NALA POV
"What the fuck is your problem Nalayna?" he shouted in my face.
First ti seeing him lose his cool publicly and honestly it wasn’t cool.
"Why would you do that?" he scread, his nose touching mine. It would have been cute except I don’t have a kink for angry bulls.
"It ca out without thinking" I said soberly, now realizing how fucked up this was. We were beside Ivin’s car on the porch and he wasn’t taking it easy. His hands around my neck. It would have been cute in other circumstances but I was being choked to death.
"Ivin, my throat, release —" I begged, tears pooling in my eyes but Ivin seed angry and not budging. Even after I pleaded I had to resort to shouting but soon after he covered my mouth with his palm.
I was going to die.
Suddenly the pressure eased. My leg touched the floor. Soone else was punching Ivin, slapping him. I didn’t bother to check who before I ran. The gate was locked which left only one option, the open door of the mansion. I ran inside without thinking, tears streaming down my face.
The first person I ran into was the sa woman I’d just embarrassed.
"I’m sorry, I’m sorry I didn’t an to—" I tried explaining with my shaky voice.
She cut short with a hug pulling in warm and tight. For minutes I felt all the panic and sadness drain out of . My body went limp against hers because for the first ti since Ivin took , soone was holding like I was breakable. Like I mattered.
"I’m sorry—"
"Hush" she said softly before taking my hands and leading past the sitting room and hallway to another space that felt different from the rest of the mansion. This room was intimate and lived in with cream colored walls, floor to ceiling bookshelves packed with hardcovers most of them with her na on the spine.
A large window overlooked a garden, soft afternoon light filtering through white curtains. There was a plush cream couch, a reading nook with cushions, and the air slled like vanilla and sothing else. Sothing safe.
She sat down and I sank into the cushions, still shaking.
"I’m Nova Calloway" she said softly
"I’m Nala. Nalayna" I said quietly, my voice hoarse. "And I’m sorry I don’t know what ca over . It just slipped out. I’m not usually like this I promise"
She nodded with a warm smile, not looking pissed in any way as she rang for tea before facing again. Up close she was even more beautiful.
Effortlessly so with the kind of beauty that ca with money and power and a man who looked at her like she was everything.
"It’s all in the past and when it happened it hurt but now I’m immune to it so don’t beat yourself up over it" she said.
I wanted to believe her. "Even so, I’m sorry it’s still wrong of "
"It’s okay Nalayna, hope you don’t mind if I call you Nala"
"Not at all—"
The door was thrown open without even as little notice as knocking before Grant Calloway rushed towards .
"So you’re the one who has enough gut to co to my house and harass my wife?" The face I’d only ever seen on national TV, business magazines and social dia glared at like I was a piece of shit he planned to dispose of. Knowing there were rumors about him being mafia, I didn’t know how to feel.
I opened my mouth to talk but nothing ca out. My heart was thumping loudly and my palms were sweating as they shook against each other.
"Babe, babe, it’s okay, I’m okay, look at " I heard Nova say sweetly but I couldn’t even look up. For the first ti in my life I was about to faint and cry in abject terror.
"Babe" Nova said more softly. "I’m good for real I’m—"
"You should have slapped her as soon as she ntioned the tape" he bood more loudly. I still couldn’t et their gaze. The cushy rug beneath looked more attractive even though my vision was blurry from tears.
"No. No violence. You promised" I heard muffled movent as she walked back towards the doorway. I panicked. What if he kills before she returns? But thankfully she didn’t step out fully. I noticed from my side eye.
"Ivin. Please co take Grant. Both of you should either punch this out in the gym or drink it out of your system. Leave the poor girl alone, she’s frightened as it is" she commanded.
Few shaky breaths later they were gone and Nova was beside , running her hands between my shoulders.
"It’s okay. Let’s talk" she said softly. I arranged myself properly on the cushion while she sat opposite , giving space but staying close enough that I knew I wasn’t alone.
"You disrespected and that should never happen again if you like your head on your neck" she said with a soft smile as she arranged a pink blanket on her legs. I almost didn’t think she was the one threatening as her voice was a dangerous contrast to her warm eyes.
I nodded imdiately. Point taken.
"Now for the main reason why you’re here. My husband has a lot of accumulated workload from our month-long vacation and he would need his right hand man beside him to make work faster" she continued.
I nodded, still lost as to what that had to do with and my breathing was still shaky as well as my throat still hurt from Ivin’s hands.
"Ivin is his right hand man" she said firmly, looking into my eyes. It was then I understood the gravity of the situation.
Ivin is not just Ivin. There is more to Ivin. So much more.
"Your security is more important now as there are lots of people who want our n dead and they wouldn’t hesitate to use us to get them"
"Our n? n?" The sass ca back slowly, my voice still rough but steadier. "He’s not my man. He kidnapped and I’m here against my—"
"If that’s the version you prefer and it’s what makes you sleep at night" she smirked mischievously as if I was hiding sothing.
Weird.
My throat was still sore but I couldn’t help myself. "Actually I don’t sleep at night"
"Have you tried sleeping in his arms, on his bed, you know" she trailed off like I could fill in the gaps.
"Nova please, you saw what that man just did to " I said, not quite rude yet but getting there as my shock wore off. "He lifted with my neck using just one hand"
"Sounds like foreplay to " she blushed.
That’s when I felt the anger cut through the fear. The natural anger that was mine, not trauma-born but Nala-born.
"Ahem" I cleared my throat bringing her out of her naughty fantasy. "I’m still here, you know, as a stranger in your visitor’s room"
"Oh, you’re family now darling. For Ivin to have you in his house, you are more than important to him so that makes us family" she smiled warmly.
I was about to give a firm response when a knock sounded at the door. My body went rigid, muscles tensed. It must be Ivin or the still pissed Grant Calloway.
The door opened but it was a short older nanny carrying the most gorgeous girl I’d ever seen, dressed all in pinks.
The baby had dark hair like Nova, porcelain skin, and the kind of eyes that already held intelligence. She was chubby in that way babies are, perfect and unblemished. When the nanny set her down on the floor not far from , the girl imdiately crawled toward Nova, babbling softly.
I watched the way Nova’s entire face changed when she picked her daughter up. The way she held her like she was made of glass and diamonds. This woman had everything that I couldn’t afford; aman who looked at her like she hung the moon, very cute picture perfect kids and most importantly, Love.
Everything I didn’t have.
"She’s so cute, she looks so much like you" I said quietly, genuinely aning it.
"Thank you. It’s her dad’s prayer being answered." Nova said softly, kissing her daughter’s head before eting my face again. "You and Ivin should —"
"Okay" I stood up, hoping to gain more confidence while setting my boundaries. "I know I pissed you off earlier and I’m deeply sorry"
"Hurt. You hurt " she added dramatically, clutching her invisible pearls. Girl, talk about drama.
"Okay, I’m sorry I hurt you earlier but I think you need to stop saying and Ivin in the sa sentence. We. Are. Not. An. Item" I stood my ground.
"Okay so—"
"It’s not okay. He basically kidnapped and—"
"Then why are you not calling the police? You can have my phone"
"You know it’s not that easy"
"I think it is Nala. You’re either playing dumb or you’re both blind to the obvious"
I mulled over that for a few seconds. My eyes trailed after the pink chubby baby crawling and walking round the large room. It was then I noticed the bestseller plaques on the wall.
"You write" I observed rather than asked.
"Yeah I do," she said softly.
"Now that explains the matchmaking process you’re trying to practice with and Ivin. I’m sorry Nova but we are not your next bestselling project. Channel the energy to your fictional characters"
I saw hurt flash across her face but she masked it, went over to pick her baby in her arms before facing again.
"For the cold Ivin to bring you to his apartnt that even I have not been to, for him to drive you over to his boss and best friend’s house and for him to tolerate having you around, these are solid clues but it’s up to you. We will be around each other more often now so I guess it’s better we start on a clean sheet" she smiled wider but warr this ti.
"I’m sorry Nova, I didn’t an to—"
"I will show you to your room. Once the n start on a project like this Ivin might not go ho for weeks"
"Weeks?" I gasped. "I need to call my brother"
"Like hell you would. Carrot top" Ivin’s voice ca from the doorway, dark and final.
I spun around to find him leaning against the fra, jaw tight, eyes locked on . Behind him Grant stood, shoulders broader, expression colder if that was possible.
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