He was your husband’s uncle

Alysha's confusion deepened as she struggled to comprehend the implications of Neil's warning.

Shaken to her core, Alysha felt a surge of fear coursing through her veins as she contemplated the consequences of her actions. "Shall we not explain them about the situation?" she asked, her voice tinged with desperation.

But Neil's response was swift and unwavering, his gaze piercing as he sought to convey the gravity of their predicament. "Alysha, you are young, you have no idea about Suegra family, and they're unpredictable. A number of hypocrites and crack heads are all in that family" he explained, his tone darker than usual. "If the Suegra family were to discover that you went to another man instead of your husband, they will stop at nothing to bury you alive!"

This was the last thing Alysha needed to hear. She had been dragged from her quiet life in a farming village into this glittering, treacherous world, where secrets slithered beneath every interaction, every whispered word. She was a foreigner here, without friends, allies, or a single person she could trust. But she was no fool—she could feel the poison of deceit thickening in the air around her.

The entire situation was wrong. Too wrong. And Neil’s actions made it clear that there was more at stake than she could understand. He recognized the man from her bed, of that she was certain. The way he’d paled, his reaction on seeing him, the terror that crossed his usually stoic face—all of it told her that the man she’d slept with was someone deeply feared, even within the powerful Suegra family.

But Neil was silent. He’d deleted every piece of evidence, erased all traces of her presence. Yet, he still refused to speak the man’s name, wouldn’t tell her who had been in her bed. Why? The secrecy weighed down on her, each hidden truth wrapping her tighter into the dangerous web surrounding the Suegra family.

Alysha took a step closer, her frustration surfacing as she pressed him, her voice trembling but firm. “Neil, why won’t you tell me who he is? Why are you hiding his name from me?”

Neil’s jaw tightened, his gaze averted as if fighting a battle within himself. Finally, he spoke, his voice low, his words careful. “The man you were with… he isn’t like anyone you’ve ever met, Alysha. He’s dangerous, more dangerous than anyone in this family.”

“But why?” she demanded, her frustration giving way to fear. “What kind of danger?”

Neil hesitated, and in that silence, Alysha felt the weight of the truth pressing in around them. “His name is Ivan Anderson Suegra,” Neil said finally, almost as if saying the name alone would invite ruin. “He’s not only Armin’s uncle—he’s Gabriel’s cousin, close enough to hold real power within the family. But Ivan doesn’t play by family rules. He creates his own. He has a reputation, Alysha. People don’t just fear him—they obey him, blindly, without question.”

A chill settled over Alysha as she absorbed his words, the name Ivan echoing through her mind. She could still feel his touch, the heat of his presence, and now the memory of it sent shivers through her.

Neil continued, his face pale. “Ivan answers to no one—not even Gabriel or Lilian. He’s like a ghost in the family, a force they try to control but never fully can. If he finds out what you know, that you were never meant to be with him, that this wasn’t planned…”

Neil’s words trailed off, but Alysha understood the unsaid threat. Ivan Suegra wasn’t a man who forgave or forgot. If he sensed betrayal or even a hint of deception, he would turn his wrath on anyone in his way.

Alysha’s mind reeled, piecing together the nightmare she had fallen into. Someone had put her in Ivan’s path, and now, with her innocence shattered and her safety threatened, she had nowhere to turn.

The car sped through the early morning streets, Alysha stared out the window, her mind racing, fragments of last night flashing in her mind like broken glass. She pressed her fingers against her temples, trying to make sense of it all. 

The realization hit her again, sharper each time she thought it: a Suegra had come to her room. But it was the wrong Suegra.

Ivan.....

Her hands clenched, the memory of his touch, his voice, the way he’d looked at her—it all flooded back with a sickening clarity. She’d been left to wait for her husband, for Armin, only for another man to take his place in the dark, someone far more dangerous.

She glanced at Neil, his face hard, his gaze locked on the road. He looked as disturbed as she felt, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel, tension radiating off him in waves. He knew something. He had to. But he was saying nothing, giving her no answers, only shadowy hints that led to more questions.

“Neil,” she whispered, her voice shaky yet demanding, “a man from the family came into my room last night. The wrong man. You know it, don’t you?”

Neil’s jaw tightened, but he kept his eyes on the road. “Yes,” he finally said, his voice barely above a murmur. “I know.”

Alysha’s heart twisted painfully, her pulse quickening. “So this wasn’t a mistake, was it? Someone wanted him there. Someone who knew exactly what would happen if he… if he…”

Neil exhaled sharply, his expression grim. “You were set up, Alysha,” he said, his words clipped. “Whether it was to disgrace you, to shame Armin, or to provoke Ivan into claiming you, I don’t know. But this was planned. And now you’re in more danger than you realize.”

Alysha felt her stomach drop as her suspicions were confirmed, the pieces fitting together in a horrifying realization. Someone wanted to ruin her, to pull her into a nightmare she couldn’t escape. And they’d used the most powerful, unpredictable man in the family to do it.

As they sped down the road, Alysha’s gaze hardened, her fear turning to resolve. She’d been thrown into a deadly game, and now, there was no going back.