MARKED FOR XAVIER

CHAPTER FIVE:FORCED PROXIMITY BEGINS

The house no longer felt like home.

It felt like a waiting room.

A place where time stretched too long, where every second carried the weight of something inevitable.

Ariana stood by the window, her fingers lightly brushing against the curtain as she stared outside without really seeing anything.

Everything had changed.

Not loudly.

Not suddenly.

But in a way that settled deep beneath her skin.

Her mother’s words from the night before echoed endlessly in her mind—

This is bigger than you think.

Bigger than her?

Bigger than her choices… her future… her life?

Her grip tightened slightly on the fabric.

No.

There had to be something she was missing.

Something no one was telling her.

But one thing was clear now—

This wasn’t just an arrangement.

It was a trap.

One she couldn’t escape.

And it was already closing in.

Faster than she expected.

A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.

Before she could respond—

The door opened.

“Ari.”

Her mother stepped in, her expression carefully neutral—but her eyes portrayed something deeper.

Urgency.

“Get dressed,” she said gently. “They’re here.”

Ariana stilled.

Her heart skipped.

“…They?”

But she already knew.

A sinking feeling settled in her chest as realization hit.

The Ravencrests.

They weren’t waiting anymore.

They had come for her.

Her mother quickly rummaged through her wardrobe and brought out a dress.

It was a lovely peach flowery sundress,which also had an adjustable slit by the side and a corset behind.

She had won it only once.

During last year’s Christmas Eve.

She paired it with a black clutch and a low heel black sandal.

It was simple,but breathtaking.

Minutes later, Ariana descended the stairs slowly, each step heavier than the last.

And then—

She saw him.

Xavier Ravencrest.

Standing in the living room like he belonged there.

Like he had always belonged there.

Dressed in dark, effortless elegance, his presence alone shifted the atmosphere of the entire room.

His gaze lifted the moment she appeared.

And just like that—

Everything else faded.

The room.

The air.

The distance.

It was just him.

Watching her.

Composed.

Precise.

Definite.

“You’re coming with us,” he said.

Not a question.

Not even a request.

A statement.

Ariana let out a soft, disbelieving laugh.

“With you?” she echoed. “And where exactly do you think I’m going?”

His expression didn’t change.

“Home.”

The word hit differently.

Cold.

Final.

Her brows furrowed. “This is my home.”

A brief pause.

Then—

“Not anymore.”

Silence crashed into the room.

Ariana turned sharply to her mother.

“You’re just going to stand there and let him say that?”

Her voice cracked—not from weakness, but from the pressure building inside her.

Her mother hesitated.

And that hesitation.

Told her all she needed to know.

“You’ll be staying at the Ravencrest estate from now on,” her mother said quietly.

Ariana stepped back slightly, shaking her head.

“No… no, you can’t just decide that. You can’t just send me away like I’m—”

“Like you’re already part of us?” Xavier finished smoothly.

Her breath caught.

He took a step closer.

Not fast.

Not aggressive.

But deliberate.

Every movement ,controlled.

Measured.

Dangerous.

“This isn’t optional, Ariana,” he said quietly.

Her name rolled off his tongue with a unfamiliarity that unsettled her.

“You said I didn’t have a choice,” she snapped, her voice shaking now. “But this? This is too far.”

A flicker of something passed through his eyes.

Gone almost instantly.

“You crossed ‘too far’ the moment you were born into this,” he replied.

That hit harder than anything else.

Because it didn’t sound like a threat.

It sounded like truth.

The drive to the Ravencrest estate was silent.

Oppressively silent.

Ariana sat stiffly in the passenger seat, her gaze fixed ahead, refusing to look at him.

But she could feel him.

His presence.

Heavy. Unavoidable.

Like the air itself had changed.

“You can ask,” his voice came suddenly.

She frowned slightly but didn’t turn.

“Ask what?”

“The questions you’ve been holding back.”

Ariana let out a quiet scoff.

“And you’ll answer?”

A pause.

Then—

“No.”

Her head snapped toward him.

“What kind of—”

“But I’ll tell you what you need to know.”

Control.

That was what this was.

Not just over her actions—

But over information.

Over truth.

Over her.

The car came to a slow stop.

Ariana looked up.

And her breath caught.

The Ravencrest estate stood before her—massive, imposing, almost intimidating in its quiet grandeur.

It didn’t look like a home.

It looked like a place where secrets lived.

As she stepped out of the car, a strange chill ran down her spine.

Something about this place felt… wrong.

Not dangerous.

Not yet.

But watching.

Waiting.

“You’ll get used to it,” Xavier said from behind her.

Ariana turned slightly, her eyes narrowing.

“I don’t plan to stay long enough to.”

For the first time—

A faint smile touched his lips.

Not warm.

Not kind.

Something else.

Something darker.

“You already have,” he said.

She frowned. “What does that mean?”

He stepped closer.

Leaning just enough for his voice to drop—

Low.

Private.

Unsettling.

“There’s no leaving this place, Ariana.”

A pause.

Then—

“Not after tonight.”