CHAPTER 48: GIRLFRIEND?ZAHRA'S POV The leather seats creaked slightly as Dashiell moved to steer the wheels onto an unfamiliar lane. I could feel my heart sink into a pit of nothingness as I remembered that Dashiell hadn't said a word to me since we left the estate for Cheshire Avenue. And now, the silence between us was uncomfortably tense. I glanced at his side profile, his chiseled jawline, how his piercing eyes focused on the road, and the way he gripped the wheels harshly. "You know it's rude to stare, right?" he accused, his voice cold and nerve-wracking.I gulped and leaned back on my seat, "I know. I was just wondering why you haven't said a word to me all evening," I heard a low huff surge through his lips, "I needed time to think," "About what?" He hesitated for a second and replied, "About what I'm going to do with Arvall. And…about you," "Me? What about me?" I gasped, with my hands dramatically hovering over my chest. "I received a distressing call this morning aft
CHAPTERS 49: FAMILY 'AFFAIR'ZAHRA'S POV The next morning, I stirred awake, stretching my arms as the morning light filtered in through the large window in Dashiell's room. I slowly disentangled myself from his grasp, moving toward the bedside table to take my phone."10:14 am," I whispered, looking back as I heard Dashiell start to wake up."Morning," I greeted, shuffling around the room, looking for my flip-flops.He propped himself up, his head resting on his hand as he watched me, "Morning, baby." he answered, a smirk on his face.I rushed into the bathroom to take a shower, slipping my clothes off as the events of last night came rushing into my head. Well, not the near death experience, but, mostly the part where Dashiell asked me to be his girlfriend. And, now, he's calling me babe. Fantastic.I heard him knock on the door, "I'll use the bathroom in your room. Hurry up, we don't want to be late for the Sizzler's engagement event," I smiled, washing the soap off my face, "O
CHAPTER 50: MAYA ZAHRA'S POV I slumped on the space next to where Dashiell sat, his eyes focused on his phone as his hands tapped across the screen. He looked at me, his eyes scanning my distraught expression, "You took longer than expected," I sighed and dramatically stuck my bottom lip out, "I got my period," His eyes widened and he immediately made up for it with a cough, leading me to chuckle, "Do you need anything? I'll get it for you," he asked and I shook my head to say no.I leaned in to whisper in his ear, "I saw Adela in the bathroom kissing Maya," "What?" He gasped. "What on earth is Adela even doing here? She's not directly related to the Sizzlers," "Maya says she'll explain soon; They are planning on getting everyone out of here," I said.Just then, Micheal and Maya walked into the party hall, "Everyone! Please may I have your attention?" Micheal yelled, leading everyone present to turn to face them, including Aunt Maggie."Friends, family of the groom who is awkwa
CHAPTER 51: CAUGHT IN A LIE I stepped into the dinning room dressed in a simple white dress with my hair tied up in a tight bun.Adela and Maya were already seated, and I quirked my head to the side, a countenance of surprise on my face as I found Micheal sitting next to them."Dashiell is coming," I said to break the nerve-wracking silence.Micheal cleared his throat, "Yes, that would be good because I have troubling news to share with everyone here," Just then, Dashiell walked into the dinning room, dressed in his usual dark colored clothes. "Better to share whatever you have to say before we start eating, right? I wouldn't want to plunge a dirty fork into your eyes," he said, a hint of seriousness in his tone. Everyone turned to face Micheal and I noticed how nervous he was as he started to speak."So…after Maya left the Sizzler mansion yesterday, we had an unexpected guest." he paused and studied all our expressions. "Damian is back," "We know that genius," Adela snorted.Mich
CHAPTER 52: SMART CULLEN LENSESDashiell pushed open the door, and we stepped into our room. I felt passion flame within me as I heard the soft click of the lock behind us.I moved to sit on the bed, my eyes scanning how Dashiell took off his shirt and grabbed a face towel from one of the bedroom drawers.I stood up and took slow strides towards him. He looked at me, confusion evident in his expression. "You looked so hot earlier, when you were silently judging Michael," I started, my voice low and dripping with seduction as I drew invisible lines on his muscular build. "At that moment... I wanted you to rip my clothes off like what Adela did to Michael, and" He cut me off with a soft chuckle and tilted my chin upwards, his intense gaze rippling my insides. "Here I thought you'd be mad at me for saying I didn't trust anyone." I furrowed my eyebrows, feigning anger.I am mad. Trust is a vital tool for building relationships. But I understand why you said that. It's fine," He smiled a
CHAPTER 53: A TRAITOR AMONG US*Zahra's Pov*I paced frantically around Dashiell's study, my eyes constantly driving towards the large clock that was nailed against the wall. Boris was seated on one of the couches with his white briefcase kept in between his legs, and an Apple laptop opened beside him as he nibbled on the fourth bucket of Wingstop's chicken. He would often cross one leg over the other, his eyes fixed on whatever he was watching with his mouth as full as an oil barrel. While Dashiell sat on his swivel chair, his eyes buried in a stack of paperwork. He glanced at me occasionally but said nothing. I guess he understood how paranoid I was feeling, due to how long we had been waiting for Aunt Maggie to come back.She had been gone for ten hours, and the first thing that came to mind was that Damian had killed her. Until every two hours, Boris would receive a disjointed signal from the Cullen lenses. Just then, we heard a knock on the door, snapping me out of my thoughts
CHAPTER 54: MOTHER?DASHIELL'S POV "Well, I'll come clean because I don't like to cut through corners. My parents sent me here to join forces with Damian. They said that it was the fastest way to get free a hundred billion dollars because we are kind of low on cash," my cousin, Siobhan Blackwood said, with a smirk on her face."Is that so?" I asked, avoiding her gaze while scribbling my signature onto some papers. She nodded and tilted her head, "Yeah. And, I'm glad they used the last of their savings to send me here, because I was tired of living in a house where everyone gambles," I looked at her, my expression Stoic and cold. "I gave your parents thirty million last month even if I wasn't supposed to," "They gambled it away. My mom bought new birkin bags for all the women in her social group. They host parties and sleep with men whenever my dad and their husbands aren't around," she confessed.I eyed Siobhan as those horrible stuff freely came out of her mouth. But, I wasn't su
CHAPTER 55: GIFTZahra's Pov*Ummi is an Arabic word that means 'mother'*I rushed to where my mother knelt, begging and crying for me to forgive her. "Get up, Ummi," I hissed, an annoyed expression on my face. She raised the pitch which she was crying at and started to roll her body at my feet.I looked at Dashiell who just shrugged and sighed before getting up. "Her name is Maryam," I mouthed to Dashiell, and he sent me a thumbs up. "Maryam," Dashiell called, his voice stern and commanding. She got up immediately and put her palms together. "My darling Zahra, please forgive me. I am so sorry, please. I have wronged you so much, and you are my only daughter." I shut my eyes for a second, trying to control the anger that was brewing within me. "Ummi, I don't want to get angry at you now. I am in a very good mood, and seeing you here has caused my happiness to drop drastically. So, please leave." Her cries increased, and I stomped my feet and shot an angry look at Dashiell, who i