Page 8 of Venomous Desires

I couldn’t help but feel a mix of awe and a shiver down my spine at the sight. Seriously, who in their right mind would picka place like this to live?

It was breath-taking, but a bit creepy with the large mansion and trees surrounding it.

“Hello?!” I called out, looking through the gaps between the rails. When no one came, I pulled out my phone and dialled Kyle’s number.Jeez.

He picked it up after two rings. “I’m at the gate,” I said in broken Russian, probably sayingininstead ofat.

He didn’t even say anything before the line went dead. I stared at my phone, blinking. “...Did he just hang up on me?”

I looked at the screen like it had personally betrayed me. Was that... a rejection? Before I even got the chance to introduce myself?

No. No, that couldn’t be it. He’d told me to come here. Surely he hadn’t lured me across half the city just to ghost me.

“Ms. Rosewood.” A shriek nearly escaped me as I spun around.

“For the love of—”

A man stood behind me, sheltered beneath a black umbrella as though he’d spun out of the snow itself. He had a military buzz cut and wore a tailored black suit, not a single hint of color breaking the monochrome.

I swallowed.

“Oh... hi,” I said weakly, instinctively taking a step back.

He tilted the umbrella just enough for me to see his face clearly. “Kyle Molotov.”

Right.

Suppressing another nervous swallow, I forced a smile and held out my hand.

“S-Seraphina Rosewood,” I said, cursing the slight tremor in my voice.

His eyes flicked down to my hand and then back up to meet mine, but something was unsettling in his stare. “You’re notRussian,” he commented with a hint of disbelief. I swallowed hard, feeling a knot form in my stomach. My hold on the bag tightened.

“No.”

He responded tersely with a nod, as he gave me a thorough look up and down, making me squirm under his scrutiny.

Summoning up every ounce of courage, I forced a smile. “But I can understand Russian very well.” I blurted out the lie, cringing inwardly at the sound of my own voice, which resembled a dying hyena more than a confident job applicant. He had betternotreject me, because if he did, I’d start crying. I needed this damn job.

“Language is not a problem, Ms. Rosewood,” Kyle motioned towards the gates. “You can come in.”

I nodded and followed him through the wrought-iron gates.

The estate was unnervingly still, the snow untouched except for our footprints. My attention snagged on the enormous marble statue standing at the center of the lawn. As we drew closer, my stomach tightened.

It was of a woman. Her face was frozen in silent terror while a marble serpent coiled around her body, its scaled length winding from her waist to her throat. Its fangs hovered just beneath her jaw, as though one more heartbeat was all it needed to strike.

For one irrational second... I could’ve sworn it was watching me.

I tore my gaze away. Who willingly put something so unsettling in their front yard?

Then again, rich people decorated with things I could never hope to understand. If he wanted a giant naked woman being strangled by a snake, who was I to judge? I was here for ten thousand dollars, not an art critique.

Kyle led me up the marble steps. The massive doors opened,and I stepped inside.

Holy...mother of good lord.

Crystal chandeliers spilled warm light over polished marble floors. A sweeping staircase curved toward the second floor, while paintings, sculptures, and antiques that probably cost more than my entire existence filled every corner.