DANCE WITH GHOSTS
618 Words
~Leanah~
For the first time since I arrived, I was afraid of the silence.
It used to comfort me — the quiet hallways, the stillness of this penthouse. But after that rooftop conversation, the silence felt like it was hiding something. Something big. Something that didn’t want to be heard.
I couldn’t sleep. Again.
I wandered the corridors in my robe, feeling like a ghost in someone else’s house. When I passed the mirror in the hallway, I paused.
Was that me?
The reflection showed a woman wearing an expensive robe, with messy hair, tired eyes, and a diamond ring she never asked for. She looked like she belonged here.
But I didn’t feel like I did.
I stood there staring at myself, until a soft voice interrupted.
"You look like her… when she used to walk these halls at night."
I turned. It was Elisa, the housekeeper. She rarely spoke to me unless necessary.
“You knew Amira well?” I asked cautiously.
She nodded, her face unreadable. “Well enough to know she didn’t die by accident.”
My stomach turned.
“She knew things she shouldn’t have. And some people… don’t forgive curiosity.”
“What did she find out?” I whispered.
Elisa hesitated, then shook her head. “I’ve already said too much.”
And just like that, she walked away, her steps echoing behind me.
---
~Aiden~
I saw her talking to Elisa.
That woman never knew when to keep her mouth shut.
But Leanah was already asking the same questions Amira did. Already walking the same dangerous path.
I thought choosing someone from a quiet, simple life would shield her from this world. But maybe I was wrong. Maybe the fire inside her was stronger than her innocence.
And that scared me.
Because I didn’t know if I could protect her…
Or if I would be the one to break her.
---
The Next Day – Business Function
Another event. Another mask to wear.
I wore the blue gown Aiden sent me. It fit perfectly — like everything in his world. Flawless on the outside. Cracking underneath.
This time, the venue was a luxurious hotel ballroom. Hundreds of people, flashing lights, clinking glasses.
I stayed close to Aiden, my hand on his arm, smiling when he smiled. Nodding when he nodded.
It was a performance.
But lately, I wasn’t sure if I was pretending anymore.
He looked down at me during one of the speeches, leaned in, and whispered:
"You don’t have to stay long."
“Do I look tired?” I whispered back.
“You look… like you’re trying not to fall apart.”
I froze. Then smiled.
"Then I'm doing it right."
---
Later, I escaped to the empty terrace. Cool air. No eyes. No lies.
Until Celine showed up again.
“You really think you’re different?” she said, lighting a cigarette with elegance I envied.
“I'm not trying to be anyone,” I replied calmly.
“Exactly. That’s why you’re dangerous,” she said, blowing smoke into the night. “You don’t realize what kind of man Aiden is. What kind of blood his family carries.”
“You think I don’t see it?” I replied. “I see it every day. But I’m still here.”
She smiled darkly. “Then I’ll pray for you.”
---
I watched them from inside. Celine and Leanah. Fire and glass.
I thought bringing Leanah into my world would bury the past.
But now the past was circling back — in whispers, in shadows, in her.
She wasn’t Amira.
But for the first time, I was terrified...
that she would end up just like her.
---
- Writer
