Two weeks had passed.
Nora worked every day without fail, her head low, her focus unwavering. The grand estate was always buzzing with servants rushing about—dusting, sweeping, scrubbing—but to Zayan Kai, only one seemed to truly exist.
Her.
He watched her more than he should. His gaze often lingered longer than necessary. Sometimes, he found himself smiling—something rare, even unnatural for a man like him. He didn't understand why.
She was just a maid. A quiet, careful maid with haunted eyes and soft steps.
And yet…
This evening, under the pale light of dusk, she had been ordered by Catalina to clean the roof storeroom—a place rarely visited, filled with forgotten things and the heavy scent of time.
Nora climbed the narrow stairs alone, broom in hand, unaware she wasn't truly alone.
In the shadows, Zayan sat silently—hidden in a corner, watching.
He didn't even know why he was there. Maybe it was curiosity. Maybe obsession. Or maybe something much darker.
Nora moved around the dim, dusty space, brushing cobwebs from old shelves and lifting worn boxes from the floor. As she reached for a stack of old books, one slipped from the top and fell open in her hands.
Her eyes scanned the yellowing page.
"Lilith."
She whispered it aloud.
Her eyes widened. "That… That's my name," she said softly, almost in disbelief.
A voice came from the shadows.
"What name?"
Nora flinched. She turned quickly—Zayan stepped out from the darkness, wearing a deep blue vest that clung perfectly to his frame, his silver eyes catching the low light.
"N-nothing, sir," Nora stammered, quickly shutting the book. Her hands trembled slightly as she held it against her chest.
He smiled. That slow, dangerous smile.
He stepped forward.
Then again.
And again.
Until he was so close she could barely breathe. She backed away instinctively, until her back met the cold wall behind her.
Trapped.
Zayan leaned in, painfully close—so close she could feel the warmth of his breath.
"How old are you?" he asked, voice smooth and calm, but with something dark flickering beneath.
"S-seventeen," she replied, eyes fixed anywhere but his.
He tilted her chin upward with two fingers, forcing her to meet his gaze.
Then he kissed her.
Soft. Slow. Unrushed. Like he had all the time in the world.
There was something wrong in how right it felt—how her lips parted in shock, how her hands froze at her sides. Her eyes remained wide, heart pounding violently in her chest.
And just as suddenly as it began, he pulled away.
"I'll see you later," he said with a soft smirk, then turned and disappeared down the stairs—like a shadow fading into night.
Nora stood frozen, her breath caught.
Her fingers touched her lips in disbelief.
She whispered to herself, "I need to stay away… I have to avoid him."
But even as she said it, something inside her knew—
It was already far too late.