Chapter 6 5: A House Of Peaceful Illusions

• I've been at the Locatelli's house for a few days now. I'm still peaceful... for now. I don't see much of Arcel because he's always out, and when he's here, I'm either glued to Taddeo's side or hiding in my room, avoiding him. My room and Taddeo have become my defense against Arcel. Ever since he threatened me, I haven't been comfortable around him. Something pushes me to stay away from him while I still can.
• I caught Taddeo on his way out, so I quickly went downstairs to catch up with him.
• "Taddeo," I called out to him. He looked at me as if he didn't want to, but he didn't have a choice. "Where are you going?"
• "Los Angeles. I have some business to attend to. I'll be back later."
• "Work?"
• Taddeo just nodded at me.
• I frowned. How will I get to know him if he's always leaving? I might finish this charade without really getting to know Taddeo.
• "Uhm... can I come with you?"
• I also thought I didn't want to stay in this house, especially with his younger brother here. This house feels too small for us.
• Taddeo raised an eyebrow. "No."
• I was about to speak to try to persuade him when I felt a presence before he even approached us. My neck hairs stood up even before he got close.
• I'm so aware of his presence now. It's as if my body is warning me that danger is approaching, and I have to go.
• "Are you going to headquarters, Big Bro?" I heard Arcel's playful voice. "I'll just send this then. So I won't have to leave. Gio needs them."
• Taddeo didn't say anything. I just saw him take a folder from his brother. He said goodbye to us and left for good.
• "Take care, Arcel. Also, you're in charge of Alethea for now."
• As Taddeo disappeared from my sight, I stepped away from Arcel and walked quickly. I didn't care if he noticed that I was avoiding him. I really want to make that clear to him.
• But before I could get far from him, a hand grabbed my arm. I felt some kind of electricity from his hand that spread throughout my body.
• I looked at Arcel, and as he always does, he smiled at me.
• I want to scrap that smile; it's giving me the creeps!
• "W-What?" I couldn't stop my voice from trembling because of him.
• "I just want to apologize about the other day. I didn't mean any of that." My shoulders dropped at his words. The tension in my body slowly disappeared. "You're Uncle Saxon’s daughter; I shouldn't have suspected you of anything."
• I felt a slight relief from him. Though, he still scares me. "It's nothing. I'm sorry too if I haven't been very friendly to you. You're scaring me."
• He raised an eyebrow at my remark. "Scaring you? In what way? I meant no harm. You're the first person to tell me that they're scared of me." He chuckled.
• That's because I might be the first person he showed that side to.
• I couldn't tell if he was genuinely pleased or if it was just an act. He became unreadable. In the past few days, he's been so eager to find out my secret, and I know approaching Arcel is dangerous, but now... I couldn't read his expression anymore.
• I shook my head internally. I'm overthinking too much.
• I just smiled at Arcel. He left and went to the second floor of the mansion. I breathed a sigh of relief. I will not let my guard down, especially since he's become unreadable, but at least he's not after my head, I guess.
• Taddeo called in the evening saying he won't be able to come home and might be back tomorrow morning. Not sure if he's really busy or maybe... he just doesn't want to be with me.
• I had dinner alone earlier because Mercy said Arcel was busy in his study room and when he's like that, he shouldn't be disturbed.
• "Mercy, what businesses do Taddeo and Arcel handle?" I know their family has many businesses. There are also many heirs, so I wonder what the siblings handle.
• "Taddeo, I think he handles their chains of restaurants and hotels. He also manages resorts in various places. Basically, he handles the family's business in that line. Arcel, on the other hand, handles their security companies, logistics, and shipping lines." Mercy smiled at me, perhaps happy that I'm taking an interest in this family.
• In the past, I never asked them about the Locatelli family. Maybe my hesitation towards the family disappeared because of Arcel's attempt to reconcile with me earlier.
• "What did the siblings study?" I asked again while eating.
• "Taddeo studied business, and I think he has a doctorate. Alice also studied business before but changed her mind and switched to architecture. Arcel... I forgot the name of his course because it's so long!" Mercy chuckled, so I restrained my smile. "But I know Arcel is a naval architect or an engineer, something like that!" Mercy laughed again, seeming proud of their achievements.
• I forced a smile. It's good for them that they can do what they want. Meanwhile, I have no freedom even in choosing the course I want. I want something related to fashion, but Mama doesn't approve because she thinks I won't go far, especially since our business isn't in that industry. So here I am, unable to endure the course I'm forced to take, stuck in college because I keep dropping out.
• I'm just enduring the course I'm taking now, which is still related to business management. I'm thinking that once I finish this, maybe someday I can pursue what I want and achieve my dreams.
• After eating, I went to my room. I spent some time contemplating before deciding to clean up and change into my pajamas.
• I often struggle to sleep, but maybe my mind is a bit tired today because I fell asleep quickly and regretted letting sleep consume me.
• The environment was dark, it was raining, and the road was slippery. I remembered running away from home because I wasn't bought what I wanted. I want to punish my parents and make them feel guilty for what they did. What Theana wants; Theana gets!
• I probably stayed out for hours and only stopped at a park I always go to when I want to be alone, ignoring if I'm already soaked in the rain.
• "Maybe it's time to go home."
• My parents raised me to get what I want. That's also true for my twin, but she acts more like a good child while I come off as the spoiled brat, even though she's actually worse than me. Nevertheless, Alethea and I are close to each other.
• While walking home, I heard screeching sounds. I looked and widened my eyes as I was blinded by the headlights of a car. I thought I was going to be hit, but when I opened my eyes, I saw a different scenario. Not far away was my father's familiar car. Its front was wrecked from hitting a large tree.
• With a heavy chest, I hurried over there, and what I saw horrified me. My father’s eyes were open but lifeless. Blood covered his face while his head rested on the steering wheel. The lower part of his body was crushed.
• “Pa—”
• Before I could call out to Papa, the surroundings slowly turned red. Blood engulfed everything around me, and the next thing I knew, I was drowning in it.
• I screamed for help, but there was no one. The only thing I could see was the lifeless eyes of my father looking at me—watching me as I drowned in the blood.
• My chest tightened, and I tried to grip onto something, but I was helpless. I fought until my own strength left my body, and I succumbed to the darkness.
• I woke up panting, sweat dripping from my temples. My t-shirt was sticking to my back. I was drenched in sweat. It's that nightmare again. I didn't witness the accident that happened to Papa because I went home upon hearing the news of his death. But I'm repeatedly haunted by that dream, as if I were at the scene of the accident itself.
• For the past few years since Papa passed away, I've avoided closing my eyes because I'm afraid this nightmare will visit me again, and for the first time since stepping into this house, I dreamed it again.
• My hands were trembling, so I clasped them together and shut my eyes. I stood up on wobbly feet and walked out of the room.
• Every step of my feet was weak. I headed straight to the kitchen to get some water and calm myself down. I don't think I can go back to sleep now. When I have this kind of dream, I don't sleep again because I'm afraid the nightmare will continue. So, I choose not to sleep and distract myself with other things.
• While I was in the kitchen, lost in thought in the darkness, I heard noise from the poolside. Curiosity killed the cat. Sometimes I curse the protagonists in horror films for still peeking into places where they hear noises instead of just leaving, well, sometimes you really can't help it.
• I peeked at the poolside, and I wasn't wrong to think there was someone there.
• His back was facing me, and he was sitting at the edge of the pool. He was only wearing a t-shirt and shorts. There was a bottle of whiskey beside him and a glass of alcohol in his hand.
• Arcel.
• I probably stared at him for a few more seconds before he suddenly spoke, startling me.
• “Can’t sleep, Lisichka?” That nickname again! I thought he’s going to drop it after apologizing to me, but it seems he hasn't.
• I took a deep breath before walking closer to him. “Yeah. You too?”
• “I don’t sleep… most of the time.” He glanced at me and greeted me with his usual smile. “Come, join me.”
• I shouldn't join him. What I should do is walk back to my room and distract myself so I won't fall asleep. But instead of doing the best option, I did the opposite.
• I sat beside Arcel. There was still some distance between us so I wouldn't invade his personal space. I dipped my feet into the pool and immediately felt cold.
• “Drink?”
• I glanced at the glass he was offering me. At first, I was tempted, then I realized I shouldn't drink or I will resort to drinking whenever I want to escape my nightmares.
• “No, thank you.” I shook my head and avoided his gaze.
• “Just a glass won’t hurt you. Besides, it will help you to calm down. You’re trembling.”
• If Arcel hadn't pointed out my trembling hand, I wouldn't have noticed that it hadn't stopped yet. I clenched my fist and hid it from him.
• “Come on, one glass won’t kill you.”
• I bit my lip, still contemplating whether to trust him or not. In the end, I let go of all the reasons in my head. I accepted the glass and chugged the liquid in one go. My face grimaced, but as soon as I saw Arcel's smiling face, the frown disappeared because of the alcohol.
• I felt better. Maybe because of the alcohol or I hate to admit it, but Arcel is actually helping me get through the aftermath of my nightmare.
• “See?” His smile widened even more when he noticed that he actually helped—the alcohol calming me down. I breathed a sigh of relief.
• We were just silent, the two of us. Normally, I love quietness; it signifies peace. But now, the silence only adds to my restlessness, so I thought of something for Arcel and I to talk about.
• “Why aren’t you sleeping?” I didn't expect him to answer that. Maybe it's a little too personal. I just wanted to break the silence between us.
• “Insomnia,” he replied curtly. “Ever since I was a kid, I've had a bad relationship with sleep. How about you? Why are you still awake?”
• He quickly changed the subject, so I thought maybe he didn't want to discuss it.
• “Nightmares,” I answered him, looking at the pool. There were a few lights here, so our surroundings weren't too dark.
• He suddenly paused, his smile slowly fading.
• “About what?”
• “About my father’s death. It’s on loop. I always dream about it. I see him covered in blood inside his car, and it's like I'm drowning in blood.” I took a deep breath. When it comes to this topic, I lose myself.
• “Did you see Uncle Saxon die? I mean, did you witness how he died? I heard it was a car crash.”
• I shook my head. But I'm one of the reasons why it happened. I hold myself back, not wanting to disclose such information.
• "I didn't witness it, but maybe I carry this burden because we lost our father at a young age."
• He took another sip from his glass. "Do you want me to hug you?"
• "Huh?" My head automatically turned to him.
• "What? Hug is the best way to comfort someone—in my belief, at least." He smiled again, which made my heart skip a beat. It's a completely different smile from before. His smile is so beautiful, I forgot that just the other day I wanted to slap it off his face.
• I avoided eye contact with him. My face flared up. I could feel the warmth in my cheeks because of what he did.
• “I’ll be your brother’s fiancée, don’t flirt with me.” I tried so hard to sound irritated to mask my overflowing feelings. Holy cow, why am I feeling this towards Arcel? He just said he wanted to hug me to make me feel better. He didn’t say he was going to marry me—hold up, don’t even go there.
• “You may be my brother’s fiancée, but he’ll never marry you.”
• Ouch. I don't feel that way about Taddeo and I shouldn't be affected because those words are for Alethea, but I felt offended.
• “You can’t take away someone’s heart when it’s already possessed by someone else.”
• I furrowed my eyebrows at his words. “What do you mean?”
• Arcel looked at me. His eyes are droopy, maybe because of the alcohol.
• “You won’t be able to win someone's love if they've already given it to someone else. Though the woman I'm referring to isn't here, you can never replace her in my brother's life. So, a piece of advice. Don’t fall in love with him. In the end, you’ll be the one hurt.”
• I fell silent. It's like I want to tell Alethea not to continue with the wedding. What if Taddeo becomes abusive because he doesn't want to marry her but our parents insisted. Despite my resentment towards my sister, I still don't want her to suffer.
• “Don’t worry.” He put two fingers under my chin and lifted it so we could see each other face to face. “If you fall for my brother and he doesn’t catch you, I’ll be there for you, Lisichka.”
• For the second time tonight, my heart pounded so hard in my chest while looking at Arcel and his sweet smile.
• Damn it. My heart shouldn’t be reacting like this to someone who was threatening me just a week ago!