Engaged to My Sister. Obsessed With Me.

Chapter 18- RHEA'S POV

Normally, I always arrived earlier than everyone else, but today even though I was twenty minutes ahead of the scheduled time, everyone was already here.

“Hey, everyone,” I said, forcing my chin up in greeting.

Silence.

Definitely expected that.

Vanessa kept applying her makeup, Dad was on his laptop, there’s no such thing as taking a break for him, and Mum was…

My eyes moved around the plane, searching for her.

“Where’s Mum?” I asked Vanessa, still looking around.

“Ask Dad,” she replied without sparing me a glance.

I turned to him. He was seated by the window, completely absorbed in his screen.

I watched him for a moment, wondering how to even ask.

After a while, I finally spoke. “Dad…”

He didn’t look up.

“Is Mum not coming?”

No reply.

I didn’t bother asking again. I took a seat in front of Vanessa.

If Lana were here, I wouldn’t even bother trying to interact with my family. It was useless anyway.

I used to care about the distance between us when I was younger. Now, I’m used to it.

I wonder if things would’ve been different if we weren’t rich, if everything wasn’t always about status and power.

I pulled my phone out of my bag and swiped the screen.

A notification popped up from Lana.

I opened the chat, and the second the image loaded, my grip on my phone tightened.

She wasn’t joking.

In the picture, she was on top of Mike, pinning him down on my bed.

My bed!

I'm definitely ordering a new one when I get back.

Anger flared instantly. She didn’t even wait for me to get to the Hamptons.

Mike had this stupid grin on his face, and Lana, barely dressed, looked way too comfortable in my space. I didn’t need details to know where that was heading.

My jaw clenched as I typed.

ME: I’m so going to kill you!

Her reply came almost immediately.

LANA: Do you have a spare condom here?

I scoffed under my breath. She was doing this on purpose, pushing every single button she knew I had.

ME: GET OUT OF MY ROOM!!!

She started typing again.

I waited, already annoyed, already bracing myself.

A new image came in.

I opened it and immediately froze.

My eyes widened. I dimmed my screen fast, checking if Vanessa saw.

My heart raced, not from shock alone, but from the sheer audacity of her.

Another message popped up.

LANA: Sheesh, Rhea… this is some big dildo.

I shut my eyes briefly, dragging a hand down my face.

Unbelievable.

Absolutely unbelievable.

ME: YOU ARE DEAD TO ME.

ME: I hope you get an STD.

ME: I’M BUYING A NEW MATTRESS. A NEW BED. A NEW APARTMENT.

I hit send on all three, fingers shaking. Childish? Yes. Satisfying? Also yes.

LANA: Relax. I put a towel down.

LANA: Your dildo has better taste than your taste in men btw.

I locked my phone and shoved it into my bag like it personally offended me. My face was hot. Vanessa’s eyes flicked up for half a second, then back to her compact mirror.

Great. She probably saw.

A hand grabbed my shoulder, and I flinched, turning around as fast as I could.

“Mom,” I said with relief. I’m so glad I locked my phone when I did.

“Hi, Mom,” Vanessa greeted.

She had a small smile on her face. “How are both of you?”

“I’m okay. Where were you?”

“I wasn’t feeling well, so I had to wait for Charles for a check-up.”

Charles was the family doctor.

Mom didn’t look good. Even with the smile, it was obvious.

“Are you okay?” I asked, worried.

She cupped my cheek. “I’m fine, baby.”

My mom had always been the only person in this godforsaken family who cared, at least a little about us.

She wasn’t always there, but at least she didn’t ignore me like my father.

“Where’s Lana?” Mom asked, glancing at the empty seat beside me.

Vanessa raised her head. “That’s true. Where’s Lara?”

She’d started calling Lana Lara too, just because she found it funny.

“She’s not coming.”

I didn’t really want to go into details, but I knew Mom was going to ask.

“And why is that?”

Just like I expected.

“She’s busy,” I said quickly.

“Busy with what?”

Busy getting freaky on my bed.

I forced a small shrug instead. “Just… stuff. You know how she is.”

Mom didn’t like my answer but she didn’t push further. Instead, she moved to sit beside Dad. She rested her head lightly on his shoulder, and for a moment, his fingers actually paused on the keyboard.

Mom reached for his hand.

And he… held it gently.

I blinked, watching them.

Didn’t know they still did that.

For a second, it felt strange. Like I was watching a version of them I didn’t grow up with.

The engines roared to life, a low vibration humming through the cabin as the plane began to taxi down the runway.

I shut my eyes and leaned back into my seat, letting out an exhausted sigh.

“Vanessa, is Darnell still joining us?”

My heart stopped and my eyes snapped open instantly.

I did not just hear that…

I turned sharply toward Mom, my pulse jumping.

“He’s coming?” My voice came out sharper than I intended.

My heart started pounding fast and uneven, like it was trying to warn me.

“Yeah,” Vanessa said slowly, staring at me now, clearly picking up on my reaction. “He said he has some work to take care of. He’ll meet us there.”

I didn’t respond.

Couldn’t.

My mind went blank for a second, then everything rushed back all at once.

My hands started to shake.

When I thought I was finally getting away from him…

He was still going to be there. I looked through the window, my mind racing with different thoughts and how the encounter would possibly play out.

I closed my eyes again, but his voice still slipped in anyway.

Did you miss me?

My fingers curled into the armrest.

Why is the universe always f*****g with me?