Page 17 of The Pakhan's Forced Bride
I am arguing with him about nothing. But so what.
What does he want from me? An apology? He’s not going to get it.
I narrow my eyes at him, not backing down, and he growls in annoyance. I stand my ground until he turns away, walking out of the kitchen carrying his coffee.Good. Now I can make my breakfast in peace.
After breakfast, I roam around the mansion, exploring every room.
Upstairs, there’s a sunroom, but it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. The ceiling is made of glass, and above it, on the roof, is a pool, so when you walk into the room, sunlight filters through the water and it sends rainbows dancing over every surface. It’s the most beautiful thing ever.
It’s mesmerizing.
His home is beautiful. And it screams wealth and status. The unique design is eye-catching, and I can’t get over the fact that this guy is clearly as powerful and high up as my brother. I thought Benedikt was the most powerful man in America, but Ardalion could certainly match him.
What did Benedikt do to piss him off so badly that he’d want to kidnap me and marry me?
It must have been bad.
I saw an office earlier; maybe with enough investigating, I can figure it out myself. Leaving the gorgeous sunroom behind, I head back to the lower floor and into what looks like Ardalion’s home office. It’s minimalist. One desk and one office chair. Where are all his files?
I sit down at the desk and pull open the only two drawers. A notebook, some pens, a charging cable, a spare clip for his gun, and a leather holster. Nothing of interest.
There has to be another room, maybe the library, where he keeps his files. I push away from the desk and hurry to the library.
At my brother’s place, the library is cozy, with high dark wooden shelves and comfortable armchairs. It looks like you’d expect a library to look.
Ardalion has a knack for doing things uniquely, and his library is no different.
The books are sitting on glass shelves, neatly set against the walls. Special lighting has been installed beneath each shelf, pointing upwards to make the books appear to be glowing.
There is a massive bed-sized sofa in the corner near the window, but it’s gray and square and industrial looking rather than something I’d like to flop down on.
Curiosity gets the better of me, and I flop down on it anyway, diving face-first into the center of it.
To my surprise, I sink right into the softness of it.
“Looks can be deceiving,” I giggle to myself as I roll over and stare at the ceiling for a moment, thinking that I’d happily read a book here for hours. I can even hear the ocean lapping against the shore from here. It’s lovely.
But I’m getting distracted. I climb off to return to my investigations.
At the back of the library, I find three sleek-looking silver filing cabinets. One is locked, and the other two are boringly filled with alphabetized business paperwork. Nothing about Benedikt.
Using my hairpin, I fiddle with the lock for a while, but it’s different from the bedroom lock, which was easy to pick. This one is too fancy.
Giving up, I slide the clip back into my hair to move on to the next room.
It feels like I’ve been roaming all day, and I still haven’t covered every room in the mansion. This place is massive. How can he live here alone?
What does he do all day?
I’ve been living with my mother. I can’t help but think it would be a lot easier to stay with her if we lived in a place this big. I could disappear when she throws one of her hissy fits after I’ve told her I don’t agree with her on something. I roll my eyes and laugh.
I love my mom. She just drives me crazy sometimes.
And this new obsession with finding me a husband was getting out of hand.
The thought makes me giggle. Oh, Mom, how surprised you’d be to find out I’m actually married.
Even though Ardalion is more of a kidnapper than a husband, I imagine my mother being over the moon about it. He’s rich, handsome, and powerful. It’s all she ever wanted for me. Actually, considering the dates I went on, she wasn’t bothered about the guy being handsome.
