Entangled Strings Of Fate

CHAPTER 4: Increasing Suspicion

From the living room to the staircase, where William and Zoey exchanged glances to check on each other, there Eric was thinking of a way to head-up Jane, about the lie he made earlier.

And to do that he did suddenly come up with a plan. He told his parents' that he's going to sing a song for Claire, he wrote specially for her birthday and needs his guitar so he's going to get it now.

He goes and brings it at lightning speed, before they go to them and in case they question Jane about him.

Jane and Claire strolled through the hallway of the mansion, their footsteps echoing in the long and spacious corridor. The cool marble floor felt smooth beneath their feet, and the walls were adorned with exquisite paintings and sculptures. As they made their way towards the kitchen, which was on the ground floor, Claire shared with Jane that she had finished all her summer vacation projects and was excited about the rest of the break.

Jane remarked, "Well, you are always excited and what's new in it, I never saw you taking anything seriously."

Claire chuckled and said, "Because I prefer to be funny than being serious all the time like you."

However, Claire's carefree demeanor was interrupted by a nagging feeling, and she couldn't resist the urge to ask Jane about it and so she enquired, "Why didn't you stop me from overhearing their conversation earlier."

"So... what else should I have done," Jane asked.

"Well, you know it too," Claire replied with questioning eyes.

"No, I don't, what's your point in this..." Jane replies, seeming unaware of her implication on this.

"I mean, you must know something which is making you do this otherwise you would not only have stopped me but would have given me an earful like my mom, when you caught me red-handed like that back there." Claire made her point.

"Well actually there is something which I'm also trying to understand," Jane replied straight without any jargon.

"And that is..." Claire, with all her focus on Jane, stopped in between the hallway.

Jane spoke up after hesitation, "I think there's a problem which is making them all behave in this way and because of that even my mom and granny haven't slept since last night."

"A problem..." Claire said, raising an eyebrow.

Jane nodded and continued, "Yes, I saw granny talking to my mom in her room and later Mike also joined them, but when they left the room, their expressions changed, from joyful to somber, they all had a frown on their face, and it appeared that they are worried about something, and I want to know what's making them so worried."

"Well, in that case, I also have something to tell you, as what you have said might be connected to it." Claire said with a straight face.

"What is it?" Jane asked, having that curious look on her face.

"I also saw my mom talking to granny in the kitchen after dinner last night, but at that time I didn't think that there could be a problem so big, to make them have a secret talk like that in the morning."

"What you saw," Jane questioned.

Claire recounted the incident to Jane, "I went inside the kitchen to get some water to quench my thirst, I noticed mom and granny whispering furtively. but the moment they saw me, they abruptly stopped, being startled by my appearance, and mom immediately scolded me for being up so late and ordered me to go back to my room and sleep, but the most peculiar part was that they were speaking in low tones, which was quite out of character for them since they usually talk and laugh boisterously, and we can hear them from any corner of the mansion. But this time, they acted differently, and I couldn't help but feel that something was odd, but I didn't ask anything as my focus at that time was to go and complete my project work, so I simply said, okay and went to my room after taking a cold bottle out of the refrigerator."

"It concludes my doubt then, there's something really going on among them," Jane made a statement.

Upon entering the hallway, Zoey and William noticed Claire and Jane standing in the center of the hallway, talking to each other indistinctly. Claire was slightly facing them while Jane's back was towards them.

Zoey couldn't help but chuckle when she noticed that Claire was still wearing her small rabbit printed silk PJs.

William says after judging her facial expressions, "It looks like she has just woken up and is complaining something to Jane."

He looks at her bare foot and adds on, "It is so typical of her to not wear slippers and have paint stains on her hands all the time, regardless, I love her carefree spirit."

Eric, who was standing beside them, couldn't help but roll his eyes at their affectionate banter for Claire, as he walked towards her and Jane. His parents trailed behind him, admiring her.

As they reached Claire and Jane, Claire turned her head sideways towards the staircase, where she noticed a shadow cast by the skylight window.

Intrigued by it, Claire asked, "Who is it?"

The light from the window illuminated the hallway space, casting a soft glow on the artwork, and creating a serene atmosphere but Claire and Jane were standing there in shock.