A day passed after I started living in Jaxon’s manor. 

I was slowly adjusting to the place, having been thrust into the rich scene. I still could not get used to the maids and butler, as well as the opulence and grandeur of everything around me. 

“That good, huh? “ Jaxon grinned as he saw me shoveling pancakes into my mouth. It was another morning in his home, and I was delighted to begin my day with a much-needed delicious breakfast. 

Every dish that had been served so far appeared to be the type of meal one would find in a posh restaurant, prepared by a master chef. I was even considering trying to replicate some of what I ate in my spare time in the vain hope that they would look as good, if not better.

“You got a little…“ Jaxon trailed off, pointing at one side of his cheek. 

I ignored him, happily munching away on my food.

“Slow down. You're acting like we starve you or something.”

I gave him a look that basically told him to back off. It was too early to start the day off with his antics. 

“Anyway, it's nice to see you getting used to the place,” he said with a hesitant chuckle. I didn't pay much attention to that. But then…

“Dad’s coming in tonight.”

“... what?” his words interrupted my meal.

He glanced at his phone before looking back at me. 

“Yeah, he just texted me. Whatever he was working on outside the country seems to be done, so he’s flying in tonight.” 

"... Oh," I could only respond, slowly returning to my meal. But I did not feel as excited as I did before.

“It's nothing to worry about,” Jaxon added. “He's a mellow guy.”

I started to relax. 

“Most of the time.”

I became tense. 

“He won't pay you much attention. He's focused on his job most of the time, anyway.”

I glanced at Jaxon, who appeared to believe what he had told me. He tried to make me feel less nervous.

But I could not completely believe his words. Call me apprehensive, but my trust towards every adult I had come across ever since I possessed Emma was not that great. 

I knew I had willingly agreed to stay at Jaxon's house, but I could not help but worry about his father's reaction to me. 

Like with Jaxon, the novel didn’t provide enough detail about his father. He was a character who seemed to come and go, rarely staying in scenes unless it was necessary to the plot. But one thing stood out: his affection for Alice, Emma's mother. Everything else about him was not fully conveyed in the story. 

So, who's to say he wasn't abusive in his own way? Now that Alice had been arrested, wasn’t it possible that he would behave differently toward me than in the novel? How certain was I that he would feel familial love for Emma? That he won’t be a thorn in my side?

But then again, he was the one who extended the invitation to stay at his house via Jaxon. So there was little to show that he had it out for me. I mean, who would invite the person who had their lover imprisoned to stay at their home?

Jaxon returned my attention to him when he scoffed. He looked displeased as he stared down at his phone. 

“What is it?” I asked.

“Business news,” he said.

I gave a look of surprise.

“As my father’s son and an heir to his businesses, I must be up to date with everything business-related,” he explained.

“Oh.”

He then let out a disgusted groan.

"These Graysons must make headlines almost every day. I wonder what kind of deal they struck this time.”

‘Graysons?’ I tensed up as the name reminded me of something. 

Never had I wanted to smack myself as much as I did when I remembered what it was.

“Where are you going?”Jaxon asked, seeing me hurriedly get up from my seat. 

“My room. I forgot to check something,” I said. 

“Oh, okay. Guess you won’t be bored, cause I'll be having a friend over…”

I didn’t listen to the rest of Jaxon's words as I made it to my room.

‘You dumbass. How the hell could you forget?’ 

When I was in the hospital, I had made a mental note to try to recall everything I could about the events in Claiming Maddox. I had pushed it off ever since I arrived at Jaxon's house. It was a good thing Jaxon mentioned the Graysons; otherwise, I would have forgotten about it entirely.

My gaze shifted to the stack of empty books on the reading desk. There was also a new laptop on my bed that had been purchased by the butler, as well as other items deemed necessary for my stay.

I moved towards my reading desk, grabbing a book and a couple of pens before getting to work.