Page 38 of Sinful Pleasure

Thank God for that.

Lydia’s the only reason I haven’t completely lost my mind in this mansion over the last two days.

She’s kept me company, and we’ve had a great time together. Honestly, I’ve found her to be the only normal one in this family, the only one who doesn’t send my nerves into overdrive.

I’m pretty sure she didn’t know about this dinner either. If she had, she would’ve told me last night when she was in my room watching Gossip Girl.

I shook off the dark thoughts swirling in my head and decided to take action. I got up, grabbed a quick shower, and threw on the first pair of jeans and a shirt I found. My hair went into a messy high ponytail, and then I made my way downstairs.

As usual, the mansion was filled with people buzzing around, doing their jobs like clockwork. Everything felt like the same routine every day, a monotonous loop I couldn’t escape.

I wandered through the rooms, looking for Lara, and finally found her in the kitchen, wiping down the table. When she noticed me, she glanced up with a questioning look.

“Do you need anything, Miss Delgado?” she asked, continuing her task as I stood behind her, watching her movements.

“Actually, yes.” I paused, taking a deep breath. “I need you to come with me to the mall.”

Lara’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Me?”

“Yes,” I said firmly, despite the hesitation I could see in her eyes.

“I’m not allowed to leave the house during work hours.”

“Your job is to be here when I need you, right?”

Lara chewed on her lip, a crease forming on her forehead as she hesitated.

“We could wait for Sir Maddox? He will be home soon.”

“That won’t be necessary,” I assured her. “Dylan will accompany us.”

Dylan was the man assigned to look after me in Maddox’s absence. A simple man—no arrogance, no hidden motives. Just someone who did his job and kept to himself.

Lara glanced at me, still unsure, her eyes darting nervously to the rag in her hand.

“Get dressed. I’ll wait for you here.”

I took the rag from her hands and set it down on the counter. She looked down at her now empty hands before she finally nodded and left the kitchen.

As I watched her go, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one in this house who felt like a prisoner. But the bigger question remained —Why?

Lara returned shortly after that, dressed in a plant shirt and jeans. The first time I see her wearing something different than her work clothes.

Then we left the mansion.Being outside of The King’s residence felt like I could finally breathe again.

It wasn’t just me—Lara was a completely different person outside the confines of that house.The moment we stepped out into the fresh air, she seemed to transform.

Back at the mansion, Lara was quiet, always looking down her words clipped and cautious as if trying not to draw any attention to herself.

It was like she was living under constant surveillance, the weight of the family’s expectations always on her shoulders.

But now, out here, she was more herself. It took her a couple of hours to warm up, shake off the fear, and start speaking freely. The walls around her came down slowly. She smiled a few times, and when she spoke, her voice didn’t sound frightened or rushed anymore.

I could tell how different she was, and part of me wanted to protect herfrom whatever had made her act the way she did back in that house. She’s stunning, effortlessly so. No makeup, nothing to hide her features.

It’s as if she’s been trying her best to blend into the background, to make herself invisible.

We took a quick walk around the city, the cool air refreshing after the stuffy atmosphere of the mansion. We went to the nearby mall, where she helped me choose a dress for tonight’s dinner.

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