Ryan tried to hide the papers when his mum snatched it from his hand. She straightened it and was about to start reading it's contents when her husband, Tahir came downstairs.
"What's going on here?" He asked, drifting the attention of everyone as all eyes were on him.
"I don't know too. I was just getting down to get something and eat when I heard the ruckus between these two. I don't even know what they're fighting about." His mum, Leah replied.
"What's that in your hand?" Her husband asked her.
"It's mine." Ryan said as he collected it back from his mum and went upstairs.
They watched him as he left with his sister, boiling with anger inside her. She always felt they favoured him as she thought it was because they didn't share same mum.
Ryan went into his room and locked the door, as though he was expecting someone to come in and disturb or yell at him.
He undressed and went into the bathroom, stepping into the shower, he had a cold bath.
He checked the time and it was past nine pm, he went out on some simple clothes to go for dinner before he was going to be called.
He had just finished hiding the adoption documents safely when a knock on the door distracted him.
He went to get it and low and behold, his sister was standing there at the door with her hands, folded across her chest.
"Can I come in or you're going to keep me standing at the door?" She asked him rudely.
He shifted from the door passage, giving her enough space to go in.
"Come in." He replied her as he closed the door after her.
"Why are you here?" He asked her.
"Why? Are you surprised to see me?" She asked him.
"If you came to call me for dinner, I was already on my way when you came in." He said to her.
"Yes I was but that's not the reason I'm here and you know that!" She yelled at him pointing her fingers to him.
"So why are you here?" He asked her, his question infuriating her.
"Why am I here? You're asking me why I'm here?" She asked him with her voice raised at him.
"Say what you want to say Tanya and stop being dramatic please." He replied her, not wanting to exchange any long conversation with her.
"Fine!" She said, letting go of her anger and decided to go straight to the point because he was dribbling with her mind.
"Tell me everything about that document you were with earlier or else..." She was about to threaten him when he cut her in, moving closer to her.
"Or else what? What will happen if I don't tell you? What will you do Tanya? Are you trying ti threaten me?" He asked her, moving towards her.
"Tell me everything I need to know in exchange for my silence." She replied him as she breathed closely to herself, as Ryan was closer to her.
"You don't know anything about it and yet you want me to buy your silence by telling you? Of what use is will it be to you?" He asked her with an evil smile played on his lips.
"I know the important part of it, I know it's an adoption letter, I k ow you adopted a child named David and I know that you added your nomenclature to him, Aryan Tahir Singh!" She told him everything as she blinked hardly.
Ryan gasped as he moved away from her and sat on the bed, facing the other side. She saw that he was calm but found it difficult to tell her about it.
"If I tell you it'll be if no use." He said to her.
"You don't want to get married, it it? Was that why you went to adopt a child snd gave him your name? Is that child going to be your heir?" She asked him in disbelief.
"What makes you think so?" He asked her.
"Because you never liked any girl since you were young. You dislike it anytime you were teased it ridiculed." She replied him.
She could remember when they were young. Ryan didn't like to associate with girls and had no female friend except his sister. Not even his female cousins was he free with.
He disliked girls for nothing in particular and that was how he grew up. His parents believed that he would change when he grew up and become a man but things didn't change either.
Some were brought to him but he rejected them all, not wanting to have anything to do with. Whenever he was seen with a female, it was either she was a client or a contractor.
He disliked having anything to do with females. Girls flirt over him but he was never moved by any.
He had what every girl could go crazy for, wealth, he was handsome, he was well mannered, smart, wise and everything a lady could ever want and need in a man.
"Tanya, you're my sister and I don't want to lie to you. I trust you but I have some things that needs to be kept personal and I'll appreciate it if you respect that." He said to her after taking a long sigh.
She wasn't convinced as she felt he was right, she was wrong to have bugged him over his personal stuff.
"Whatever it is will come to light soon. The pregnant cloud will always give birth when it's due, nothing can be hidden forever.
I'm only caring and seeking after your well being but you keep hiding it from me. This might be personal but concerns the family's reputation.
Did not say I didn't warn you when things gets out of hand!" She replied him as she left the room.
He followed after her shortly it she was already seated before he arrived.
"What's up with you two? Why the look on your faces?" His mother asked both of them after observing how Tanya looked at Ryan.
Ryan just shook it off with a smile and dished himself. They were through with eating dinner and everyone retired to do one thing or the other for the night.
Ryan went into his room and got into bed. He took out his phone and scrolled through his text messages but found none that was pending.
He went online and saw a lot of pending messages they popped in. He ignored them all as he went into the account of Haera.
She was offline as her last seen was six days ago.
He went to messages and texted her.
"How are you doing dear? Can you come online please if your not busy? Thanks." He sent the message after deleting and retyping twice.
He went back to her account to see if she had read his message and come online but she was still offline.
After waiting for five minutes, he went her a message "hi"
He closed his eyes as he waited for her to come online while he rested his eye balls. After five minutes, he reopened them and checked but it was still showing a single mark, meaning that she was still offline.
He closed back his eyes as he turned his phone facing the bed. He felt lonely without her.
He began to dream without sleeping. He imagined himself with her and remembered all the happy moments they shared together.
He began to wonder why he felt so comfortable and got so close to her. She was the first person he felt free with and comfortable.
Anyone who saw them together would think they were actually dating and not just friends. He imagined himself with her on an island as he leaned towards him, moving her face closer to his as he did same and was about to lock his lips with hers in a kiss when he opened his eyes from his dream.
"What am I thinking?" He asked himself as he felt deruled by her.
He turned on his phone and saw a WhatsApp notification. He checked through them but the messages were much to look for hers if she had replied him.
He opened his WhatsApp and smiled as he saw her message.
"Hello." Was her reply.
He smiled sheepishly seeing her message as he began typing her reply.
"How are you?"
"I'm good and you?"
"I'm fine too. Just missing you..." he was about to send the message when he cleaned it off, no, he can't tell her he's missing her. She'll think he was falling in love with her.
He deleted it and typed another message.
"I'm fine too."
"I got your message, sorry I saw it late."
"No worries...I want to hear your voice." He typed and deleted the message again.
"Can I call you? I miss your sweet voice." He typed and deleted again.
He wondered what was wrong with him.
"Can I call you?" He read the message fir some seconds which extended to a minute and two before he sent it to her to be sure it was in order.
He noticed that he replied her quickly without much time intervals. No, he wanted to delay a bit so that she won't suspect it.
He got so concious of what he typed to her and wondered why. He shook his head to clear it off and rearrange his brain to stop malfunctioning when he mistakenly placed her on a video call.
He looked at the phone and saw her smiling. He jumped up in shock to see her as she laughed at him. It then dawned on him that they were on call and his hand mistakenly pressed the video call button.
"I've seen this face before...the restaurant...the strange woman..." Ryan spoke to himself but to the hearing of Haera.