The Kidnapped Bride

"Oh, so she is your boss as well?" Sandra asked with slight displeasure on learning the same.

In response, Ryan simply nodded his head without trying to explain any further. Yet, the wording brought a sour and distant expression over Amaira's face.

'Boss's daughter? So you mean to say that I'm literally no one to you? Not even your friend?' At this thought of hers, Amaira's lips turned into a thin straight line.

It was a fact, hard to digest where she found this statement all lewd, "Not daughter but sister. Brother Javier is my brother and you work for him." 

She answered with the same aloofness mixed with a tinge of sarcasticness. Moreover, her eyes glowed with the glint of annoyance already.

Sandra rotated her head in Amaira's direction to say, "That is wonderful. Javier... I know him, he is Ryan's best friend. So, you are Javier's sister."

"Y-Yes."

"Perfect! That makes us friends as well." Sandra clapped her hands but her excitement level was totally in contact with Amaira's heartbreak.

Subconsciously, her eyes moved to glance at the man who simply appeared masked behind his shades. 'Too much of darkness he likes to keep…' and she isn't surprised as well. 

Without breaking her gaze from Ryan, she said, "You know, Sandra, Ryan never introduced you to us till this date. I was wondering why? Are you both…going through a rough patch?" 

"Oh, that must be because I live somewhere else. I came especially to meet my man.." just with this statement, Sandra's eyes sparkled with happiness when she pressed her lips on Ryan's cheeks in front of everyone. 

Her lipstick's mark left on his right cheek, making Amaira's eyes fire. Her throat felt the unimaginative hatred for her, yet the sadness already lingered around her heart. "T-That is..wonderful." '

"Yes. Why don't you join u-"

"Amaira." 

The voice from behind, made everyone look at the place to see a man in his leather jacket looking at the girl with a warm smile. "Shane…" 

"How have you been?" he walked towards her, to give her a tight hug before he broke the embrace. "It has been so long…" 

"Yeah.." Keeping her half-smile, Amaira was least interested to interact with the man who had appeared out of nowhere now. 'He would be the last person I want to talk to right now…' 

While he stared at the lady who was trying to hide her eyes from his stare, it made him frown. Subconsciously, his gaze lifted from her to see the two men, with one lady standing and talking to her. "Hey. Nice to meet you. I'm Shane." 

"Ellen." Ellen was the first one who extended his hands to shake. 

But when the turn of Ryan came, he didn't only extend his hand but also his deathly glares in the stranger person's direction, "Ryan… Javier's friends." 

"Oh, you must be Brother Javier's friends. That is good to hear." The man smiled but the smile never reached his ears as well. 

In contrast to him, Ryan was already feeling slight uncomfortableness around him. Uneasiness started a crawl under his skin where he didn't like the appearance of the man at all. 

'Why is he talking to Amaira as if they are close?' his eyes never missed how this so-called Shane kept his hands over Amaira's shoulder to press them. 

Already, his lips turned into a straight line, "May we know who you are then?"

"Uncle Johnson and my family are actually family friends. So, I and Amaira studied in the same school and now..in the same university." Shane answered while keeping his chin high and calm. 

But the answer seemed to disturb something in Ryan's mind when he recalled this name before, unfortunately, didn't find a single hint in his memories, "Friends…But as far as I remember, you weren't here years ago, were you?"

Before Shane would have replied, Amaira answered, "He came after you left for abroad. Our families used to meet a lot, so..that's how we came across each other." 

"That's wonderful!" Sandra said but to notice, she was the only person who was happy at this point, 

Neither Ryan nor Ellen felt these healthy feeling butterflies, unlike Sandra. While Amaira went through the turmoil of sentiments, at this point, all she wanted was to leave this space. 

As if sensing her will already through his heart, Shane asked openly, "I was going somewhere. If you are leaving then... Can we both go together?"

Without lifting her eyes, Amaira nodded her head as her grip tightened around her bag. Despite multiple attempts, her lips didn't part to utter a single word. 

It was her dishonor, as she can't find the specific reason for it. Was she hurt? 'Maybe this new revelation of his girlfriend is already enough for me to digest…' 

With this thought around in her mind, Amaira silently followed Shawn behind him, as he brought her out of the hotel, to make her sit on the passenger seat of his car. Opening the door for her, Amaira sat inside. 

At this point, her entire body could feel herself in a daze already. 

Closing the door on her side, Shane rushed to his driving seat, before their car dozed off at the speed from Ryan's gaze. 

With his stagnant gaze at the people who left, he could already sense something breaking inside his heart now. 'Shane… Why do I feel that you look at her in the same way I used to?' 

Gulping the saliva present, he lowered his eyelids to not let his mood be affected. Yet, it was already sour. 

"Darling, you were going to give me some sightseeing.." Sandra asked, when she kept her hands over his chest warmingly, "Are you fine?"

"Y-yeah...Ellen.." calling his name, he signaled him to take her to the car before he came and joined them. Giving Ryan a nod, Ellen looked at Sandra, "The white car you see outside. Go and sit there. We will be there..in a few minutes."

"Alright. You guys talk. I will wait for you both." With this, she walked outside leaving the two men alone to talk.

As they were left alone, Ellen stepped closer to Ryan when he kept his hands over the man's shoulders to look at his buddy with slightly worried expressions.

"It pains, right?"

....

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