Hiding From The Tycoon

Part 14

Ten Years Ago

The first thing I did as soon as he turned his back to me was remove my shoes. I did not want the sound of my heels to give me away and dropped them next to the wide staircase that would help me find the perfect place to hide until Hunter lost this game.

This was my one chance of getting him out of my life without making any efforts. I just needed to hide for half an hour and make sure he never found me. So I climbed the stairs as softly as I could—glad to know they were made of marble rather than wood which might creak and alert him of my presence—and took off for the first floor.

I really wanted to take my time and look around the gorgeous interior of the house but I didn't have time. I'd do it once we were finished with this game.

As soon as I landed on the first floor, I looked around for a place to hide. I softly opened and closed every door I came across and I counted a total of twenty doors before I came across another staircase, which I took without a second thought. I was halfway up when I heard Hunter's voice bang against my eardrums.

"Ready or not, here I come!"

My heart jumped to my throat and I hurried up the stairs on my toes and looked left and then right for a place to hide. There was nothing flimsy about the house; everything looked to be made of the strongest material, so I was surprised when I was able to hear him clearly enough as if he was standing a few feet away from me.

My eyes zeroed in on the door at the end of the corridor and without thinking I jogged towards it as best as I could in the dress I was wearing and softly opened the door and stepped inside. I had no idea what this room was and I was afraid to turn on the lights for the fear of alerting my date. And instead, blindly felt my way further into the room.

I skimmed over a flat surface which I deduced to be a desk or table and continued forward with my hand going over something spherical, followed by a another flat surface. Instinctively I started making my way to the left corner. My eyes became accustomed to the thick darkness and I was able to make out the outline of the drapes, which gave me the perfect hiding spot. As soon as I reached the curtains, I carefully pushed one aside, in case Hunter was outside and looking up at the windows, and slipped inside and sat down with my knees tucked close to my chin and then I waited.

This was the best I could do considering I didn't know this place and I hoped Hunter wouldn't be able to find me in the next thirty minutes. I believed his time started when he told me he was coming, and since then it had probably been ten minutes, maybe less, but I had hope that he wouldn't be able to find me.

The buzzing of my phone against my chest had me wincing in dread. With the silence around me, the vibration of my phone was deafening. I quickly pulled my phone out of my bra and saw a message from Helena.

Where are you? Are you having fun? — H

I quickly told her I was playing a fun game of hide and seek with Hunter in his fancy house, so she wouldn't worry and call the cops. Once the text was gone, I scrolled through the list of chats and frowned when I came across the thread between my new boss at the bar and myself. I'd sent him a text earlier this morning, telling him I wouldn't be able to make it tonight but he had yet to reply. I knew he was busy but I was sure he had time to reply to my text message. Did that mean he fired me? God, I hoped not since this was the only job I had and I really needed the money. If he didn't respond by the time I got back, I'd just have to see him in the morning before I went to class.

My heart beat in anticipation and I prayed Hunter would lose this game. Surely he wouldn't be able to find me in this gigantic place even if it did belong to his family and he might've spent a significant portion of his childhood here. I didn't know if he did, but I could guess.