Read Online Uncovering You 2: Submission by Scarlett Edwards - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Scarlett Edwards
Tags: Suspense, Romance, Literature & Fiction, Contemporary, General Fiction, romantic suspense, New Adult & College, Mystery & Suspense
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walk up to it in a daze. My hand closes over the handle. I take a deep breath, and push down.
Disbelief fills me as I feel the handle shift beneath my fingers. The lock opens, and I push the door outward.
A long hallway stands before me, illuminated by soft lights running along the ceiling. The cinder block walls are painted an earthy brown. A lacquered red hardwood floor reflects the light.
I bring a shaky hand to my collar. This is it. When I take my first step, I’ll know if Stonehart is playing another cruel game with me, or if he actually stands by his word.
Adrenaline pulses through my body as I inch my foot onto the hardwood floor. Carefully, I shift my weight onto it… and wait.
Nothing happens.
I steady myself against the doorway and pull myself through. I take a few careful steps forward, waiting for the telltale tingle under my ear.
Nothing.
Astounded, I continue walking. Slowly.
Stonehart told the truth .
With a pounding heart, I make my way down the hall. My hands are outstretched to either side of me, trailing along the walls. The feel of the coarse cement under my fingertips is electric.
I glance over my shoulder every few steps, hardly believing this is real, half expecting to be shocked at any moment.
At the end of the hallway is a set of grand oak doors. They remind me of the ones in Stonehart’s office. The ones I saw more than six weeks ago.
Jesus Christ, I’ve been here for a long time. I stop for a moment and wonder if anybody in the outside world is thinking about me. Sonja and Fey must have heard that my internship fell through by now.
But then again, how would they? They likely think that I’m busy working. Hell, they’re probably happy I haven’t called them yet. It must mean that I’m so busy living my dream.
I give a sour chuckle. If they had any idea…
I open the final set of doors and come upon a magnificent lobby. No. Magnificent does not even begin to describe it. It’s simply… sublime.
It’s a circular space on the ground floor. High above me—higher even than the ceiling in the sunroom—hangs a pure crystal chandelier. I think it might be worth more than the entire building of my old Palo Alto apartment.
Stairs spiral around the outside of the room, leading to the second floor. To my left, enormous entrance doors are flanked by two skinny windows. I go up to one and look through it.
The air leaves my lungs in a gasp. The lawn in front extends as far as the eye can see. A driveway winds through it, splitting up into a roundabout before the mansion. A beautiful, white clay fountain depicting two angelic beings in a lover’s embrace is in the middle, looming larger than life.
Tall spruce trees and evergreens stand on either side of the driveway like soldiers at the ready. I’m sure if I could see all the way to the end, there would be a massive iron gate.
Footsteps on the marble floor make me jump and turn around. My heart is beating out of my chest when my eyes fall on Rose, descending the stairway and smiling warmly at me.
I breathe a sigh of relief.
“Miss Ryder,” she says, giving a little curtsy. “Mr. Stonehart told me to be expecting you today.”
“Please, Rose, there’s no need for formalities,” I start. I cut off when I see her eyes dart above me. I follow her gaze, and find a camera pointed right at us.
Her eyes come back to me, holding warmth and kindness, but also caution. “Mr. Stonehart asked me to show you around the estate.”
I clear my throat. “Yes,” I say. “Please.”
Rose gives an almost imperceptible wink and turns away. “Follow me.”
As I trail after her through the rooms, I can’t help but think of what an extravagant waste all this space is. Stonehart lives here alone. He must, for I haven’t seen any hint of a woman’s presence. Yes, I get that he’s rich, but having so much square footage all to himself makes me uneasy.
Why does one person need so much space? What is he trying to prove? What is he trying
Disbelief fills me as I feel the handle shift beneath my fingers. The lock opens, and I push the door outward.
A long hallway stands before me, illuminated by soft lights running along the ceiling. The cinder block walls are painted an earthy brown. A lacquered red hardwood floor reflects the light.
I bring a shaky hand to my collar. This is it. When I take my first step, I’ll know if Stonehart is playing another cruel game with me, or if he actually stands by his word.
Adrenaline pulses through my body as I inch my foot onto the hardwood floor. Carefully, I shift my weight onto it… and wait.
Nothing happens.
I steady myself against the doorway and pull myself through. I take a few careful steps forward, waiting for the telltale tingle under my ear.
Nothing.
Astounded, I continue walking. Slowly.
Stonehart told the truth .
With a pounding heart, I make my way down the hall. My hands are outstretched to either side of me, trailing along the walls. The feel of the coarse cement under my fingertips is electric.
I glance over my shoulder every few steps, hardly believing this is real, half expecting to be shocked at any moment.
At the end of the hallway is a set of grand oak doors. They remind me of the ones in Stonehart’s office. The ones I saw more than six weeks ago.
Jesus Christ, I’ve been here for a long time. I stop for a moment and wonder if anybody in the outside world is thinking about me. Sonja and Fey must have heard that my internship fell through by now.
But then again, how would they? They likely think that I’m busy working. Hell, they’re probably happy I haven’t called them yet. It must mean that I’m so busy living my dream.
I give a sour chuckle. If they had any idea…
I open the final set of doors and come upon a magnificent lobby. No. Magnificent does not even begin to describe it. It’s simply… sublime.
It’s a circular space on the ground floor. High above me—higher even than the ceiling in the sunroom—hangs a pure crystal chandelier. I think it might be worth more than the entire building of my old Palo Alto apartment.
Stairs spiral around the outside of the room, leading to the second floor. To my left, enormous entrance doors are flanked by two skinny windows. I go up to one and look through it.
The air leaves my lungs in a gasp. The lawn in front extends as far as the eye can see. A driveway winds through it, splitting up into a roundabout before the mansion. A beautiful, white clay fountain depicting two angelic beings in a lover’s embrace is in the middle, looming larger than life.
Tall spruce trees and evergreens stand on either side of the driveway like soldiers at the ready. I’m sure if I could see all the way to the end, there would be a massive iron gate.
Footsteps on the marble floor make me jump and turn around. My heart is beating out of my chest when my eyes fall on Rose, descending the stairway and smiling warmly at me.
I breathe a sigh of relief.
“Miss Ryder,” she says, giving a little curtsy. “Mr. Stonehart told me to be expecting you today.”
“Please, Rose, there’s no need for formalities,” I start. I cut off when I see her eyes dart above me. I follow her gaze, and find a camera pointed right at us.
Her eyes come back to me, holding warmth and kindness, but also caution. “Mr. Stonehart asked me to show you around the estate.”
I clear my throat. “Yes,” I say. “Please.”
Rose gives an almost imperceptible wink and turns away. “Follow me.”
As I trail after her through the rooms, I can’t help but think of what an extravagant waste all this space is. Stonehart lives here alone. He must, for I haven’t seen any hint of a woman’s presence. Yes, I get that he’s rich, but having so much square footage all to himself makes me uneasy.
Why does one person need so much space? What is he trying to prove? What is he trying
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