It was already 10 pm when Seth and I arrived home, and I was about to fall off my high heels. I’d been to enough shops that I needed two people to carry the bags, and a light headache was pressing on my temples.
Seth had taken the whole thing way too well, and he hadn’t said a word or showed he was annoyed because he’d had to follow me around. He hadn’t even reacted while my acquaintance, who my father had deemed an acceptable friend for me, was constantly yapping. I’d tried to drown myself in coffee to block out her voice, but ended up ordering two shots of tequila after she was gone.
As I was trudging toward my room, Seth was still right behind me and not showing a single sign of exhaustion.
Matilda, our housekeeper, who’d been with my family ever since I was born, offered me a wide smile when she saw me. “Ms. Hampton, do you need anything?”
“My name’s Victoria,” I said with a smile, even though I knew she’d never call me that because my father would never approve. “Yeah, there’s something I need.” I glanced at Seth, who had stopped in the middle of the hallway and was eyeing us carefully. He was probably going to report everything he saw to my father, so I had to be very careful about what I did in front of him. Stepping closer to Matilda, I lowered my voice, handing her the light blue bag I was holding in my hand.
“Take all the things I bought today and donate them to some charity or something,” I whispered.
Her lips parted, her hazel eyes going wide, as she tucked a gray strand of her hair that had slipped out of her bun behind her ear. “Miss, but your father...”
“My father will never know, and he doesn’t care what I do with all the things I buy anyway. Just take it all away. I don’t want any of it.”
She took the bag from me and peeked at the plain blue sweater that was inside. “As you wish, Miss.”
“Thank you.” I turned on my heel and realized that for the first time today Seth’s expression wasn’t smiling or neutral. His brow was furrowed as he looked from Matilda to me, but then he followed me down the hallway.
When we were in front of the door to my room, I stopped to look at him. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“I need to make sure there aren’t any threats to your safety,” he said calmly.
“In my room?” My eyebrows shot up.
“Yes. May I?” He reached for the knob, his arm brushing my side, and my breath caught in my throat.
“Fine.” I pressed my lips into a tight line and stepped aside. A smile played on his lips, and I wondered just how much he was enjoying this. Well, he wouldn’t be smiling anymore once I got out of here without him even knowing about it. I waited as he turned on the lights and made a quick inspection of my room, checking every corner, including behind the curtains. Once he was done with my private bathroom, he came toward me.
“Are you going to check my bed too?” I asked, kicking off my high heels. The rich blue carpet felt like heaven under my feet.
“Should I?” He glanced at me over his shoulder.
I groaned. Was it even possible to unnerve this guy? Was that why my father had hired him? Because he was insufferable? “No. Just get out. I need to take a shower.” And I had to get the hell out of here and away from Seth’s watchful eyes. He was currently staring at the photos on my dressing table.
“You can do whatever you want, miss. I’ll stay right here.” He leaned against the wall, next to the terrace door.
“I don’t think so.” I placed my hand on my hip. “You can wait outside my room. Not in here.” Just what did he think he was doing? I wasn’t going to let him be my shadow in my own home.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t leave you unprotected.” There was no amusement in his eyes when he said it.
“I’m not unprotected. I’m in my own room.” I padded over to the closet and opened it.
“Someone might try to come in through this door.” He tilted his head toward the terrace. “Don’t worry. I promise you won’t even notice I’m here. It’s only until your father’s guards arrive. Your father hired two more to prevent anyone from climbing up your terrace.”
My father’s guards? Shit. I turned my back to Seth so he wouldn’t be able to see my face. Was I on some form of house arrest? My father must have realized I’d been sneaking out through the terrace because the housekeepers and the guards never saw me leave the house. I knew everything about this house’s security system and how to avoid it or disable it, but now... my father was changing things.
Did that mean he knew about the club? Or did he simply suspect I was up to something? I took a deep breath. No. If he knew, he wouldn’t be able to keep quiet about it. He’d use it as an opportunity to tell me just how stupid and reckless I was for getting myself into something like that. I supposed this was my father’s attempt to find out where I was going and making sure I wouldn’t ditch Seth. Fucking selfies! If it hadn’t been for those damned photos, none of this would be happening. Maybe.
“Miss, are you alright?” Seth’s voice brought me back from my thoughts.
“Yeah, and call me Victoria.” I turned toward him. “When are the guards coming? I just want to know when I’ll be rid of you.”
“In an hour.” His eyes were slightly narrowed at me.
“Did my father say someone’s threatening his life? This amount of security all of a sudden is creeping me out.” I gave him my best innocent smile.
“You should talk about that with your father. I’m only here to protect you.”
Protect me. Yeah, right. Protect my father’s image, more likely. If I said I was going out, Seth would be coming with me, and getting rid of him would be difficult then. Not to mention he’d be looking for me if I went missing. No, I had to make sure he thought I was in my room and wouldn’t bother to check. The only problem was I had less than an hour to come up with a plan.
“Whatever,” I said. “I’m tired. All I want is to go to sleep.”
Seth didn’t say anything.
I chewed on the inside of my cheek, wondering how I was supposed to free myself of him. The way he was looking at me, as if he wanted to undress me and see all of my secrets, was annoying as hell, but... then I got a terrible idea.
I headed to the bathroom, not paying attention to Seth, although I could feel his gaze on me. None of my bodyguards had ever looked at me so intensely. Locking the door, I leaned against the wall. It was a shame my huge bathroom didn’t have any windows. I slipped out of my dress and underwear and stepped into the shower, turning on the hot water.
Supporting myself on the wall, I let out a sigh and fought the urge to punch something. I wasn’t a child anymore. My father was overstepping with this, but if I complained, he might send someone to follow me, and if he found out about the club... Things could get complicated.
Maybe I could somehow convince my father to let me have the club, but he’d find a way to sabotage it or report it to the cops while I wasn’t there. No, I couldn’t do anything that would break my promise to John, the man who had been like a father to me. I closed my eyes for a moment.
I turned off the water and grabbed one of the pink towels, wrapping it around me. If my plan didn’t work, well, I’d be really pissed. I opened the door and strolled out, squeezing my wet hair. Seth was still where I’d left him, and the clock on my nightstand told me I’d wasted ten minutes.
“Maybe you should wait in the hallway for a few minutes. If anyone walks in here, I’m going to scream and you’ll know,” I said casually as I made my way across the room.
“Victoria, I...”
“Let me guess, you can’t do that.” I waved my hand. “Fine then.” Hooking my finger into my towel, I tugged it open and let it fall to the ground. A soft gasp brought my attention to Seth, who was staring at me with his mouth wide open.
“You promised I wouldn’t even know you were here.” I turned fully toward him, not hiding anything. “But now you’re distracting me.”
“I’ll just...” He averted his gaze, but his eyes darted to me one time more. Then he pushed himself off the wall and strode toward the door. “I’ll be back in five minutes. You...”
I fought the urge to laugh when he slipped through the door and slammed it so hard that it shook. Maybe my father’s contract had saved me. Seeing me naked probably wasn’t something my father would allow Seth to do, or maybe Seth just liked what he’d seen.
My eyes snapped to the clock. Five minutes. As quietly as possible, I rushed to the closet and grabbed a pair of black sweatpants and a hoodie. There was no time for me to find the underwear too. I had some at the club, so I could change once I got there, but now the only thing that mattered was getting out of here unseen.
I’d have to come up with a better plan for tomorrow, though, because Seth wasn’t going to fall for the same thing twice, but at least I could talk to Chiara first and see if she had any better ideas. Maybe I could fake staying at a friend’s place or something. Or, if I was lucky, Seth would get fired for losing me.
As soon as I was dressed, I grabbed my two phones and stuffed them into my pocket. After slipping on my sneakers, I ran out onto the terrace. A quick look around told me no one was there to see me, and my father’s new guards hadn’t arrived yet. I hauled myself over the railing and jumped onto the small balcony that was right underneath.
I’d done this so many times in the past that it was almost automatic. Crouching down, I peered over the low wall, and when I was sure no one was there, I jumped over it and raced for the nearest of the trees. It took me a few moments to reach the street, and then I was running as far as possible from my house as I could.
***
After making sure no one was watching me, I slipped into one of the old apartment buildings and hurried to the rooftop. Once there, I knelt next to the door and pulled out my phone—the one my father had gotten me and knew about. I pried off the loose brick in the wall, then tossed the phone into the small opening and returned the brick back to its place. This street was full of nightclubs and bars, and if my father decided he wanted to track me down, he’d have a hard time doing it.
I ran my hand through my still damp hair, a shiver shaking my body. The night was a bit colder than usual, and I was very likely risking catching something, but I had no choice. If I’d come out with my hair dry, Seth might’ve been suspicious. Who’d ever believe Victoria Hampton would go anywhere with her hair in such terrible condition?
Pulling the hoodie over my head, I got to my feet. There was always a chance someone would find this and get my phone, but I used it only to contact my father and a few acquaintances. There wasn’t anything important on it, not even a photo of me, and if anyone used it to call my father... well, it didn’t matter. Phones got stolen all the time. It wouldn’t be unusual.
I came out of the building through the back exit, then headed down the street. No one was in sight when I made my way down the abandoned alley that was leading to my club. Good. I wished I could’ve seen Seth’s face when he’d realized I was gone. Would he admit his defeat and tell my father or would he go all over the city looking for me first? I’d find out in the morning.