Match Made With Murders

Prologue - Blood and Body 🩸

Julie wrinkled her nose the moment she stepped into the guest room. The smell hit her like a wall, stale, rotten, and so overpowering that she had to clamp a hand over her mouth.

"Oh God..." she muttered, stumbling back into the hallway. It smelled as if something had crawled into a corner, died, and been forgotten for months. Her stomach churned violently. She bent over, gagging, though nothing came up.

"How long had it been like this? Has no one cleaned this room at all?".

There was no way she could stay there if that awful smell lingered. Arya needed to know.

She marched straight to his bedroom. He was lounging on his bed, scrolling through his phone, but the instant he saw her, his face lit up with that familiar smile, the one that never failed to make her heart skip.

"Aww, look at you," he teased, setting his phone aside. "You can't even stay away from me for a minute. Miss me that much? Come on, babe, let's romance."

Julie rolled her eyes. "Stay in your own delusional world. I'm here to complain, not romance."

"Ugh, now what?" Arya asked dramatically, tossing his phone onto the bed.

"The guest room smells horrible. I can't even step inside."

He frowned. "What are you doing there?"

Julie folded her arms across her chest. "Arya, do you even know what's happening in this house? What did your mother say a few minutes ago?"

Without missing a beat, he replied, "I was blinded by your beauty. It hid everything else."

She stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. "You are impossible. Fine. I'll just stay at my own house. Bye."

She turned with exaggerated drama, but before she could take more than a step, Arya leaped off the bed and caught her hand, pulling her back against him. Her face landed squarely against his diaphragm. Being five feet tall while he towered over her at seven had its challenges. She tilted her head back to look at him, already feeling the strain in her neck.

"I know Mom said you could stay here," he said softly, "but why the guest room?"

"Then where should I stay?"

A slow grin spread across his face. "My room."

Julie gaped. "You.."

She shoved at his chest, but he barely moved. She wriggled, trying to free herself, yet his hold remained firm.

"Okay, okay, stop wiggling," he laughed. "I know Mom told you to stay in the guest room. I'll ask the staff to clean it."

The word hit her harder than he intended. Staff and servants. Her mother worked in this house. And whether anyone said it aloud or not, she knew what people assumed about her because of that.

Her smile tightened. "Well, I'm a servant too, aren't I? Then I should clean it myself."

Arya's expression immediately fell. He closed his eyes briefly, as if regretting his careless words.

"Julie..."

"Hmm?" she murmured, still staring somewhere around his chest.

"Look at me."

"My neck hurts."

A laugh escaped him. Before she could protest, he scooped her up effortlessly. Julie let out a startled squeak as he carried her to the nearby table and gently set her on it. Now they were finally eye to eye.