A Haunted Mansion 2023 Fanfic.

(Hatbox Ghost/Alistair Crump x OC; Emily De Claire)

Content warning:blood, violence, murder, toxic relationships, manipulation, gaslighting, implied non-consensual encounters.

Emily De Claire was not one would describe as an intrusive person.

She wasn’t the type to go snooping around or eavesdrop on conversations or affairs that weren’t her own.But, one could suppose curiosity got the better of us all eventually. And that was what had happened to her.

Not long after their wedding Emily noticed strange behavior from her new groom, a wealthy aristocratic man known by all as — Alistair Crump.

The only son and offspring to the Crump estate, a well respected family of business tycoons. And he was no exception, though by the time he was born his families wealth had grown so exponentially that he’d truly never have to work a good old day in his entire life…

Comfort and luxurious living that was not an issue with him, but rather his characteristics.

Often stoic or quite man, never one for public appearances unless it was at one of his many notorious and lavished ballroom parties he had become known for throwing ever since he had inherited the estate from his late father.

One simply looking in would be left wondering how a man like him had won the heart of the ever lovely and much sought after Emily.

A beautiful maiden with a lovely personality and heart to match. Many thought it was his wealth that attracted her to him. While he wasn’t an unattractive young man by any mean his personality could leave much to be desired when it came to whether or not he’d be an appropriate husband to any young lady.

But it wasn’t, in truth — Emily was a hopeless romantic.

She believed in such things as ‘live at first sight’ and ‘true love’ and she would swoon over simple gestures of affection as ranging from hand holding, kisses, flowery gifts, and even mere complements.

And those were gestures one Mr. Alistair Crump had given and offered her. Emily could still recall it vividly their first meeting, one of his grand parties. How he moved through the crowd and stopped right in front of her with a gentlemen’s smile she found so charming.

“

Ms. De Claire,” he had breathed out, he said it in such a way as if he’d known her family and her for years. A comfort to it. He leaned down as his hand reached out to grab one of her gloved own and placed his lips against her knuckles and laid a gentle kiss upon them.

From that point on it was too late for Emily, she was smitten.

And the day he proposed was one of the happiest moments in her life.

She thought nothing could ruin the fantasy life that would follow afterwards for her. They’re love only growing stronger over time and children soon filling their lives as well as they grew old together......

But that was the lie she had created for herself, a lie she clung to in hopes that someday it’d become reality. The reason she tried to wither him for so long.

Emily was an optimist and naive.

And that was the key difference between them, Alistair Crump was, in his mind, a realistic man.

But mostly cruel.