Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Alone Again7

Rayna had never felt so alone in her life.

The wedding had ended hours ago. The guests were gone. Even her parents had said their awkward goodbyes and disappeared into their chauffeur-driven car like the weight of her new reality didn’t sit heavy in their chest. They really don't care.

Denzel hadn’t returned since he left after the picture taking.

Now, in a big and beautiful mansion too quiet to be a home, Melinda stood in the gracious living room, her fingers brushing the expensive velvet of the furniture. Every surface shone, evidence of good polishing. The space felt more like a museum than a home. She didn’t belong here.

A soft sound startled her.

She turned quickly, she saw a woman with warm eyes. She was in her late fifties, with sharp eyes, warm brown skin, and a tired grace that spoke of long years in this house.

“You are Rayna right?” The woman smiled softly. “I’m Bee. Everyone calls me that, though it’s not my real name. I’ve been with Connor; Denzel as you may know him by that name,I’ve been with him since he was a Teenager.”

Rayna tried to smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Bee.”

Bee studying her said. “I helped raise Naomi, his sister, who was very stubborn and rebellious. This house… it has its own rules. You’ll learn them with time. Connor, eerm Denzel is a bit difficult to understand. But he’s not as cruel as you think he is, even if he seems that way. Just follow his rules and play along. You would be fine.”

Rayna nodded, unsure what to say at the moment. Bee seemed to sense her discomfort.

“Let me lead you to your room.”

The room was beautiful but cold. A perfect definition of Beautiful Nonsense. Everything in the room screamed of luxury, not a thing out of place. Rayna sat on the edge of the bed and listened to the silence stretch.

When Bee left, Rayna wandered.

Curiosity kills a cat, curiosity pulls her down through the hallways, past elegant doors and crystal chandeliers.

Rayna’s bare feet made no sound as she walked along the polished marble corridor. The mansion was grand , void of emotion, just like its owner, but very quiet that you could hear the drop of a hair pin. She passed the sitting room, the dining area, and climbed the stairs, letting her inquisitive mind guide her.

Most of the rooms were either locked or left open with unused wealth. But just one door, black, tall, and slightly ajar, caught her attention.

Bee had warned her gently during Dinner : “Never go near the art gallery, dear. That room means so much to him.”

But Rayna's fingers twitched with temptation. Something about the forbidden room drew her in. Maybe it was the quiet scream in her heart for some kind of control.

She touched the knob. It turned.

Oh it wasn't even locked, so she thought.

Soft light spilled through the opening. The room was filled with massive canvases.

Unfinished painting that spoke of something yet incomprensible

Sculptures, covered in white cloth, stood like ghosts frozen in time. Rayna pushed the door open a little wider, her breath caught in her throat.

But she remembers Bee’s words: There are rules, and you will have to learn to live by the rules.

But these rules had stolen her freedom. Maybe this time, she wanted to disobey, a little.

As she took a step inside.

Behind her, the sound of a key twisting in the front lock downstairs, made her freeze for a second.

The door opened downstairs.

Footsteps.

Heavy. Familiar. Known.

Denzel was back.

And she was in the one place she was forbidden to ever enter.

And it was just her first night here, and she has broken a rule.

His voice came before he even saw her. Cold, low and far more dangerous than she imagined.

"Amelia!! What do you think you are doing?”

She spun, heart hammering. His tall frame emerged at the foot of the stairs. He looked up and stopped dead in his track

His eyes found hers, then drifted to the open Art gallery door behind her. The silence between them stretched like wire about to snap.

"You went into my gallery? How dare you?"

She couldn’t speak.

Denzel's jaw clenched. “That room was not part of the house rules I gave you. That room was off-limits, and you knew that.”

His tone could shatter a glass into pieces. But it wasn’t the loudness of his voice that scared her, it was the pure rage in his eyes

Rayna took a step back, her lips slightly raised. She stutters, “I didn’t mean to—”

“Don’t lie,” he cut in.

“Don't lie to me Amelia”, he roared.

The air grew hot. Her throat tightened. In that moment, she realized that there was something deeper than she'd ever suspected—Denzel wasn’t just ruthless. He was traumatized. And she had just opened a door that wasn't meant to be touched… not just physically, but emotionally too.

“You couldn't even stay up a day without breaking a rule.” he said, his eye has returned to its normal state,hazel green eyes.

Cold, void of any emotion.

Denzel spoke coldly.” Now that you have broken the rule, you might as well be ready to pay for your costly mistake.”