Chapter Five
1220 Words
Elliott didn't blink.
“ If she's yours,” he said calmly, like he had all the time in the world, “ then it shouldn't be difficult to prove it.”
No one moved, not even Adrian. I turned slightly to him, watching his face carefully this time. He wasn't nervous, he wasn't unsure. But he wasn't moving either.
Interesting.
“ If you're going to do something,” I murmured, my lips barely moving, “ do it properly. I don't like half performances.”
He looked at me right into my eyes. That was the first time he looked at me that way when trapped in a very close range.
Then his hand moved, fast and controlled. It came to my waist, pulling me just a little closer. Not enough to shock the people in the room,but enough to start something.
He leaned in and then……
“ Well, well… I knew I walked in at the wrong time, but I didn't expect to interrupt something this ... .intense.” came a voice
The tension snapped. Adrian stopped,just short. I turned slowly….Ethan!
He walked in like he had just saved the room from suffocating. He had that same relaxed smile, same careless confidence. Like he wasn't surrounded by people who could ruin lives over dinner.
“ Don't mind me,” he continued, raising his hands slightly. “ Please continue. I'd hate to be the reason my dear cousin finally decides not to prove he's human.”
A few people let out quiet laughs. Relieved ones.
I folded my arms slightly, eyeing him.
“ You have very bad timing,” I said.
He grinned.
“ On the contrary, I think my timing is perfect. Last time I saw you, you looked like you were about to set something on fire. Now you're about to kiss my cousin in front of the entire family. That's what I call character development.” He said
I smiled
“ Still flattering, I see,” I said.
“ Always,” he replied easily. “ I like consistency in beautiful things.”
“ Ethan, if you're quite done inserting yourself into situations that don't concern you, perhaps you'd like to sit. You're late , as usual, and we were in the middle of something.. important.” Genevieve’s voice cut in.
Ethan sighed lightly, stepped forward, shifted one of the chairs at the dining backwards and sat.
The table was too long. Probably because it was meant for the whole family feast. Food was served with perfect timing and order.
No one rushed, no one hesitated. “ Seriously, are these rich people robots?” I thought to myself. Then I reached for my fork.
“Mother, I noticed you were interrogating Adrian's love life like it's a business proposal. I didn't realize romance needed approval from a board.” Ethan said as he broke the silence on the table after some minutes of silence.
“ It does in this family,” Genevieve replied calmly. “ Especially when it appears suddenly.”
That sank in actually.
“Adrain,” Genevieve said, her voice light, almost casual looking at Adrian's direction. “ It's good to see you adapting.”
I didn't look up, but I listened. And I felt a bit relieved that at least the showing of proof conversation was over at least for that moment.
“Circumstances change,” Adrian replied calmly.
“ Of course they do,” she said . “ Though some of us adapt more effectively than others.”
Elliott said nothing, but was watching. Always watching.
“ We've always understood what it takes to maintain this family,” Genevieve continued,her tone soft but carrying something sharper underneath. “ Control, precision and when necessary, the ability to remove what threatens stability.” She said
This time I looked up and towards her direction. I saw a gentle smile on her face.
“.... people who created unnecessary complications tend to forget that they are replaceable.” She added lightly.
My hand froze. Something cold slid down my spine. “Remove?” That word echoed louder than it should have.
The room stayed calm like this was normal. Like this was just a conversation. But it was never normal to me.
My fingers tightened around the fork. My mind moved somewhere else. My mind moved to my safety, and the unanswered questions I have.
The food slipped. A small piece fell from my fork. My hand felt weak and unsteady. For a second I couldn't breathe properly. Then the unexpected happened.
Adrian moved immediately. He picked up the fallen piece with a handkerchief and set it aside. His other hand came to my back, firm and grounding.
“ Careful,” he murmured quietly.
I tried to steady myself.
“ I'm fine….”
But before I could finish, he leaned in. Closer than necessary. His fingers tilted my chin slightly.
And then.. his tongue brushed lightly against the corner of my lips. A small, lingering trace of food I hadn't even noticed.
My breath caught. The room seemed to stop completely.
He looked at me just for a second and launched towards me carefully and calmly, he kissed me. Deeper, slower and passionately with his left hand on my waist now.
I felt something different,something I didn't understand for some reason but I didn't pull away. Because this wasn't acting anymore.
The room exploded
“ Alright!” Ethan laughed, leaning back in his chair. “ Okay that was gross and intense.”
“ Adrian Voss,” someone murmured from down the table, “ I didn't think you had that in you.”
“ Well,” another voice added, “ this is certainly new and I love it.”
Genevieve didn't speak immediately. But when she did her voice was softer and sharper.
“ That was.. impressive,” she said “ you took everyone by surprise.”
Elliott leaned back slightly, watching us with new interest.
“ Either way,” he said, “ it seems our concerns were premature.” But his eyes said something else.
Adrian pulled back slowly, his hand still at my waist. For a second we just looked at each other. And I realized something uncomfortable.
That kiss wasn't entirely for them.
After a while, I excused myself to use the rest room. The truth was, I needed space.
I had too many thoughts, too many questions.
I stepped out of the restroom, still replaying everything. The care and detailed attention, the kiss. The way I felt… to real.
Then someone brushed past me fast .
“Hey…” I almost shouted
But whoever it was walked too fast. Something fell, it was a piece of paper. I picked it up.
“ Excuse me…” I said but there was no response. The hallway was empty.
That was strange though.
I looked down at the paper, hesitated, then opened it. But when I did, my heart skipped at what I saw.
You don't belong here,you are fake!
My head was just spinning. This again?
Not just a feeling now, not just suspicion, someone knew.
Not about the relationship, someone knew me .
I stood there , staring at the words. Adrian, the kiss, the lies and now this?
And suddenly the biggest question wasn't why I was here. It was who already knew I shouldn't be.
- Writer
