SECRETS IN THE DARK

Throughout the day, Arianne finds it difficult to let go of the words Rowan said to her earlier. She keeps pondering on who Alana is and what relationship she had with Lucian. After hours of bickering, she eventually summons the courage to walk towards the hallway, right to the closed door that Lucian had always kept away from her. Halfway through the hallway she halts.

" I shouldn't go in there…Lucian wouldn't want to see me disregarding his command." She says to herself but curious wins.

Exhaling loudly, Arianne walks straight to the door and tries to open it but it was shut.

Then she remembered that the maid always had a master key with her which she hung besides the pantry. Arianne hurriedly went and grabbed the keys. As she opens the lock, the door creaked open to review a poorly lit room with a desk full of books and files scattered around. Other than that mess, the room looks clean and empty, like no one had been in there for a while. She enters and scans through the room to be sure no one was in there.

" I would have sweater a ghost might be living in here".

She makes a joke but could hardly laugh due to the fear and thumping in her chest. Then she walks towards the desk, fingers tracing the edges lightly as she picks up a document with a header.

" Do not open."

"I guess it must be a warning for the maids who cleans this room. " She thought not realizing that the warning was for anyone for dared tried to access the locked room.

 That was nothing unusual as she scanned through the files alongside the stacks of books on the table to which she started gaining interest to read. As started reading through a philosophical book in her hands, her eyes trace the partly open drawer with a paper drawn out. Arianne grabs the paper and the heading sends a shock through her.

 "Oh my God!!!" She stops to read the heading.

" Alana Kent Death: Suicide or Murder?"

She sits on the office chair, the paper still in her hand as she reads ,through engrossed by each detail of the case. She goes on to look for other files in the drawer and picks out anything related to the story that she could find. Without realizing that the hours had gone by and the evening was starting to draw close.

 The doors of the mansion slide open and Lucian walks in. Arianne hadn't notice the footsteps echoing closely down the hallway, she was busy reading through until a voice draws her back to reality.

"Why don't you ever listen when I speak to you?" Lucians deep voice fills the room in tension. Causing Arianne to shiver in her seat.

 I'm sorry I didn't… mean to" She tries to defend herself but he was already walking swiftly towards her. He grabs the edge of the table and propelled himself too her eye level.

""What is it you want? searching for? Some secrets"

 He looks down and realizes she had been reading files of Alana. immediately his body tenses up and he grits his chin.

"Leave!" He commands. His hands curl into a fist.

" I didn't realize… it would be a…." Alana tries to speak but he cuts in.

"Now!" . He shuts his eyes and Arianne quickly runs back to her room. She quickly realizes that it was a very sensitive topic for him and there was so much more about Alana's death that she needed to figure out. And his reaction proved it.

She didn't want to reopen wounds but she was sure that there was a secret that needed to be unveiled and more than likely Lucian was a part of it.

 *********

The past few days has been a blur of intense quiet throughout the house. Arianne has tried desperately to keep herself away from Lucian . Deliberately avoiding the breakfast or lunch meetings. She thought it best to hide herself away from him, to ease his anger towards her. Up until the early hours of Saturday morning when she heard a knock on her door.

 It too a while to open the door as she was unsure of how to react and who was at the door.

 "We'll be having a family dinner tonight… your family will be coming over. He adds.

"Dress nicely." Lucian walks away almost immediately after she opened the door.

" I was just about I'm sorry for I'm sorry for…" Arianne hadn't finish her words before his strides grow longer. Farther away from her.

" I'm sure he hates me even more now…" She says to herself and goes back to the bed. Her phone pops up a notification from Rows.

 " Did you find what you were looking for? His word reminds her of few days ago.

" Yeah… not exactly." She replies with a wry face.

 Then he puts a call through to her

"I'm guessing he found out you were snooping around and punished you for it"

 "No. Of course not. He just… it's nothing". Arianne tries to defend but Rowan could tell she wasn't spilling the truth.

 "See…that's why I always want to be there for you. Because you literally have anyone to rely on." He continues.

"Now you realize that is way more than what you know him for" He tells her.

"I can come over …if you would like some company " Rowan says but Arianne declines

 " Don't worry about me… we're having a family dinner tonight so I guess it'll be fine.

 "Well I'm family and I can join" he doesn't wait for her to respond.

 "See you this evening. " He cuts the call.

By the evening, Arianne is dressed up in a silk red gown and stunning crystal heels. She grabs her bracelets and wears them on her wrists then heads downstairs towards the dinner table. When she walks in, she sees Lucian fixing the buttons of his shirt.

"May I?" she asks. In attempt to earn his forgiveness.

 He nods in approval. She fixes the buttons on his wrist and tries to muster the courage to speak but her words sound like a stutter.

"um I wanted to apologize for…. "How words are stopped by Lucian's grip on her wrist.

" Not now…we'll deal with this later".

"But I really want to…" Arianne pleads but he raises groans.

 "Arianne… I said later."

" I'm simply trying to apologize but you keep making me feel like a stranger.." Arianne's words makes his brows furrow.

 "Your parents will be here soon… We will have this discussion later." He commands which makes her even more furious.

 She clenches her fists. "What would you have me do Lucian?"

 She silently realized that it was also the first time she also said his name out loud. But it didn't matter because she was too angry to process it.

Do you really not know what I want? Lucian grabs her hand closer, causing her to squirm.

 ********