The Devil's Mansion
590 Words
Chapter 4
The mansion felt different after Damien left.
It was quieter.
Too quiet.
Amara stood by the large window in the living room, watching Damien's convoy disappear through the iron gates. She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling strangely alone.
Mrs. Evelyn approached with a warm smile.
"Would you like me to show you around the house, Mrs. Black?"
Amara sighed.
"You can call me Amara."
Mrs. Evelyn smiled. "Very well... Amara."
The tour began.
The mansion seemed endless.
There was a private cinema with rows of soft leather seats, an indoor swimming pool that sparkled beneath glass ceilings, a gym, a library filled with hundreds of books, and even a music room with a grand piano.
"You could get lost in here," Amara muttered.
Mrs. Evelyn chuckled. "That has happened before."
As they walked upstairs, Amara noticed a long hallway.
At the very end stood a large black door.
Unlike the others, this one had a silver lock and a keypad.
Two security guards stood outside it.
She slowed her steps.
"What's in there?"
Mrs. Evelyn's smile disappeared.
"The west wing."
"The one Damien warned me about?"
Mrs. Evelyn nodded.
"Why is it forbidden?"
"I'm sorry, Amara."
"You don't know?"
"I do."
"Then tell me."
Mrs. Evelyn lowered her voice.
"Some secrets are not mine to share."
Before Amara could ask another question, one of the guards looked in their direction.
Mrs. Evelyn quickly led her away.
---
That afternoon, Amara wandered into the library.
The shelves stretched from floor to ceiling.
She ran her fingers across the books until one title caught her attention.
The Black Family Legacy.
Curious, she pulled it from the shelf.
The book was old and covered in dust.
She opened the first page.
Inside was a family photograph.
A younger Damien stood beside an elegant couple.
Between them was a smiling little girl.
She couldn't have been older than eight.
"Who is she?"
Amara whispered.
The page behind the photograph had been ripped out.
Someone had removed it on purpose.
The next pages spoke about the Black family's business empire but made no mention of the little girl.
Suddenly...
A loud crash echoed from upstairs.
Amara jumped.
The library fell silent.
Another crash.
It sounded like glass breaking.
She looked toward the ceiling.
"Mrs. Evelyn?"
No answer.
The servants were nowhere to be seen.
Her curiosity won.
She slowly climbed the stairs.
The noise had come from the west wing.
The guards who had been standing outside earlier were gone.
The black door...
Was slightly open.
Amara's heart raced.
"I'll just take one look."
She gently pushed the door.
It creaked open.
The hallway beyond was darker than the rest of the mansion.
Dust floated through the air.
At the end of the corridor stood a single white door.
It was half open.
A faint melody drifted through the silence.
Someone...
Was playing a piano.
Amara's breathing quickened.
Damien had said no one should enter.
Yet someone was clearly inside.
She took one careful step forward.
Then another.
The music stopped.
Silence.
Before she could turn around, a soft voice echoed from the room.
"I've been waiting for you."
Amara froze.
The voice belonged to a young woman.
Slowly, the white door opened wider.
A pale hand appeared around the edge of the door.
Then a face.
A beautiful woman with long dark hair smiled at Amara.
But there was something unsettling about her smile.
"You must be Damien's new wife."
She tilted her head.
"I wonder..."
"Does he know you're here?"
- Writer
