7

CHAPTER 7

Ariel's POV

I stood frozen, my heart racing as the sound of footsteps approached.

I quickly scanned the room, my eyes landing on the curtain beside me. I darted behind it, holding my breath as the person walked in.

The room was dimly lit, but I could see a little light coming from the hallway. I peeked through the gap between the curtain and the wall, my eyes adjusting to the darkness.

A figure stood in the center of the room, their back to me. It was a woman, and she was speaking in a low tone.

“You're talking too much, Isabella.” She said.

Who in the world was that?

There was a pause, and then the sound of a slap resounded through the room. I gasped, my hand flying to my mouth.

“Don't. Ever. Speak. Again.” The woman added.

I waited a few moments before I slowly emerged from behind the curtain.

Isabella stood in the center of the room, her face pale and her eyes wide with fear. She looked at me, and I could tell she was trying to compose herself.

“Isabella, what's going on?” I asked, my tone was firm.

But she just shook her head, her eyes pleading with me. “Don't ask, ma'm. Please. You'll only make things worse.”

I frowned. “I can handle it. Tell me.”

Isabella's expression hardened, and she looked away. “Ma'm, there's no need to worry yourself, please just drop it.”

I sighed before placing my hands on my hips. Something was very wrong here, and I was starting to realize that I was in over my head.

“Fine,” I said. “But you're going to be my personal maid from now on. I'll make sure you're taken care of. Is that clear?”

Isabella's eyes instantly widened, and for a moment, her face brightened as if this were the best news there could be, but then her expression closed off, and she nodded curtly. “Yes, ma'am.”

That night, I was thankful that Dermos was nowhere to be found.

He was making my thoughts cross the line, especially since he's meant to be my sister's husband and my brother-in-law, even.

My thoughts were interrupted by a faint rustling sound. I turned my head, my ears perked up. What was that? It sounded like someone was sliding something under the door.

A piece of paper appeared under the door, stopping at the edge of the bed. I frowned.

Another one?

Was this some sort of prank?

Who in the world keeps on doing this?

I got out of bed and picked up the paper that was slid. The message was written in red ink.

[Stay quiet, fake wife]

My eyes narrowed as I read the words. But I wasn't scared, more like annoyed.

I walked to the door, paper in hand, and opened it, but the corridor was empty. I looked left and right, but there was no one.

“Hello?”

There was no response.

I stood there for a moment, hoping to catch a glimpse of someone, but there was no one. Whoever it was had vanished.

I went back in, closing the door behind me, and leaned against it. This was getting weird. Who was sending these messages? And how did they know about... whatever it was they knew?

I looked at the paper again. I needed to figure this out and fast.

~

I stood at the back of the corridor, my eyes fixed on Dermos as he addressed his men.

My eyes trailed him. He was in an all-black, long black coat and a three-piece suit, with his hair slicked back.

Damn, he was hot.

But his voice broke my thoughts.

“So, Victor, you've been playing both sides, huh?” Dermos said, his voice devoid of emotion. “You've been feeding information to our enemies, trying to undermine our operations.”

Victor, the man, was on both of his knees, covered in blood. “D-Dermos, I can explain-”

What was going on?

Dermos cut him off with a raised hand. “Save it. I've heard enough. “You're a traitor, Victor,” Dermos said, his voice filled with disdain. “You know the penalty for treason.”

Victor's eyes went wide, and he started begging, “Please, Dermos, have mercy! I'll do anything!”

I raised an eyebrow. Oh, I'd completely forgotten that Dermos was a don.

A wicked one.

Dermos's expression didn't change, but his eyes seemed to grow colder. “Anything? Too late for that.”

He nodded to his men, and they dragged Victor away. I watched as they took him to the center of the room.

I wasn't scared at this point, more curious.

Dermos wouldn't do anything too bad, right? Probably just kick him or something.

But I was completely wrong.

Dermos pulled out a gun and pressed it to Victor's forehead, adjusting the trigger. “You should have thought about the consequences before you betrayed me.”

The sound of the shot still echoed in my mind as Victor slumped to the ground, blood pooling around his body.

I felt like I'd been punched in the gut.

I staggered back a bit.

Dermos's men moved swiftly, dragging Victor's body away as if he were nothing more than a piece of trash.

Dermos turned back to his men, his eyes scanning the room. “This is a reminder of what happens to traitors. You all know what loyalty means to me. Don't forget it.”

The room nodded in unison, their faces pale and sweaty. I just stood there, my eyes fixed on Dermos.

What the actual fuck?

This was the man Ariella was married to?

||

Later that night, I couldn't sleep, and so even though I was told I was meant to stay in my room, I wandered down to the music room anyway. Mostly because I was hearing a sound coming from there.

The door was ajar, and I pushed it open, my eyes adjusting to the dim light.

I raised a brow immediately I saw Dermos sitting at the piano, his fingers moving deftly over the keys.

I stood there, shocked that such a man could even like the idea of a piano.

My mind shifted back to what had happened earlier today, and I tried to walk back out, but his voice stopped me.

“Ariella.”

I paused, then slowly faced him. “Yeah?”

He paused, his fingers hovering over the keys. “What are you doing down at this time?”

I stood by the wall, keeping my distance. “The music’s disturbing my sleep.”

It was a lie. The melody was beautiful, but I wasn't going to tell him that.

He looked at me, really looked at me, and it made me uncomfortable a bit. One reason was that the dim moonlight from outside made his chiselled features show even more.

“You're not like I expected, Ariella.”

My heart jumped in fear. Does he–

I raised an eyebrow, trying to compose myself. “What... what did you expect?”

“You’ve changed.”

I felt a shiver run down my spine.