Page 40 of Goldsin

Instead I take the red velvet blindfold from the shelf and tie it over my breasts as a makeshift bra since Julian tore mine to scraps.

Opening the door, I stop midway. Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and remind myself of the reason Icame to this damn party. Tonight isn’t about pleasure. Tonight is about finding out secrets.

“You’ll regret this when I find you.” His low voice sends shivers down my spine.

“Promise?” I smile back at him.

With one final look at him bound to the bed, I shut the door behind me. My heart races with adrenaline and the remnant effects of being edged.

Without giving myself time to register what just happened or how things escalated so quickly, I weave through the sea of writhing bodies.

It’s time to focus on my mission.

I need to find something—anything—against the Marlowe family.

As thrilling as it was to have Julian at my mercy, I can’t allow myself to be distracted any longer.

The party is still raging on, the sexual energy in the air thick and suffocating as I head to the west wing of the cabin, hoping for some luck in finding Victoria’s office or her bedroom.

The more I walk, the fewer people are around. The urge to push forward is stronger with the last person I pass. The music is still loud enough to reach this side of the cabin, but it’s only faint in here.

I spot a dark green double door at the far end of the corridor. It’s either another private room like the one I left Julian in, or maybe, just maybe, it’s what I was searching for.

I quicken my steps. The click of my heels echoes through the corridor, but the sound of a door closing stops me.

“Hey,” a voice calls out.

Flinching at the intrusion, I turn to see a man dressed in all-black, his face obscured by a mask in the shape of a badger. The same man from the red room. I guess hewasstaring at me then.

“You’re Aurelia, right?”

“Who’s asking?” I hesitate.

He’s wearing a shirt. Is this his first time here too? No. It can’t be—he’s wearing a mask.

“My name’s Damien,” he answers, extending a hand. “I’ve got some information you might be interested in.”

I give his hand a skeptical look and cut right to the chase. “Really?” I raise a brow, trying to gauge his true intentions. “And what would I be interested in?”

He shifts in place, and I catch the maroon folder clutched in his hand.

“I think what I have in here will be of great use to you,” Damien says cryptically.

He takes a step closer, and I mirror him, taking one back. I tilt my chin up, making it clear I don’t trust him.

“We can’t talk here,” he adds.

Without further explanation, he crosses the corridor and disappears behind those double doors.

“Why do they always have to be so mysterious?” I grumble under my breath before following him.

“Let’s not waste more time. What’s in the envelope?” I say, pushing open the door.

Heat wraps around me, the only light coming from the fireplace. The walls are all lined with shelves of leather-bound books, an intimate sanctuary of knowledge.

This might be the coziest library I’ve ever been in.

“Over here,” he calls from the shadows.

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