CHAPTER 5: GUESTS AND GHOSTS

The lady's smile spread across her face, a slow and deliberate curve of her lips that seemed to savor the tension in the air. Her eyes gleamed with a knowing intensity as if she were privy to a secret that no one else was aware of. She let the silence hang, allowing the discomfort to grow like a slow-building storm cloud that threatened to unleash its fury at any moment. Ariel's question, still hanging in the air, seemed to be all forgotten, a mere afterthought in the face of the lady's unnerving smile.

Connel's hand dropped from Ariel's wrist as if burned. "Tori," he said with a clipped voice, "you weren't invited."

Ariel's gaze snapped at him. Tori. That name hadn't come up- not once in their conversation, not in passing and certainly not in his silence.

The woman; Tori, smiled at the sound of her name. It was the kind of smile that carried a thousand sharp edges. "That's not very welcoming, darling. After everything we've been through?

Ariel looked from one to another, darling?

The woman stepped inside unbothered, her heels clicking against marble with practiced elegance. "Since when did I need an invitation to visit what I helped build?"

Ariel blinked, confused. What did she help build? She looked at Connel for clarity but his face was stone.

Tori's eyes swept the room and landed on Ariel. She took her in again- head to toe and smirked. "I don't need formal introductions to know you're the one." Her tone curled around the word like it tasted sour.

Ariel stiffened.

"Oh!" Tori purred, her voice low and husky. "He didn't tell you about me? I'm his past. The part he would rather sweep under the rug." She glanced at Connel, "but you always forget that rugs can be lifted."

"Tori!" Connel exclaimed, stepping closer,his voice low. "This isn't the time."

Tori's gaze didn't waver. "It's never the time, is it? But it's always convenient to forget, like Vienna," she added, her eyes now locked with Ariel's. "Or Paris, or the villa in Spain. Should I go on?

Ariel's breath caught in her throat, a sudden involuntary gasp that seemed to freeze in mid air. She turned sharply towards Connel, her eyes flying to his face with a mix of concern and curiosity. But Connel's expression was a mask, his jaw tight and his eyes refusing to meet hers.

He stood rigidly, his posture stiff and unyielding as if he were trying to shut out the world around him. His eyes were fixed at some point in front of him, his gaze intense and unyielding, but the tension coming from him could be sensed.

Tori walked up to Connel, "I've missed you," she said, rolling her fingers from his neck down to his waist seductively. Connel grabbed her hands off his body and dragged her into his home office.

"What do you want?" He asked finally.

"Just a few nights, I have a business trip in town," Tori said innocently. “I need a place to stay and your guest house has always been comfortable. And since you're playing house already..."

"No!" Connel cut in immediately. Absolutely not."

"You know you can't send me to the hotel? You know how much I despise those places." Tori said, she leaned back on the chair like she owned it. "You owe me, Connel."

A heavy silence fell.

After what felt like an eternity, Connel exhaled slowly. "You can stay in the guest house. But you stay away from Ariel and this is temporary."

Tori's smile spread slowly and victorious. "Of course, I wouldn't dream of overstepping." She said sweetly.

The dining hall door opened and Connel walked in looking calm and collected. "Sorry about the interruption earlier, guess we'll go out for lunch some other time," he said, taking a seat across from Ariel. Ariel's eyes widened as she processed this information. She had so many questions but she didn't know where to start.

"Tori will be staying in the guest house, please prepare everything for her." Connel said to Watson. Ariel watched the drama unfolding as she ate.

Tori walked up to the dining table,she turned to Ariel one last time. "You seem nice. I hope you're not the type to ask too many questions because Connel doesn't like that."

Ariel felt a shiver run down the spine as Tori's eyes seemed to bore into her soul. There was something unsettling about Tori, something that made Ariel feel like she was walking on thin ice.

Then she was gone, heels echoing down the hallway, perfume lingering like smoke and her voice still ringing in Ariel's head as if she had never left a wound behind.

Ariel turned to Connel, watching him closely now; what she saw in his hesitation made her stomach twist. Guilt? The word echoed in her mind, guilt was not an emotion she associated with him, not even when he was wrong. He was always so confident, so self-assured, that it was disturbing to see him like this.

"What did she mean by Vienna?" Ariel asked softly. She leaned forward, her eyes locked into Connel's, searching for an answer.

But Connel didn't answer. He didn't even look at her, his gaze fixed on some point in front of him, his expression frozen in a mask of indifference. Ariel's eyes never left Connel's face, her gaze burning with an intensity that seemed to pierce through his defense. She waited for him to speak, but the silence between them seemed to stretch on forever.

Later that day, Ariel wandered through the house, her footsteps quiet on the soft carpet. She had taken this walk countless times before, but today, it felt different. Her mind was a jumble of thoughts and emotions, she needed to clear her head. She turned a corner and a door caught her eye. It was slightly ajar and she pushed it open, revealing a room she hadn't known existed.

The room was filled with music. There were guitars, violin, and a beautiful grand piano in the center of the room. Ariel's heart skipped a beat as she approached the piano. She hadn't played in years, but the sight of the instrument brought back a flood of memories. She ran her fingers over the keys, feeling the cool ivory beneath her touch.

As she sat down on the stool, her hands seemed to move of their own accord, playing a gentle melody that filled the air. The music was like a balm to her soul, soothing her worries and calming her mind. Ariel closed her eyes, letting the notes wash over her, and felt a sense of peace settle over her.

Time seemed to stand still as she played, the music transporting her to a different world. She was lost in the tune, her fingers moving instinctively over the keys. The room faded away, and all that was left was the music. A faint sound caught her attention, but she didn't register it at first. It wasn't until she heard the soft creak of the floorboards that she opened her eyes wide to find Watson standing in the doorway.

"I didn't know you played," Watson said, his voice filled with excitement. "And you play so well."

"Thank you, Watson," Ariel said smiling. "I played in college."

Watson nodded his eyes sparkling with interest. "I'll have to tell Master Connel," he said. "He'll be impressed."

Ariel nodded, "Who's Tori?" She asked finally, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Tori Laurent, Master Connel's ex-girlfriend," Watson said, dusting the shelf. 

"They were together for a long time?" She asked her curiosity about getting the better of her.

"Yes, they were together for so long that everyone thought they'd get married till the engagement was broken off suddenly."

"She doesn't seem nice." Ariel said.

"Trust me, she's not." Watson replied, "Her and Master Connel had a strange relationship,even though I didn't understand why he stayed for too long."

"I wonder what happened in Vienna," Ariel said, her voice barely over a whisper as she continued playing the piano.

Watson looked at her sharply,his eyes narrowing slightly. He didn't say a thing but his eyes said it all, it was like a warning. A warning not to dig into it, Ariel raised an eyebrow, her eyes locked on Watson's. She knew that Watson knew more than he was letting on, but she also knew that he wouldn't tell her anything.

As she continued playing the piano, Ariel's mind was racing with questions. What happened in Vienna? And what's Tori's true motive for coming to the mansion?

As Watson left the room, Ariel couldn't help but feel a sense of loneliness. She was stuck in this huge mansion with a man she barely knew and now his ex-girlfriend had shown up out of nowhere.

The music swirled around her, a reflection of the turmoil that was brewing inside her. Ariel's fingers moved across the keys, echoing through the empty room.

The music reached a crescendo, the final notes fading away into silence. Ariel's chest was heaving her heart pounding with determination. 

Ariel wasn't ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead. She felt drawn back to

the beginning anytime she thought she was getting close, she was tired but she had no choice.