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CHAPTER 17: EMOTIONAL WAR
Huling Na-update:
2025-04-26 06:22:20
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A love unscripted CHAPTER 1: THE AWAKENING
Ariel's eyes fluttered open, her mind foggy and disoriented. She was met with an unfamiliar ceiling adorned with intricate molding and a dazzling chandelier. She sat up, rubbing her temples, having a slight headache trying to remember how she got there.The room was grandiose, with expensive furnishings and artwork. The room was certainly unfamiliar and she could tell because she had never been in a room like that in her life. “Where was I?” She wondered as she threw off the covers and flung her legs over the size of the bed. With a wave of dizziness and headache accompanying her move, she leans over the bedside table for support. Ariel's mind was a jumbled mess with no idea of what happened the previous night. Was she with friends? Did she meet someone? And more importantly, how did she get here? Ariel is trying to get familiar with her surroundings. A sense of alarm rushed over her. Was she kidnapped? “No, if this was an abduction, I certainly won't be brought to a place this lux
Huling Na-update : 2025-04-04A love unscripted CHAPTER 2: THE PROPOSAL
"Connel Wilder," he replies,his voice low and smooth like silk gliding over through skin as he gazes directly into her eyes. He resumed eating, seemingly expecting her to figure everything out on her own.Ariel stared at him in disbelief. "Why do you keep staring?" Connel asked, setting his cutlery down.I don't know who you are, where I am or why I'm here," Ariel said, frustration creeping into her voice. "You don't expect me to eat food without knowing where it came from,do you?"Connel's expression turned rude. "It came from the kitchen. If you want answers, keep quiet and eat. We will talk when you are done."He picked up his cutlery and cConnel's eating. Ariel pushes her chair back and runs out of the dining hall."Should we go after her?" Watson asked."Leave her," Connel replied, continuing to eat. "She'll be back."A few minutes later, heavily built guards carried Ariel back into the dining hall and dropped her into her seat."No matter how many times you run, you'll always co
Huling Na-update : 2025-04-04A love unscripted CHAPTER 3: PUBLIC EYE
"I don't want to go," Ariel said Connel's authoritative voice echoed through the room. "You don't have a say, you're my wife and I've told you to be ready."Ariel resisted, her voice laced with frustration. "As your wife? Ain't I meant to know my husband? But all I know is your name. Imagine the world seeing me as your wife when I know nothing about my husband."Connel's expression remained unreadable. "Be ready by seven. I'll be back to pick you up." Ariel felt trapped, the walls were closing in on her, how she never had the best and now she was stuck in a loveless marriage. The silence between them was deafening and Ariel couldn't help but wonder what she had gotten herself into.Later that evening, Connel waited patiently for Ariel's arrival. He called out to one of the maids to summon her, but Ariel descended the stairs before the maid could respond. She wore a stunning red dinner dress, her brunette hair curled to perfection. Connel's gaze lingered on her, admiring her beauty.
Huling Na-update : 2025-04-04A love unscripted CHAPTER 4:A GLIMPSE OF VULNERABILITY
Back at the mansion, Connel knocked on Ariel's door but there was no response. He knocked again and still there was no answer. He waited for a moment wondering if she was ignoring him or if she was simply not in her room. Just when he was about to leave, he decided to enter the room. Connel entered the room but no one was there, not even a shadow. But as he scanned the room, he realized that she was nowhere to be found. He was about to leave when he heard the sound of the bathroom door opening.Ariel came out of the bathroom with a robe wrapped around her, her wet hair dripping to the floor. Connel's eyes widened in surprise as he took in the sight of her. He couldn't help but stare, his eyes fixed on her dripping hair and the way the robe clung to her body.Ariel broke the silence, her voice husky from the shower. "What?" She asked, her eyes narrowing slightly as she took in connel's expression."You're dripping water all over my floor," Connel said, his voice low and smooth. "That'
Huling Na-update : 2025-04-04A love unscripted CHAPTER 5: GUESTS AND GHOSTS
The lady's smile spread across her face, a slow and deliberate curve of her lips that seemed to savor the tension in the air. Her eyes gleamed with a knowing intensity as if she were privy to a secret that no one else was aware of. She let the silence hang, allowing the discomfort to grow like a slow-building storm cloud that threatened to unleash its fury at any moment. Ariel's question, still hanging in the air, seemed to be all forgotten, a mere afterthought in the face of the lady's unnerving smile.Connel's hand dropped from Ariel's wrist as if burned. "Tori," he said with a clipped voice, "you weren't invited."Ariel's gaze snapped at him. Tori. That name hadn't come up- not once in their conversation, not in passing and certainly not in his silence.The woman; Tori, smiled at the sound of her name. It was the kind of smile that carried a thousand sharp edges. "That's not very welcoming, darling. After everything we've been through?Ariel looked from one to another, darling?The
Huling Na-update : 2025-04-12A love unscripted CHAPTER 6: THE WARNING
The next morning, Ariel woke up to an unsettling silence. There was no knock on her door, no breakfast plans, no sign of life anywhere in the mansion. The stillness was oppressive, like a heavy blanket had been draped over the entire estate. She lay in bed for a moment, listening to the quiet, trying to shake off the feeling of unease that had settled in her stomach. As she finally threw off the covers and got out of bed, Ariel walked over to the window and pushed the curtains aside. A grey mist hung over the grounds shrouding everything in a damp fog. The mist seemed to cling to the trees and bushes, making them appear twisted and foreboding. Ariel felt a shiver run down her spine as she gazed out at the mist- shrouded landscape.Her eyes wandered to the guest house. From her window, she could see the guest house nestled at the far end of the property. It was quiet, but not empty. She could sense that someone was inside, and she knew that someone was Tori. Tori was still here, somet
Huling Na-update : 2025-04-13A love unscripted CHAPTER 7: THE ECHO OF HER
Days and nights had passed, but the words of Tori remained. "I don't know what unsettles me more, the things Tori said or the way Connel looks at me," Ariel thought. "Like I wasn't there, like I had become something fragile he didn't know how to hold anymore."The silence in the mansion had grown thicker. It wasn't just the absence of noise, it was the stillness of unresolved questions, unanswered glances and emotions left unspoken. Ariel felt trapped in a house air seemed heavy with secrets. Each day Tori's voice seemed to grow louder in her mind.Ariel was drowned in thoughts, as Tori's words kept replaying in her head, "She said Vienna, she said ask why he picked you, she said I don't know what side I'm on yet." And the worst part? She might be right. "I came here with my own secrets, sure. But this place is full of shadows. Secrets in the wine, truth in locked drawers. Ghosts in people's smiles.” she thought to herself. "I want to believe he married me just t
Huling Na-update : 2025-04-14A love unscripted CHAPTER 8: FLASHBACK - VIENNA
The day blended into night with little ceremony. Ariel barely spoke at dinner, Connel on the other hand barely looked her way. And when the silence grew too loud, she slipped away to her room, alone with her thoughts.Down the hall, a different kind of silence unfolded.Connel sat in his house office, the scent of aged oak leather lingering in the air, the dim lights casting long shadows across the bookshelves. The glass of untouched whiskey reflected the soft amber of the firelight, stillness wrapped around him like a cloak. Outside the mist thickened into rain, soft at first then persistent tapping the windows like fingers trying to get in. He didn't blink, his gaze was fixed on the flames in the hearth but his mind had wandered miles and years away.Three years ago in Vienna.The world outside the penthouse was a postcard, all snow draped buildings and shimmering lights. The snow fell silently outside the high-rise window, blanketing Vienna in a peaceful white, but Inside the air c
Huling Na-update : 2025-04-15
Pinakabagong kabanata
A love unscripted CHAPTER 17: EMOTIONAL WAR
“You don't have to trust anyone,” Ethan said, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from her face. “You just need someone who won't let you break.”She wasn't sure if Ethan's kindness was real or another facade. But his voice was smooth and soothing and for a moment she let herself believe he meant it.Ariel didn't respond. Her eyes flickered to the distance, somewhere past the hedges of the garden, where the fog lingered low and the breeze whispered through the leaves.And far off in the corner of the garden wall, Connel stood unseen as he watched.He had been still, expression unreadable, hands clenched in his pockets, he had told himself it was just another routine check. But the moment Ethan leaned in close to her, something ugly shifted behind his guts and crawled up his throat. Connel turned away to leave.“Connel,” Ethan called out. “Leaving without saying hello.” His voice cut through the air like a knife.Connel paused and didn't move, then turned around slowly, “Just checki
A love unscripted CHAPTER 16: ONE STEP BEHIND
Days had passed, Ariel looked and felt stronger but she still couldn't give a clear detail of what happened, her mind remained a fog of fragments. It was fine, Connel didn't want to stress or overwhelm her, he wanted her to come to him when she was ready. He refused to be the storm to her still recovering calm.Outside, the rain fell heavily and endlessly, and hadn't stopped since morning. It tapped against the mansion's tall windows like impatient fingers that were relentless and restless to get in.Connel stood in his office, dressed in a black tailored two-piece that clung to his frame like shadow. He stood staring at the investigation board he'd mounted on the wall. It had Photos, maps, pins, red threads connecting timelines, faces and theories.But something didn't add up.“She was missing for exactly less than forty-eight hours,”he muttered to himself. “No ransom, No calls, no message, no demands.”He paced, frustration simmering under the surface.Watson entered, wiping the rai
A love unscripted CHAPTER 15: BACKSTORY- ETHAN
Ethan stood alone in the library, a room so vast it swallowed sound. Dust danced in the golden beams, the scent of aging paper, wood polish and something older. He moved his fingers tracing the spines of old books, many of which he'd never been allowed to touch as a child. Names embossed in gold, edges worn soft from the hands of others he had studied in secrets. Now no one stopped him, but the feeling of trespassing has never truly left.He picked up an old, carved wooden case tucked between a collection of old manuscripts. He slid it out carefully, the wood creaking in protest, inside lay a single weighty calligraphy pen - sleek and cold to the touch, it's surface a polished metal alloys, its surface golden on one side. It has once belonged to a set Connel used with their father.The pen had always been a symbol of power, privilege of the heir.Ethan let it roll between his fingers, feeling the weight of it.Memories spilled in without permission. His mother died when he was ten. L
A love unscripted CHAPTER 14: PIECES IN PLAY
Nico's words lingered like a knife sheathed too close to the skin.“Whatever this is, whoever took her, it's deeper than you even know.” He said, placing his hands on Connel's shoulder.“I didn't ask for a sermon,” Connel muttered.“You didn't need to. You think this is just about her?” Ariels a crack in the foundation. Trust me, there's more to come and she's just the opening."Connel's jaw tensed. “Then what do you suggest I do?”Nico turned to Connel, “You're a man who buried many men, sewed mouths shut, Crippled many bastards and still ruled an empire, you're a king.”Connel stood at the edge of the jet, staring intensely at Nico.“Keep Ariel close, Watch your back. Watch who you trust. You're a king many want to dethrone.” He continued. “And remember you're not the only one who knows how to play pretend.”The car tore through the quiet countryside roads like a bullet loose from steel.Connel sat in the backseat, his usually composed expression cracked - jaw tightened, one hand gr
A love unscripted CHAPTER 13: MISDIRECTION & SHADOWS
The private jet touched down just before dawn. Vienna was cold, wrapped in a silver fog that clung to the streets like secrets - thick and unforgiving.Connel stepped off the plane, coat fluttering behind him like a shadow, face unreadable. The wind greeted him with a familiar bite, one he hadn't felt in a long time .Watson followed, phone to his ear, speaking in low clipped German. A car parked at the sides with its light off. Behind the wheel was an old contact - Nico, a trusted fixer from the time before Connel's world went clean.Nico looked rattled.“You believe he's back?” he inquired, lighting a cigarette with shaking fingers. “After what happened in Spain, we thought that man was...”“I know what we thought,” Connel cut him off. “But someone knew exactly how to draw me here.”He handed Nico the message. “Recognize the phrasing?”Nico squinted. Then frowned. “It's similar but not exact. It's off, like someone copying a dead man's voice.”That was Connel's thought too.They wal
A love unscripted CHAPTER 12: THE TRIP
Connel felt drained, “I should have protected her, I shouldn't have let her leave the mansion. I should have kept her close.” he kept blaming himself.Watson watched, he knew and understood Connel was possessive and would go extra mile to protect what belongs to him. He knew he was secretive, Connel wasn't the kind of man to lose, especially when it came to people challenging him. “Who ever abducted Ariel, did this to get to him.” Watson thought.Connel turned the clickers around, moving it like it was a stress relief tool. “I knew bringing her to my world will cause threat, I knew she won't be safe and yet I did it.” Connel whispered.“Master Connel, should I place a call to him?” Watson asked.“No, I'll handle this myself.” Connel replied calmly.He kept staring at the message, “I still can't wrap my head around this. I know I have taken things away, which they certainly didn't deserve but this seems recent.” he muttered as he kept staring at his phone. “The sender was wise enough t
A love unscripted CHAPTER 11: KIDNAPPED
Three days passed.The mansion felt lighter and brighter. Tori's presence had Cast a shadow over every corner, and now, it was finally gone.Ariel emerged from sleep to a soft ray of sunbeams streaming through the blackout curtains. The air felt warmer and calm. She sat up slowly, listening to the distant clatters of humming and occasional laughter of staff. The mansion felt like a home rather than a fortress.She got into her dress and padded down the hallway. Passing by the hallway, she caught snippets of conversations.“Mr Connel seems to be in a better mood, isn't he? A staff member whispered, “She’s perfect for him, calming his nerves.” another replied.Ariel chuckled, waving off the idea of being someone's calm in the storm.Later, Ariel lay in the garden, legs placed across one another, with a book close in her lap but unread. A soft breeze moved and played with the ends of her dress; for the first time since she stepped into Connel's domain, she didn't feel like a guest; she f
A love unscripted CHAPTER 10: THE THREAT UNSEEN
Connel had gone away for a business trip and Tori had reappeared like she never left giving Ariel something to worry about.That night, Ariel returned to her room after a walk with Watson. The comfort she felt earlier had disappeared like vapor as she looked at the state of her room,closet torn apart, clothes off their hangers, shoes mismatched. A note sat on top of the pile in Tori's handwriting: “Even your thoughts aren't yours anymore.”Ariel backed away, breath shallow. Her fingers trembled as she closed the door, locking it behind her. She didn't sleep that night - how could she? Every creak in the floorboards made her heart leap. Every shadow under the door felt like Tori breathing in her ear.By morning, her body had given up on rest, her head throbbed, eyes heavy with exhaustion. She could barely keep the spoon from shaking in her hand.“Didn't sleep again?” Tori said sweetly, sipping orange juice. “You Should take melatonin or a stronger sedative.”Ariel didn't respond.But by
A love unscripted Chapter 9: The cracks in her mind
It started with small things - barely noticeable yet deeply unnerving. Ariel would walk into a room and something would seem out of place. A scarf she never wore, now tied neatly on her bedpost. A book she started reading was missing from the nightstand, only to reappear in her drawer. At first, she thought it was exhaustion, the pressure of everything building Inside her. But then came the whispers -soft and fleeting, always when she was alone.She began to lose sleep.The chandelier in the hallway flickered every time she passed as if mocking her. The distance in the mansion grew colder and uneasy. Then came the dreams - distorted memories of Vienna, of Connel and Tori dancing under the rain, Tori whispering, “You don't belong here.”Reality and illusion began to blur. Ariel couldn't tell the difference between the two, Tori's voice became a constant echo in her head. Ariel moved down to the kitchen to get water. Her hands trembled as she clutched the edge of the sink. Her reflect
