Page 10 of She will Always be Mine

“Sit down, everyone,” instructs my aunt as she brings the plate to the table. My mom moves to help her but my aunt holds her arm and asks her to go sit comfortably.

I have noticed my aunt can be assertive when she wants to be, and there’s no budging her. It reminds me of Riaan because he’s the same way, charming and getting others to do his bidding.

I feel his eyes on me like a constant heat source, watching me like a hawk as I take a seat at the table, intentionally sitting away from him with my mom on my right and an empty chair on my left.

I don’t want to see Mom faint for real this time if I make the mistake of going near him, even though him staring isn’t any better.

“Did you get a chance to meet Zain before he left, Sara?” asks my aunt.

“Oh yes!” my mom answers while passing the toasted bread around the table. “I had to thank him for booking my flight so I could surprise Nyra. You’ve raised him well.”

I see Riaan pause from the corner of my eye, processing my mom’s words, which were meant more for his ears rather than my aunt’s. He remains still, but only for a split second before he takes a sip of his coffee.

His movements are calm and methodical, but only I can sense the calculative look behind his eyes.

I mask my emotion when he tilts his face toward me with scrunched brows as if I’ll spill the message behind my mom’s answer.

I must not have hidden the guilt well because his fist resting on the table tightens and I have to take measuring breaths. If he learns that Zain sent my mom on the terrace to catch us, it won’t end well. All it will take is one single push to send him reeling into rage and his brother will bear the brunt of it.

Their relationship is already tearing at the seams and they wouldn’t be able to survive this. My mom, blinded by her anger, doesn’t realize she’s crossing a line in spite of being unaware.

“When did he book your flight, Auntie?” he asks, his voice holding an edge.

Riaan is no less sharp than a shark in this moment.

This man was sniffing for blood so he can attack.

He’s on the hunt. If I’m not too careful, he’llpounce.

Please don’t say anything, Ma,I pray in my head. Otherwise, he’ll figure out the truth. If it’s after Zain confronted him, then he’ll realize his brother planned it intentionally. I won’t be able to fix the damage it will unleash.

“It doesn’t matter.” I exhale in relief at her reply but tense when she continues, “What’s important is that I got here just intime.”

Riaan gives a chilling smile that I feel down to my bones, as a shiver races down my spine. It even makes my uncle and aunt pause and stare, but he quickly masks it, slipping back to his charming self.

Meanwhile, my heart races a mile a minute because this whole morning is turning into a landmine, one more wrong step and it’ll explode any second. If he and my mom spend any more time together, their animosity won’t stay hidden.

While Riaan has his emotions under control, I can sense my mom losing her calm façade while sitting across the man who kissed her very forbidden daughter.

She can dictate my behavior and influence my emotions, but not his.

Every time she’ll strike, he’ll hit back twice as harder.

He won’t even lose his breath while using her taunts and threats against her. Now, I regret not warning her. Then again, she never gave me the chance.

I’m still sitting on pins and needles, waiting to see if he’ll let it go or reply to her.

When his gaze lands on mine, I stop breathing.

Time stands still as he toys with us. I can feel my mom start to relax, assuming he’s backed down, but it’s exactly what he was waiting for, to let her think she won.

I plead with him with my eyes but fail when he slowly stands up, a beastly glint casting over his sharp gaze.

“Nyra,” he says my name. I tremble and he smirks coldly. “A word.”

Then, heattacks.

“Alone.”

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