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My shoulders are up to my ears, my whole body tense as I follow his invitation and walk into the most beautiful home I have ever seen. The door opens right into his vast living room. Grey marble tiles cover the entire area, surrounded by high walls, painted in a cool white that almost makes the place a bit sterile. A row of floor-to-ceiling windows covers the entire wall opposite to the entrance, providing a view across the city far below. A seating area is nestled in the corner right in front of the windows. Black leather couches and a matching recliner gather around a sturdy coffee table, its black marble shining as the sunlight dances across the surface.
“Take your shoes off,” Logan says from behind my back.
I hadn’t even noticed that my body kept moving while I was gawking at his home, completely consumed—and overwhelmed—by the wealth it represents.
“Oh, sorry.”
I turn around and hurry back to the door, where he’s kicking off his own shoes and shoving them in a small show cabinet that I hadn’t noticed before. Neat and tidy, like everything else seems to be in this home.
“You can wear these if the tiles are too cold for your feet,” he says and shoves a pair of slippers in my direction. White and fluffy, like tiny clouds.
I slip out of my sneakers, flushed with shame when I place them next to his in the cabinet. Everything I own was already shabby and soiled when I bought it. I don’t think I’ve ever owned anything that wasn’t secondhand.
“Thank you.” The words leave my lips like a sigh, as my feet meet the cozy comfort of the cloud slippers. They fit perfectly.
“How did you know my size?”
“Miss Barry was kind enough to hand me your file,” he explains. “It told me everything I needed to know.”
“Everything you needed to know?” I probe, a suspicious eyebrow arched. “Like what?”
“Like your sizes,” he retorts, pointedly scanning my entire body from head to toe. “All of them.”
Another rush of heat takes a hold of my body, but this time it comes with a surge of worry. I vividly remember the interview with Miss Barry back when I applied to work at The Velvet Rooms. It was intense, almost intrusive. It felt more like an interrogation and I spent almost two hours in her office, talking about my life, my upbringing, my barely existent educational background—everything.
Did all of that end up in my file? Does he know?
A sharp ping pulls me out of my anxious pondering, and the door to the elevator opens behind my back. It’s Christopher with my luggage, stacked up on one of those trolley things they use in hotels.
“The guest bedroom, sir?”he asks, regarding Logan with a questioning look.
“Yes, thank you, Christopher,” Logan responds, his eyes latched onto the pile of ugly storage tote bags that are piled up on my shabby suitcase. My stomach turns under crushing shame, as I watch my pitiful possessions being pushed out of sight, down a bright hallway to the left.
“That’s it?” Logan asks without looking at me. He’s still focused on the trolley as it’s being rolled away, a crease between his brows, suggesting disgust.
“You only have that one suitcase?”he asks, now turning to me.
I nod. “And my books, yes.”
“In those tote bags?” He sounds horrified. “That’s all books?”
“Pretty much,” I reply. “I couldn’t leave them behind.”
He shakes his head violently. “No, of course not. But we’ll have to do something about those bags. And your clothes.”
He surveys me again, one eyebrow raised as he takes in the sight of my ripped jeans and my linty sweater. His disdain is almost palpable—and it turns my shame into anger.
“What about my clothes?” I hiss.
“You need a new wardrobe, a better one,” he asserts. “Something that’s more suitable for your position.”
His tone is so pragmatic, almost cold and showing no regard for my feelings whatsoever. As if I was a thing—his possession.
“We’ll take care of that tomorrow,” Logan decides. “You’ll also need a ring.”
I try to ignore the hard knot inside my throat when I nod in response—and wish for nothing more than to be home, in my cave, my bubble, my shitty little world, where no one ever made me feel as small as he does.
Chapter 13
