Meanwhile, Bae's heart raced as she dashed down the hallway, fear propelling her forward.
"I'm in trouble," she whispered to herself, her mind racing. She spotted an unmarked door and rushed inside, shutting it behind her with a soft click.
Inside the dim room, she leaned against the door, her breath coming in quick gasps.
Suddenly, the darkness was pierced by a harsh beam of light as sensors flickered on, illuminating the space. Her wide eyes adjusted quickly, and she froze as she heard a cold voice.
"How bold of you to disturb my sleep," came a sharp tone from the shadows.
Bae's gaze shot to the source—a young man, Cody, propped up in bed, his expression one of disdain.
His light skin contrasted against the blue sheets, and his cold eyes pierced through the light, taking in the sight of her.
"A girl?" he thought, momentarily surprised. He had no interest in the wedding festivities, and her presence felt unwelcome.
A faint smirk crept onto Cody's lips as he studied her, curiosity piquing despite his initial annoyance.
But as Bae turned to flee, her movement was so swift it startled him; he barely registered her before she was gone, the door slamming shut behind her.
"Now she piques my interest," he mused, his intrigue growing.
The strange girl with curly black hair and hazel eyes had unwittingly drawn him into a game he hadn't anticipated, and he was eager to uncover the mystery of her abrupt appearance and hurried retreat.
Meanwhile, Bae bolted down the hallway, her heart thudding against her ribs.
The air seemed to shift, thick with an unfamiliar tension that made her feel uneasy. She could barely think, panic swirling in her chest as she searched for a place to hide.
"I need to get out of here," she thought, her eyes darting around the grand corridors. Desperation clawed at her, pushing her legs faster.
As she rounded a corner, she spotted a kitchen tucked away in a quieter part of the estate.
She slipped inside, the scent of freshly baked bread and simmering sauces hitting her senses.
"What?" she whispered, startled by the sudden sight of a table laden with food. Her stomach growled, betraying her nerves.
She hesitated only a moment before quickly grabbing a handful of fruits and some bread, her hands trembling.
Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that she needed to leave—now.
Clutching the food, she cautiously stepped out of the kitchen, the hallway eerily quiet.
But as she moved toward her room, voices floated to her from around the corner. She froze, her breath catching in her throat.
"Penny?" Bae's eyes widened in surprise as she peered around the edge of the doorway, barely daring to breathe.
There, in the dimly lit hallway, stood Penny, her body stiff with tension, and beside her was Brag. Bae's heart skipped a beat as she strained to hear their conversation.
"Let go of me," Penny's sharp voice cut through the silence as she jerked her hand out of Brag's grasp.
Her expression was fierce, her dark eyes flashing with anger.
"You're married now, so forget about me and everything between us. Just keep your word," she added, her tone biting, yet there was something vulnerable beneath the bravado.
Bae's fingers tightened around the edge of the doorframe, her pulse quickening. She hadn't expected to stumble upon something so intense.
Brag, in contrast, remained calm, a cold smirk playing on his lips as he took a step closer to Penny.
His fingers lightly brushed her face, trailing down to her lips in a slow, deliberate motion. The touch was possessive, laced with something darker.
"Calm down, Penny," he said softly, his voice low but full of control.
There was hunger in his gaze, a desire that unsettled Bae from her hiding spot.
"Besides, I only married her for what I told you about," Brag's voice, cold and commanding, pierced through the quiet.
His smirk was a dagger, sharp and possessive, as his dark eyes bore into Penny.
Penny's lips quivered before she bit down, trying to mask her inner turmoil.
Her usual confidence wavered as she stood before him, torn between desires and the secret they both shared.
"Alright," she finally muttered, her voice laced with reluctant acceptance. "Just keep your promise, and I'll try to hold on to our... secret."
"Try?" Brag's voice shifted, dripping with menace.
His smirk deepened, eyes glinting with control. "I don't need you to try. I need you to be fully mine."
Bae's heart skipped a beat. She pressed herself further into the shadows as her eyes widened in disbelief.
She held her breath as the scene unfolded before her. Brag's hand cupped Penny's face with a predatory grace, his thumb tracing her lips.
Penny, despite her earlier protests, leaned into him, and within moments, their lips met in a slow, passionate kiss.
Their bodies fused, locked in a tight embrace, oblivious to everything around them.
Bae's pulse raced as she watched, frozen in shock. The sound of their whispered words and the sight of them entangled in each other sent shivers down her spine.
"Penny... and Uncle Brag?"
The thought echoed through her mind, disbelief coursing through her veins.
She covered her mouth to stifle any sound, feeling sick to her stomach. How could Penny do this?
As their kiss deepened, Bae felt panic grip her. She needed to move. Just as Penny broke from the kiss, Bae ducked behind the nearest wall, her heart thundering as she held her breath.
She peeked around the corner just in time to see Penny's sharp gaze sweep the hallway, searching for something—or someone.
She knows, Bae thought, her heart racing. Penny's eyes narrowed as if she sensed someone watching.
Brag stood close behind her, his figure towering over her with a lingering sense of possessiveness, and his footsteps began moving in Bae's direction.
Fear spiked through her like a bolt of lightning. Just as Brag's footfalls echoed louder, drawing nearer, a sudden force pulled Bae into a darkened room.
A hand gripped her wrist, firm yet calculated, pulling her against the door just as it closed silently.
Bae's eyes darted up in shock. Standing before her was a blonde-haired man with strikingly pale skin, his blue eyes gleaming in the low light.
His expression was cold, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
"What's your name?" His voice was low, almost mocking, as if he had just pulled her from a deadly trap.
He seemed unfazed, amused even, by her panic.
Bae's chest heaved, Her mind reeled as she recognized the man—he was the same one she had run into earlier.
Anger surged through her, and she smacked his hand away, stepping back until her spine met the cool, solid wood of the door.
She glared at him, her pulse racing in her ears.
"Leave me alone!" she hissed under her breath, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and fury.
She hated how easily he had startled her, and how close she had come to being caught.
Just as Bae turned to leave, Cody's hand clamped over her mouth, silencing her. Her eyes widened in terror, her heart pounding wildly against her chest as she heard the unmistakable footsteps of Brag and Penny just beyond the door.
Every beat of her heart echoed in the room, the fear coursing through her veins.
"Don't worry, he won't enter my room," Cody whispered into her ear, his breath brushing against her skin.
His tone was a strange mixture of seduction and iciness, sending a shiver down her spine.
She flinched at his proximity, the heat of his body close against hers.
"After all," Cody continued, his voice dropping to a low, mocking tone, "he's not stupid enough to barge in here with his side chick."
Furious, Bae yanked his wrist off her mouth, her gaze fiery as she shot him an angry look.
Her pulse thrummed with fear and indignation, but before she could say anything, the footsteps faded into the distance.
Without another word, she flung the door open and bolted, her only thought to escape.
Cody watched her retreat, a slow smirk curling on his lips. His eyes gleamed with amusement as he murmured to himself,
"She's an agile one, that's for sure." His fingers flexed, the memory of her soft skin still lingering from where she had grabbed his wrist.
"Let's see how this plays out, young lady," he added with a dark chuckle, staring at his hand as if replaying the brief, electric contact between them.
Meanwhile, Bae raced down the hidden pathways of the estate, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps as she navigated the labyrinth of corridors.
She finally slipped out through a secret exit, sprinting across the grounds toward her small, dilapidated cottage on the estate's edge.
She ducked into the cottage, through her window her chest heaving as she leaned against the windowsill, trying to calm her frantic breathing.
The moonlight filtered through the grimy window, casting long shadows across the sparsely furnished room.
But something felt off—there was a prickling sensation on the back of her neck as if she were being watched.
"I've got a bad feeling," she whispered to herself, glancing nervously out the window.
Her eyes traveled up to the third floor of the estate, where the elegant windows glimmered under the moonlight.
And then she saw it—a shadowy figure standing still, watching her from one of the high windows. Bae's breath caught in her throat.
The figure was tall, and motionless, its silhouette barely visible in the faint light, but it was unmistakably human.
"Who...?" she gasped, stepping back from the window, her heart pounding wildly once more.
Without thinking, she yanked the curtains shut, the fabric rustling as she tried to block out the eerie figure.
Her heart continued to race, not from exhaustion but from the cold fear gripping her chest.
Was it Cody? The idea sent a surge of anger through her veins. The thought of him watching her, lurking in the shadows after their earlier encounter, made her blood boil.
She sank to the cold floor, pulling her knees close to her chest as the unsettling memory of Brag and Penny's kiss played vividly in her mind.
The intimate way they were entangled, the possessiveness in Brag's touch, and the secret they shared gnawed at her.