"Olivia."
Her stomach dropped. She froze, breath catching in her throat, and slowly turned around.
Soren Smith stood at the end of the hallway, half of his face hidden in shadow, black coat draped over his shoulders like a warning.
His expression wasn't angry.
It was worse.
Cold. Dark. Empty. Like a storm about to swallow the entire mansion.
His steps were slow — deliberate — each one echoing like a death sentence.
OH MY GOD.
You're dead, Olivia. Finished. Buried. Why would you touch the one door he said never to touch? Do you LIKE dying? Girl, you have problems.
Lily stood behind her, trembling so hard, her hands were shaking
Soren stopped right in front of Olivia — so close she could feel the cold intensity radiating from him.
He lowered his head slightly, eyes locked onto hers with a stillness that made her knees weak.
"Curiosity," he murmured, voice low and sharp, "is a dangerous habit."
Olivia tried to swallow. Her body felt heavy, frozen in place.
"If you ever," he continued, tone quiet but edged with steel, "step toward this door again…"
He didn't raise his voice.
He didn't need to.
"…I will not be merciful."
Her blood turned to ice.
He stepped back, like he was done looking at her. A final cold glance. A flick of his coat. And he walked away.
Olivia stood rooted, trembling, but only in thought. Lily gently guided her to the side.
"M–ma'am, I'm sorry," Lily said softly.
Olivia exhaled, trying to calm herself. Why did I have to touch the stupid door? Couldn't I have just stayed in my room eating snacks?
"I....i want to go to my room"
"Yes ma'am" lily said as she supported olivia back to her room
After what felt like eternity with Olivia blaming herself for being such a disobedient girl a knock sounded on her door. Agnes, the ever-mean maid, appeared.
"The Young Master requests your presence in the study," she said with a fake polite smile.
Olivia dragged herself there, shaking slightly but composed.
Soren sat behind his desk, signing documents. His presence filled the room like a cold fog. When he finally looked up, Olivia felt her breath stop.
"oh you are here, i called you here to ask if there is anything you need?" he asked.
Olivia blinked. Wait… is he okay?, was this the man that scared the shit out of her earlier, what's with this two sides of him
"N–no," she stammered. "Just… privacy and my phone maybe."
His expression shifted — darker, sharper.
"You will not have contact with the outside world," he said quietly. "You are mine. As long as you're here, do not think of running. If you try—"
His eyes pinned her in place.
"—I will catch you."
Olivia froze.
"O–okay… Young Master," she whispered.
He looked up sharply. "Don't call me that. We're married. On paper, at least."
"Y–yes. Soren."
"That will be all you can leave now."
Olivia practically fled. Lily waited outside.
"Ma'am, are you okay?"
"No," Olivia whispered. "Let's go."
Back in her room, Olivia sat on the bed, legs crossed, after moments of awkward silence Olivia looked at Lily
"Lily tell me everything you know about Soren," she said.
Lily nodded. "Alright, ma'am..... from what i managed to hear from the gossip birds young Master lost both his parents when he was four. It was raining that day. He doesn't believe it was an accident, which is why he hates rain."
Olivia listened quietly.
"The only people left for him were his grandfather and Mrs. Madison, the maid who served his family for twenty-five years. She became like a godmother to him," Lily continued, calm and factual.
"And then…" Lily's voice softened slightly, "Miss Scarlett, his first love, and Mrs. Madison both died on his eighteenth birthday. He doesn't believe it was an accident."
Olivia's stomach twisted. First love… of course. She could almost see her: perfect, graceful, maybe smiling at him the way no one else could. Great. So he had someone before me. Someone he cared about enough to… never forget. A quiet heat of jealousy spread in her chest. I don't even like him. I'm not her. I can't be. Still, she imagined the girl, Soren laughing with her, the way he might have looked. The pang lingered, subtle but persistent.
"After that, he became distant, cold. He doesn't show his feelings easily," Lily added.
Olivia stayed silent.
"Later, his grandfather became ill. Young Master realized someone was moving in the shadows, trying to take away the people he cared for, he had to take over the role of a C.e.o at that Young age thankfully, his grandfather survived but became weak and had to live on drugs," Lily continued steadily.
Olivia nodded.
"Despite all this, he's very impressive. He's won many awards, finished school at twenty-four, and speaks six languages: Italian, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Russian," Lily said.
Olivia's eyes flicked up briefly. Talented, impressive… but still a nightmare.
"Agnes, the maid you've met, is Mrs. Madison's relative. Young Master took her in, but she bullies any maid prettier than herself," Lily said plainly.
"And her daughter, Sophia," Lily added, "Young Master treats her like a sister. Once, a boy tried to hurt her after she rejected him… Young Master handled it,he destroyed him completely and his family too, making them go bankrupt and had nothing to feed on."
Olivia absorbed the information quietly.
"Overall… Young Master is cold, distant, but brilliant," Lily concluded.
The two sat in calm silence after the story. Hours passed.
A soft knock broke the quiet.
"It's time for dinner, ma'am," a maid said.
Olivia exhaled and stood. She went downstairs. The seat at the head of the table was empty; Soren hadn't returned.
Dinner was quiet. Olivia finished her meal alone, thinking Maybe it's better he's not here tonight.
Afterwards, she returned to her room and lay down. Sleep came naturally, carrying with it the weight of what she had learned.
Moments later olivia jolted awake, her eyes snapping open, she had heard a noise earlier. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand — 2 AM.
Ugh… what the hell is this noise? she thought, heart already pounding in her chest.
A loud crash echoed from the room opposite hers. Her stomach twisted.
"No way…" she muttered, swinging her legs out of bed.
Throwing on her robe, she crept to the door and slowly opened it.
And froze.
Soren lay on the floor — motionless.
"S–Soren?!" she whispered, rushing to him. She checked his pulse. It was there, faint but steady.
His skin burned under her touch.
"Oh my God… why are you so heavy?" she muttered, panic creeping in. "And why is the floor so cold? Mafia bosses don't get sick!, she tried to move him from the cold floor to his bed but then on second thought how can a perite girl like her move a man this big"
She went out to check if she can see anyone ariund that could lend her a hand but no one else was around. Everyone was asleep.
She grabbed a nearby duvet, laid it beside him, and carefully rolled him onto it.
His temperature was still dangerously high.
"Oh great… he's burning up"
She fetched a wet towel and gently pressed it to his forehead, then his neck, then his arms, trying to cool him down. Her hands trembled with the effort.
"i thought mafia bosses like you should be strong, i wonder what made him become vulnerable now, is he sick…?" she whispered.
"Don't die".....she whispered, although she hated him she still don't want him to die, she's not heartless
After making sure his temperature got normal exhaustion finally overtook her. She leaned back against the bed…
And slowly drifted off beside him.