Secrets In The Dark
1981 Words
The guest room was beautiful.
Too beautiful.
The bed alone looked large enough to fit three people comfortably, and the soft lighting from the crystal lamps made the room feel warm and expensive at the same time.
But despite the comfort surrounding me…
I couldn’t sleep.
The night felt strange.
Heavy.
Maybe it was because I was in a house that looked like a palace.
Maybe it was because of the argument I had witnessed between Victoria and Adrian earlier.
Or maybe…
It was the way Daniel had spoken on the phone.
The memory replayed in my mind.
“I told you not to contact me tonight.”
I turned onto my side and sighed.
No matter how I tried to ignore it, something about that conversation felt wrong.
Daniel had looked nervous.
Not annoyed.
Not irritated.
Nervous.
And that didn’t match the calm, charming man everyone seemed to adore.
I stared at the ceiling for another minute before giving up.
Sleep clearly wasn’t coming anytime soon.
So I slipped out of bed.
The marble floor felt cool under my bare feet as I quietly opened the door and stepped into the hallway.
The house was silent.
Most of the lights had been dimmed, leaving only soft golden wall lamps illuminating the long corridor.
Paintings lined the walls—portraits of serious looking men and elegant women who were probably past members of the Cole family.
I walked slowly down the hallway, curious.
The mansion felt large, like a museum after closing hours.
I passed a massive staircase and paused, staring down at the grand foyer below.
Everything was quiet.
Except—
Voices.
I frowned slightly.
The sound came from a room down the hallway to my right.
The door was partially open.
And the voices inside sounded tense.
I stepped closer without thinking.
“I told you to stay out of it.”
That voice was Adrian.
Sharp.
Controlled.
Daniel answered immediately.
“You’re overreacting.”
“I don’t overreact.”
“You always overreact when it comes to control.”
There was a pause.
Then Adrian spoke again, his tone colder.
“This isn’t about control.”
“Then what is it about?”
Another pause.
Adrian spoke again, his voice was lower.
“Be careful.”
Daniel laughed softly.
“That sounds like a threat.”
“It’s advice.”
Something about the tension between them made my chest tighten.
I leaned slightly closer to the door.
“You don’t trust me,” Daniel said.
“Should I?”
“You’re my brother.”
“That doesn’t answer the question.”
Then Daniel sighed.
“You’re imagining things.”
“I hope so.”
“Just stay out of my business,” Daniel added.
Adrian’s reply came instantly.
“Then stop giving me reasons to question it.”
My heart was beating faster now.
Something about this conversation felt wrong.
Before I could hear more—
“Eavesdropping is considered rude, you know.”
I jumped.
Spinning around.
Victoria stood a few feet behind me.
Her arms were crossed, and the expression on her face was pure amusement.
My cheeks burned instantly.
“I wasn’t—”
“You were standing outside a closed door listening to a private conversation,” she said smoothly.
“That’s the definition of eavesdropping.”
“I was just walking past.”
“Of course you were.”
Her tone made it clear she didn’t believe me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
Victoria raised an eyebrow.
“I could ask you the same question.”
Her gaze swept over me again.
Still judgmental.
Still cold.
“Knowing the fact that I’m practically family here.” She continued.
Victoria’s lips curved slightly before adding,
“And Adrian insisted I came home with him.”
My stomach tightened.
“He did?”
“Yes.”
She shrugged casually.
“It was late. He gets worried, you know.”
The thought of Adrian caring so much for Victoria suddenly bothered me more than it should have.
Victoria noticed.
Her smile widened slightly.
“Why do you look surprised?”
“I’m not.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
She studied my face carefully.
Then she laughed softly.
“That almost sounded convincing.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Good night, Victoria.”
I turned before she could say anything else and walked down the hallway toward the back of the house.
I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of continuing the conversation.
A few minutes later, I found a glass door leading outside.
I stepped onto the patio.
Cool night air wrapped around me instantly.
The gardens behind the mansion were even more beautiful than I had noticed earlier.
Stone pathways curved through rows of roses and tall hedges.
Soft lights illuminated a fountain in the distance.
It was peaceful.
Quiet.
Exactly what I needed.
I walked slowly down the path, letting the silence calm my thoughts.
But my mind kept drifting back to the argument I had overheard and what Victoria had said earlier.
“You really should sleep.”
The voice behind me made me turn again.
Adrian stood near the patio doors.
His hands were in his pockets, and the soft garden lights cast faint shadows across his face.
“I could say the same thing to you,” I replied.
“I sleep less than most people.”
“That doesn’t sound healthy.”
“It works for me.”
He walked closer, stopping a few feet away.
“Victoria found you in the hallway.”
I sighed.
“She wasted no time telling you.”
“She didn’t have to.”
“You saw us?”
“I heard her.”
I hesitated before speaking again.
“She said you gave her a ride.”
Adrian nodded.
“My mother insisted. She’s been a friend of the family for a long time. Her parents were a close business partner and friends of mine before they died in a plane crash.”
“I didn’t know that. Losing one’s parents is hard. I know how it feels.” I said, with a feeling of concern for Victoria.
“I’m sorry about your parents. Sophia told us about it.”
I looked away briefly.
“Yeah, thanks. And it’s nice that Victoria has you.” I responded, not wanting to talk about my dead parents.
Adrian studied me carefully.
Like he understood my reluctance to talk about them.
Then a faint smile appeared on his lips.
“Are you jealous?”
My eyes widened at his question.
“No.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Because it sounded a little like jealousy.”
“It wasn’t.”
“Good.”
He stepped closer.
“So you wouldn’t mind if she stayed here tonight.”
“I already said it’s none of my business.”
Adrian chuckled quietly.
“That didn’t answer the question.”
I folded my arms.
“You’re very annoying.”
“I’ve been told that before.”
For a moment neither of us spoke.
The garden was quiet except for the soft sound of water from the fountain nearby.
“Sophia said something about you earlier.” I blurted out before I could stop myself.
“What exactly did she say?” He asked, as he rested his hands on the stone railing beside the path.
“That people are afraid of you.”
His eyebrow lifted slightly.
“And you?”
“Should I be?”
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“On whether you plan to cross me.”
I laughed.
“I don’t think our lives overlap enough for that to happen.”
“You’d be surprised.”
The way he said it made my stomach flutter slightly.
I changed the subject quickly.
“So what do you do when you’re not terrifying business executives?”
“Work.”
“That sounds exciting.” I said, sarcastically.
“I run companies.”
“Yes, I heard.”
“And when I’m not doing that…”
He paused.
“I read.”
I blinked.
“You read?”
“You sound surprised.”
“I just didn’t picture you sitting quietly with a book.”
“What did you picture?”
“Something more dramatic.”
“Like what?”
“Buying another company.”
“That’s work.”
“Then maybe threatening someone in a meeting.”
“That also counts as work.”
I laughed softly.
“Fine. What do you read?”
“History. Economics. Sometimes fiction.”
“What kind of fiction?”
“Whatever keeps my attention.”
“That’s vague.”
“What do you read?”
“Mostly novels.”
He studied my face again.
“Romance?”
I smiled.
“Sometimes.”
“Let me guess.”
“What?”
“You believe in happy endings.”
“Don’t you?”
“No.”
The answer came too quickly.
Too firmly.
The tension between us felt strangely comfortable.
Like we were both slowly peeling back small layers of each other.
“What about you?” he asked.
“What about me?”
“What do you do when you’re not reading a book on a quiet morning with a cup of coffee?” He asked, making me laugh a little.
“Well, to answer your question… I ’m… figuring things out.”
“That’s vague.” He said, repeating my words back at me.
“I know.”
“What did you study?”
“Business administration.”
“Interesting.”
“But I haven’t found the right opportunity yet.”
“How long have you been looking?” He asked, like he was really concerned about my life crisis.
“A few months.”
“And nothing?”
“Nothing that feels right. Sophia doesn’t know about this, and I’ll appreciate if it stays that way.”
Adrian seemed thoughtful.
Then he said something unexpected.
“I might have an opportunity.”
My eyes widened slightly.
“You do?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of opportunity?”
“A job.”
I blinked.
“You’re serious?”
“Very.”
“And what would I be doing?”
“I’ll explain later. If you won’t mind my offer to help.”
“That’s mysterious.”
“Think of it as motivation.”
I laughed softly.
“You’re very strange.”
“Probably.”
A breeze moved through the garden.
At that moment the wind lifted a few strands of my hair across my face.
He stepped even closer now.
Close enough that I could see the faint gray in his eyes clearly.
Adrian reached out instinctively.
His fingers brushed gently against my temple as he tucked the loose hair behind my ear.
The touch was light.
But the effect was anything but.
My breath caught slightly.
His hand lingered for a moment.
Our eyes locked.
His gaze slowly moved downward.
To my lips.
The air between us felt suddenly warmer.
He leaned slightly closer.
Not enough to touch.
But enough that my heart began racing.
The moment stretched between us again.
I stepped back slightly.
The sudden distance felt necessary.
My voice came out softer than I expected.
“I should go to bed.”
“Probably.”
I turned toward the house and walked back inside.
My heart was still beating faster than normal.
What had almost happened out there?
And why did it feel so dangerous?
I quietly climbed the stairs toward the guest rooms.
But as I passed the hallway again…
Something caught my attention.
The door to Daniel’s study was slightly open.
A soft light glowed inside.
I frowned slightly.
No one seemed to be inside.
Curiosity got the better of me again.
I stepped closer.
And then I saw it.
- Writer
