Chapter 10

TEN

After leavingthe expansive room I had met Dr. and Mrs. Ivory in, Bradley guided me down a different hallway until we reached another room. This room was completely different aesthetically from the rest of the house. The walls were painted a deep, haunting red, and behind a massive black desk was an off-white wall that was the most unusual thing I'd ever seen.

"What is that?" I looked at Bradley, who was lining up stacks of papers quietly while I pointed at the elaborate wall.

Clearing my throat and feeling uneasy with the silence, I sunk into the chair across from the desk that separated me from the massive, curved black leather chair with metal pieces outlining it. I couldn't take my eyes off the wall, which consisted of textured shards of off-white objects pieced together with a slight gloss over it.

It was oddly beautiful.

"Conrad will be in shortly to discuss the details of the paperwork." Bradley finally looked up at me. His eyes were such a pale shade of green, they almost blurred into the whites of his eyes. "I really hope you're better than the last girl." He clicked his tongue and let out a long, dramatic sigh as he studied me once more before he left. I watched his feet as they glided across the floor, the thick platform shoes literally making no sound as he walked.

"Who is Conrad?" I called out behind him, but half of his body was already out the door. He paused and slowly shut the door behind him, and as he did, all I could see was a sliver of his icy eyes.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and stood from my seat. Rows and rows of medical textbooks were neatly lined on the shelves on the other side of the room. Brushing my finger against the spines, I tilted my head and squinted at the gold words.

"Orthopedic Surgery Essentials: Spine," I read out loud and began to tug it out.

"Hey," a voice right over my shoulder echoed. Flinging around, the giant textbook that was half off the shelf dropped loudly to the floor as I froze and stared at the man in front of me.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, with light brown hair and whiskey-colored eyes that stood out against his skin.

Unlike everyone else in the house, he wasn't wearing white from head to toe; he was wearing a fitted, forest-green V-neck and worn denim. He looked like one of those men who posed on a yacht with a bottle of Armani cologne in an ad.

"I'm Conrad Ivory." He stuck his hand out and his jaw ticked slightly as I continued to stand there frozen.

Clearing his throat, he took a deep breath. "You're Demi, right? The new housekeeper?"

"Yes." I quickly shoved my hand into his and shook it. Unlike my trembling one, his was steady and warm.

"Are you sure you want this job? You don't seem like…" he began, gripping my hand a moment longer than needed.

Tugging my hand away, I laced my fingers together. "I don't seem like, what?" I peered at him. He couldn't be much older than me.

Shrugging, he did a quick swoop of my body. Crossing my arms across my chest, I scrunched my nose.

Once he was making eye contact again, he let out a light laugh, one that made me bite back my own smile.

"I'm not checking you out, really. I'm just not sure why a girl like you, in designer clothes, wants to scrub toilets and wash clothes, especially here…" It didn't go past me that the last two words of his sentence were full of hesitation.

"I…" Embarrassment pooled through my body. "These clothes aren't mine." Although Conrad was wearing a pretty basic outfit, I could tell it had to cost more than a month's rent for the majority of America.

He nodded slowly as a small smile peeked out between his knitted lips. "That's actually really good to know, because honestly, it looks like you robbed a designer ghost…" He lifted his eyebrows, and I couldn't help but laugh as I looked down at my entirely white outfit that really didn't match me at all.

Conrad's face lit up in a bigger smile as he watched me unable to suppress my laughter.

"That… that was really funny." I coughed as I choked on my spit, mid-laughter.

"Wow, thanks… Most girls make me wine and dine them, and then they'll feel bad and just fake a laugh at my jokes." He shoved his hands into his pockets with his shoulders slightly lifted.

Rubbing my arms, I tried my best to compose myself. Suddenly, my eyes caught a glimpse of the surgery textbook splayed on the ground. Dropping down, I carefully picked it up, attempting to smooth out the pages before closing it. Furrowing my brows, I noticed that Conrad was also wearing the thick padded shoes. While his resembled sneakers, they were the same shade of white, with the same thick, amplified soles.

Slowly standing, I carefully placed the textbook in the gap on the shelf and turned back to Conrad.

"Do you want to become a doctor, too?" I asked, only to prevent me from asking all the wild questions that were circulating through my mind.

"I have to." Conrad shrugged and pushed his hair from his forehead.

"Have to?" My eyebrows lifted. What a peculiar way to answer a question about something you have complete control over.

"Yeah, I mean, I'm my dad's prodigal son. Have to take over his—" Conrad stopped mid-sentence, pinching his lips to the side. I was guessing he meant his dad's private practice? One look around this massive estate, and I didn't blame him.

"What about you? You never really answered me. Why would a girl like you want to do a shitty job like this?"

I let my eyes wander around the space as I thought about my answer. I didn't know how to lie very well. I mean, a girl like me—who had been living in a tiny closet for years, with another girl; a girl who was my sister that I watched get attacked daily so it wouldn't have to be me; a girl like me, who hid crumbs in a tiny tissue in case there wasn't another meal for a while…

"I'm saving up for college." I lied, feeling my cheeks heat up as soon as the lie left my lips.

"Oh, yeah?" Conrad smiled at me. "I go to UNC. I'm just home for an extended summer. You should apply there. Maybe, if you want a tour or something…" He ran his hand through the back of his hair anxiously, and I couldn't help but roll my lips together to hide the stupid grin that was tempting to come out.

Suddenly, a buzzing sounded, startling me. "Conrad. Your father wants to make sure you have the documents signed and brought to him promptly. He's growing impatient. He said to bring the book she dropped as well. He needs to replace it since it's probably damaged and has touched the dirtied floor."

My eyes shot around the room. How did Dr. Ivory know I dropped his book? How…

Hugging myself, I realized something.

We are being watched.