Parson Upton
Year 2023, Month August
Somewhere in Illinois
~~

My bedroom in the House wasn’t anything like my bedroom at Jared’s mansion. It was bigger, but there was barely anything in it. It had a full-sized bed with a chest at the end of it, a walk-in closet, two dressers and a leather recliner. Everything in the room was big, so I suspected that I had a lot of clothes in the dressers and in the walk-in closet. Despite the fact that I didn’t want to be at Harry’s house, I was hoping for clothes that weren’t dresses, but I knew that a part of me believed that all that was in the closet were hooker dresses and stiletto heels, and that part of me was right.

Zayn made me change my clothes because they had dirt all over them, and he didn’t want me to meet Harry in clothes like this. I put my word in and told him that I couldn’t give a shit less what I looked like when I went down to see him and I told Zayn what I thought of Harry without any hesitation: he was a bastard and I didn’t want anything to do with him. Zayn just laughed at me and demanded I get dressed because he wasn’t going to take me to see Harry in the clothes I was wearing, only repeating himself about four times. Liam decided to do my tour of the House tomorrow, because he ran into some trouble with the main gates and apparently needed to fix them. I was perfectly fine with that because I just wanted to stay in my room and sleep. Then he just had to remind me that I wasn’t going to stay in my room all day every day, and I couldn’t help but hate him a little for actually reminding me that. I have been sitting in my room, staring out the window for almost an hour, and Zayn hasn’t came to get me yet. I haven’t changed, and I don’t want to, because if Harry wants me to put better clothes on, he can pick out some clothes that won’t show off my ass or my breasts. It makes me feel gross to even wear something like that. Sure, I wore silk nightgowns at Jared’s, but only because I enjoy to sleep in gowns and silk. I never went downstairs in a nightgown except for that one day.

All of a sudden, my bedroom door opened and I glanced over my shoulder to see Zayn with a dress and a pair of heels, making me arch an eyebrow. “I told myself you expected better in that closet,” he said and my mouth dropped, because he had read my mind perfectly. I walked up to him and he handed me the shoes, holding out the dress for me to see. I couldn’t help but be amazed by it because it was so gorgeous. It was long and scarlet, and it was sweetheart strapless. “This looked like you would wear it so I grabbed it from the laboratory in the basement.”

“How do you know what I like to wear?” I asked, squinting.

“How do you think I know?” he asked and I raised my eyebrows. “You act like I didn’t watch you for almost a month.”

That I didn’t know. “Well, you can leave so I can get dressed,” I told him before grabbing the dress from his hands and taking a step back.

“There’s a giant walk-in closet beside you, Parson. I’m not leaving this room until you’re ready to leave with me,” he barked before shoving me into the closet and slamming the doors shut, “Do not come out unless you are ready, because if you’re not ready, you wouldn’t even want to come out and face me. I am not having you fucking late for dinner with my boss.” I groaned loudly and hit the door, making him crack open one of the doors and me gasp. “Fucking try me, Parson. I am not a very nice man.”

“Okay. Now, let me get dressed,” I told him, narrowing my eyes and holding the dress over my body. He nodded his head and slammed the door shut, managing to push a whirl of wind towards me even though the door was barely cracked. After I had the dress and the shoes on, I walked out of the closet and Zayn showed me a lopsided grin, and it grew when he realized I was walking to my bedroom door alone.

“No, no, no, goldie,” he said, forcefully grabbing my arm and dragging me back with a smile still locked on his face, “You’re not going anywhere alone. You might’ve been alone that one night your prince killed my man Jonah, but you’re never going to be alone in this House.”

“I’m not sure if that is a good or bad thing,” I muttered, unsure of what to think.

“Oh trust me,” he leaned forward and thoroughly licked his bottom lip, “It’s a bad thing because you’ll be given hell by always having the men in this house beside you, their eyes’ pinning down every single one of your feminine curves and how they’d love to take you on some random bed in this House,” he stopped and my mouth dropped, “You know, Styles would gladly let one of them sleep with you if you were someone else. But no… you’re special.”

I let out a breath of relief and motioned for him to walk with me down to the dining room, or wherever we were having dinner at. The more stairs we walked down, the more I thought about studying the surroundings around me. For one, I needed to get used to this place because I needed to know every crick and corner just in case I had any chance of sneaking out or escaping. Even though there’s a thirty percent chance out of one hundred that I will, I still have to know everything about this house, everything about the men and women that live in this house, and even though I don’t want to do it, I have to learn everything I can about that damned man named Harry Styles.

“Styles isn’t going to like the way you always zone out when people are talking to you, goldie,” Zayn barked beside me and I jumped because I was startled by his sudden snap in my ear, “What are you always thinking about anyways?” It was hard to answer that question because even I was asking myself that sometimes. I was thinking about too many things at a time that I couldn’t name a single one of them without bringing up the next one. “Oh, I see. I know what you’re thinking about. You’re not fooling me.”

I glanced at him. “What am I thinking about, Zayn? If you’re so smart…”

“Well, you could be thinking about how I killed the man that you thought you were falling for,” my heart drifted from my chest and to the floor in front of me and I looked down at it, “Or you could be thinking about how terrible this dinner is going to go… or you could be looking at all of the rooms in the house so that you can plot your secret, sudden escape,” my mouth dropped again and he chuckled, “I knew there was something cunning going on in that pretty little head of yours, but don’t get your hopes up. After this dinner, there’s going to be a guard on every door in the House whether you like it or not. You will have a zero percent chance of escaping once we have all of the guards in their positions. Sorry, not sorry.” I blew out a breath through my lips and tried my best not to look disappointed, but he’s very smart and he caught my thoughts again. “Don’t be disappointed, goldie,” he said and I frowned.

“Why the hell do you keep calling me goldie?” I asked him before we stepped in front of a large glass window―the entire glass wall. “Because, you’re in a new house, fixing to run into the arms of Papa Bear, and you have blonde curls. Except your version of goldilocks is different… it’s more… sinister,” he said, “But the ending won’t be any different. There will be no happy ending for you, Parson. There will be no shit fairytales in your life.”

“I never wanted a fairytale anyways… fairytales are highly overrated,” I told him and he held out his hands and began to clap slowly.

“I like the way you think, goldie,” he mocked and I rolled my eyes, “Besides, once you get in trouble and Styles gets a hold of you, you won’t even remember what a fairytale is.”

“How do you know that? How do you know what he’s like behind closed doors?” I asked him and he let out a large sigh. “I’ve known him longer than anyone here. Styles was my best mate when we were growing up in the streets of Britain. We were like partners in crime, stealing things from women and killing men for money,” he said and I winced at his childhood memory. Even his memories are evil. “Ah,” he cooed, “those were the best days of my life.”

“That’s crazy…” I muttered and he smiled, forcing me into the dining room once we reached it, and I closed my eyes to reject the fear inside of me.

“You will be sitting at that table,” Zayn nudged me and I forced myself to open my eyes to look where he was pointing. He was pointing at a small, rectangular table. Even though there was a large one at the end of the room, I was going to sit on that small table. Alone? I sure hope so… “Styles won’t be having any guards, because he doesn’t need any. He only needs some when he’s busy and can’t take care of everything around him. Sit on the table on the right end and Styles will be in here shortly after he’s heard that you’re waiting for him.”

When Zayn went to leave, I grabbed his arm and his already-famous lopsided grin appeared on his face. “You’re not staying? Aren’t you… my guard?”

“Honey,” he shook his head and I sighed, “Styles is not like Jared… well… he’s not like Jared was, I should say. You don’t have an individual guard, Parson. Every single guard in the House is your guard. I know Louis was your individual guard, and if the time ever does come to where you need a guard to yourself, I will be your guard. But at the moment, you don’t need one. So I’m going to go to my post by the door outside, and I will be called back in to be by your side when dinner is over with. Is that alright with you, goldie?”

“Yes,” I snapped, “That’s fine.” I then walked over to the table and sat down in the seat that I was told to sit down in, and glared at Zayn until he walked out of the dining room and quietly shut the double doors that we walked into. The dining room was very large, and it only had two tables in it―one large one and the one that I was sitting at. Because it only had two tables, the dining room looked so much bigger than it was, and the giant roses in the middle of the two tables didn’t help it at all. The longer I sat alone at the table, the larger my fear grew. I was terrified to see Harry, because the last time I saw him, I ruined his white suit with wine and he probably hated me after that… which made me think. If he hated me because I was an absolute bitch to him for just trying to take me away from the place I wanted to run away from anyways, why the hell did he steal me after his hate for me grew? What I didn’t understand was why all of these men say that I’m beautiful, or why all of these men say that they want me. What makes me so special from all of the other women in the world? Why can’t Jenny from the block over there be just as special as me?

When I spotted wine sitting in the middle of the table behind the roses, I smirked and bit my lip when I saw two wine glasses beside it. I stood up to grab the wine bottle and as soon as I reached over the table, I heard the door handle on the door nearest to the table I was sitting at turn and I gasped, quickly pouring myself a glass of wine. Once the glass was filled, I picked up the other glass and set it down beside my full one.

“Are you making wine for me already, Diamond?” All of the air escaped my lungs when I heard Harry’s British accent circulate through the room. The way he said and called me diamond sent chills down my spine but then I remembered… this is a very dangerous man, and he tried to get through to me by drugging me. “Because if you’re just going to pour it down my blouse, we can just set it aside and let someone else deal with it.” I sat down in the chair behind me and slowly took a drink of my wine as my shaking hand brought the glass to my lips. I was terrified to even look at him, because I was afraid I was going to stare at him. Despite my growing hate for him at this moment, he is still a gorgeous man. I can’t stand myself for thinking that, but my heart has always told me the utter truth… “Are you not going to talk to me; are you not even going to look at me?” his voice sounded deeper when he was closer and I glued my eyes to the red tablecloth attached to the table.

“Parson, please don’t be angry with me. I am only a man looking for a little adventure. You can’t blame me for drugging you, I was only trying to take you in the nicest way possible. I wanted to be subtle, and tying rope to your feet and dragging you out of Jared’s mansion would have not been very subtle at all, now would it?” I wetted my lips and my eyes quickly made their way to Harry’s, making me lose all of the feeling in my body completely. He was wearing a black suit, and his hair was light curls, lazily pushed over his forehead. His lips were bright red and I noticed that he had poured himself a glass of wine as I was studying the tablecloth. “And her blue eyes have deceived me…” he whispered, but he was so close that I could hear. Then he lifted his wine glass as the cold alcohol seeped down his red-stained tongue.

“Deceived you, how?” I asked, my tone soft and gentle even though I wish it would have came out harsh.

“Parson,” he said my name firmly, as if it was foreign for it to come out of his mouth, “When I first met you, your eyes were light and I could see through them, which meant you were full of fear… although you had nothing to be afraid of… I was not going to hurt you…” he trailed off and squinted his eyes, appearing to be studying me in a way no man has ever done before, “Your eyes are dark blue tonight, like the ocean… you’re full of wanderlust and curiosity… and I’d be happy to fulfill your desires of being taken somewhere else, Diamond.” When I didn’t say anything, he said, “You don’t seem to be willing to do anything that I suggest.”

“No,” I snapped, although it came out as a squeak, “I don’t want to do anything with you, or anything to do with you the concept of you. Ever since that party, I have grown to hate you,” I looked up at him and he crossed his arms over his chest, a small wolfish grin creeping up to his thick lips, “I don’t think I’ll ever stop hating you.”

“Dear, Parson,” he started, “You do not hate me―”

“I hate you,” I interrupted and he smiled, looking down and shaking his head. Instead of interrupting him again, I decided to let him speak before he turned on me and hit me with the whip that’s probably in his back pocket that would make me hate him even more.

“You do not hate me, Parson,” he started again, studying me to make sure that I wasn’t going to interrupt him again or say anything stupid, “Hate is the strongest word in the world. Most people would say that love is the strongest word in the world, but it isn’t. Sure, love is strong, but there are different types of love―there is forced love, fake love, thoughtful love, and narcissistic love. There is also infatuation with one person, but that is not love. There are many types of love and more, but there is only one type of hate. Hate is where you don’t like every fiber of a person’s being, and where you can’t even stand to look at a person. When you know every single fact about one person and everything about their past, and when you don’t like them for who they are… that’s when hate comes. You can not hate me for what I did to you, because you do not know the full reason of why I did it. If you knew why… you would not particularly like me, but you wouldn’t hate me because you do not know me. You don’t know where I’ve been, you don’t know what I plan to do or where I plan on going. Sure, you know that I’m valiant and nonchalant but you do not know where I stand by myself or what’s going on deep inside my mind,” he paused for a moment when he saw my mouth fall open at his sudden outburst in reading me wrong like a bad book, “If only you knew the difference in right and wrong, Parson. Your wrong is so far from your right, and if you keep on saying that you hate me, the further you are going to be from the right. Do all of us a favor and realize that you don’t hate me. You don’t hate me, because I know for a fact that you do not know what hate really is. Hate is not a tender subject, and I know almost everything about you to know that you have never had a tough situation in your life. So the next time you want to say something about hating me, think before you open your mouth to speak.”

I was too speechless to even say anything. Even though he just blew my mind with the words I didn’t know he was capable of saying in one conversation, I couldn’t think of anything to say back to that. Those words were so true in so many ways, but I didn’t want to tell him that. I didn’t want to give him the winning satisfaction of him being right… even though he was.

“I see, says the blind man,” Harry said, refilling his wine glass as his eyes cut right through my own. “Would you like some dinner? Parson? I realize that you are all-of-the-sudden incapable of speaking because I have blown your mind to pieces, but the least you could do is nod or shake your head.” His smirk was deep as he took a long sip of his wine. Egotistical bastard…

“Yes, I would like some dinner, actually,” I said before grabbing the wine glass from his side of the table and filling my own wine glass, “What’s the special?”

Harry narrowed his eyes, but his lips parted as I brushed my hair off of my shoulder, licking my lips and changing my attitude completely. If he’s going to think that I am a stupid, blonde idiot, then I’m going to show him a sexy, feminine badass. “We’re having tortellini…” he muttered and I smiled, gaining every ounce of his attention.

“Are you going to be speaking anymore bullshit to me? Because I am practically starving,” I said to him and his eyes danced with the candlelight on the table.

“I’ll make sure that you’re fed well, Diamond,” he said, his cheekbones rising in a side smirk and his teeth digging into his bottom lip. Then he reached forward and grabbed my wine glass, refilling it for me once again, “Don’t let a single drop go to waste now… tipsy impressions make me very happy… it shows me who you really are…”

“Did you roofie this wine?” I asked, picking up the bottle and studying it. His smirk grew into a grin and he leaned forward in his chair, staring me down. “I hope you didn’t because then I would have to make you drink it and demand you tell me why you drugged me at that party in the first place. I am dying to know the real reason why you drugged me, and I would love it if you would just tell me.” I leaned forward with him, when suddenly a few women slaves walked into the dining room and set our dinner plates down in front of us.

“Tell you why?” Harry questioned, never ceasing to study me. “Not now… I don’t think you’re ready for it. In time, you will forget that I ever drugged you because so much more things will be done to you, and that will be the least worst thing that will ever happen to you,” I swallowed hard but I hid my terror, “Now. How about we start on this delicious food?”

~~

I wasn’t thanking Harry for dinner, but the meal was amazing and it was the best food I’ve had in a while, I admit. Because he was so astonished in my sudden mood change, he took me for a walk in his massive garden in the backyard. It was beautiful, and I loved all of the magnolias and roses… magnolias are my favorite flower and I just so happened to forget to tell Louis that…

“What are you thinking about, Diamond?” Harry suddenly asked and I was going to be honest with him, but then I hugged myself and glanced at him, noticing that he was staring at my face and not my body, making me feel a little better. “I’d love to know what’s going on in that pretentious mind of yours,” he said, his voice raspy and willing.

“Since when do you want to know everything about me?” I snapped, and he stepped closer to me, his shoulder brushing against mine and mixed feelings surrounding my body.

“Ever since I saw you on that auction stage, Parson,” he said honestly, and when his pinky brushed mine, I knew he was trying to get on the skin contact level with me and I wasn’t even wanting that. I mean… sure, I was… but I didn’t want it with him… not at this moment. I took a step away from him and breathed in the fresh scent that the flowers surrounding us were giving off. It was pitch black outside and the only light around us were the garden lights that came on at night, but they were bright enough to where I could see the beautiful flowers around me. When I spotted a gazebo, I smiled and immediately thought of my favorite childhood musical, The Sound of Music. Only, the man I am with is not going to sing me music and dance with me in the moonlight. “What are you thinking about, Parson? I must know,” Harry said beside me, getting closer once again and making me look at him. He seemed to be sincere, but it could be the wine talking to the both of us.

“I’m thinking about Louis,” I said honestly, making him stand up straight and blink his eyes, probably testing to see if he wasn’t hearing things.

“It’s time for you to go to bed now,” he barked before grabbing my arm and walking back into the house. He walked me up to Zayn and Zayn smiled at me, but then Harry looked at me and pointed his finger in my face, “If I ever hear that name come out of your mouth again, hell is going to be at your feet. So help me, God.”

“Yes, sir,” was all I could say at his sudden rage.

“I expect to see you working in the garden first thing tomorrow morning. Your stay here is not going to be easy, especially after you’ve mentioned someone who is dead and gone the first night of your stay. May God look upon your body, and hope that you stay as beautiful as you are now,” Harry ranted and I swallowed hard before he ran his both of his hands through his hair and disappeared down a barely lit hallway.

“Fuck, what did you say?” Zayn asked me and I sucked back the tears that were burning in my eyes. “Obviously it wasn’t very good.”

“It’s none of your business,” I snapped at him and he licked his lips, narrowing his eyes. “Well, you heard him. You might want to get some sleep because garden work is going to be hard in the weather we have right now,” Zayn said to me before grabbing my arm and leading me back up to my bedroom in hell.

Notes

The next chapter will be in Zayn's point of view...
I'm really excited to write the next chapter for some reason...

Please tell me what you think?


Kal xx