“Zioh?” Her voice reached me. “Zioh? Are you sure the one who kept you company that night—”
A harsh knock hit my study door. Ladie fell silent.
Zeraiah entered.
Ladie’s eyes flicked to him, her expression hard to read. But I was sure I’d caught it—a spark of surprise, discomfort. Perhaps irritation, too, since she was mid-session with a patient, and my brother, who had long lost all sense of courtesy, walked in with the irritating expression on his face.
Zeraiah smiled at Ladie. His eyes went straight to her, unwilling to let go.
I didn’t know when or how Zeraiah had grown infatuated with my therapist. But that was what it was now.
Ladie looked straight at him, replying with a small, formal smile—the kind you’d get in an office. I hoped my slightly unhinged brother realised she was setting a boundary.
But as though stripped of sense, Zeraiah ignored it and narrowed at her. Ladie’s eyes pushed him back, soft but firm, perhaps because I was in the room. But she didn’t realise that Mas Zaeem and I already knew something existed between them.
We’d caught them together often. Sometimes I’d seen her leaving Zeraiah’s penthouse in London, and the day before, Zaeem and I saw her leaving Zeraiah’s room when we thought she was already gone.
With the maddening smile stretching across his face, Zeraiah walked towards Ladie. The insolent brat tried to sit beside her, but Ladie quickly shifted to the far edge of the sofa.
He glared at her in annoyance. “From now on, I’m going to get involved with Cindy,” he said, his voice sharp as glass.
Cindy...
My vision darkened. My head went blank.
When I looked at them again, Ladie’s eyes had changed. She glared at him as if to scold him. But when her gaze met mine, her eyes trembled, brimming with guilt and a silent apology.
Yes…
That crazy woman hadn’t just ruined me, she had ruined Ladie too.
Zeraiah’s rough, sharp voice pulled me back to him. “I sent you something, Zi,” he said, measuring each word. “When you feel better, read it.” His tone lowered. “Let my words sink in.”
He gave Ladie a look, tugging her elbow until she was forced to stand. “We’re done here.” He glanced at her, then at me. “Can we?”
I nodded, letting him have his way. Ladie shifted, her shoulders tightening, visibly unsettled by Zeraiah’s behaviour, and glancing at me with worry. But once again, I only nodded and thanked her.
After all, my body had reached its limit.
But then I remembered something and spoke. “When will Dad come back?”
Zeraiah turned towards me. His body stiffened as his grip on Ladie’s arm tightened. “Next week, according to Mas Zaeem,” he muttered.
My eyes turned to Ladie. “We’ll continue therapy at my penthouse when my father returns,” I said. I also felt… it was time to let Tshabina in.Fucking fool.“Thank you again for today.”
“Mas Zaeem wants to talk to you,” Zeraiah added, forcing me to glance. “About work.” He shrugged. “I heard Aditya’s taken back the lead content role for the new project, and Dad wants this one run through INDTV instead.” His eyes were fixed on me. “Have you talked to Tshabina yet?”
59
Zioh
Two weeks later, the unease had grown heavier.
I remembered the message Tsabinu sent me a week ago. He was furious and warned me to stay away from his sister.
Had Tshabina finally told him everything about us?
Or was his rage simply because she’d been staying with me these past weeks?
