Novels by Akipearlchi 587

Not All Storm…Burns. The rain came harder by the time Eleanor’s cart slipped through the estate gates. Thunder rolled above the city while water streaked violently across the windows, blurring the empty roads ahead of them. Inside nobody spoke for the first several minutes. Bella sat in the backseat beside Aria with her fingers curled tightly around Theo’s silver button. Her thoughts refused to settle. Every single thing felt wrong from the guard hearing them and Andre finding out so quickly, above it all was Lady Eleanor deciding to help them at all…None of it made sense anymore. Up front Eleanor remained calm, staring ahead as the driver maneuvered through the dark streets. “Do you trust this person?” Bella finally asked quietly. Eleanor’s eyes shifted slightly toward the mirror. “Enough.” “That doesn’t sound convincing.” she muttered. “Trust is a dangerous thing in this family,” Eleanor replied. “You give it carefully.” Aria glanced nervously toward the passing streets.

The footsteps outside the hallway stopped directly at Bella’s door suddenly making both girls straightened instantly.“Who could that be?" Aria asked.Bella shrugged and pulled herself up. “Maybe whoever it is was just walking." She suggested.Bella exchanged a quick glance with Aria before moving toward it carefully. At that moment it wasn't that she felt but something different, something that couldn't be described.Perhaps all of this was because her anger had not fully settled and neither had the anxiety twisting painfully inside her chest.A knock drifted through the room again disturbing whatever peace they thought was found and changing her thoughts.The knock came this time slower just as Bella pulled the door open with her hands trembling slightly.To her surprise, Lady Eleanor stood outside beneath the dim hallway lights with her silver hair neatly pinned despite all that was raging in the packHer expression remained composed as always, but her eyes immediately searched Be

Behind Closed DoorsThe voices downstairs grew louder with every passing second as they moved swiftly. Bella barely heard Aria calling after her as she stormed out of the room. Her heartbeat pounded violently against her ribs while the silver button remained clenched tightly inside her palm.Aria didn't try to stop her, perhaps it was just her accepting that she couldn't or just that feeling of frustration from trying whatever it was it didn't at that point.The estate corridors felt colder now as they stepped out…Servants moved quickly out of her path the moment they saw the expression on her face. Even the guards stationed near the staircase straightened uneasily as she approached.Nobody stopped her as they all stepped out of her way and modded their head momentarily Downstairs the meeting room doors stood slightly open while muffled voices echoed from within.Bella slowed near the entrance and leaned her ears. She could hear it all.“…searched the east district twice already.”

Facades IIBella had not moved from where she was in almost an hour as her mind still had remained unsettled. She walked slowly around the room with her feet heavy while listening to the sound of the rain that would've been soothing,today they held a different energy entirely. One that she didn't understand fully.The fire crackled softly nearby while the grandfather clock ticked louder with every passing minute. Outside the tall windows the storm still dragged across the estate with restless rain as all of this happened she seemed half aware of it all as her mind was deeply distracted.She sat curled near the edge of the couch with Theo’s silver button resting against her palm. Some part of her was still not accepting the fact that all of this was true and he was gone while the other part still was about the letter.Lady Eleanor had not asked for it again but at a time like this , no stones were to be left untouched. Sighing deeply, Bella let herself sit close to the fireplace.

Facades.The man stared down at Theo’s hand gripping his wrist. For a second neither of them moved.The pub remained loud around them as laughter echoed from somewhere near the bar while rain battered softly against the windows. Yet inside that booth the tension sat heavy enough to suffocate.Theo slowly loosened his grip. “Please.” The word came out quieter this time. The older man looked at him carefully before lowering himself back into the seat with a tired sigh. His expression had changed now as it was no longer irritated.“You really don’t know anything, do you?”Theo’s jaw tightened. “If I did, I wouldn’t be here.”The man rubbed his face slowly before reaching for the untouched whiskey in front of him. He swallowed once then looked away toward the crowd like he suddenly hated this conversation.“She died three years ago,” he muttered.Everything around Theo seemed to stop. The noise…The lights. Even the voices nearby became distant.Theo blinked once but said nothing. “I d

Wrong Choice, Right Choice.Bella kept staring at the silver button resting against her palm like it might suddenly explain itself if she looked long enough.It was definitely Theo and somehow out of everyone in the house that name somehow unsettled her the most.Aria glanced once down the hallway before lowering her voice carefully. “Are you sure?”Bella nodded slowly without taking her eyes off it. “I’ve seen this insignia before. Theo wears them on almost every jacket he owns.”Her chest tightened harder as she could feel her heart beating loudly. The button felt cold in her hand as she held it tightly.Aria crossed her arms tightly. “Then he was here.”Bella immediately shook her head though the movement lacked confidence. “That doesn’t mean he took the letter.”“Are you really putting sentiment into this,he might've.”Silence stretched between them again as she processed it deeply. Perhaps Aria was right.Somewhere downstairs voices echoed faintly through the mansion while serva