5

Juniper’s breath caught in her throat, her mind racing to process what had just happened. The old woman’s accusation still echoed in her ears. You are not Sophia. Her blood ran cold as she stared back at Wyatt, his expression unreadable, a dark, knowing gleam in his eyes. The weight of the moment threatened to crush her. Just as she was about to stammer out an explanation, she heard a voice break through the tension.

"I'm sorry, she... she’s been confused lately," Sebastian’s calm voice floated into the room, and Juniper turned, desperate for a lifeline. He stepped in with a slight frown on his face, the tension in his posture only slightly easing the suffocating air between them. "This is our grandmother. She suffers from dementia and keeps forgetting things. She kept insisting on meeting Sophia, so I brought her here."

Juniper’s head snapped back toward the old woman, her heart still hammering in her chest. The accusation still burned in her ears, but now it seemed somehow... distant. The old woman blinked at her, seemingly lost again, as if the moment of recognition had already passed. Juniper’s stomach twisted into knots, and the sweat that had begun to bead on her forehead intensified. She could feel the weight of Wyatt’s eyes on her, the silent pressure building.

She glared at Sebastian, her hands slightly trembling. Why hadn't he warned me? A surge of frustration rose inside her.....Family introductions? Really? She shot him a look, sharp and loaded with the anger she was too terrified to voice.

But Sebastian didn’t seem to notice, or maybe he was deliberately ignoring the tension between her and Wyatt. He turned to his grandmother, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "Grandma, it's okay. This is Sophia. I know you want to see her."

Juniper’s breath hitched at the name, but she quickly recovered, trying to mask the panic that flooded her chest. This was not the time to break down, not when her world seemed to be shattering into a million pieces.

Sebastian smiled reassuringly at the old woman, but Juniper could feel every fiber of his being pricking her nerves, the confusion boiling over as she realized just how little she knew about his family.

She needed to act fast, make this right, make it seem normal.

Her gaze flickered back to Wyatt, but he hadn’t moved, his stance unmoving, his eyes still locked on her like a predator. Juniper’s throat tightened, but she forced herself to take a step forward, turning toward the old woman. The woman’s face was still a blur of confusion, her wrinkled hands clutching her cane, eyes unfocused as if she were in a haze.

"Grandma," Juniper said softly, forcing her voice to sound steady, warm. She extended her arms slowly, her palms open. "It’s okay. I’m Sophia. I’m here. You’ve been wanting to see me, right?"

The woman blinked again, her eyes momentarily clearing as she gazed up at Juniper, her features softening. Juniper reached out, wrapping her arms around the fragile body of the old woman. She could feel her trembling, could smell the faint scent of lavender and old age on her skin.

"Everything’s fine," Juniper whispered, her voice a little shaky but firm. "I’m here now. I’m here."

For a moment, the old woman clung to her, and Juniper held her tightly, hoping the act would make everything seem normal again. The warmth of the hug, the genuine fragility of the old woman in her arms, made the weight of the lie feel heavier.

The seconds stretched as Juniper maintained the embrace, her mind a blur of guilt and anxiety, trying to ignore Wyatt’s piercing gaze. She could feel him studying her every move, reading the subtle tremor in her hands, the way her shoulders tensed, but she couldn’t break now. Not in front of Sebastian. Not in front of the grandmother.

Finally, the old woman seemed to relax into her, muttering something under her breath. "Sophia... you came back to me..."

Juniper swallowed, forcing the lump in her throat down. "Yes, Grandma. I’m back."

Sebastian’s voice broke through the moment. "See? Everything’s okay now." His words were soothing, but Juniper could still feel the weight of his previous silence, of his failure to warn her. She wanted to pull away from the embrace, to turn on him, to scream at him for putting her in this position. But she couldn’t. Not with Wyatt watching.

Slowly, Juniper let go of the old woman, glancing one last time at Wyatt. His face was inscrutable, but his eyes held something dark, something that made her stomach turn. She wasn’t sure if he bought the act, but for now, it would have to do.

"Brother! You didn't tell me, Grandma will be coming to meet me." Juniper gritted her teeth staring at Sebastian.

His expression seemed more shocked than normal, like he had seen a ghost.

Wyatt's chuckle broke the awkwardness...

Wait? Was it unusual for Sophia to talk this way? Did I say something Sophia wouldn't say? Juniper thought.

She took a deep breath, gathering every ounce of control she had left. “Everything’s fine,” she whispered, looking at Sebastian.

"I'll head over, I have a meeting," he said coolly, as if the tension between them meant nothing.

Juniper watched him leave, her chest tight, heart still racing from the moment with his grandmother. She hadn’t expected this, the sudden eruption of confusion, the accusations. Her body was still trembling, trying to hold on to the illusion of control. But Wyatt’s calm departure didn’t make the storm inside her any easier to weather.

Before she could even process what had just happened, Sebastian’s hand shot out, grabbing hers with force. His grip was unrelenting, dragging her towards the door as the bodyguards moved to escort the elderly woman back to the mansion.

"Come on," Sebastian’s voice sounded irritated, as if he were already preparing for the worst. The bodyguards made their way out, but Sebastian didn’t let go of her wrist. His fingers dug into her skin, sending a cold shiver up her spine.

Once they were outside, Sebastian practically shoved her into the back of the car, slamming the door behind them. Juniper’s pulse quickened, the anxiety swirling inside her chest. She didn’t know what was coming next, but the fury in his eyes made her stomach churn.

"Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?" Sebastian hissed, his voice low, dangerous. He was inches from her now, his anger palpable in the confined space of the car. "You could've messed up everything. Wyatt… if he finds out, he can wipe out your family as well."

Juniper swallowed, her throat tight with fear. The last thing she wanted was to show weakness, especially in front of Sebastian, who was already seething with rage.

“I didn’t ask for this,” she shot back, her voice trembling only slightly, trying to match the intensity of his words. “You didn’t tell me about your family or their… issues,” she added, trying to keep her tone steady, despite the knot in her stomach.

Sebastian’s face twisted with fury, and before she could blink, he was leaning over her, his breath hot against her face. "Aren't you trying to know too  uch about my family?"

Juniper’s breath hitched, and her mind scrambled for something, to defend herself. She could feel the raw anger radiating off of him, but something inside her snapped. She had to stand her ground, no matter how terrified she was.

"You can't expect me to be someone I’ve never known. Someone who isn’t me!"

Sebastian froze, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he leaned even closer, so close that she could feel his breath against her cheek. "I don’t care who you think you are, Juniper," he growled. "You’re in this now. You have no choice but to play the part I gave you. Or else..."

He grabbed her neck, pressing it with force.

Her heart skipped a beat at the implied threat, and she could feel the cold pressure of his anger suffocating her, but Juniper wasn’t going to back down.

Her chest rising and falling, trying to inhale all the air around her... quickly as she looked him straight in the eyes. "You need me, Sebastian," she said, her voice sstruggling to breakthrough, her words cutting through the tension.

His grip loose...

"Don’t think for a second you can do this alone. You can’t. You need me to play this role. And if I’m going to do this, I need to know who I’m supposed to be. I can’t pretend to be someone I don’t know."

Sebastian’s gaze flickered, his jaw tight, and for a moment.

He took out his phone, dialling a certain number. "I want a list of our family members and friends, with a brief detail about them...enough to hold a conversation in public, if met by surprise."

Juniper let out a slow breath, feeling the heat of the moment slowly settling down...

Sebastian’s eyes locked onto hers, cutting the call.

"You'll get a document tonight, study it thoroughly...if there's even a small mistake...you know what I'll do!"

He treatened her one last time before proceedig somewhere, she didn't know.