Eshana's POV :
[ Recap~ ]
"OH MY! Briana, Sis!" We heard a scream and rushed to the entrance, startled, to see the scene that shook us to our core. Before we could realize it,
*Bang!*
there was a sound of glass shattering. We turned around to find Xavier who looked shaken up. What's weirder? Disha appeared to have seen a ghost.
"Anastasia" she mumbled to herself, which no one could hear but I could read her lips.
What's happening?
[ Present~ ]
I shifted my focus to the doorway, and I saw the dreadful state of the girl they claimed was Briana. She was completely covered in blood, yet it was remarkable that she could walk all the way up here without passing out. Some would even believe it wasn't her blood, but I could see a wound on her abdomen, as if she had been stabbed. Maddy shut her eyes and took grandma with her, unable to bear the sight of her. Everyone appeared agitated.
"Dammit! Call the ambulance! There's a lot of blood here!" As he came out of his trance, Zach exclaimed in shock. Just as he was ready to help her, Xavier beats him to it by lifting her in bridal style and placing her on the couch, unconcerned about the bloodstain.
"There is no need for an ambulance in this situation. We can look after her" Disha surprised everyone by bringing a damp towel and a bowl of water.
"What the hell? Take a look at her state FFS!" Xavier hissed at her. "It's not a minor cut. I'm going to contact the doctor." He said this firmly as he grabbed his phone from his pocket.
"Mr. Xavier Alexander Ashford, don't do something that you may regret later! It's not that we don't have a doctor here. Ridha is also a doctor, however, we don't need one right now." Disha's cold voice echoed throughout the living room, startling everyone, especially Xavier. No one had ever blurted out his full name, let alone warn him sternly. But one thing that everyone, including me, cannot understand is why she is so adamant about avoiding consulting a doctor or calling 911. I'm completely perplexed. Not just that but,
Who is Briana?
How is she in this state?
Who did this to her? and most of all, how does she look fine even after the blood loss? Any normal person would have definitely fainted.
He was ready to snap at Disha as he didn't like the tone she used or the girl's miserable state when he was interrupted abruptly by an unfamiliar voice,
"She's right, Mr. Knight" the girl, Briana added, "Thank you for your concern, but there's no need to contact the doctor," she assured him as her voice wavered. She seemed to be in desperate need of rest. Xavier sensed it as well and took her into one of the rooms, followed by Disha, who motioned Ridha to join her with a first-aid kit. Aunt Amelia went to get them some drinks as everyone was exhausted from the commotion.
I stood there, unsure of what to do. I wanted to ask Disha whether she knew Briana, but I figured that if she wanted to tell us, she'd tell it on her own.
"Eshana?!" I was taken aback by the loud voice. I glanced up to see Zach standing close to me, examining my face for something. How long had I been engrossed in thoughts that I hadn't noticed him standing close to me?
"Sorry for startling you, but I called you out several times. Are you okay? What were you thinking?" He inquired, concerned.
"Oh, nothing at all. Just thinking about the incident" I whispered, looking down, as I fidgeted my fingers with my shawl, a habit that I have when I'm nervous. He nodded in understanding to my response, and my actions were not unnoticed by him. He suddenly grabbed my hand, causing me to look up at him.
"Come with me," he added as he dragged me to the stairs, and as intrigued as I was, I followed him without saying a word.
As soon as we arrived at our floor, he tugged me into his room. I've never been in his room. He could be wondering whether all the letters and outfits he found in his room were placed by me, but no. I had requested Maddy to do it because I didn't think it was appropriate to enter someone's room without their consent, no matter how close he or she was.
My gaze darted across the room.
This room appears to be quite comfy. I used to believe that grey would not provide warmth to a room. I must assure you that this mansion will certainly amaze you in every way. This room is stunning.
"I thought you had been in here?" He inquired, perplexed. I had a feeling he would.
"Nah, I haven't. I had requested Maddy to leave the items here" I remarked, gradually strolling around as I carefully examined everything, and he hummed in understanding. There are photo frames of everyone, but there is one that appeared to be at least 16-17 years old and had Aunt Amelia, Uncle Williams, a baby girl named Maddy, two young boys, Grandma, and an elderly man.
"That's my grandpa" Zach whispered closely, startling me for the third time in a day. I felt his arms wrap around me and his chin rest on my shoulder, causing me to relax into his embrace and we stared at the photo together.
"The one you mentioned in voicemail?" I questioned gently, remembering how he broke down and I hadn't been there to console him. It moved me to tears.
He hummed in agreement and turned me towards him, enough to notice the tears in my eyes. I attempted to avoid his gaze, but he gripped my chin tightly and I couldn't help but look at him in the eyes.
"Shush, Angel. I know what you're thinking, and no, it's not your fault, okay? You were unaware of it, and you had your own issues to deal with. You shouldn't feel bad about something you didn't do, hm?" He cooed as he brushed his fingers on my cheeks, wiping the tears away.
I nodded, but I can't help but feel guilty. We locked gazes, and I vowed to myself that I'll never leave him alone, especially when he needs me.
"By the way, who is Briana?" I asked, hoping to change the topic, and he, thankfully, let it slide.
"She is one of my friends, whom I met two days before our first phone call." "I just finished my exams and went to a park to relax" he added, the corners of his lips turning upwards, "That's when I found her seated next to me. We spoke, and surprisingly, I felt at ease with her, so we kept chatting and I found myself getting connected to her. I also found her car broken that day and I helped her, which got me to meet her 5-year-old brother. It was as if I found a sister and a brother in a just single visit to the park. By the way, he's so cute and smart, you know? I'll have you meet him one day!" He said, and I found myself smiling as well.
With that, we spent some time alone while he continued to tell stories about Briana and her brother, how he saved Zach from a crazy girl by criticizing her outfit, passing her some funny comebacks, and other ways that I found amusing and laughed at. Her brother is indeed smart.
We continued chatting about various topics until we were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Eshana? Jeej- Zach? It's lunchtime. Aunty is calling you," Ridha informed, and shortly, we heard footsteps fade away. I disregarded what she intended to call Zach, and thankfully, he didn't get it. I now noticed that we have been here for more than 2 hours.
"Let's go. You might as well be hungry since you didn't have enough this morning" He stated this as he sprang out of the bed, extending his hand to me. It's true that I'm starving, and being a foodie didn't help. I put my hand in his without hesitation and he intertwined his fingers with mine and we walked out of his room.
When we headed to the dining table, everyone, including Briana, was sitting around the table as the food was being served. I quickly removed my hand from his and walked to one of the seats, trying not to look at him since I could hear him whining from the lack of contact. Well, it's not my fault, because although we're dating, I'm still embarrassed to hold hands in public.
We had our lunch in silence, which I didn't really mind. That's ok because I'm not a chatty person. Furthermore, my parents believe that speaking while eating is undesirable since it might cause choking.
After dinner, we found ourselves seated- no, nearly lying- on the couch in the living room.
"Damn. If I continue to have food in this way, I'll soon be thrown out of my squad" Zach let out a sigh.
"Exactly! I don't want to be fat, but the food was delicious!" Maddy exclaimed, and we tried not to laugh as she caressed her abdomen.
"What's the problem with being fat? It's fine, My chubby grandkids. Also, I haven't had Indian food in a long time, so...Mary? Try making Indian food from now on." Grandma stood up from the couch and headed to her room, a pleased smile on her face. Meanwhile, the entire family stared at each other in horror while my friends tried not to laugh.
"NO WAY!" The siblings exclaimed as they fell backward on the couch and we couldn't help but laugh. Just then we heard an unfamiliar ringtone and everyone's focus turned to the source to find a phone lying on the table.
"It's mine. Zach, could you pick it up? I guess it's my brother Wes or my grandma" Briana spoke as her voice wavered and Zach nodded as he picked it up from the table and put it on speaker.
"Hello?" Briana spoke.
"Sis? Where are you? My classes just got over." We heard a cute voice and it's not hard to guess who it was.
"Oh boy... I forgot that his class would leave early today" She whispered, letting out a sigh.
"Sis? Can you hear me?" He yelled loud enough to bring a dead person back to life. His voice is deeper than average for a 5-year-old, but it's adorable.
"Damn you, kid. She's in the mansion with me, and everyone here can hear you!" Zach yelled, trying to match the boy's tone. Since he was right next to me, his voice nearly destroyed my eardrum.
"Shut up, Zach! Stop wailing like a fucking hyena!" I shouted in a hushed tone, and that's when I realized I had indeed cursed for the first time. Zach's stunned expression turned to a smirk, and before he could say something, Wes cut him off,
"Hold on. Sis? Are you at the mansion? Wow! Who else is there with you? Is that blue-eyed cat there as well?" He inquired, and we all glanced at each other, perplexed. Cat? I never knew they have a cat.
"H-hehe. Wes, what c-cat are you talking about?" Briana threw us a fake smile as her cheeks turned crimson.
"Cat?" Xavier questioned, his voice stern as he stared at her, making her squirm.
"Is that you, Blue-eyed cat sir? I suppose the last time we met was a terrible one; I hope you cleaned yourself up pretty well, 'Sir?" Wes remarked, his voice cheeky. Jeez! Xavier's gaze at Briana grew colder with each word Wes uttered, and I heard a giggle. I turned around to find Maddy giggling with a hand on her lips, in order to control her laugh.
"Hey! Is that...wait. I forgot... Oh Yeah! Maggi?" Wes asked, and I found myself smiling as well. Maddy's laugh died at that name.
"Hey! It's Maddy. Not Maggi!" She exclaimed.
"It's the same thing, Mags", He stated. "Anyway, Zach bro? Can you pick me up?" He added.
"Yeah sure. Where to? Should I get you here?" Zach asked, grabbing the keys from the table.
"Well... I don't think that's a good idea since me and Mr.....Ugh. what's his last name again?...whatever but since Mr. Cat and I didn't have a good start, I don't think I'd be anywhere near his tail. So, it'd be great if you could drop me at my home" He stated and hung up. Zach handed over the phone to Briana and rushed out. We tried not to laugh at the expressions on Xavier and Briana's faces.
"Hmph! Why won't he just admit that he's afraid of me?" With a smirk, Xavier remarked.
"Look at you, bickering with a 5-year-old" Aunty looked at him, trying not to giggle.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I don't quarrel with kids, especially not with their sisters who name a random scooter, bag, or car like a moron" He rolled his eyes.
Biana's pupils dilated, "Hey, I'm not a moron, and they aren't random things! They are my babies!" She exclaimed.
He sneered and sprang out off the couch. He was about to go upstairs when Briana stopped him, "Wait!" forcing him to stop in his tracks.
He turned around and raised his eyebrows.
"Uh... Thanks?" She said, flashing him a smile while he stared at her, perplexed.
"For... taking care of me" She added. A look of disbelief swept across his face before it turned to a smirk, but before he could say anything,
"Happy to help," Disha and Ridha responded in unison, drawing everyone's attention to them.
"Oh yeah, thank you. I just thought..." Briana mumbled, clearly embarrassed.
"Oh no. Thank him as well. Although he did the bare minimum, he still tried his best" Disha flashed her a grin and Xavier seemed to have clenched his jaw, not pleased with the outcome.
He threw Disha a bitter look before heading upstairs, and she rolled her eyes at him. For a moment, the room remained silent.
"Hey," Ridha whispered quietly into my ears, trying not to disturb others, and I glanced at her with a questioning look.
"This family is extremely likable. I-I just...don't want to move out." The reality struck me hard as she added. My family, work, and entire existence are in India, but Zach...
how am I supposed to deal with this?
"Me too, girl, me too" In a trance, I answered.
Am I doing right? or...not.