Dynasty Boys

Chapter 25

Elle

"What do you want to do?" Carter asked as we entered his breathtaking mansion. He was the most talkative between us since my last encounter with Madden. All I'd offered him were small smiles and a few nods here and there. All I really wanted was to go home and sleep my problems away.

"I don't know, but I'm hungry!" I said while tucking a strand of my blonde hair behind my ear.

"Carter's voice was smooth, but there was an unexpected coldness to it that made me freeze for a moment. His deadpan delivery caught me off guard, and my stomach twisted slightly as the words sank in. Hunt? I blinked, unsure if he was joking or if I'd missed some strange context, but his calm tone left me uncertain, as if he might actually be serious.

Just as I opened my mouth to respond, Carter broke into a wide grin, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "I'm kidding! You should've seen your face! Your reaction was hilarious!"

"Do you remember where my bedroom is? First floor, second door," I said, narrowing my eyes as I tried to recall. Then, I headed upstairs. Carter, still euphoric, shouted something like, "Don't get lost!"

I didn't rush and instead took my time admiring his mansion. The walls were beige, and several chandeliers hung above me, fascinating me. Lost in my thoughts, I didn't even notice that I was standing in front of a closed door. I gently opened it and found myself in a bedroom, Madden's, I presumed. It was surprisingly neat, though smaller than Carter's. A beautiful king-sized bed caught my eye.

Just as I was about to leave, something under the bed caught my attention. It looked like a black gym bag, but something didn't feel right. Following my instincts, I tiptoed toward it, but just as I was about to kneel down to get a closer look, my phone rang. Startled, I rushed toward the door, terrified of being caught by Carter. He'd mentioned that his father wasn't home and that Madden had a meeting with a classmate.

"Hel-Hello?" I answered without looking at the screen, swallowing hard as the line fell into silence. I checked the caller ID and nearly had a heart attack, it was the masked number. My finger hovered over the "end call" button, but I couldn't keep living in fear.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" I asked, my voice steady, though my heart pounded in my chest. I forced myself not to flinch, even as a cold shiver ran down my spine. The silence on the other end of the line was suffocating, and every muscle in my body was on high alert. I clenched my free hand into a fist, trying to appear calm, unfazed by the whole situation. I couldn't let this person know how terrified I really was.

"Jeez, I like it when you talk like that, it just turns me on," My stalker said over the phone, his words seizing my limbs in anger.

"Leave me the fuck alone or—" I wanted to say something like "I have a boyfriend and if you approach me again he will kill you" "But I didn't want to involve Carter, and besides, it would have been a lie since he wasn't my boyfriend."

"Ouch, babe, are you threatening me?" His voice dripped with a mocking amusement,"You should be careful with your mouth. I'll be paying you another visit... soon."

His words hung in the air, and a chill crawled down my spine. My heart skipped a beat, and I could feel my throat tighten, a lump forming as fear started to settle in. Every muscle in my body tensed as I heard the coldness in his tone. I gulped, the sound too loud in my own ears. My breath quickened, shallow and erratic, as if I couldn't get enough air. My body trembled slightly, the fear creeping through me like a tempest.

"It was you at the party? You spiked our drink, didn't you?" You were there..." I managed to say, trying to ignore the way my heart thundered in my chest.