Chapter — The Mansion
The morning sun had just started climbing higher in the sky when the group stepped out of the mansion gates together.
The air still carried the smell of rain from the violent storm of the night before. None of them had slept properly, but strangely, none of them complained.
Care walked a little ahead of them, slow and careful.
She looked calm… almost too calm.
But every step she took had a slight limp.
Alex noticed first.
"Care… your ankle," he said.
She waved it off lightly.
"It's nothing. Just twisted it a little."
But the way she winced when she stepped down said otherwise.
Joong frowned. "That doesn't look like nothing."
She stopped walking for a second, steadying herself.
"I'm fine," she said quietly.
Then she continued walking.
The group exchanged looks but stayed silent, following her.
After everything that happened the previous night, none of them wanted to push her too much.
But after a few steps—
Care suddenly stumbled.
Her body tilted forward.
Before she could fall—
A hand grabbed her arm.
Cole.
He caught her instantly.
"Care—"
Her balance was completely gone.
She tried to stand straight again, but her ankle betrayed her.
She sucked in a sharp breath.
Cole's jaw tightened.
"Your ankle is sprained."
"I said I'm fine," she replied stubbornly.
"You can barely stand."
"I can walk."
She tried again.
One step.
Then another.
And again—
She nearly fell.
This time Cole didn't wait.
Before she could protest—
He lifted her.
Straight into his arms.
Care froze.
"What are you doing?!" she said quickly.
"Carrying you."
"Cole put me down."
"No."
"Cole—"
"You're not walking on that ankle."
Her voice softened a little, but the stubbornness stayed.
"My house is nearby. I can manage."
Cole didn't even look at her.
"Good. Then I'll carry you there."
She stared at him for a few seconds.
Normally she would argue.
Normally she would fight.
But right now…
Her body was still weak from the asthma attack.
Her ankle throbbed.
And exhaustion sat heavy in her bones.
So she didn't argue anymore.
She just stayed quiet.
Her head slowly resting against his shoulder.
The group walked beside them.
Lyra whispered to Alex,
"Cole is not putting her down, is he?"
Alex smirked slightly.
"No chance."
Joong chuckled softly.
Carrie — the girl who always looked untouchable.
Being carried like she weighed nothing.
It was… strange.
And yet somehow it felt right.
They walked for almost ten minutes.
Care pointed ahead lazily.
"Turn left."
They did.
Another street.
Then another turn.
And then—
They stopped.
All of them.
Completely frozen.
In front of them stood massive black iron gates.
Behind the gates stretched a long stone driveway.
And at the end of it—
A mansion.
Not just big.
Massive.
Elegant white walls.
Tall glass windows reflecting the sunlight.
A wide balcony that wrapped around the second floor.
Gardens on both sides perfectly maintained.
It looked less like a house and more like something from a royal estate.
The group stared.
Silent.
Joong blinked.
"…what."
Lyra's mouth literally fell open.
"Care…"
Alex looked from the mansion to Care.
"…you live here?"
Care slowly lifted her head from Cole's shoulder.
"…yeah."
The group stared again.
Joong pointed at the building.
"THIS is your house??"
Care looked confused by their reaction.
"Yes?"
Alex laughed in disbelief.
"You said your house was nearby."
"It is."
Cole finally spoke quietly.
"You didn't say it was a palace."
Care sighed tiredly.
"It's just a house."
The group looked at her like she had lost her mind.
Lyra whispered dramatically,
"Just a house she says."
Alex shook his head slowly.
"How long were you planning to hide this?"
Care looked away slightly.
"I wasn't hiding it."
"Then why didn't you tell us?"
She hesitated.
Her eyes dropped.
"I didn't think it mattered."
For a moment no one spoke.
They all remembered something at the same time.
The quiet girl.
The girl who always sat alone.
The girl everyone thought had nothing.
And yet—
She lived in a mansion bigger than any of them had ever seen.
Cole walked through the gate without saying anything.
The gate opened automatically.
The group followed slowly, still staring everywhere.
The driveway alone felt longer than their college corridor.
When they finally reached the entrance—
Cole gently put Care down on the marble steps.
She held the railing for balance.
The huge wooden doors behind her looked almost royal.
Everyone stood awkwardly.
Finally Joong asked,
"…Care."
"How rich are you exactly?"
Care looked at him, slightly amused despite her exhaustion.
"That's a conversation for another day."
Alex crossed his arms.
"You're seriously going to leave us like this?"
She gave a faint tired smile.
"Yes."
Lyra laughed softly.
"You're evil."
Care leaned against the door slightly.
Her body was clearly drained now.
"I need rest."
They immediately noticed.
Cole's voice softened.
"Go."
She nodded.
Then before entering she looked back at them.
"Come this evening."
They blinked.
"What?"
"It's Sunday."
She opened the door slowly.
"Come here in the evening."
"Then I'll tell you everything."
And with that—
She stepped inside.
The doors closed behind her.
The group stood there.
Silent.
Processing.
Joong turned slowly toward the others.
"…did we just walk a girl home…"
"…to a literal mansion?"
Lyra whispered,
"And she said just a house."
Alex laughed under his breath.
Cole looked back at the massive building.
Something about it didn't sit right with him.
Too big.
Too quiet.
Too many secrets.
He finally said quietly,
"Yeah…"
"…there's definitely more to Care than we thought."
The group slowly walked back down the driveway.
And none of them stopped talking about the same thing.
The mansion.
The mystery.
And the girl they clearly knew far less about than they believed.
Evening couldn't come fast enough.