24. A Shocking Surprise

DAHLIA

The afternoon had gone by in a blur. After what happened with Dane, I couldn’t get the moment out of my head. It had, in a way, made me feel better after that note. Somehow his knowing eased what I was feeling, not to mention what he had told me about Amal. It angered me but there wasn’t much to do. I mean, I knew she was with baba for the money... However, to think she wanted him to die hurt me.

It was now evening and my plan had worked. I think baba was so used to me not bringing Aria to dinners that he never thought I’d plan this. I did tell Aria who we were going to see at dinner but I also warned her that baba could get quite angry due to his age. She confidently told me she’d manage his anger.

We were now both twinning, in matching red velvet skater dresses with rose imprints all over them. Accessorized with black and silver, I’d had our hair curled and pulled back in matching quiffs - with a single fresh red rose in both of our hair. We didn’t m