Page 21 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 5
He smiled and continued down the upstairs hallway. He pointed out a few guest rooms. An office. Some locked door that he skipped entirely. He frowned when I tried to open it.
“Just ignore that room,” he said.
Okay.Why was Mr. Pruitt obsessed with creepy locked rooms? There was even one in his other apartment. Or rented apartment. Or whatever it was. We’d reached the top of the stairs.
“Isabella’s suite and the master suite are on the other side of the hall.” He gestured toward the hall that stretched out to the right of the staircase.
It was fitting that I was on the side of the hall with the guestrooms. And not just on that side, but at the very end of it. Like if I was far enough away maybe they could forget I existed.
I realized Miller was already walking down the stairs. I quickly followed and tried to remember every turn that took me from the dining room, kitchen, and the staff kitchen where a few people were busy preparing dinner. And then we made another turn into some kind of sunroom, a small library, a living room, a family room, a second more grand office, a room that just had a piano in it, and a few rooms that I’m pretty sure were just to show off more antiques? Even though the interior design was the opposite of Mr. Pruitt’s other apartment, it was the same in that it looked like no one ever touched anything. Did they all just stay in their bedrooms when they were home? Or maybe there was a separate family room reserved for purebred Pruitts or something.
“And that leads to the lower floor where the staff stays,” Miller said and nodded to a door.
“Wait, you live here?”
“I’m on duty 24 hours a day. So if anyone ever needs something in the middle of the night, I’m around.”
“Don’t you…have a family or something?”
He shoved his hands into his suit pockets. “I’m not supposed to discuss that kind of stuff with you.”
“Just like you’re not supposed to tell me your first name?”
“Yeah.” He gave me a small smile. “Like that.”
“You know I’m not one of them, right? You can tell me your first name.”
He shook his head even though that smile remained on his face.
A bell sounded from somewhere behind me. I was so turned around that I had no idea where we were.
“Dinner is ready,” Miller said. “Do you need me to show you the way back?”
I laughed. “Yeah, I have no idea where the dining room is.”
“Follow me.”
“Do you eat with us too?” I asked as we made our way backward through the tour. This time I didn’t try to pay attention. It wasn’t like I was going to actually have to stay here.
“No.”
“Where do you eat?”
“In the staff kitchen with the rest of the staff.”
“How many staff members are there?”
“Well, you met the chef and his assistant in the kitchen. And you know one of the other security guards from yesterday.”
Mhm.How could I forget? He was the one that had knocked Matt down on the steps of the church. Although I wouldn’t say Iknewhim.
“There’s one more guard. One for each family member, but sometimes we have different assignments. And then there’s…”
“Wait, so who are you usually assigned to?”
“Mr. Pruitt.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
