Adam

"Oh, dear. He's at it again," Eliza's voice filters through the door in the hallway.

"You don't know what he's doing in there, and it's none of your business—or ours—what the master does in his free time." I smirk, pleased hearing my faithful servant, Claud, put Eliza in her place.

"It ought to be. All he has is free time since—it's not healthy for him to lock himself away from the world like this. Wasting away, staring at all those screens," Eliza's thick British accent cuts clearly through the door.

A smile creeps across my face as I imagine her putting her hands on her hips as she scolds Claud. I've been on the receiving end of those lectures more times than I care to admit growing up, and I feel for Claud—though he's probably all too used to them himself.

"Who else is there to be concerned for him?" she asks, her worried voice grating on my ears like jagged rocks scraping against steel.

"Always with the bickering with you two. Why don't you do the entire house a favor and fuck out your differences already." I chuckle at Louis' statement as he joins the others outside my door.

Crude as he is, Louis always seems to have a way of being right when it comes to who should be fucking who in the mansion. My gaze drifts to the monitor showing the camera feed outside my office door.

"Oh, Louis. Charming as ever, I see," Eliza spits, swatting Louis' chest. "But even you must admit, this isn't right."

"My dear Eliza—"

"It's Ms. Pottsworth to filth like you," she corrects him.

"Ms. Pottsworth, I've majored in not-so-right things, and I assure you if the Adam I helped raise is locked in a room full of monitors, he's certainly not wasting them on surveying empty rooms and deserted forests," Louis smirks. "I'm so sure he's jerking off to a few dozen topless hotties that I bet Claud here a hundred dollars if his dick ain't stiff."

"Claud, you didn't—" Eliza's words are interrupted by the sound of actual screeching tires, followed by a massive crash. "Oh, dear."

My eyes fly to the wall of monitors, heart pounding in my ears. I scan screen after screen until I spot the source of the noise—a truck has slammed into one of the oldest trees on my property. Smoke billows from the hood against the deluge.

Just great.

I groan as I watch an older man stumble out of the truck.

"Fuck," I mutter under my breath.

I'm pleased to see the man's alright, but that also means he'll be looking for shelter from the storm—and my home will be the only thing he'll see for miles. I raise a brow, watching as he grabs a box from his truck bed and heads toward my house.

"What was that?" Claud asks.

I press a button on my desk, and a speaker crackles to life in the hallway.

"Just so you're all aware, these doors aren't nearly as thick as they," I smirk, watching them all silently scold themselves for talking about me behind my back. "And the monitors show we'll be having a guest soon. Tend to any injuries he has and send him on his by morning."

I release the button and return my focus to the monitors, surveying my property.

"Come on, you two," Eliza's voice fades as she moves down the hall.

Ahem, Louis?" Claud all but shouts.

Louis lets out a long groan.

"This is truly the saddest hundred I've ever lost," Louis grumbles. "And such a waste of good monitors and privacy."

I lean back into my desk chair, satisfied once I'm sure they've gone to busy themselves with someone else's problems. They mean well, but their concern exhausts me, and I don't have the energy for it. Not when I need to learn everything I can about this man traveling toward my home.

***

"If you keep on like this, you're bound to wind up with neck issues." I wake to Eliza swatting my leg. "desk chairs are for sitting, not sleeping. I taught you better than that."

I grin at her while stretching the stiffness from my neck. She's right, of course. I should've slept in my bed, but that's been an arduous task long before the stranger knocked on my door, so there's little prospect I'll follow her advice in the near future.

"How's our guest doing after his accident?" I ask.

Eliza arches her brow to me and places her hands on her hip. "Do you really want to know or are you just changing the subject?"

I flash her a boyish grin, stretching one more time.

"He's a little banged up—broken rib or two—but the doctor says he'll be fine," she says, despite knowing it was just a ploy to distract her from worrying about me. "We towed his car for him. Poor dear said he's a bit low on funds."

"So, the doctor bill will also be on me, I assume?" I scowl, clearing the roughness from my morning throat.

"It's not like you can't afford it," she chides. "Your father left you more than well off."

I grumble at the thought of paying for his negligence. He was trespassing on my property after all, but I know better than to argue with Eliza.

"Is he gone yet?" I ask, wanting to leave my office without having to bump into him and strike up some frivolous conversation that neither of us actually wants to participate in.

The mere thought of the possible interaction drains the last sliver of fake-interest tolerance I have in my charming meter. I quickly scan the screens, confirming that all the cameras leading from his assigned room to the main living areas are clear.

"Not yet," she says, shaking her head in clear disapproval of my foul mood. "The car service will be here soon."

"Then where is he?" I ask, inspecting the monitors more closely.

"Probably still in his room," she replies.

My eyes widen as I spot him on one of the screens.

This fucking ungrateful...

My breathing quickens as I watch the man amble through my garden, smelling my flowers—then breaking hers...

I'll fucking kill him.

I slam my fists against the desk and roar. Eliza leans over my shoulder, instantly knowing what this fucking idiot just did.

"Oh, dear," she mutters, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I shove her off me and bolt out of the office.

***

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I bark from behind the man.

He's older than he looked on the monitors, but age doesn't excuse him from invading my space. He turns from the bush, the rose he snapped off like a savage hanging in his grubby hand, taunting me.

"I was just admiring your home," he says, clueless.

His body paralyzes as he stares at my face. If I weren't so enraged, I'd berate him for gawking, but right now, all I can see through my anger is the single broken rose in his hand.

"You thought you'd steal from me after I showed you kindness?" I growl, my eyes locked on the flower.

He glances at the rose in his hand, then back at me, his brows lifting in confusion.

"This? I'm sorry, it was just so beautiful. I thought my daughter would like it, and there are so many here," he stammers.

I growl, his idiotic response only fueling my irritation.

He inches back, widening the distance between us. "I'm sorry," he whimpers, shrinking under my glare.

"You stupid man. You had no right," I roar, towering over him, my anger consuming me. "No fucking right!"

"I—I'm sorry," he stammers again, still trying to widen the gap between us.

He stumbles into the rose bush, and my sanity snaps with every branch he crushes beneath his clumsy feet, struggling to free himself from his thorny predicament. I grab him by the collar and hurl him out of the bush, sending him sprawling in the dirt.

"Get out," I growl, my voice low and commanding as I stare at the broken petals scattered across the ground. When I don't hear him move, I spin around, growling again. My rage is wild now—so much so that I'm practically foaming at the mouth, but I don't care. "Get. Out!"

His face goes pale, his body trembling as he scrambles to his feet and runs from the garden, clutching the rose like it's a lifeline. As soon as the door to the house clicks shut, I let out another roar, furious and uncontained.

Author's Note:

Hey everyone! Thank you so much for continuing to Chapter 2! So, Adam is a... character, and I'd love to hear what you think about it! What are your first impressions of Adam? Are there parts of his character that intrigue you—or maybe even frustrate you? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! Your feedback means the world and helps me grow this story in the best way possible. And if you enjoyed this chapter, a vote would be amazing! Your support truly makes a difference.