All Chapters of My Dearest Beautiful Cousin: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

ANNA She was already reaching for the coffee pot when the kitchen lights clicked on behind her. The sudden brightness made her squint. Enoch stood in the doorway in yesterday’s trousers and a fresh white shirt, sleeves rolled exactly the way she had catalogued six years ago and never stopped noticing. His hair was still damp from the shower. She told herself the observation was purely factual. “Morning,” she said, voice light enough to pass for normal. She poured two cups because her hands needed something to do. “You look like you slept zero hours. That makes two of us.” He didn’t answer. He crossed the room, took the mug she offered, and set it down untouched. The silence stretched until it felt like another person in the room. Anna leaned back against the counter. The marble was cold through her thin pyjama shorts. She had chosen the shortest pair she owned on purpose. Petty, yes. Effective, apparently. His gaze flicked down once before it locked on her face. “So,” she sa

ANNA Her mother stepped out of the arrivals hall dragging the same battered suitcase she had used for every holiday since Anna was twelve. The sight hit like a soft punch. Anna stood frozen for half a second, then moved. She met her halfway, arms already open, and let herself be folded into the vanilla-and-flour hug that still smelled exactly like home. “You came,” Anna said into her mother’s shoulder. The words came out steadier than she felt. “Of course we came.” Her mother pulled back, cupped Anna’s face, thumbs brushing under her eyes like she could wipe away the last three weeks with touch alone. “You sounded tired on the phone. And Enoch said the guest rooms were ready.” Dad appeared behind her, slower, carrying the duty-free bag like it might explode. His eyes found Enoch first. They always did. “Son,” he said, the word warm and automatic. He clapped Enoch on the shoulder the way he used to when Enoch was twenty and still pretended he wasn’t watching Anna across every

ENOCH Enoch closed the study door behind them. The click sounded louder than it should have. His mother did not sit. She walked to the window, arms folded, and looked out at the grey stretch of river like it had personally offended her. He stayed by the door. Evelyn turned. "You brought her here.""She works with me.""Annabelle." His mother said her name with disapproval. "In your apartment. In your company. Looking at you the way she does. Are you even thinking clearly?"Enoch crossed to the desk. He picked up the single pen lying there and set it in the tray. Small movements. "She's good at her job," he said."That is not what I'm talking about and you know it.""Mother.""Don't use that tone. I'm not one of your board members." She turned from the window fully now, arms still folded, and he could see the thing behind her eyes that she almost never let out. Grief wearing anger's face, which was worse. "I watched you miss three family Christmases because she was going to be

ANNA“Explain something to me,” Maya said. “How are you rich, hot, and able to cook? That feels deeply like fantansy.”The kitchen smelled like fresh basil and something smoky that Enoch had thrown together in the twenty minutes they’d been gone. Maya, never one to waste time on decorum, hopped onto the stool closest to the island and stole a cherry tomato straight from the salad bowl.Enoch glanced over his shoulder as he plated the food, amusement flickering across his face. “I try not to reveal all my red flags at once.”“Anna,” Maya said gravely, “blink twice if he’s keeping you here against your will.”Anna rolled her eyes, arms folding tighter across herself. “Please stop talking.”Maya mimicked Anna in a childlike tone and stuck out her tongue.“You’re exhausting,” Anna muttered. “And yet beloved.”Enoch laughed under his breath and slid the plates across the marble one by one. He set Anna’s plate down last, closer to her than necessary. Their fingers brushed when she reached

ANNAShe had barely taken three steps toward the canapé table when Daniel appeared at her elbow, sharp smile already in place. He had clearly been waiting for the exact moment Enoch's hand left her back."You are simply the most gorgeous woman I have ever set my eyes on tonight."The laugh burst out of Anna, and she couldn't stop it. Not that she tried. Her ribs were squeezing tight as a result."You always know exactly what to say, don't you? It's almost suspicious.""Only around you. Everyone else gets the corporate version." He chuckled."Flattery at a charity gala. Are you having fun, Daniel?"His grin widened as he offered his arm. She took it. Refusing would only feed the gossip mill, and the entire room was still watching them. His sleeve felt warm under her fingers. Safe. Predictable. Everything she had written on that stupid list.They drifted along the edge of the dance floor. He talked about the Mercer account and cracked a rehearsed joke about the string quartet while his t