CHAPTER 7

(Alina’s POV)

What she asked hd made the hairs on the back of my neck stand.

I turned slowly,

And then I saw her.

Leaning against the hallway wall, arms folded, one perfectly arched brow lifted.

She was in high-waisted jeans and a fitted maroon top, her glossy curls falling around her shoulders.

It was my step sister Clara.

Of course it was her.

My mouth parted slightly, but no words came out.

My heart thudded hard against my ribcage.

All I could do for the first few seconds was stare with my frame frozen in the dim light.

“What…”

 I finally managed to whisper as my hand gripped the strap of my purse.

“What are you doing here?”

Clara did not  answer immediately.

She  Just gave the kind of smirk that wasn’t full amusement it was curiosity mixed  with accusation.

Then came the pause. A long, loaded silence. 

How the hell did she know I went out?

And not just that, but that it had been with a man.

Did she somehow know who he was?

Or worse still everything that had happened between us,?

My mind scrambled for logic, for cover, for an escape.

But before my thoughts could spin too far, she tilted her head slightly and said, in that breezy, mocking tone that always made my skin crawl:

“Oh, relax.”

 She waved dismissively

“I didn’t hack your phone or anything dramatic. I went to get takeout from Bella Figaro’s”

I blinked. That was the restaurant I had just visited with Damien.

“And…and  I had just picked up my order when I spotted you sitting by the window with some really… ridiculously handsome dude,” she added with a pointed look

. “I almost didn’t recognize you. You were glowing.”

My heart skipped at her words.

So she had seen us.

Me and Damian.

Sitting there. Probably leaning a little too close. Probably looking like we knew each other too well for a first date.

I swallowed hard, eyes wide. 

“Clara…”

“I didn’t interrupt,” she added sweetly to cut me off.

“Didn’t want to ruin your little romantic moment. Though, judging by how quickly he left, maybe I should’ve said hello.”

Before I could even respond, the sound of footsteps echoed from the hallway behind her.

We both flinched.

But I flinched harder.

Clara’s head snapped in the direction of the sound, and I instinctively reached out to hush her with a whisper,

 “Please… not now.”

The footsteps started to get closer. The steps of a man.

Then he appeared.

Our father.

His tall frame filled the space, dressed in his usual print shirt and dark slacks, reading glasses perched low on his nose. 

He looked like he was just returning from the study.

The moment his eyes fell on us, he paused.

His gaze darted from Clara’s crossed arms to the panic I was failing to completely wipe off from my face.

“What’s going on here?”

 he finally asked to break the silence.

Clara opened her mouth and at the same time I did.

We both started to speak at once.

Then she stepped back slightly and gestured for me to go ahead.

“Alina?”

I forced a light chuckle, trying to steady the tremble in my voice. 

“Oh, it’s nothing, Dad. Clara just surprised me. I wasn’t expecting her, and we got into a bit of a playful argument about… um, food preferences.”

“Food preferences?” 

he repeated, folding his arms slowly.

I nodded too fast.

 “Yeah. You know… pasta versus rice. She’s team Alfredo. I’m strictly jollof.” 

I added with a nervous smile, hoping it masked the rising anxiety in my veins.

He studied me.

Didn’t blink.

Didn’t speak.

Just watched me like he was reading between every syllable.

And then suddenly the vibration and  sound sliced through the silence like a blade.

It was my phone, it wasn't ringing in my bag.

My heart nearly stopped.

 I could tell who was calling even without checking.

“Damian”

Oh God.

Please no.

Dad’s eyes shifted toward the bag.

 “You going to get that?”

LI could barely breathe. My fingers twitched at my side, hovering toward the purse like it might explode.

I forced a weak smile.

 “It’s probably nothing. I’ll check it later.”

But even I didn’t believe myself.

And judging by the way Clara was looking at me neither did she.

The ringtone echoed louder now, somehow magnified by the silence in the room.

I could feel both of their eyes on me, but it was his own that made my skin prickle.

My father didn’t say a word.

He just kept watching.

But his stare was heavy with expectation, like he was giving me the rope to either climb out or hang myself.

I couldn’t breathe properly.

Clara stood off to the side, arms still folded, her expression unreadable but clearly entertained. Her lips pressed together like she was biting down a smirk, like she knew this was unraveling me.

I didn’t want to answer.

But I didn’t have a choice anymore.

With shaky fingers, I slowly slid the strap of my purse off my shoulder and unzipped the top flap. My heart was hammering so loud I could barely hear the ringtone anymore.

My hand closed around the phone.

Please don’t be him. Please don’t be him. Please…

I finally pulled it out. My eyes darted to the screen.

And I blinked.

It wasn’t Damian.

It was a number I hadn’t saved but I knew it.

I stared at it for a beat too long, frozen by something else entirely now. Confusion. Surprise. A new kind of tension crawling up my spine.

My father’s voice broke through the silence, low and mildly suspicious.

“Who is it?” he asked, his tone casual but I could tell it was anything but casual.

His eyes didn’t leave my face.

Not even for a second.

I swallowed hard and opened my mouth, the lie barely forming before my thoughts tripped over the truth again.

Because now I didn’t just have one secret I was trying to hide.

I had two.

And one of them had just come calling.