Chapter 38 Thirty Eight
Mira’s entire face went hot.
For one horrifying second, she forgot how to speak.
Then outrage crashed into her embarrassment.
“My what?” she sputtered.
Salvatore looked completely unbothered.
“Your nipples.”
The bluntness of it nearly killed her.
“Oh my God.” She grabbed a pillow from beside her and immediately pressed it against her chest.
Salvatore watched the movement with mild amusement.
That somehow made it worse.
“You are unbelievable,” Mira groaned, burying her face in the pillow for a second. “Do you know that?”
“I’ve been told.”
“You can’t just say things like that.”
“Why? I don’t see the need to hide what’s visible in front of me” he said his gaze holding hers
Mira shot him a glare.
A real one. The kind that should have set a normal man running. Unfortunately, Salvatore Corvin wasn’t normal. He simply folded his arms across his chest and stared back.
The silence stretched.
Mira became painfully aware that she was still clutching the pillow like a shield. Which only made her feel more ridiculous.
And somehow he noticed that too. A faint smirk tugged at one corner of his mouth.
It was brief. Barely there. But she saw it.
“Are you laughing at me?”
“No.”
“You are.”
“Am not Mira.” He said her name again. And Mira felt her breath seize.
“You literally are.” She said trying to steady her voice.
His expression remained perfectly straight.
Which somehow made her body shiver. Mira let out an exasperated noise and threw her free hand into the air.
“I cannot believe this is my life.”
His gaze stayed on her a moment too long, like he was memorizing the exact shade of her discomfort.
“You embarrass too easily, darling,” he said quietly. “It’s almost endearing.”
Mira’s throat tightened. The word landed wrong in her ears… it felt too intimate
“I do not get embarrassed easily,” she snapped.
His gaze dropped to her cheeks. “You’re red.”
“I am not red.”
A faint pause. Then, almost lazily, “You are, darling.”
“Stop calling me that.”
Mira grabbed the pillow beside her as she might actually throw it, then thought better of it. Instead, she tightened her grip and glared at him like that alone could hide how much effect he was having on her.
Salvatore’s gaze remained steady. Like he could stand there all night waiting for her to admit defeat.
The worst part?
The heat in her cheeks refused to go away.
Which only confirmed that he was right.
Again. She hated it when he was right.
The room grew quiet. Outside, the wind brushed softly against the windows.
Inside, the mansion felt strangely distant. Like for a moment it was just the two of them.
Mira shifted uncomfortably. Then narrowed her eyes.
“Why do you care?” She asked the amusement disappeared from his face.
His expression became unreadable again.
Dangerously so. “Care about what?”
“What I wear. This isn’t the first time you’ve complained about my clothes.”
His gaze held hers Longer this time. Long enough that the butterflies in her stomach started acting up again.A reaction she absolutely refused to examine.
Finally, he answered.
“Because there are things in this house that belong to me.” He said calmly
Mira’s breath caught.
Then he spoke again “ Also the first time I complained this time I gave a compliment .”
His eyes stayed on hers.
“You’re smart, Mira. You should know the difference.”
Silence settled between them—heavy, charged, impossible to ignore.
Then he looked away first, as if the conversation had already ended in his favor.
Without another word, he turned toward the door.
“Get some rest.”
Mira blinked. “That’s it?”
He paused with one hand on the door handle.
“Did you want another lecture?”
“No.”
“Good.”
The door opened. Then before stepping out, he glanced back once. His eyes moved briefly to the pillow she was still hugging against her chest.
A hint of amusement returned.
“I hope the pillow can keep you warm this cold evening, Miss Voss.”
Mira immediately grabbed the nearest cushion and threw it at him.
Salvatore caught it effortlessly. The corner of his mouth twitched.
Then he left.
The door clicked shut behind him.
Silence flooded the room.
Mira stared at the closed door for several seconds.
Then dropped backward onto the bed and buried her burning face in both hands.
“He’s insane,” she groaned. “Completely insane. Or I’m the one who is insane.”
Then she squeezed her eyes shut. “…And I really need to stop letting him get into my head.”
Mira remained sprawled across the bed long after the door closed.
Staring at the ceiling.
Annoyed. Embarrassed. Confused.
But mostly annoyed.
She groaned and dragged a pillow over her face.
“He’s impossible.”
After a few minutes, she sat up and rubbed her face.
Enough. She was wasting time. Every minute she spent thinking about Salvatore’s stupid comments or him was a minute wasted she can’t afford to do that.
And he was hiding something.
The way Lena had looked at the door the second Salvatore appeared. She was literally scared for her life.
Mira reached for her laptop and opened it the screen lit up instantly. The articles she’d been reading earlier were still open.
Charitable donations. Corporate acquisitions.
Awards. Interviews. The perfect public image.
It was like researching a ghost wrapped in expensive suits. She clicked through another article.
Nothing. Another.
Nothing… Then another Still nothing.
Mira slammed the laptop shut.
“Come on.”
There had to be something.. Nobody was this clean.
Nobody.
The grandfather clock somewhere downstairs chimed softly. She glanced at her phone it was eleven pm. The sound rolled through the mansion’s endless hallways before fading into silence.
Mira stared at the ceiling. Then a thought clicked into place. She could snoop again.
Immediately, her mind flashed back to the message she’d found written on the wall the last time she’d gone wandering.
STOP DIGGING.
The memory sent a cold shiver down her spine.
For a second, fear dug its claws into her.
“Fuck it,” she muttered. She pushed herself upright.
“Whoever that son of a bitch is, he doesn’t scare me.” A slow smile spread across her face.
The kind of smile that had gotten her into trouble more times than she could count.
“I can’t wait to meet the coward.” The words settled in the darkness.
“Fine,” she murmured. “If nobody wants to talk, I’ll do this the only way I know how.” She swung her legs over the side of the bed. Pain immediately shot through her ankle.
“Right.” She winced. “ Still injured.”
That could slow her down a bit … but enough to stop her. Mira reached for the cane Lena had left earlier and carefully tested her weight against it.
Better…. manageable.
Slowly, she crossed the room and pressed her ear against the bedroom door.
Nothing… No footsteps… No voices. Taking a steadying breath, she opened the door.
The hallway beyond was empty. A long stretch of shadows, polished floors, and expensive artwork staring down from gilded frames.
Mira stepped outside. One careful step at a time. She wasn’t even sure what she was looking for anymore. At this point, anything that would help her catch Salvatore.
The silence followed her as she moved farther down the corridor.
Then a creaking sound came and Mira froze. The sound had come from somewhere ahead.
The sound of a door… Slowly opening. Her head snapped toward the noise. At the far end of the hallway, a door stood slightly ajar.
She was almost certain it had been closed earlier.
Her pulse quickened. For several seconds she simply stared at it. Then curiosity won.
It always did. Slowly, she walked toward it. The closer she got, the colder the air became. By the time she reached the door, her heart was hammering against her ribs.
Mira tightened her grip on the cane. Then pushed the door open. The hinges barely made a sound.
Darkness greeted her. She took a step inside. And suddenly a hand clamped over her mouth.
Her body jerked violently.
A hard chest pressed against her back.
A cold voice whispered against her ear.
“Scream…” The grip tightened.
“…and you die.”