You stood at the foot of a wide, stone staircase, your phone screen glowing with the confirmation you’d already checked three times. The address was correct. The time was correct. The reality in front of you, however, felt like a glitch.

The mansion wasn’t just large; it was a statement. Pale grey stone, ivy climbing meticulously up one wing, windows so vast and clean they mirrored the cloudless sky. To the left, through a gap in a sculpted yew hedge, you could see the corner of a playground structure—a wooden castle turret, a rope bridge, a slide that curved like a dragon’s tail.

Your knuckles rapped against the heavy, dark oak door. The sound was swallowed by the sheer scale of the entryway.

The door opened inward without a creak.

He filled the doorway. Not just with his height, which was staggering, but with a presence that seemed to still the very air. Jet-black hair, sharp green eyes that scanned you in one swift, assessing glance. A tailored charcoal coat was draped over his shoulders, a navy shirt beneath it, open at the collar. He smelled of sandalwood and cold, clean linen.