CHAPTER FOUR : The private wing
The gates were too tall to climb. Adaline noticed that first. The compound was vast, too vast to feel human. Stone pathways cut cleanly through trimmed lawns so perfect they looked artificial, as though nature itself had been disciplined into obedience. Everything was green but nothing bloomed .
There were no flowers lining the walkways. No burst of color softening the edges of the towering Walls. Just hedges trimmed into sharp lines. She slowed her gaze searching instinctively for something familiar, something gentle. There was nothing.
The emptiness settled in her chest. She has always loved flowers. Her mother had loved them too when she was alive. She believed they were proof that softness could survive anywhere. After her mother's death, planting flowers became her favorite activity, she always felt closer to her mom whenever she spotted a flower or went closer to where it is.
The car came to a stop, which made adaline's heart jolt. The engine idled softly, the sound too loud in the quiet environment surrounding them. She did not move right away. Her fingers tightened around the hem of her dress as she waited for instructions. Then the door opened. Cold air slipped under, brushing her legs, carrying with it the scent of stone and something metallic. Adaline swallowed and stepped out of the car. The ground beneath her shoes was smooth stone, chilled despite the sun overhead. She straightened instinctively, lifting her chin and even as her pulse raced.
The car door closed behind her. She turned just for a second, but the driver was already gone, the vehicle rolling away. She looked forward and noticed a lady by the front door. She started walking towards her, taking each step as steady as possible.
At the front of the mansion, a woman was waiting. She looked to be in her early fifties, dressed simply but impeccably, her posture straight, her hands folded neatly before her. Her presence softened the severity of the place just slightly.
Mrs Margareta.
Her eyes settled in Adaline with quite assessment, not unkind, but thorough as though she were nothing more than an appearance alone.
"Good day, miss whitmore". She greeted as soon as Adaline got closer. Her voice calm, measured. "Welcome".
"Before you go any further", Mrs Margareta continued gently, " there are few rules". She said again gently. " They were set by Mr. Ronan himself. You will follow them exactly". She didn't raise her voice. She didn't need to.
"You will wake before sunrise every morning," she continued.
"Breakfast will be prepared by you alone. It must be ready when he comes down".
"You are not to speak", Mrs Margareta went on, her tone even, "unless you are spoken to. Silence is expected in his presence.
She paused. Watching Adaline carefully as though gauging how much she could bear .
"Lastly, once you have entered this house ", she continued, you will not leave it. Not the Wing, not the compound, unless you are told to".
She allowed the words to settle before she continued.
"If any of these rules are broken", Mrs Margareta added, her voice lowering jus
Adaline's breath hitched before she could stop it.
Mrs. Margareta turned and led the way.
They moved past the grand staircase, deeper into the mansion, where thet slightly. " You will be taken to the torture room". air seemed heavier and the silence more deliberate. The corridors here were narrower, more intimate, lined with dark wood panels and soft, recessed lighting that cast long shadows along the floor.
"This is the private wing," Mrs. Margareta said as they walked. "Only a few rooms are here."
Adaline noticed there were no portraits on the walls. No family photographs. Just abstract art and closed doors, each one polished to a muted shine. The farther they went, the more aware she became of how close everything felt.
They stopped.
Mrs. Margareta gestured subtly to the door beside them. "Mr. Ronan's room," she said.
Adaline's breath caught before she could stop it.
Then Mrs. Margareta took one more step forward and stopped again, this time in front of the next door.
"And this," she said, placing her hand on the handle, "is yours."
The door opened smoothly.
The room beyond was beautiful.
Too beautiful.
Soft cream walls, a large bed dressed in fine linen, a chandelier casting warm light across polished floors. A sitting area by the window held an elegant chair and a small table, arranged with precision. Everything looked untouched, curated, as though no one was meant to leave a mark.
Adaline stepped inside slowly.
The window drew her attention next—and then her heart sank. The glass was thick, reinforced, the kind that didn't open. The door behind her closed with a quiet, unmistakable click, and when she turned, she saw the lock embedded seamlessly into the frame.
Hidden. Permanent.
"This room is meant to be comfortable," Mrs. Margareta said evenly. "You will find everything you need here."
Adaline's gaze drifted, no sharp edges, no obvious restraints, Just softness. Luxury. Control disguised as care. It wasn't as bad as she thought.
Mrs. Margareta continued. "You are not to wander the wing. Mrs. Margareta continued. "This area is reserved for Mr. Ronan alone."
Her eyes met Adaline's, steady and unflinching.
"He prefers proximity," she added. "It allows him to… keep order."
The implication settled heavily in the air.
Mrs. Margareta stepped back toward the door. "Rest," she said gently. "Tomorrow begins early."
The door opened briefly, then closed again.
The lock slid into place with a soft metallic sound.
Alone, Adaline stood in the center of the room, surrounded by silk and silence, by beauty that could not be escape. The rules should have frightened her.
Anyone else might have shaken, begged, cried. Adaline did none of those things. She listened, memorized, memorized them immediately with a calm that surprised even her.
Wake early.
Be silent.
Do not leave.
Obey or suffer.
They weren't new concepts.
Back home, fear had been routine. Silence had been survival. She had learned long ago that rules didn't exist to be fair they existed to be followed if you wanted to remain unbroken.
Inside, something steadied instead of shattered.
This place was cruel, yes but it was structured. Predictable. And that meant it could be endured.
She had lived by rules before.
She could do it again.
What unsettled her wasn't the threat of punishment.
It was the man who had written them.