The Invitation

The Confrontation

By the time they got back to the manor sunset was an hour away. When they got back to the car Drake said he had to wait a little while before driving on the highway. So, they drove around the field a little longer. He showed her the very edge of the property, then they followed it back to the highway.

Alice worried only a little about how it might look, her coming back after being gone all day with the — she still didn't know why Drake was at Applewood.

She walked into the manor alone, Drake opted to stay outside to mess with the car a little more. She half expected to be immediately berated for going missing for over half the day, but the only people she saw were a few staff members who made sure to stay out of the way.

Deciding to go to the art studio to make good use of the setting sun, she started up the grand staircase. Not fully remembering exactly where the studio was, she turned right at the top and made her way in what she hoped was the right direction.

She passed a half closed doorway that caught her attention. The door itself didn't intrigue her, she would have passed by it the same as any other door except for one thing. She heard soft music coming from inside. Since it was half open she figured it was one of the many rooms free for everyone to use when needed.

Pushing the door open she saw a fireplace roaring to the right, and a large oak desk on the left. A chaise lounge, small table and two leather chairs filled the space between the fireplace and the desk. The wall behind the desk acted as a large bookshelf, centered on the wall was a giant painting of a man who looked strikingly similar to Liam.

Alice walked over to the desk, her eyes stuck on the man in the painting. There was a small name plate on the frame that read 'Lord William Rys'. Her fingers ran along the cool wood, feeling the intricate design carved into the edge. She was only able to break her eyes from the painting when her fingers brushed along a stack of papers. Glancing down, Alice saw her name in bold header at the top.

Allison Thornton

Her heart racing, she snatched up the whole pile of papers and started thumbing through them, her blood boiling more with each page. Her facebook page as well as posts she made as far back as two years ago, granted she didn't use it a lot it was still shocking. Next, her resume, then a background check, her car report, rental contract and application, medical records. It was her whole life, condensed down to a handful of papers.

Her head spinning, she dropped the papers and turned to rush out of the room only to see Liam standing in the doorway with surprise written all over his face.

He shut the door and took a step towards her, "Alice-"

"No."

She went to rush past him, but he caught her by the shoulder and pulled her back in front of him. "Alice, please. Just hear me out."

"Fine," she jerked out from under his touch and crossed her arms.

"I should have told you sooner-"

"You're damn right you should have. Maybe, oh I don't know, when you were courting me all across your property!"

"I know, and I apologize. I was scared you would be intimidated. Olivia has that effect on–"

"Olivia? I don't give two shits about Olivia, Liam," she snapped. "I want to know why you have a dossier on my whole life! Down to the hospital records when I was born!"

His eyes traveled past her to the disarray of papers on the desk behind her, "oh."

"Yeah. Let's hear what excuse you have now."

"I don't have an excuse, I have an explanation. If you will allow me to?" He reached for her again, but dropped his hand after reading her body language. "Would you care to sit and chat?"