Page 38 of Secured By the Buyer

I roll onto my side, one knee bent forward and head propped on my hand. “What’s the point of silk sheets if I can’t feel them against my body?”

Unable to resist, he peeks at me before turning away with another groan. “Well, put them on now. We have a lot planned for the day.”

I perk up. “We do?”

“We do.” He keeps his back to me. “I’m giving you the grand tour. Then the stylist will be here to get an idea of what you’d like for your wardrobe.”

Excited to expand the range of my prison, I scramble out of bed, grab the mug, and rush past Liam into the bathroom.

“Wear your robe, too!” he calls after me.

I quickly chug my coffee, comb my hair, splash cold water on my face, and slip into the silk pajamas from last night. A fast brush of my teeth, and I’m good to go.

I race out to the entrance of the suite and bounce on my toes with impatience. “Are there horses?”

He arches a brow at me. “Have you ever ridden before?”

I squint up at him. “Isn’t that something all rich people have?”

He chuckles as he opens the door for me. “My grandfather rode. He loved to fox hunt, but my father’s generation stopped the practice. We still have stables, though, so if riding is something you’re interested in, I’ll buy you a horse and hire a trainer.”

“I’ve never seen one in real life,” I admit.

“A trainer?”

I push on his arm. “Stop teasing me.”

His hand on my back directs me to an elevator. “Ever been on a boat?”

“Never even been to the beach.” I peer back the way we came. “Who else has rooms on this floor? Or is this considered a wing?”

“It’s the East Wing. Damien and Caleb.” He points to the doors, one across from ours and one atthe end. “Though, Caleb mostly stays at his townhouse in the city.”

On the elevator, he draws me over to the buttons. “The garage is B2. It can be accessed from any lift on the estate.”

He presses the button for the ground level, and I grab onto his arm as my stomach rises. “How did your family make their fortune?”

“Moonshine, gun running, illegal imports and exports. Drugs.” He glances down at me. “But a lot of it came the old-fashioned way.”

The elevator comes to a stop. “Hard work?”

“Theft.” He guides me off the elevator. “Lots and lots of theft.”

My eyes widen as he leads me out of a hallway and into a grand foyer with three-story high ceilings. A chandelier at the apex drips with so many crystals it must have staff dedicated to maintaining its shine.

Liam points the way to the other wings of the house, where his cousins all have rooms of their own. He leads me in the opposite direction, showing me the dining room and explaining how they only gather during important meetings or holidays.

Rockford Manor is breathtaking, filled with history and elegance. The architecture seamlessly blends the old and the new, with towering stone wallsgiving way to sleek glass panels. Generations of Rockfords have left their mark on this place, creating an ever-evolving legacy.

I’m struck by the attention to detail. Each room holds its own story, from the ornate wood carvings in the library to the delicate stained-glass windows in the chapel. The estate carries a sense of both reverence for the past and anticipation of the future.

While we wander through the grand rooms and expansive gardens, Liam tells me how his fox-hunting grandfather had squandered their fortune, leaving his sons and daughter to make it back by any means possible.

The more he reveals, the more it sinks in that this is my life now. There will be no walking away from Rockford Manor or from Liam.

As I link my hand with his, the foundation of my life, always rocky and uncertain, settles into place. For the first time, I feel like I belong somewhere, and have a purpose beyond surviving one day at a time.

I just need to figure out how I can be of benefit to this family that has everything.

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