Corrupt

Chapter Seventeen

Ayla

AFTER KADE LEFT, Gemma hovered, never letting me out of sight. She came across as sweet and obedient, but I saw the truth. She was Kade's: a head housekeeper who will help keeping me in line.

I went back to my seat and finished my food despite the worry and anxiety pooling in my stomach. Once I was done, she look at me and ask nonchalantly, "Do you want a tour of the house?"

I stare at her dumbfounded. Do I want a fucking tour of my own cage? Ignoring the strong urge to lash out at her, I let her guide me to other parts of the house. Surprisingly, with Kade gone, my curiosity and admiration came back. We walk down a hall and turns out, the room we passed going to the kitchen was the least grandeur part of the house. My mouth drops open when we enter a set of double doors and Gemma showed me the drawing room.

The room look spectacular and it makes a dramatic impact with dark organic colors, a palette of rich earth tones tempered with mild gray that fits the setting perfectly. Two identical long creme couches are set opposite from one another across a marble coffee table that is fit for a king. An enormous freestanding fireplace crackles with life and practically begs you to sit down and enjoy the ambiance. And I don't think I've ever seen a bigger Persian rug; it practically takes up the large room.

There were decorative accents near the windows, and a bold collection of canvases against the opposite wall with exotic wood paneling as the backdrop. I walk towards the floor-to-ceiling french windows and I was stunned. The dark and eerie greenfield last night look impeccably gorgeous in daylight.

"Mr. Sinclair owns over one hundred acres of land. There are three different homes on the estate but this is the main residence." Gemma says.

"How many rooms does it have?" I asks.

"Twenty."

Damn. The wealth is mind-blowing. To think that this is someone's home is unreal. We passed the home bar that was the size of a neighborhood pub and when I was shown into the media room, I marvel at the wide LED curved screen. She took me up another level to an open area with an indoor pool. The ceiling was glass, revealing the blue sky.

"There's also another pool outside. This one has heater that can be use during winter." she said.

"This place is like a fortress. What are those walls for?" I pointed out.

"To keep the wild animals away," Gemma answered simply and my body went still. She caught my expression and chuckle. "There's a lot out there. We're in upstate New York after all."

I look out the window and I caught a glimpse of a glass house pavilion in the distance sitting in the middle of a grassy meadow.

"What's that?" I asked.

"That is the only area that is off-limits to you," she said, gesturing for me to follow her. My ears pricked at her vagueness but I decided not to press for now.

The next stop was the sauna, a wine cellar and a home gym. But what astound me more is the magical library with a spiral staircase in the middle and tall shelves that encompasses a massive collection of books. There were three levels to the library, accessible by hidden spiral staircases, each level having nooks with deep plush chairs and reading lamps and little round tables.

For a moment, I forgot all my problems. And then I heard Emma's words and I remember that I am a prisoner. "You can talk to your friend with this phone. This is tapped so please don't do anything that will anger Mr. Sinclair." she said firmly as she hands me a phone.

"I won't." I gritted out before grabbing the phone from her.

"There are cameras around the house and security are always on stand by." She paused before giving me a smile. "If you need anything I'm on dial 2. Have a great day, Miss Ayla. If you'll excuse me," she said before walking back to the dining room.