The Masked Gentleman

Crimson Secrets

"Isabella, calm down. The important thing is that you didn't get hurt. Thank god you left." Meredith tells Isabella, trying to calm the pacing 18 year old. Isabella's breathing accelerates even further, clogging her brain. "I know. I know. But i could've died. I was about to. Why is all of this happening to me? First, Anastasia ruined my mood even further than it already was. Then, I find out I'm supposed to marry a complete stranger I just met. Then I danced with him and almost died!" says the girl quickly, all in one shaky breath. She stops pacing and stares at Mary with open eyes as the realization hits. "Lucifer was still there when I left! Did something happen to him?" Mary's expression changes as she too realizes the fact. "Oh, right! He was still there. But when we left, he wasn't in the ballroom. At least, I didn't see him." The tranquility on the designer's face annoys the panicking girl. "How can you be calm in a situation like this?! Can you at least check if he's still here, in one piece? I'm having cold sweats. God I want to just disappear." Mary silently leaves. Now, Isabella is left alone with her thoughts. The thought alone of everything that happened today makes her head ache for the hundredth time today. She sits on the edge of her bed and contemplates. She doesn't want Lucifer to get hurt but doesn't want to marry him either. She was just worried for the sake of humanity. But how can the chandelier just ... fall? The ropes holding it up are very thick and wouldn't just open unless... unless someone cut them. She gasps at the horrible idea and whispers"That means...that means that..someone wants to kill me. But it fell a few minutes after I left, why wouldn't they time it perfectly if they wanted to kill me? They could've killed me while I was dancing. Or maybe, they just wanted to kill me, not Lucifer. But that still doesn't make sense, if they didn't want to kill him, why did it fall when I left?" Confusion and questions clogged her mind and her headache on top of that didn't allow her to think straight. She massages her forehead a bit to think clearly. She realizes that maybe, just maybe it wasn't her someone wanted dead. It was Lucifer they wanted dead. That made perfect sense. Or maybe, the ropes were loose and they accidentally opened. It's not necessary someone cut them. She has to check. She can't not have the answer to her questions. She runs in the ballroom, still in her ballgown with ruined makeup, messy hair and no jewelry. As she runs, her own house feels like a labyrinth, every wall looks exactly the same. Each turn she takes feels like she's back where she started. Her brain stops working, her breathing quickens. There's a tight feeling in her chest and she starts panicking. Her feet hurt yet she doesn't know where she is. As she turns another corner, she bumps into Lilith and relief falls all over her body. She catches her breath as her worried sister supports her by the arm. "Isa, is everything okay? Have you been running? In this?!" While still trying to catch her breath, she tries to explain. "No.. I.. wanted to.. get to the.. ballroom.. where is ..it?" "Oh, it's your own house, you should know that, shouldn't you? You just turn left from here. Why do you want to go there? They're cleaning the mess." Now calm, Isabella answers. "I just wanted to check something real quick. See, I think someone wants to kill Lucifer and I need to check if the rope supporting the chandelier was cut or it just fell open." "Oh" The older woman didn't seem surprised by the news, strangely. With a blank expression, she rubs her chin, thinking about something. The ruby in her ring was gone, Isabella noticed. Maybe it fell during the chaos, she reasoned. "Well, you know. Accidents happen. It was probably just that. You shouldn't be so worried. Or is it just because your fiance was in danger?" Lilith says, smiling and teasing her little sister, who averts her eyes. Trying to change the subject, she agrees with her sister. " Maybe you're right, maybe I am overreacting a bit. But I've got this strange feeling something big's going on. I can't shake it off. If someone wanted to kill me, they should've done that earlier but if someone wants him dead, it fell at the perfect time. How do you explain that? Can you come with me, please?" Lilith thinks about it and eventually agrees. They reach the ballroom and see a cleaning team gathering the shattered shards of what once used to be a majestic chandelier. The two girls walk to the back of the ballroom, behind the stairs that connect the foyer to the floor. They see the three ropes that used to support the suspended lights absolutely destroyed. Isabella audibly gasps as Lilith remains stoic. Isabella slowly approaches the bundle and gently picks up a piece that was seemingly cut through roughly. Almost as if the person who cut these ropes didn't have enough time and didn't care about the state of the ropes. As if the whole purpose of their life was to cut those ropes as quickly as possible. The potential outcome of this is too horrible to imagine for Isabella. "Someone did this with a clear purpose "she stated. Lilith exclaims."Looks like they did. You know, I don't think I should say this but I believe Anastasia tried to kill you. Didn't you see how she reacted when father announced your engagement with Lucifer? She sounded hurt and confused, almost as if you stole him from her. Judging by the state of these ropes, she apparently might have made a .... sentimental decision, made on the spot. But look at the thickness of these ropes, she couldn't have possibly cut them neatly since she doesn't have the strength. That's why they're destroyed. That's why it fell late, because she made that decision on the spot but she didn't have enough strength and you can't see most of the ballroom from here. You know, I didn't see her while you two were dancing, seems like she.....disappeared all of a sudden. And she hates you, she hates your guts, she hates your audacity, she hates Meredith, she hates everything about you, everything related to you. Maybe, out of jealousy, she wanted to end you right then and there, seeing the way Lucifer was looking at you. " "How was he looking at me?"Isabella interrupts. "Oh, you know. Like a lover does. He was admiring you, he was interested in you. Everyone would want a 32 year old man wealthy and handsome like Lucifer admiring them. And jealousy is dangerous, my dear sister. A jealous woman can do anything to take out the people in her way. Even if it's her own sister. She can do anything. She knew Lucifer would be here tonight and the dress Meredith made for you is beautiful. She knows it. Didn't she tell you to give it to her? She was jealous of your beauty, your youth. She didn't want any woman stealing Lucifer's attention except for her. She can't stand someone being more beautiful than her. Do you see it now? It was her. It was Anastasia." Lilith explains. Isabella, still with shock doesn't speak for quite a while. "I can't believe this. How can she do something like this? I'm her sister! Alright, I get it, we're not on good terms but we're still sisters! We're the same blood! I'll confront her!" Isabella decides, gritting her teeth with anger. "NO, no, no, no! Don't confront her, she might try to hurt you and then act as if it was accident. We need solid proof it was her. I'll gather it, you must be exhausted. I think you should rest and leave the rest to me, okay?" Lilith calms her sister down and with an arm over her shoulder, leads her back to her room but as they were passing by the stairs in front of the bundle of ropes, something hit Isabella's feet. Something small and shiny. A ruby. Isabella picks it up and examines it. "Oh, it's a ruby. I believe this is yours." She hands the precious stone to her sister. "Oh, yes, thank you. I hadn't even noticed it was gone. It must have fallen during all that commotion. Anyway, let's get you to bed, it's late."