The sound had been so subtle that at first, Diana thought she imagined it, the gentle creak of wood shifting, the kind that only came from someone trying to move quietly through the dark. Her breath caught in her throat as she strained to hear it again, her heart thudding in her chest. There it was, unmistakable this time, followed by the faintest shuffle of footsteps just beyond her door.
Fear washed over her in waves. She was suddenly hyper aware of the vast, empty mansion surrounding her. The grandeur that had seemed so imposing during the day now felt like a suffocating prison, each shadow a potential threat.
Sliding out of bed as quietly as possible, Diana moved toward the door. She didn't know what or who was outside, but the instinct to protect herself kicked in. Her fingers brushed against the cold metal handle, and she hesitated, debating whether to lock the door or fling it open and confront whatever was lurking in the hallway.
Just as her hand began to turn the lock, a soft knock sounded from the other side. The polite, measured tap on the door seemed wildly out of place in the midst of her rising panic. Diana's pulse quickened as she leaned closer, listening for any indication of who was on the other side.
"Diana," a voice whispered.
Jason. The relief was instant but fleeting, replaced by a simmering dread. She hadn't spoken to him since the tension laden dinner, where he had barely acknowledged her presence, his icy indifference cutting deeper than she wanted to admit.
"Diana," he whispered again, but this time there was something different in his voice, something softer, almost urgent. "Let me in."
Her heart pounded in her ears. Why was Jason here, in the dead of night, whispering outside her door like some kind of thief in his own home? She hesitated again, her fingers still gripping the door handle.
"Please," Jason added, his voice barely above a breath now.
The sound of that word 'please' coming from his mouth was enough to send a chill down her spine. Jason never pleaded for anything. He demanded. He took. He expected submission. Hearing him now, so vulnerable, stirred something in Diana she didn't fully understand.
She twisted the knob and pulled the door open a crack, just enough to peer through.
Jason stood in the dim light of the hallway, his face partially hidden by shadows. Even in the darkness, she could see the tension in his jaw, the way his eyes flickered with something sharp, something unspoken.
"Let me in," he said again, his voice low, but this time there was no hint of softness. His cold authority was back, more familiar and unnerving.
Diana stepped back, reluctantly allowing him to enter her room. He slipped through the door and closed it behind him, his movements deliberate, almost predatory. The air between them felt thick with unresolved conflict, the hostility they had danced around all day now hanging like a storm about to break.
"Why are you here?" Diana asked, her voice steady but edged with suspicion. She didn't trust him. She couldn't. Not after the way he had treated her since her arrival.
Jason's eyes were dark, unreadable as they bore into hers. For a long moment, he didn't answer, just stood there, his presence filling the room like a shadow.
"I've been watching you," he said finally, his tone as cold as ever. "You've been… careless."
Diana blinked, thrown off by his accusation. "Careless? About what?"
Jason moved closer, his gaze never leaving hers. There was something unsettling in the way he approached her, like a predator cornering its prey. "You're asking questions," he said, his voice quiet but sharp. "You're drawing attention to yourself."
Diana's jaw tightened. "I'm trying to understand what's going on. Is that such a crime?"
Jason's lips curled into a humorless smile. "In this family? It very well could be." He stopped just inches from her, his proximity sending a jolt of anxiety through her. "You don't belong here, Diana. No matter how hard you try to convince yourself otherwise."
The words hit her like a punch to the gut. She had known, on some level, that Jason resented her presence in the Lancaster mansion, but hearing it spoken so bluntly still cut deep.
"Why do you hate me so much?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "What did I ever do to you?"
For a moment, Jason's expression flickered, as if he hadn't expected the question. But just as quickly, the mask of cold indifference slid back into place.
"I don't hate you," he said, though the words lacked conviction. "But you're a threat. Whether you realize it or not, you've upset the balance."
Diana's brow furrowed in confusion. "What balance?"
Jason didn't answer right away. Instead, he turned away from her, pacing the length of the room with an almost restless energy. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides, the tension radiating off him in waves.
"You shouldn't have come back," he muttered under his breath, though Diana wasn't sure if he was talking to her or to himself.
"Why?" she pressed, refusing to let him evade the question. "Why is my being here such a problem for you?"
Jason stopped abruptly, turning to face her again. His eyes were dark with anger, but beneath that, there was something else, something raw and unguarded. For a fleeting moment, Diana thought she saw a flicker of vulnerability, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
"You think you can just waltz back into this family and everything will be fine?" he asked, his voice laced with bitterness. "You have no idea what's at stake."
"Then tell me!" Diana shot back, her frustration boiling over. "Stop treating me like an outsider and just tell me what's going on!"
Jason's jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing as he stared her down. The tension between them crackled like electricity, neither willing to back down.
"You don't understand," he said finally, his voice low and dangerous. "This family… it's not what you think. It's not just about wealth and power. It's about survival. And right now, you're walking into the lion's den with no idea what kind of beasts are waiting for you."
Diana's heart raced as his words sank in. She had sensed from the beginning that there was more to the Lancaster family than met the eye, but hearing Jason confirm it sent a chill down her spine.
"What are you trying to say?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.
Jason's gaze softened, just for a moment, and Diana saw a flicker of something like regret in his eyes. But just as quickly, his expression hardened again.
"Just stay out of my way," he said coldly. "And don't ask any more questions. You won't like the answers."
With that, he turned on his heel and strode toward the door, leaving Diana standing there, her mind reeling with unanswered questions and the weight of his warning pressing down on her.
---
The next morning, the tension between Diana and Jason was palpable. At breakfast, the silence between them was heavy, punctuated only by the clink of silverware against china. Eliza watched them both with sharp, calculating eyes, though she said nothing about the cold hostility simmering beneath the surface.
Diana could barely stomach the food in front of her. Jason's cryptic words from the night before echoed in her mind, filling her with a growing sense of dread. What had he meant by "survival"? What kind of dangers was she really facing in this house?
But Jason, true to form, remained aloof and unapproachable, his cold indifference a wall she couldn't break through. He barely acknowledged her presence, his attention focused entirely on his phone as he scrolled through emails or messages, the screen casting a cold blue light on his face.
"Jason," Diana said finally, unable to stand the silence any longer.
He didn't look up. "What?"
She hesitated, her heart pounding. She didn't want another confrontation, but she needed answers. "About what you said last night…"
Jason's fingers paused on the screen, but he still didn't look at her. "I told you not to ask questions."
Diana's frustration boiled over. "You can't just drop something like that on me and then expect me to forget it! What are you hiding?"
Jason's jaw tightened, and for a moment, she thought he might actually respond. But then, just as quickly, his expression hardened, and he went back to scrolling through his phone, dismissing her as though she were nothing more than a nuisance.
"I'm not doing this with you, Diana," he said flatly.
Diana's hands clenched into fists under the table, her anger simmering just beneath the surface. She was tired of being treated like an outsider, tired of being kept in the dark. But clearly, Jason wasn't going to give her the answers she needed.
Eliza, sensing the tension, smiled brightly and changed the subject to some upcoming event at the country club, expertly steering the conversation away from anything uncomfortable. Diana tuned her out, her thoughts consumed by the growing divide between her and Jason.
After breakfast, she retreated to her room, her mind racing. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was walking blind into some kind of trap, that there were forces at work in this house that she didn't understand. And Jason's cold hostility only made it worse.
She needed to find out what was really going on, and if Jason wasn't going to tell her. She was willing to take it upon herself to dig every dirt that needed to be cleansed no questions pun intended.