Nora sat on the edge of the oversized bed, staring at the dim light casting long shadows against the polished floors. The room was too quiet, too pristine, too much like a place she didn't belong. It still smelled of fresh linen and expensive perfume, the kind that lingered in the halls of people who never had to check a price tag.
She exhaled, fingers twisting the hem of her nightgown. This wasn't real. It couldn't be.
She was supposed to be scrubbing floors, avoiding Bianca's sharp tongue, not wrapped up in silk sheets in the Jameson estate.
A knock at the door snapped her out of it. Sharp. Precise.
Duke.
Of course, it was him.
She swallowed, standing, her bare feet sinking into the plush carpet. When she opened the door, he was standing there, hands in his pockets, that unreadable expression settled on his face. The kind that made it impossible to tell what he was thinking. Typical Capricorn.
"Comfortable?" His voice was steady, controlled.
"Still adjusting," she admitted.
He nodded once, stepping in without waiting for permission, his presence filling the room like he owned it. Well, he did. Everything here was his, including, for now, her.
He leaned against the wall, watching her. "You signed the contract. You understand what that means."
It wasn't a question.
"Yes."
"Good. Then let's get one thing straight." He pushed off the wall, closing the distance between them. "This isn't some fairytale. You're not here to fall in love. You do what's required, and when it's over, we go our separate ways. No complications. No expectations."
Nora lifted her chin, meeting his gaze. "Understood."
Something flickered in his eyes, something she couldn't quite place. Approval? Annoyance? It was gone before she could figure it out.
"Get some sleep," he said finally, turning toward the door. "You start your duties tomorrow."
And just like that, he was gone, leaving behind the scent of expensive cologne and the weight of unspoken rules.
Nora exhaled, falling back onto the bed. No complications. No expectations.
Right.
So why did it already feel like she was in over her head?
the weight of the day pressing down on her. The luxury around her felt suffocating rather than comforting. Soft sheets, a view of the garden, a private bath it was everything she had never had before. And yet, she felt like a bird in a gilded cage.
Sleep didn't come easily. Her mind was too loud, too restless. Somewhere in this house was Duke, and she couldn't stop thinking about him. He was cold, calculating, but something about him pulled at her. He was a Capricorn through and through—practical, detached, and impossible to read. But there had been moments, fleeting as they were, where she thought she saw something else beneath that controlled exterior.
The door creaked open slightly. Nora's heart leapt into her throat, but it was just the wind. Or maybe it was paranoia settling in.
She pulled the covers over her head and forced her eyes shut. Tomorrow would be another battle, and she needed to be ready.
Morning came faster than she wanted. A knock at her door startled her awake. She groaned, dragging herself out of bed. When she opened it, Kay stood there, dressed in silk and looking effortlessly elegant. Her eyes, however, were sharp. Cold.
"You're late," Kay said, stepping inside without an invitation.
"For what?" Nora rubbed her eyes, still groggy.
"For your new role, darling. Being my assistant means you actually have to do something." Kay's lips curved into a smirk, but there was no warmth in it.
Nora clenched her jaw. "Right. What do you need me to do?"
Kay's smile widened, like a cat playing with a trapped mouse. "First, you'll be shadowing me. You need to learn how this household runs. And second… I need coffee."
Nora frowned. "You woke me up for coffee?"
Kay tilted her head. "No, I woke you up because you belong to this house now, and I want to make sure you understand your place in it."
Nora stared at her for a moment before nodding. "Right. Coffee."
As she turned to leave, Kay's voice stopped her. "Oh, and Nora?"
She turned back. Kay's expression was unreadable, but there was something dangerous in her eyes. "Don't get comfortable."
Duke was already in his study when Nora walked in, balancing a tray with Kay's perfectly brewed coffee. He barely looked up from his work.
"You're up early," he said, voice neutral.
"I was given a new job," she muttered, setting the tray down.
His eyes flicked to her then, something unreadable passing through them. "Kay doesn't like to waste time."
Nora scoffed. "Yeah, I noticed."
A ghost of a smirk crossed his lips before he focused back on his papers. "Get used to it."
She watched him for a moment, trying to figure him out. He was impossible. Cold one moment, slightly amused the next. But there was something else, something deeper. She wasn't sure she wanted to know what it was.
For now, she just had to survive.