The Vanishing Portrait

chapter 9

Lana's heart raced as she stood frozen in Aiden’s office, her eyes darting around for a place to hide. The footsteps in the hallway grew closer, each heavy step echoing off the walls, and she knew she had only seconds to decide what to do. She couldn’t be caught in his private office—not like this, surrounded by the damning evidence she had just uncovered.

The narrow passageway she had just come through seemed like the best option, but before she could retreat into it, the office door creaked open.

Aiden Lauren stepped into the room.

His sharp eyes swept over the space, landing on Lana standing by his desk. His expression darkened instantly, his posture stiffening as the tension in the room thickened.

“Lana,” he said, his voice dangerously low. “What are you doing in here?”

For a moment, she couldn’t find her voice. She was caught, and there was no way to explain her presence without sounding suspicious. The papers on his desk—the notes about the curse, the photograph of Lady Aerin’s portrait—lay in full view, and there was no way to pretend she hadn’t seen them.

“I was looking for answers,” she finally managed to say, her voice steady despite the storm of fear swirling inside her. “I found the portrait of Lady Aerin in the basement. I heard the whispers, saw the way it… glowed. I know something is wrong, Aiden. You’re hiding something, and I need to know what it is.”

Aiden’s eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched as he moved closer, his tall frame looming over her. “You had no right to go down there. That portrait is none of your concern.”

“It is my concern!” Lana shot back, her frustration and fear bubbling to the surface. “Ever since I found that painting, strange things have been happening. You’re clearly trying to keep it hidden, but why? What’s so dangerous about Lady Aerin’s portrait? What is this curse you’re so desperate to conceal?”

For a moment, Aiden said nothing, his gaze cold and unreadable. The tension between them was palpable, and Lana could feel her pulse pounding in her ears as she waited for him to respond. When he finally spoke, his voice was as sharp as a blade.

“You don’t understand what you’re meddling in,” he said, his tone laced with warning. “That portrait is more than just a painting. It’s tied to something far darker than you can imagine, something that has haunted my family for generations. Lady Aerin was not just a figure of the past—she was a woman consumed by bitterness and betrayal, and she took her secrets to the grave. Or so we thought.”

Lana stared at him, her mind racing to make sense of what he was saying. “What do you mean, ‘we thought’? She’s dead, Aiden. How can she still have an effect on anything?”

Aiden’s expression hardened. “The curse,” he said, his voice flat. “It was cast the night of her death—when she was betrayed by someone close to her. The details have been lost to time, but ever since, her spirit has been trapped in that portrait, bound to the gallery. Anyone who comes too close to uncovering the truth risks falling under the curse’s influence.”

A shiver ran down Lana’s spine, and she felt a sickening sense of dread settle over her. “So that’s why you’re trying to hide it? To protect the gallery?”

“To protect everyone,” Aiden corrected, his voice harsh. “Including you.”

Lana shook her head, disbelief and confusion swirling within her. “But you can’t just bury the truth. There has to be a way to break the curse, to free her. Isn’t that what she wants? She’s been calling to me, pleading for help. She’s not malevolent, Aiden—she’s trapped.”

Aiden’s eyes flashed with anger, and for the first time, Lana saw a crack in his cold exterior. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he snapped, taking another step toward her. “You think this is some fairytale where you can save the trapped soul and everything will be fine? This curse is real, and it’s dangerous. If you keep pushing, you’ll only make things worse.”

His words hung in the air between them, but Lana couldn’t back down. She couldn’t ignore the pull she felt toward Lady Aerin, the way the portrait had spoken to her, drawn her in. She wasn’t going to turn away from this mystery just because Aiden was afraid.

“I’m not giving up,” she said, her voice firm. “There’s more to this story, and I’m going to find out what it is. I won’t let fear stop me from doing what’s right.”

Aiden’s expression darkened even further, and for a moment, she thought he might lash out, his anger boiling over. But then he took a slow breath, his shoulders tense as he regained control.

“You don’t know what you’re risking,” he said quietly, his tone now cold and distant. “But if you’re so determined to throw yourself into danger, then fine. I won’t stop you. Just know this: whatever happens next is on you.”

With that, he turned away from her, his jaw set in a hard line. Lana could feel the weight of his words pressing down on her, but she stood her ground, refusing to be swayed by his warning. She had come too far to back down now.

As she made her way out of his office, her mind whirled with questions. Aiden had confirmed her suspicions about the curse, but there were still so many pieces of the puzzle missing. What had really happened to Lady Aerin? Who had betrayed her, and why? And most importantly, how could she break the curse and free the woman trapped within the portrait?

But as she left the gallery that evening, Lana knew one thing for sure: the deeper she went, the more dangerous things would become. The secrets of the past were reaching out to claim the present, and she was now caught in the middle of a web of betrayal and darkness far older than she had imagined.

And as much as Aiden tried to warn her, there was no turning back now.