Then she turned toward me.
“Before we go in there,” she started, turning to face me. “Promise me you won't freak out no matter what my family says.”
That didn’t sound promising. “I wasn’t planning to.”
“I’m serious.”
“I am too. What exactly are you expecting them to say?”
“Just promise.”
"Fine. I promise.”
She nodded once, clearly satisfied. Before I could say another word, she practically launched herself out of the car.
I could only stare after her, muttering under my breath. “What have I gotten myself into?"
I stepped out after her just in time to see her grabbing bags from the back seat like someone preparing for battle.
“Easy there,” I said, moving around the car. “You’re going to tear a muscle.”
She said nothing and shoved a bag into my arms. “Make yourself useful.”
I took it without complaint, then grabbed the rest. Including the separate bag I had carefully prepared earlier that morning. Inside were the gifts I had purchased for each member of her family. I hadn’t been sure what to expect from this visit, but arriving empty-handed had never been an option.
Together we climbed the steps toward the front door. Just as we reached the final step, the door swung open.
Both of us froze.
I watched as a stunning middle-aged woman stood in the doorway. She had the same sharp eyes and elegant posture as Vani, though there were a few faint lines around her eyes that suggested experience rather than age.
“What on earth were you two doing sitting in the car for so long?” she scolded, stepping aside. "Sitting out here like strangers. Come inside before the food gets cold.”
Vani and I exchanged a quick look before stepping into the house.
“Sorry, Mom,” Vani said, receiving no answer.
Her mother simply turned and started walking down the hallway. I followed beside Vani, trying very hard to ignore the assessing look her mother kept sending in my direction. She studied me the way someone might study a new addition to a family they weren’t entirely sure about yet. I did my best to ignore it. Instead, I followed her down the hallway as she led us deeper into the house.
The silence stretched long enough that I glanced at Vani, expecting her to react to it. Judging by the small look of surprise on her face, her mother’s quiet behavior seemed unusual even to her. The house itself felt warm and lived in. Family photos adorned the walls, and the faint smell of food wafted from somewhere deeper inside the home.
Eventually, her mother stopped outside what I assumed was the dining room and stepped aside so we could enter. The moment we walked in, I noticed the five other people gathered around the room. One of them immediately stood out to me.
Elena.
She offered me a reassuring smile the moment she saw me. The sight of a familiar face helped more than I expected.
Vani immediately set her bags down and rushed forward. “Dad!”
She wrapped her arms around him in an enthusiastic hug, suggesting they were very close. He quickly returned the hug, even though his attention never shifted away from me. Even while embracing his daughter, his eyes remained fixed in my direction.
I placed the bags I had been carrying carefully near the wall, suddenly feeling more aware of the room and everyone inside it. For someone who regularly handled negotiations involving millions of dollars, I rarely felt intimidated.
But standing in that dining room, under the quiet scrutiny of Vani’s father and surrounded by members of her family I hadonly just met, I couldn’t deny the unfamiliar weight settling in my chest.
It wasn’t fear exactly.
But it was the closest thing to intimidation I had felt in a very long time.
