The Phantom's Princess.

Ch. 3

The house was as grand as Alexis had imagined it would be as she followed Ren and Geoffrey down the staircase and into a large hall. It looked like the type of setting you might see in a Disney movie when the princess is escorted to a ball at a large palace.

Is this really to be my new home? she wondered, fear of what was to be expected of her overshadowing any excitement that she felt.

A low murmur of men's voices interrupted her thoughts as they neared a room at the far side of the hall, and both Geoffrey and Ren stopped and turned to her before opening the door.

"You should call the boss Mr Bowman for now unless he tells you otherwise," Ren instructed before adding. "But for the most part, don't be afraid, okay?"

Sure, that's easy for you to say, Alexis thought, but simply nodded and felt her heart go into overdrive when the door opened and revealed six similarly suited men standing in a small gathering in the centre of a large lounge with one man seated nearer the door.

Alexis took in a slow, deep breath as that particular man turned to look at her with a small scowl on his face.

"This is the rest of the crew," Geoffrey said as they entered. "I'll introduce you to everyone after you meet with the boss."

He didn't give any further information after that, but it wasn't hard for her to decipher which of the men the boss was.

He was at the far side of the gathering and was clearly the focus of the men who stood around him, with Thomas standing to his right. Thomas' gaze also locked with Alexis' when she entered the room.

The lone man who sat near the entrance watched silently as Alexis passed, and a sharp chill ran through her as she took in his rugged features which boasted a scar that ran through his paled, right eye - an eye that seemed to have lost its life when compared to his brilliant blue left eye. He was by far the scariest looking man she had seen that day, perhaps in her whole life, and his lack of a smile only emphasised his mean appearance.

She glanced over the other men before her gaze fixed on Vincent, and a sudden heaviness filled her legs, welding her feet to the floor.

The room had long become quiet, and now, as she stood only footsteps away from Vincent, with her heart echoing in her ears the only sound she could hear.

His black hair was perfectly parted on one side and then combed over neatly despite the waves that elicited a flow-like look to how it fell over the side of his head. He was watching her, just as the other men were, but his almost black eyes burrowed deeply into her and reached the depths of her stomach creating an internal flutter that raged almost out of control, weakening her at the knees until she wished she had a chair or table she could hold from fear of falling over.

He was, quite simply, the most terrifyingly beautiful, or beautifully terrifying man she had ever seen.

His mouth turned up into a small, soft smile as he watched her, and then he spoke in a smooth, liquid voice.

"Hello there, you must be Alexis."

Alexis' mouth dropped as she thought the words she wanted to return, but found no voice to return them with.

He took a step closer to her and leaned forward a little. "You know, it's good manners to respond when an adult speaks to you."

"Oh," she uttered before taking a visible gulp as she built the courage to speak. "Yes, sir. And you're Mr Bowman?"

"Right," he said with a small smile. "But my friends and family call me Vincent. So, I hope you feel free to call me Vincent too."

Subconsciously, the corners of Alexis' mouth curled until she wore a faint smile.