The moment the door opened, I stopped.
"Woah…" It slipped out before I could stop it.
The room was huge.
The ceiling stretched higher, soft lights were built into it like stars. The walls were clean, and polished.
And the bed looked unreal.
Wide enough for three people. Maybe four. The sheets were smooth, perfectly tucked, the kind you could tell were soft without even touching them.
My chest tightened.
I just wanted to lie down….and sleep.
After everything today…I think I'd earned that much.
"This is where you'll be staying," Phil said from behind me. "The chairman assigned it to you."
I turned to him slowly, still trying to take it all in. "So… this whole room is for me?"
He nodded.
"Get some rest," he said after a moment. "Tomorrow, I'll walk you through everything. What you'll be doing. Who you'll be dealing with."
I nodded, then hesitated. "Phil…"
He glanced at me.
"I…" I rubbed the back of my neck, exhaling softly. "I won't mess this up, right?" I dropped my head. "I mean…I'll try, I just.."
"You will," he cut me off smoothly.
I blinked. "What?"
"You'll mess something up," he repeated, calmly. "Everyone does."
That wasn't what I expected.
"That's… not very reassuring."
"You don't need to be afraid of them," he said.
I frowned slightly. "Was it that obvious?"
"A little secret about the Donovan Heirs," he continued. "They might look all tough and all but… that's all it is. A front."
"That's one way to put it."
"They're not going to hurt you, Eli."
It didn't feel that simple.
"They'll try to get a reaction out of you," he went on. "That's their game. The moment you give them one, you lose control of the situation."
"So what," I asked quietly, "I just stand there and take it?"
His gaze held mine. "No." He paused.
"You stand there," he said, slower this time, "and you don't give them anything to take."
He tilted his head slightly, studying my face again.
"Everyone has a soft spot," he said again, quietly. "Even the worst of them."
I looked down at my hands.
My father flashed through my mind.
What was his soft spot?
Or did I just… lose it?
Or maybe I was the reason he didn't have one left.
I sighed. "What if you can't find it?" I asked before I could stop myself.
Phil didn't respond right away. Then, "You don't always need to," he said. "Sometimes… it's enough to know it exists."
That… didn't help. Or maybe it did, and I just didn't like the reply.
I exhaled softly, looking away. "Right."
"Don't overthink everything," he said.
I looked up at him.
"Some things don't need answers," he added. "You'll exhaust yourself chasing them."
My chest tightened a little. I looked away. Somehow, it felt like he wasn't just talking about the boys anymore.
"Do you always talk like this?" I asked.
He stepped back slightly, without saying a word. I noticed his smirk…another one of those almost-smiles.
"Get some rest," he said instead. "Tomorrow will be a long day. You'll meet the staff from every wing."
Every wing?
"All of them?" I blinked.
"Yes."
I let out a small breath. "That sounds… like a lot."
"It is."
"And if you're going to college," he added, "a driver will be waiting."
A driver?
To pick me up?
"Whatever you need," he finished, "just ask."
I nodded slowly, still trying to process everything.
Then he reached for the door.
"Phil," I called before he could leave. He paused, glancing back.
"Thank you."
Something softened in his expression. "Get some sleep, Eli. You'll need it." He said, as he walked out.
I stood there for a second. Then I looked at the bed again. "No way."
I dropped Poppy's box on the table without thinking and walked over.
Then I just….fell onto it.
The mattress dipped instantly, soft enough to make my entire body relax at once.
"Oh my God…"
A shaky breath left me. @This is actually soft."
I shifted, pressing my face into the pillow.
It smelled clean.
Then, my dad's voice crept back in.
The way he said those words.
My chest tightened.
I turned onto my side, pulling into myself slightly.
"Forget it," I exhaled slowly, sinking deeper into the mattress.
"Tomorrow's going to be a long day. I'd get to find out everything I didn't understand yet."
My fingers tightened slightly against the sheets.
"I just hope I'm ready for it."