MARKED FOR XAVIER

CHAPTER SEVEN:A HOUSE FULL OF SECRETS

We’ll have to teach you.

The words lingered long after he left.

They didn’t feel like a threat.

They felt worse.

Like a promise.

Ariana remained where she stood, her fingers still resting against the edge of the dining table, her pulse unsteady, her thoughts louder than they had any right to be.

Something about the way Xavier had looked at her—

Not angry.

Not even impatient.

But certain.

—

It unsettled her more than anything else.

She inhaled and exhaled slowly, steadying herself.

No.

She wasn’t going to let him get into her head.

Not like that.

Not this quickly.

If this house had rules…

Then it also had secrets.

And secrets—

Could be found.

The estate was even more imposing in daylight.

What had seemed merely controlled at night now revealed itself as something far more deliberate.

Every corridor stretched too long.

Every door was perfectly aligned.

Every space ,too quiet.

It didn’t feel lived in.

It felt… managed.

Ariana moved slowly through the halls, her fingers brushing lightly against the walls as she walked, as though grounding herself in something real.

But even that felt strange.

Cold.

Smooth.

Untouched.

No laughter.

No voices.

No life.

Not even an echo.

Just total silence.

Her steps slowed as she turned into another corridor—one she hadn’t seen before.

This one was different.

Less polished.

Less… open.

Her gaze fell on a door at the far end.

Dark wood.

Slightly worn.

Unlike the others.

And somehow—

That made it stand out more.

Ariana hesitated.

Then she took a step forward.

Then another.

Her heart began to beat faster.

Not from fear.

But from instinct.

This matters.

She felt like it called to her.

She reached the door.

Her fingers hovered over the handle.

For a moment—

She considered walking away.

Then she turned it.

Locked.

Of course.

A small, frustrated breath left her.

But something about it…

Made her more curious.

Just when she was about to try the knob again…..

“What are you looking for?”

The voice came from behind her.

Low.

Close.

—

Too close.

Ariana froze.

Her breath caught as she turned—

And found him standing just behind her.

Xavier.

She hadn’t heard him approach.

Not a single step.

Not a shift in the air.

Nothing.

“How long have you been standing there?” she asked, her voice quieter than she intended.

“Long enough.”

Her heart skipped.

His gaze dropped briefly to her hand, still resting on the door handle.

Then back to her face.

“You have a habit of going where you shouldn’t,” he said.

Ariana lifted her chin slightly.

“And you have a habit of hiding things.”

A pause.

Something shifted in his expression.

Subtle.

But there.

“Not everything is meant to be found,” he replied.

“And not everything should be hidden,” she countered.

Silence stretched between them.

Heavy.

Charged.

And then—

He stepped closer.

Too close.

Ariana felt it immediately.

The shift in the air.

The sudden awareness of space—

Or lack of it.

Her back was now inches from the door.

And he was right there.

Not touching.

But close enough for her to feel the warmth of him.

The quiet steadiness of his breathing.

“You’re curious,” he said softly.

Her pulse quickened.

“I want answers.”

His gaze held hers.

Unmoving.

Unreadable.

“And you think you’ll find them by opening doors that don’t belong to you?”

Ariana swallowed, but didn’t look away.

“Maybe I will.”

Something flickered in his eyes.

Not anger.

Not approval.

Something more dangerous.

For a moment—

Neither of them moved.

The silence between them shifted.

Not empty.

Not tense in the same way as before.

Something else.

Something warmer.

Heavier.

Unspoken.

Xavier’s gaze dropped—just briefly—to her lips.

Then back to her eyes.

The movement was small.

Almost unnoticeable.

But Ariana felt it.

Felt the way her breath caught.

Felt the sudden awareness of how close he was.

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

Her voice came softer now.

“But you’re treating it like one.”

Another pause.

“And you’re still underestimating it.”

Her brows drew together slightly.

“What does that even mean?”

His hand lifted—

Slowly.

Ariana’s breath hitched.

But he didn’t touch her.

Instead, his fingers brushed past her—

Resting lightly against the door behind her.

Trapping her there.

Not forcefully.

But intentionally.

“You’re asking the wrong questions,” he murmured.

Her heartbeat echoed in her ears.

“Then tell me the right ones.”

For a moment—

It looked like he might.

Like he was about to say something real.

Something that mattered.

But then—

He pulled back.

Just enough.

And the moment broke.

“You’re not ready for those answers,” he said.

Ariana’s chest tightened.

“And you get to decide that?”

“Yes.”

No hesitation.

No doubt.

Her jaw tightened slightly.

“Then maybe I’ll find out on my own.”

A faint smile touched his lips.

Again—that same dangerous one.

“I expected you would.”

A pause.

Then—

He reached into his pocket.

And pulled something out.

A key.

Ariana’s breath stilled.

He held it up between them.

Letting it catch the light.

Her gaze flickered between the key…

And him.

“What is that?” she asked quietly.

His eyes held hers.

“A mistake,” he said.

And before she could react—

He slipped it back into his pocket.

Turned.

And walked away.

Leaving her there.

With one thought echoing louder than anything else—

“What was he about to unlock?”