Chapter 8 Chapter Eight.

♣︎Silas pov♣︎

I watch her.

My eyes track every single surface her cloth touches as she cleans.

The security monitors on my wall give me a perfect view of the west wing corridors. I can’t quite make out her exact facial expressions from this angle, but I can see the slight twitch of her shoulders, the way her head tilts when she’s frustrated.

I find myself entirely intrigued by the concept of what other expressions I could draw out of her.

Yesterday made one thing abundantly clear to me, she is a curious creature, but there’s a feisty streak hidden beneath that nervous exterior.

Lina Mendez. Interesting.

The door to my office clicks open, cutting through my mind. A moment later, a thick manila folder is placed precisely on my desk. I look away from the screens, my gaze sliding up to meet Edward, my private investigator.

"Everything you requested regarding Ms. Lina Mendez, sir." Edward says, stepping back.

I glance down at the paper, but my eyes are almost magnetically drawn back to the monitors. I watch as she steps out of one of the guest rooms, I lean back in my chair, interlacing my fingers.

"Give me the summary." I command, my eyes refusing to leave her moving figure. They stay glued to the screen.

Edward clears his throat nervously, a sound that breaks the stillness.

"Lina Mendez doesn't leave much of a footprint, sir. She’s twenty five years old. Her parents are unknown, and she appears to have no siblings. Her records indicate she is fully Latina, so the assumption is both parents are as well. Frankly, there is an unusual lack of background data on her. It’s almost too clean."

My brows furrow slightly. A nobody in a maid’s uniform. I shift my gaze from the monitor to Edward.

He flinches under the weight of my stare, his posture stiffening as his eyes drop to the floor. He knows better than to bring me incomplete answers.

"Relationship status?" I ask..

"Oh... that's... we don't know, sir." Edward stammers, his voice tight. "Honestly, Ms. Lina Mendez seems like a complete nobody among the millions of people in this state. She's practically a shadow here."

My brow furrows deeper.

Did she lie about having a boyfriend? Or is she hiding something much larger?

"But aside from that, sir, she appears to be just a plain woman." Edward quickly adds, trying to salvage the report. "There is absolutely no record of any ties to your business rivals, and no connection to any known corporate spies."

Hmm... interesting. A blank slate.

"Leave." I command.

Edward nods instantly, looking relieved to escape, and walks out, shutting the door quietly behind him.

I let my gaze linger on the manila folder for a few seconds before my eyes inevitably slide back to the security monitor.

She is walking down the west hallway now, her head tilting as her eyes curiously take in the architecture and the artwork.

She thinks she's completely alone.

A smirk tugs at the corner of my lips.

"What a curious little Kitkat..."

The vibration of my phone on the desk breaks my trance. I pull the device closer, glancing down at the flashing screen. The name on the display causes my features to instantly harden.

I press the button and bring the phone to my ear.

"You have one minute." I say.

An annoying chuckle echoes through the speaker, a sound I’ve despised for quite a while. "Well, that's not a very nice way to talk to your fiancée, Silas."

"Fifty four seconds."

"Always so aloof..." she purrs, "Just how I like them."

"Fifty seconds.." I reply coldly.

My attention slips away from her voice, my eyes moving entirely on their own as they fall right back onto the screen.

Onto Kitkat.

"Silas, don't you think it's time we let the public know we are getting married? I mean... I'm your fiancée, but we need to make it official now."

"Forty seconds."

"This is serious, Silas! You keep brushing this off every single time." she snaps, her tone cracking. "I am your fiancée..."

On the screen, my eyes track Kitkat as she moves into the study, a feather duster in her small hand.

"Firstly... this entire arrangement is a sham." I say, my voice smooth and devoid of any warmth. "I am paying you. Have you forgotten? This marriage was my parents' idea, not mine. I never agreed to anything with them, which means I don't remember getting engaged to you. You don't have the right to call yourself my fiancée."

Through the line, I can practically hear her seething.

"You have ten seconds."

"How long are you going to keep this up? We are compatible, Silas. And remember, my family can bring a multi-million-dollar empire to your feet."

"Whatever gave you the impression that I want anything to do with your family heritage must have severely impaired your judgment." I say. "I am Silas Thorne. Do I look like a man who needs a dying company?"

The line goes dead silent.

"The two year contract is almost over." I remind her.

"Silas, this is not–"

"Your time is up."

I cut the call and toss the phone onto the desk.

Thinking back, perhaps it was a miscalculation to enter into a contract with Alessandra Beaumont. But at the time, I needed a shield, a placeholder to keep my parents, especially my mother, from shoving a never ending line of high society women into my villa.

I cannot wait for this contract to end so I can finally rid myself of her. It’s amusing, really, that she thinks I will ever fall for her.

I don’t do love. I’ve never believed in an idea so fragile and unpredictable. From day one, I have never given her hope. I don’t allow her to touch me, I don’t tolerate her presence any longer than necessary.

It isn't that I hate women. I am a man with needs, but I am also a man who demands absolute control. I simply haven’t met a woman who is worth losing that control for.

I let out a slow breath, my fingers running through my hair. I shift my gaze back to the monitor, and my hand pauses.

Kitkat is in the study, but she isn't dusting. She’s carefully pulling a book from the shelf, her eyes scanning the pages with intense focus.

She thinks no one is looking.

A smirk spreads across my face again.

"Curiosity sure does kill a Kitkat..." I murmur.