Page 134 of I See You

Heads around the table shook, but neither of them cared. They were locked in.

“Ireallydidn’tdoenough,”Dorianmuttered,sippingherdrink, her eyes never leaving Ariel.

“Ariel told me you had a man threaten her,” Henry said, his voice sharp, anger bleeding through every word.

All eyes shifted to Dorian.

Sevyn shifted in her seat, heart thumping—she already knew they were talking about Roman. But Dorian? Unbothered. Cool as ever.

“I didn’t have a man do shit,” she replied flatly, not giving Roman up for anything.

“It’s on camera, Dorian,” Diana cut in, her voice tight.

Steven looked between his daughter and his niece, suspicion narrowing his eyes. “Is that one of the same dangerous niggas Braxton was talkin’ about?”

“No, Daddy,” Sevyn said quickly, her voice firm but a little too fast. She was defending her cousin—and Roman—but lying through her damn teeth.

Dorian scoffed. “He was just making sure I was good. He wasn’t gonna kill the bitch.”

“You would’ve done the same for Ma or Auntie,” Dorian added, her voice calm but dead serious.

Sean and Steven both shook their heads, not even bothering to argue—because she wasn’t wrong. Nobody was safe when it came to their wives. Male or female. Blood or not. Disrespect one of theirs, and the consequences always came quick.

“He put his hands on her!” Henry snapped, voice rising as his fists clenched on the table.

“Watch that shit, Henry,” Sean warned, his tone low and deadly as he and Steven both fixed him with a hard stare.

Henry sat back, jaw clenched. He knew better than to bark too loud at the Love brothers.

Dorian leaned forward, calm but cold as ice. “She spit blood in that man’s face. What the fuck did y’all expect him to do?”

All eyes cut to Ariel.

“She got exactly what she deserved… for fucking what didn’t belong to her.”

Across the table, Ariel stayed quiet—until her mother, Reign, finally spoke up.

“Alright!” Reign snapped, but the moment Dorian, Sevyn, and their mothers all turned to mug her in unison, the temperature in the room dropped.

“Bitch, calm that tone before you end up just like your daughter over there,” Diana fired back without missing a beat, her voice sharp and steady, cutting through the tension like a blade.

Reign blinked, swallowing hard as she quickly adjusted her posture, her tone softer—careful this time.

“Ariel, we’re also here because you said you had something you wanted to share with everyone.”

The table shifted.

All eyes turned to her as she slowly rose to her feet, nervous energy clinging to her like a second skin. Her eyes locked on Sevyn, who looked back at her like she was nothing but air.

Not a best friend. Not a sister. Not even a person. Just nothing.

“Umm…” Ariel’s voice wavered as she looked around the table. Sevyn leaned back in her chair, lips curled in a subtle smirk, watching her squirm. The bruises Dorian left were still faint on her face, and Sevyn found a twisted satisfaction in that.

“I just want to say I’m sorry,” Ariel started, her eyes bouncing between Mr. and Mrs. Love and her own parents. “I know how close our families are—personally and in business—and I didn’t mean to complicate things with my actions.” Her voice cracked as she turned back to Sevyn. “Sev… you were my best friend. My sister. And I threw that all away when I stabbed you in the back. I know I can’t take it back, but I hope, one day, you’ll find it in your heart to forgive me.”

Tears spilled down her cheeks, but they didn’t move Sevyn. She took a slow sip of her second drink, unfazed, then looked her deadin the eyes. “Die, hoe,” she said coldly, and the table went silent as everyone’s attention snapped toward her. “Fuck this.” She stood, grabbing her purse, Dorian rising beside her without hesitation.

“Sevyn!” Trina barked, standing up.