I'm still shuddering with another blanket wrapped around me when the maid places a cup of hot tea on the coffee table in front of me. I can't believe that I ran here, but I don't feel safe anymore being alone.

Aiden's penthouse was the only thing in my mind.

I stare blankly at the drink, clutching the blanket tightly. I feel stupid.

"There's no one there," Aiden finally says. He's sitting on an armchair next to me, staring at me with concern due to the state I'm in -- still engulfed in fear. "They have checked the suite. There's no one. If anybody had gone there, they would have passed Carter."

I let out a shaky breath. That's right.

It was just my paranoia. I was traumatized. I wasn't thinking clearly.

I am not thinking clearly.

What am I doing here?

Silence falls again, and I can sense that Aiden is waiting for me to say something. To hear that there was no one else in the suite calms me, but I'm still not ready to face that kind of threat again.

"What are you going to do?" Aiden asks, as though he can read my mind. His voice is soft. He's not asking to force me to do anything, but to make me open up to him so that he can help me.

I turn to look at him, and what's supposed to be a soft sigh turns to be a soft cry, "I don't know."

Honestly, I really don't know what to do.

My lips tremble as I open my mouth again, "I can't stay there. Not there. And not downstairs. I don't know what I should do."

The idea of me getting straddled while sleeping alone is still haunting me. I guess that it won't leave my mind for quite a while.

"Do you want to go home?" Aiden asks carefully, as though he's afraid that I will break down anytime. "Do you want me to get you back to Texas now? Or do you want me to call your parents first--"

"No, please." I immediately shake my head in protest.

I've already rejected that idea. Although I miss my parents so much, I don't want to choose that option. I don't want to go back home now. I want to go back after finishing what I started here, not to bail before I even start anything.

From the look on his face, Aiden knows that I have nowhere to go. "Nevaeh," he starts again. "I understand that you can't stay alone in that suite. You can stay here first until you feel better. I should have known that the incident couldn't be forgotten overnight."

I feel like crying. Aiden has tried his best to remedy the situation, but it's not that easy for me.

"I'm sorry--"

"No. It was my responsibility, remember?" he insists.

I don't know what to say. What worries me is that I have no idea when I'll feel better. I have to overcome my fear, and I don't think that I can do that quickly.

"I know that as the owner of this business, it's very unprofessional of me to let you stay here, since you're my customer," he says. "But I'm speaking to you as a friend. You're Max's cousin, and it's the least I can do to help you out."

I can't help but feel grateful that Aiden is the owner of this building, because if it's not him and just another stranger businessman, I can't imagine how I would survive.

Aiden sighs. "I know that you can't overcome your fear quickly. You need more than just a few hours to be comfortable enough to stay alone in an apartment again. It may take days or longer, and I will let you take your time until you're ready."

My heart starts to become restless because I'm aware of how badly I need to overcome this trauma. Days sound good, but it sounds almost impossible, and I hate myself for being weak.

"Are you really letting me stay here in your penthouse?" My voice is laced with disbelief.

This idea sounds strange to me. I've never lived together with another person other than my family, let alone a man. However, he's the only person in Seattle that I know I can trust.

"Is that really okay?"

Aiden nods. "It's the best solution for now. I can guarantee that my house is the safest place for you. As I said, I have special securities -- or you can call them my bodyguards. I know that you may think that it's inappropriate, but while you stay here, I actually won't be around that much during the day. And there are always people here to assist you. If you need anything, you can always talk to my people."

A man who seems to be in his 40s steps into the living room. "This is Ashton, my assistant."

Another man who looks older, around 50-60 years old, steps in front of us too. "And this is Ian, my butler."

I stare at them, still trying to absorb what's happening. The most important thing is that they don't look dangerous.

"And there are maids around, so you definitely won't feel alone," Aiden adds.

I'm still at a loss for words.

Aiden doesn't look like he's joking. He looks serious, waiting for my response. "Is that okay for you?"

I want to tell him that this is more than enough, but there's this thing that still bothers my mind. "Will you promise me that you still won't tell Max about this?" I stare at him hopefully. "Please. I plan to stay in Seattle for the whole semester."

Aiden nods again. "I understand. I will respect your decision that you don't want to let him know about the incident."

I sigh in relief. Apparently, there's a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm starting to feel that I can survive. For a while, at least.

I shift my attention to the cup of hot tea on the table and finally take a gulp of it. It does soothe me more. After I finish the entire drink, Aiden breaks the silence.

"I'm sure that you still feel tired," he says when I return my gaze to him again. "You can rest in your new room here. Ashton will lead you there."

"Please follow me," Ashton says to me. "I will show you the bedroom for you to stay in for the next six months, Ms. Spencer."

Both Aiden and I snap our heads toward Ashton. What did he say?

No one told him that I'm going to stay here for the whole semester.

Before I can argue, Ashton walks off, and that makes me stand up to follow him. A glance back at Aiden lets me know that he looks just as lost as I am. Does he think that I'm planning to stay here for six months?

I need to clear this misunderstanding.

I rush my footsteps to catch up with Ashton, following him further inside this huge mansion-like penthouse.

When he finally stops, I find my new bedroom. It looks nice, warm, and comfy.

"This is your bedroom," Ashton says. "Please let me know if you need anything else."

My eyes travel around the room. It's as large as the room in the suite I stayed in a while ago, but the atmosphere is much warmer.

I'm too amazed by the sight before me that I almost forget what I actually want to say. "Wait," I say breathlessly. "I'm not going to stay here for six months."

To my surprise, amusement glints in Ashton's eyes. "Have a good rest, Ms. Spencer." With that said, he leaves, and that makes me feel dumb.

I step into my new room and slowly walk toward the bed. After climbing onto it, I sit against the headboard and pull the bed cover.

Strangely, I'm not afraid anymore. Indeed, I feel more secure here because I'm not alone. The people here seem more trustworthy. They may have worked for Aiden for a long time.

My eyes finally feel heavy. So many things have happened in just one night, and I feel really, really tired.

Before I know it, I'm dozing off.

My eyelids flicker. I wince due to the rays of sun hitting my face, and the brightness makes me immediately sit up in shock.

My chest is heaving up and down as I glance at the clock on the wall. It's 10 am.

I overslept. Damn, I definitely did because of lack of sleep.

Thank God my new class hasn't started today.

But really, I had a very good sleep.

I even feel like I passed out.

I slowly climb out of bed and adjust my pajamas and hair in front of the dresser mirror so that I don't look as much as the disaster I was yesterday. A sigh leaves my lips when I stare at the amazing view of Seattle through the windows of this bedroom.

Right, I'm still here. In Seattle.

When I walk out of the room, the first person that I find passing the corridor is the butler, Ian.

"Good morning, Ms. Spencer." He gives me a warm smile, and I cringe at the name.

I need to tell him and Ashton to stop addressing me formally if I'm going to stay here for a while.

"Are you looking for Aiden? He already went for work," Ian says.

That's expected. Aiden must have gone to his office at this hour.

"Here is your phone," Ian hands me my phone, which I left in the suite last night before I ran here.

Ian bows a little before walking off, and I unlock my phone with my fingerprint. I scroll through the notifications and find 1 missed call from Dad, 1 message from Mom, and another message from Sienna. They are all the usual morning greetings. They still have no idea about what's happening to me.

I frown as I find a text from an unknown number.

He must have found my number through his customers' database. I guess that I will have the house tour today.