Page 133 of I See You

Sevyn laughed, already nodding in agreement, but before either of them could call for the server, Steven cut in. “Wait. Before we order anything, we’re waiting on another family.”

Both Sevyn and Dorian blinked, confused.

“Oh, but we were late,” Sevyn mumbled under her breath, half joking.

“They’ve already been here,” Trina replied, overhearing her daughter’s comment. “We were just waiting on you two to finally show up.”

Minutes later, the restaurant doors opened again, and out walked Steven and Sean’s business partner, Henry Caldwell, with his wife Reign right beside him.

But what made Sevyn and Dorian go cold was the person trailing behind them.

Ariel.

Still sporting a faint cut on her lip and a dark ring around her eye from the last time she saw Dorian.

Sevyn felt her body tense instantly. Her hands balled in her lap. She had sworn to herself—and to Dorian—that she would never speak to, look at, or breathe the same air as Ariel again. But here she was. And Sevyn’s instinct was to leap across the table and finish what her cousin started.

Instead, she stayed rooted in her chair, jaw tight.

“Came for round two?” Dorian said, voice low and deadly, a devilish smirk curling her lips as her eyes followed Ariel to the far end of the long table.

“Dorian!” Diana snapped in warning, giving her daughter a look.

Ariel didn’t respond. She didn’t even make eye contact. Just slid into a seat like a mouse avoiding a trap.

“Why are they here?” Sevyn asked, eyes locked on Ariel like she was daring her to breathe wrong. Her voice was calm, but the fire underneath it was unmistakable.

“We heard what happened at the bank,” Sean said, speaking carefully. “Henry and I thought it was best to sit down with you three and get to the bottom of it.”

“There’s nothing to get to the bottom of,” Dorian said, eyes never leaving Ariel. “Ariel betrayed Sevyn. I beat her ass for it. Case closed.” Sevyn stayed quiet, but her blood was boiling—at her parents, at the audacity of this meeting, and at the fact that Ariel was sitting ten feet away like she belonged here.

Sevyn saw the waitress approaching, and before her mother could open her mouth, she cut in. “Give me your strongest drink on the menu.”

“Sevyn,” Trina warned, but Sevyn didn’t flinch as she turned to look at her. You have me sitting across from the girl who was supposed to be my best friend and fucked my boyfriend… and I’m not supposed to drink?” Her voice dripped with disbelief as she stared her mother down.

“Watch your mouth, Sevyn,” Steven added, tone firm.

Sevyn turned back to the waitress like he hadn’t spoken. “The strongest drink you got—make it stronger.”

“Two,” Dorian chimed in, unapologetic.

Their parents shook their heads, disappointed, but neither Sevyn nor Dorian cared. The waitress nodded, clearly picking up on the tension choking the entire rooftop as she took the rest of the table’s drink orders.

Once she walked away, the air thickened with silence—until Henry spoke.

“I just want to apologize to you, Sevyn,” he began, his voice soft, diplomatic. “What Ariel did was disloyal, disgraceful. You didn’t deserve it. You’ve always been good to her, from the moment y’all met. I hate that it had to end like this.”

Sevyn scoffed under her breath, rolling her eyes. She didn’t want apologies. Not from him. Not from anybody. She wanted to erase the memory of even knowing Ariel.

“We apologize too, Ariel,” Sean added.

Sevyn and Dorian’s heads snapped toward him at the same time, their eyes wide with disbelief.

“We don’t apologize for shit, Pops,” Dorian fired back as the waitress returned and placed two strong cocktails in front of them. Sevyn didn’t waste a second—she grabbed hers and downed it in one go, already knowing she’d need three more just to survive this table.

“Dorian! Look at what you did to her face,” Diana scolded, motioning toward Ariel, who sat silently at the far end of the table, a walking reminder of betrayal with a cut lip and the shadow of a bruise under one eye.

“She deserved that shit,” Dorian and Sevyn said in unison, not missing a beat.

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