Chapter 169: Not Yet

Chapter 169: Chapter 169: Not Yet

Jackson drummed his fingers against the steering wheel to the rhythm of the radio. The streetlights illuminated the confident, relaxed curve of his smile.

He thought the night was a total triumph.

Zoya sat in the passenger seat and watched the city blur past her window. She mentally cataloged every word spoken during the dinner. She reviewed the seating arrangement, the loaded comments, and the exact placement of Janice’s hand on Jackson’s shoulder.

"You’re quiet," Jackson noted. He turned the music down a notch.

"I’m thinking," Zoya replied.

"That’s usually bad."

Zoya turned her head to look at him. The dashboard lights caught the sharp angle of her jaw.

"Your parents are wonderful," Zoya began carefully. "But your sister doesn’t like me."

Jackson let out a warm, genuine laugh. He merged into the right lane.

"Janice?" he asked, as if the idea was ridiculous. "She is just like that. She takes a while to warm up to people."

Zoya kept her eyes on his profile. "She doesn’t need to warm up to me."

Jackson frowned, his good mood hitting a minor speed bump. He glanced at her at the next red light.

"Then what is the problem?" he asked.

Zoya did not answer right away. She looked at the man she was going to marry. He was a brilliant corporate lawyer. He could negotiate multi-million dollar mergers and read opposing counsel like a children’s book. But right now, he was blind.

He saw a sister. He saw the girl he grew up with.

Zoya saw a rival marking her territory.

"Why did you never mention her?" Zoya asked instead.

The light turned green. Jackson accelerated.

"It wasn’t a secret," Jackson defended easily. "She was adopted when we were kids. We grew up in the same house. But she has been living in Europe for the last four years. We don’t talk every single day. She has her life, I have mine."

"And she just decided to fly back today?"

"She wanted to surprise the family."

Zoya filed that piece of information away. Janice had not come back for a holiday or a birthday. She had come back shortly after learning about Jackson’s engagement.

"Where is she staying?" Zoya asked.

"At my parents’ house for now. Probably until she figures out her next move." Jackson reached across the center console and took her hand. "Are you mad I didn’t tell you about her?"

"No," Zoya said. And she meant it. She was not mad at Jackson. He had done nothing wrong.

He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "She is just protective. We have been through a lot together. Give her time."

Zoya looked back out the window. She had no intention of giving Janice time. Janice had already used her time to declare war over a plate of roasted vegetables.

Back at the restaurant, the private dining room was quiet. The waitstaff had cleared the plates, leaving only half-empty wine glasses on the table.

Luca signed the check and handed the leather folder back to the waiter.

Andrea folded her napkin and looked across the table.

Janice sat with her posture perfectly straight. She was scrolling through her phone, pretending to be absorbed in a message.

"Why were you so cold to her?" Andrea asked.

The question sliced through the quiet room.

Janice looked up, feigning confusion. "Cold to who?"

"Do not play innocent with me," Andrea warned gently. "I am your mother."

Janice set her phone face down on the tablecloth. "I wasn’t cold. I was just making conversation. We literally just met."

Luca remained silent. He took a sip of his sparkling water. He knew better than to intervene when his wife was conducting an inquiry.

Andrea rested her hands on the table. She loved her adopted daughter. She had raised her. But she also knew exactly how Janice functioned.

"You spent the entire evening trying to make Zoya feel like an outsider," Andrea stated. "You brought up childhood memories she could not share. You criticized her schedule. You made a point to touch Jackson every time she looked in your direction."

"Jackson is my brother," Janice argued defensively.

"Jackson is a man," Andrea corrected.

The blunt truth hung in the air between them.

Janice broke eye contact first. She looked at the floral centerpiece.

"He is marrying a woman who doesn’t even know his middle name," Janice muttered. "She is a corporate shark. She will prioritize her career over him every single time."

"That is for Jackson to decide," Andrea said softly but firmly. "Not you."

Janice’s jaw tightened.

"I know it is hard to see him move on," Andrea continued. "I know you two were close before you left for Europe. But Jackson has chosen Zoya."

Janice met Andrea’s gaze again. The vulnerable daughter vanished, replaced by someone much more calculated.

"I haven’t done anything wrong," Janice insisted.

Andrea looked at her for a very long moment.

"Not yet," Andrea said.

Jackson pulled the car to a stop outside Zoya’s apartment building.

He walked her to the front entrance. The night air was crisp, and the street was empty. He pulled her close by the waist.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Jackson asked. His voice was low and searching.

Zoya looked up into his eyes. She debated telling him the truth. She debated explaining exactly what the lingering touches and the subtle insults meant. But she knew how it would sound. It would sound petty. It would sound like a jealous fiancée picking a fight over a sibling.

She needed facts, not feelings. She was a lawyer.

"I am fine," Zoya said.

Jackson gave her a highly skeptical look. "You always say that."

She smiled. "And you are always suspicious."

"I have reason to be."

He leaned down and kissed her. Zoya kissed him back, letting herself sink into the familiar comfort of his hold. For a few seconds, the restaurant, his mother, and his hostile sister faded into the background. There was just the two of them standing on the sidewalk.

Jackson pulled back just enough to rest his forehead against hers.

"Get some sleep," he murmured. "I will call you tomorrow."

"Drive safe," Zoya replied.

She watched him walk back to the car. She waited until the taillights disappeared around the corner before she swiped her key fob and entered the building.

Zoya walked into her quiet apartment. She dropped her keys into the bowl by the door and kicked off her heels.

She poured herself a glass of water and leaned against the kitchen counter.

Her mind went right back to work.

She thought about Janice. She thought about the way the other woman had looked at her. It was not the look of a protective sister worried about her brother’s heart. It was the look of a woman sizing up the competition.

He doesn’t belong in your rigid little corporate world.

The words echoed in Zoya’s head.

Janice wanted to play a game. She wanted to use history and shared childhood memories to drive a wedge between them. She wanted Zoya to feel so uncomfortable and so excluded that she would just pack up her things and walk away from the engagement.

Zoya took a sip of her water. A calm, dangerous focus settled over her.

She had faced down corporate tycoons. She had dismantled hostile witnesses on the stand.. She thrived in environments where people underestimated her.

Zoya had no intention of fighting with Jackson’s family.

But if Janice thought she could make Zoya walk away from the man she loved, she had badly underestimated her.