Four

<ARIANA>

Sunlight spilled across my skin through the window.

I barely realized morning had arrived. The room looked different in the daylight — softer, less like a trap. For a second I forgot where I was.

Then I sat up, clutching my robe around me, and looked at the other side of the bed.

Empty.

Good.

I stood and grabbed my purse. The man had done nothing but waste my time. Rude. Arrogant. Unbearable. I wondered what Skylark saw in him — and then I wondered what it said about her that she wanted a fiancé who so clearly didn't want her back.

My eyes landed on the diamond watch resting on the table.

It sparkled under the morning light. Just sitting there. Like it belonged to no one.

I glanced around. The room was still. Quiet. No footsteps in the hall.

I reached for it. My fingers were almost around the strap when I hesitated.

What if he finds out?

Then I scoffed.

Who cares? He deserves it after wasting my time.

The watch slid into my purse easier than it should have. I hurried out of the room.

Down the stairs. Past the staff who didn't look at me. Through the front door. The morning air hit my face, and for a second I felt like I might actually make it out of this place.

Then I reached the gate.

The lock wouldn't budge.

I looked toward the gatekeeper. He sat inside his booth, watching me through the glass like I was a television he'd already gotten bored of.

I rolled my eyes and walked over.

"Open the gate. I need to leave."

He glanced at me. Then went back to his phone.

"Didn't you hear me?" My voice rose. "Open the bloody gate. I need to get the hell out of here."

He switched off the phone and looked up, unhurried.

"Look, miss. The boss isn't back yet. I don't have permission to open the gate without his say-so."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I snapped. "I don't care what the two of you do. Open the gate for me."

He turned his phone back on.

"Are you deaf?" I shouted.

He didn't answer. Before I could say anything else, a black sedan honked outside the gate.

The gatekeeper stood immediately and headed toward it. I followed — fast, before the thing could close behind whoever was coming through.

A tall man stepped out of the sedan.

Fifties, maybe sixties. Older than Jack. Rougher. He had the kind of face that had survived more than a few wars, and the walking stick in his hand didn't look decorative. His clothes were expensive, but his expression was hard.

He stopped when he saw me.

His eyes narrowed. He looked at my robe, then at my face, like he was trying to place me.

Then he lifted the walking stick and pointed it at me.

"Who are you?"

I glanced around, half-convinced he was talking to someone behind me. The gatekeeper was already bowing.

I looked back at the old man.

"My name is Ariana."

I forced a small laugh. It came out wrong.

"Ariana what?"

I cleared my throat.

"Ariana Joseph."

His eyes narrowed further. Something moved behind them — recognition, or suspicion, or both.

"What is your relationship with this family?"

Before I could answer, a familiar voice came from behind me.

"She's my employee."

I turned.

Jack stood near the sedan. His expression was as cold and unreadable as it had been last night. Not a flicker. Not a tell.

Employee?

I looked at the gatekeeper. Shock flashed across his face before he smoothed it away.

The old man turned toward Jack and tapped his walking stick lightly against the ground.

"Son," he said, his voice low.

"I heard about your mother."

Jack's expression shifted. Just slightly. Just enough that I noticed.

"We're still searching," he said. "She can't be far."

---

JACK 

A blue sedan stopped behind the gate.

I knew that car.

Let me guess. Skylark.

I adjusted my tie and narrowed my eyes. The door opened, and she stepped out wearing red. Of course she did. Red was her color. It said everything about her — bold, ambitious, impossible to ignore.

She walked toward us like the world belonged to her and always had.

"Father-in-law," she called, her voice cutting through the morning air. "You're here? I didn't know you would be."

Of course you didn't. Why would you come this early?

My father looked at her and cracked a faint smile — the kind he reserves for people he's still deciding whether to use.

"Oh, the lady of the house is here. What brings you this morning?"

She smiled like a fox.

"I only came to check on my dearest."

I swallowed the curse rising in my throat. Her dearest. The words twisted something in my stomach.

Her eyes shifted to Ariana. Just a flick. Just long enough for me to catch it.

"Why don't we go inside, Papa?" Skylark said, her voice smooth.

My father nodded.

"Of course. Perhaps we can have breakfast together."

They chuckled. They actually chuckled. Like this was a normal morning in a normal family. Skylark turned toward the mansion, and before she followed my father inside, she glanced at Ariana one last time.

The moment she turned away, Ariana tried to slip past me.

I caught her by the arm.

"And where the hell do you think you're going?"

She turned to face me. Irritation flashed across her features — quick, sharp, and barely contained.

"We're not done here, are we?" I asked.

Ariana frowned. "I have nothing left to say to you."

She tried to pull her arm free. I tightened my grip.

"You came into my house last night, and now you're trying to walk out without a word?"

"The business is over," she said. She clutched her purse against her chest.

My eyes dropped to her hands.

She was holding it too tightly. Both hands. Like it might run.

I looked back at her face.

"I see. Since you're so sure of yourself — give me the purse."

Her expression changed. Not fear. Not quite. Something closer to a door slamming shut behind her eyes.

"Why?"

"Give it to me."

"I don't have anything that belongs to you."

"Then you shouldn't have a problem handing it over."

She took a step back. I held her in place.

My eyes narrowed.

"Empty your purse.”