her shoulders dropped an inch.
Ethan stepped forward. He reached out and took the suitcase from Kaia's hand. He didn't ask. He simply took it, his grip firm and absolute.
He turned around and tilted the massive black umbrella. He held it directly over Kaia's head, shielding her completely. He escorted her down the stone steps, treating Aniya like she was completely invisible.
A black Maybach sat idling in the pouring rain. Ethan opened the rear door.
Kaia slid onto the plush leather seat. The door slammed shut, instantly cutting off the howling wind and the toxic air of the Miranda estate.
Ethan loaded the suitcase into the trunk. He climbed into the driver's seat and put the car in gear.
The Maybach glided smoothly through the iron gates. Kaia turned her head. She looked at the sprawling mansion fading into the rain. She let out a long, shaky exhale.
Soft classical music played through the car's speakers. Ethan reached forward and adjusted the climate control. Warm air blew over Kaia's freezing legs, melting the chill from her bones.
Ethan glanced at the rearview mirror. He reached into the center console and handed a bottle of room-temperature Evian water to the back.
"Thank you," Kaia whispered. Her throat felt like sandpaper. She twisted the cap off and took a small sip.
"Mr. Wilson is still in his meetings," Ethan said, his eyes back on the road. "He instructed me to take you to The Haven Estate to settle in."
Kaia lowered the water bottle. Her eyebrows pulled together. The Haven Estate. It was the most exclusive, hyper-private residential enclave in New York.
"Is that where he usually lives?" Kaia asked.
Ethan offered a polite smile in the mirror. "No, ma'am. That is the new residence he prepared specifically for your marriage. Mr. Wilson oversaw all the design details himself."
Kaia's stomach did a strange flip. Of course he did, she stared at the back of Ethan's head, her mind instantly rationalizing the anomaly. A man like Jaxson Wilson would control every variable, down to the very walls of the gilded cage he was putting her in. It wasn't personal; it was just thorough. She had assumed Jaxson would just throw her into one of his empty luxury penthouses.
The rain lashed against the windows, blurring the neon lights of the city. Kaia leaned back against the headrest. She closed her eyes. For the first time all day, her heart rate slowed to a normal rhythm.
An hour later, the Maybach turned down a hidden, tree-lined avenue. Massive steel security gates parted silently.
The car pulled up a circular driveway and stopped in front of a breathtaking modern mansion. It was a masterpiece of glass, steel, and natural stone.
Ethan got out and opened her door.
"We are here, Mrs. Wilson," he said.
