Chapter 4
The Gathering if lies
The house buzzed with laughter and music.
Jewel felt a little out of place as she stepped inside, carrying a small tray of drinks for herself.
Her aunt's warm voice reached her from across the room.
"Relax, dear," she said, smiling gently. "It's only a small gathering.
Enjoy yourself."
Jewel nodded, though unease fluttered in her chest.
There were people everywhere, chatting and laughing, and in the middle of it all, stood near the table.
He looked different tonight. More relaxed, less composed, yet something about him made Jewel uncomfortable.
She couldn't put her finger on it.
Kensha moved gracefully around him, whispering something in his ear.
Jewel didn't catch the words, but she noticed the way Denis's expression softened, then shifted into a loose, distracted smile.
Jewel frowned slightly, feeling a strange tension in the room.
Her aunt approached, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Everything is fine, Jewel.
Enjoy yourself, and trust yourself if anything feels wrong."
Jewel nodded, comforted by her aunt's calm presence.
Somehow, she always felt safe with her.
As the evening progressed, drinks were served, music played, and laughter echoed through the house.
Jewel spent most of her time with her aunt, helping with small tasks, arranging snacks, and keeping an eye on guests.
Dennis, however, was being subtly manipulated.
Kensha had made sure he drank more than he should, slipping him glass after glass of wine while keeping him distracted. By the time the party reached its peak, Dennis was unsteady, his speech slurred, his movements clumsy.
Jewel noticed it but tried to ignore it. Something about seeing him like that made her uneasy, though she couldn't explain why.
She kept close to her aunt, trusting the warmth and calm in her presence.
Kensha, watching from a corner, smiled faintly.
Everything was going according to plan.
Dennis was no longer in control, and Jewel's instincts were sharpening against him without her even realizing it.
At one point, Jewel left the room briefly to fetch some snacks from the kitchen. In that moment, Kensha guided Dennis toward the hall.
He stumbled slightly but allowed himself to be led.
Dennis was brought, quietly, to Jewel's room.
He didn't understand what was happening, only that someone was guiding him. By now, the alcohol made his thoughts hazy, his impulses stronger.
Kensha's careful planning ensured that the situation would appear dangerous to Jewel without causing permanent physical harm.
Jewel returned to her room moments later, carrying a tray of drinks.
The moment she opened the door, she froze. Dennis was inside. His stance was unsteady, his eyes glazed and unfocused.
"Dennis?" she said cautiously.
He swayed slightly, reaching toward her. "Jewel…" his voice was thick, slurred. "Don't… don't go…"
A shiver ran down her spine. Something in his gaze, the way he moved—it screamed danger.
Jewel instinctively stepped back, clutching the tray as a barrier between them.
"Step away!" she shouted, panic rising. Her heart pounded.
Dennis blinked, confused, and reached again.
Jewel felt a rush of fear unlike anything she had felt before.
The trust she might have had evaporated instantly.
Her aunt's voice echoed softly in her memory: "Trust your instincts. They won't steer you wrong." Jewel acted on that instinct, pushing past him, darting to the door, her legs trembling. She slammed it behind her and bolted into the hall, breathing hard, tears forming in her eyes.
Kensha, hiding in the shadows just outside the room, smiled quietly, her satisfaction unmistakable.
The plan had worked perfectly. Jewel had witnessed Dennis's drunken behavior and feared him completely.
Any potential closeness between Dennis and Jewel had been destroyed in an instant.
Her aunt appeared silently, guiding Jewel back into the living room, where music and laughter masked the tension.
Jewel clung to her aunt, shaking, her pulse racing.
"You're safe," her aunt said, wrapping her arms around her. "Everything is fine. You did exactly what you needed to do."
Jewel buried her face into her aunt's chest, her fear slowly being replaced by relief. Somehow, her aunt's calm and protective presence made the terror fade. She now trusted her aunt and Kensha, by extension more than ever.
Denis, by contrast, had become someone she would never want near her again.
Dennis stumbled out of the room, muttering confusedly, his memory of the moment already hazy.
He didn't understand why Jewel recoiled from him, why she had fled. He didn't realize he had been manipulated, guided by Kensha and the aunt, set up perfectly to appear dangerous in her eyes.
Kensha's eyes glimmered with triumph as she observed from a distance. The plan had worked flawlessly:
Jewel's trust in her aunt and Kensha had increased.
Denis was neutralized as a threat to their schemes.
Any potential bond between Denis and Jewel had been shattered.
Her lips curved in a faint, victorious smile. Everything was moving according to their design.
Jewel spent the rest of the night in her room, trembling slightly as she tried to calm herself.
She thought of Denis's unsteady movements, the way he had reached toward her, and the fear coursing through her. She hated him. She never wanted to be near him again.
Her aunt checked on her quietly, smoothing the blanket over her shoulders. "You did the right thing tonight," she said softly. "Trust your instincts, always. You're safe with me."
Jewel nodded, burying her face into the pillow. She felt secure for the first time that night, fully dependent on her aunt's protection, and grateful for Kensha's careful guidance.
Outside the room, Denis slumped against the wall, confused and frustrated, unaware that every step he had taken had been planned by Kensha and her aunt.
In the shadows, Kensha's eyes gleamed with quiet triumph. Jewel's trust was secured, Denis's feelings rendered dangerous, and the house was now perfectly aligned for the next stage of their plan.
But one thought lingered in Kensha's mind: Denis was no longer predictable, and his feelings could still spiral out of control.
Somewhere in the house, Jewel slept fitfully, unaware that the danger she had narrowly escaped had been orchestrated from start to finish and that the storm was only beginning.