Saving the Billionaire

10. The photograph

The moment I stepped back in the mansion, Alice was the most excited one. She never had a friend staying at her place for a long time. It was somewhat sweet that she thought of me as a friend. She also apologised for not giving me the room closer to her. I almost forgot about that, so I just waved it off because it did not matter. I would be satisfied with any room.

Greta, their housekeeper, was annoyed the entire time. Why did she not like me? It's not like I said something to her face. I tried to be as polite as I can. Maybe she hated all the city girls who stepped foot in the mansion.

After a lot of discussion among the housekeeper and Alice, which included a little bit yelling, they finally came to a decision - about my room. I told them I had no preference, so that's why they argued. It made me feel guilty, but Jace stood there with a blank look on his face. He assured me it was an everyday occurrence, and I should get used to it.

I was given a room on the first floor. The room was double the size of the one I booked at the hotel. Also, the view was breathtaking; it overlooked the mountains and the full range of trees. I had no idea that the mansion was on hills.

I didn't leave the room for the entire day, arranging my clothes accordingly. It felt nice to curl up against the window and stare outside while listening to the music. The cool breeze against my face felt nice. I should thank Jace for that. With that thought, I dozed off.

***

It was time for me to visit the site finally. Jace was going to meet me downstairs so that he can show me the way to the other side of the building. Even though the other hand was wrecked, I was excited to step in.

Taking one final look in the mirror, I stepped out of my room. Technically it was mine for a few weeks atleast.

"Ms Clark" He breathed as I walked down the stairs. I felt my mouth dry as I met his eyes.

For the first time, he was dressed casually. At least it was the first time for me. The khaki pants and white shirt made him look at ease. His hair was messy, falling all over the place, and I noticed that his fingers were stained with colour. Was he painting something? Whatever he seemed in a good mood.

"Good morning" I croaked, suddenly feeling hot all over.

He lifted his lips, "Morning. Is the room to your liking? I wanted to ask you last night, but you skipped the dinner."

I felt my face flame at his stare and shifted on my feet. I did not want to embarrass myself even more, so I was trying to steer clear of him. Besides, after the heavy lunch, I had with Alice, I was full. So I drank some water and called it a night.

I tucked my hair behind the ear and hummed, "Sorry I was not hungry last night. And yes, the room is the best. Double of what I had back in the hotel."

"Glad to know" He grinned, his dimples digging into the cheeks and that's the first time I noticed. It made my stomach flip. A guy with dimples always made my knees weak. Why did he have to have everything?! I exclaimed trying to control myself from having a breakdown.

I felt someone glaring at me only to notice it was Greta. Jesus! What is with her?

"Shall we go?"

Jace looked over his shoulder at the table, "I thought you would want to have breakfast first."

"No, I'm fine. But if that's what you want..."

"No no, we can see the site first."

"Okay, let us go then."

He led the way, and I stared at the hallway. It was a genius move to do that. Old designs were always remarkable. The hall was long, dark and lighted up on both sides. I noticed the red carpet on the floor, and it made my lips twitch. It felt like we were in a movie set with the way everything was so neatly arranged.

"It's like we are going on a treasure hunt" I broke the silence. My voice echoed around.

Jace chuckled softly, "I used to feel the same way."

"This place is really a genius. I can imagine growing up here, having too much to do and not knowing what to do."

He nodded his head, all quiet. I tried not to push further and followed him. There was an old rustic door, jammed obviously. He asked me to stand back as he inserted the key inside. After several tries and him pushing against it, the door creaked open. I noticed that action caused him to sweat, drenching his shirt.

"Sorry about that" He tugged at his hair.

I shrugged and stepped in, straining to keep my eyes open. It was dusty everywhere. As the wall collapsed, the majority of the dust was trapped inside.

"Wow, it's dark."

Jace cleared his throat, "Yeah after the wall collapsed the wiring got messed up. It will be fixed soon."

I hummed, carefully stepping inside as not to crush anything under my feet. There were shards of glasses, broken frames and a whole lot of dust.

"How many floors is this building?"

I had a hunch, but I was still not sure of it, so I had to make sure. I looked over my shoulder only to notice him standing near the wall, staring at the imprints of what used to be photo frames. Should I interrupt him?

I decided to go further on my own when I stepped on the glass, the sound echoing around. Jace turned towards me, his face red as if he realised I caught him staring.

"Uhh... sorry about that. I haven't been here for a while."

"It's okay. I was just wondering how tall is this building."

Jace licked his lips, "Three floors. The first two were just rooms and stuff, one of it was Alex's floor-"

I cut him off, "An entire floor?"

His lips twitched, "Yeah. My brother liked his privacy a little too much."

I felt my eyes widen. I had to meet this guy. How can one person occupy an entire floor? These people were just too much.

"That is crazy...I can't imagine having the floor just for myself" I muttered under my breath while walking towards the stairs. The photographs on the walls were still intact on that side. One of them caught my eyes.

"Is this you?!" I squeaked, staring back at Jace. It was a picture of him in the yard, dirt sticking to his cheek and a football in his hand. Just like now, he had a serious blank look on his face. From the background, it was clear the picture was taken in the backyard.

Jace face hardened when he stared at the picture I was pointing.

He clenched his jaw and removed the picture from the wall. I let out a gasp as he threw it on the floor. The pieces of the glass flew across along with the side frames. What was that about? My mouth parted open.

"I don't think that's important. Let's just go."

I blinked my eyes at him. Why would anyone destroy their own childhood photo? He really had some issues. Shaking my head, I held on to the railing and stepped up. My legs shivered at the steps, and Jace looked back.

"Are you okay? These steps are slippery. Be careful"

"I'll be fine" I raised my chin.

As I took another step, I felt shaky, but I gripped the railing tightly and tried to take another action. A squeak slipped out of my lips as the next step made me lose my footing.

Jace stumbled down and gripped at my hand before I could land on my back. I clenched my eyes shut, expecting to land on my bum. He was staring at me, his eyes narrowed.

"Miss Clark?" He breathed, pulling me closer. The impact caused me to bump into his chest, and I muffled. My face was in his chest. He smelled amazing like vanilla and musk. I rolled my eyes back, making no effort of moving away from his arms.

My hand was still gripped into his. He cleared his throat.

"Comfortable?"

I blushed, stepping away and pulled my hand away, "I'm sorry about that."

"You need to practice walking, Miss Clark. This is the second time" He said with a laugh in his tone.

I tilted my head, glaring at him. What was he implying? Just because I was going to fall again doesn't mean I can't walk. Maybe I am a bit clumsy and tend to fall at times, but it's not my fault.

"I'm fine. Thank you" I muttered, my teeth gritted together.

He blinked at me, his brow arched as he stared at my ankle, "Are you sure? We can come back tomorrow if you want."

What did he take me for? I fumed internally.

"I didn't hurt myself. I'm fine. Let's just get this over with."

***