Another point in his favor. Another hurdle in my quest to continue hating him.
* * *
An hour later and Aisling is still showing me around the house. It’s stunningly beautiful and the interior design is pitch-perfect.
“Did he have anything to do with the decorating?”
Aisling chuckles. “I’m not sure,” she admits. “I doubt it, though. His sisters-in-law both love this kind of thing. He probably asked for their help.”
The fact that he seems to have such a good relationship with his family is another thing I feel tentatively jealous about. It’s so foreign to me.
As we’re passing through to the kitchen, I notice a large black door that stands out from the rest of the interior. It’s so obvious that it’s impossible not to notice.
“Where does that lead?” I wonder out loud.
“Oh, that? I’m not sure.”
I turn to her in surprise. “You’re not sure?” I repeat. “But you’ve worked here a while, haven’t you?”
She looks down for a moment. “Well, that wing has always been closed off to everyone but Master Kian,” she tells me. “No one’s allowed there but him.”
I look at the door with renewed interest. “And you don’t have the faintest clue what’s in there?”
“No.”
“Aren’t you curious?”
She gives me a guilty smile. “Maybe a little. But Master Kian is entitled to his privacy. As we all are.”
“That was a wonderfully diplomatic answer,” I say, shooting her an accusing glare. “You should run for office. Any thoughts?”
“Thoughts?”
“On what’s lurking behind this door.” I move closer to the frame and peer around the edges.
Aisling stiffens instantly. “Um, no. Renata, we really should finish the rest of the tour. There are much more interesting things to see.”
She’s clearly trying to pull my attention away from the black door, but I’m transfixed now. I grab the handle and try to pull it open, but it refuses to budge. Not that I expected it to, but still, worth a try.
“Renata!”
I smirk. “What? Turns out I’m nosy.”
“What’s behind that door isn’t any of our business,” she says harshly.
I suppress my smile and sigh dramatically. “Fine, fine. Let’s move on.”
Breathing with relief, Aisling leads me towards the kitchen to finish up our tour. I chance a backward glance at the black door, determined to do some sleuthing of my own once Aisling is otherwise engaged.
There are secrets and lies somewhere in Kian’s world. I just might have to look a little harder than I expected.
* * *
It takes me a full two hours after that to get rid of her. Not that I try very hard. Aisling is actually very sweet and easy to talk to. But now that I’ve seen the black door, now that I know it’s off limits, I have to find out what’s behind it.
No man with nothing to hide has a secret wing in his massive mansion that only he can access. A part of me feels almost euphoric. I knew Kian O’Sullivan has skeletons in his closet.
I just hope for my sake that they’re not literal skeletons.