Bonds

Chapter 24

-Maya’s POV-

Miranda sashayed towards our table, that mocking smile plastered on her face. It was like a spotlight had suddenly found her, every wiggle of her hips calculated, every toss of her head dripping with feigned nonchalance. Just as she got close enough for conversation, Natalia spoke dp, “Ivan’s sister?”

Riley leaned forward, her eyes wide. “Ivan’s sister?” she began, but then seemed to catch herself, her cheeks flushing slightly. “Oh, right. The husband you, uh, spilled your guts out to and…” Her voice trailed off awkwardly as Miranda reached the table, effectively cutting her off.

“What a coincidence, Amaya,” She drawled, her voice dripping with sweetness. “I looked up at her smug face and had to bite down a growl. Something in my gut told me there were no coincidences when Miranda McCall was involved. She carried herself with an air of superiority, like she was royalty gracing a peasant tavern. There was no way she’d be caught dead in this kind of place unless… well, unless there was something specific she was looking for And that something, I was willing to bet, was me.

Trefused to give her the satisfaction of a reply. Disliking someone with such intensity wasn’t exactly a pleasant feeling, but there was no room for pretense with Miranda. Seeing my silence, her smile faltered for a brief moment, morphing into a frown. “Aren’t you going to answer my greeting?” she huffed, a hint of annoyance creeping into her voice.

Natalia spoke up. She narrowed her eyes, her gaze unwavering. “What can we do for you?” she countered, her voice firm. “You are interrupting our

conversation.”

Miranda’s face contorted in a flash of anger. She glared at Natalia as if she were nothing more than an irritating insect. “And you are?” she spat, her voice dripping with disdain.

Natalia didn’t flinch. “If you use that condescending tone on me again, I’ll punch it right off your face,” she retorted, her voice low and dangerous. I could practically see her claws extending from her fingertips, a clear warning to Miranda not to underestimate her. Natalia might light up a room with her vibrant personality, but she wasn’t one to back down from a fight.

Miranda stared at her for a long, tense moment, the air crackling with barely contained hostility. Finally, she seemed to deem Natalia unworthy of further attention, her gaze snapping back to me, “You are really going to sit there and let her insult me?” she demanded, incredulous.

I maintained eye contact, my expression blank. Frankly, I didn’t care about her anger. It came and went as quickly as the wind, and held about as much substance. Her outburst did nothing to faze me.

Seeing her tactic fail, Miranda’s anger dissipated just as quickly as it had arisen. “Very well then,” she huffed, her voice regaining its artificial sweetness. “I just wanted to say hello to my sister–in–law, but apparently that’s not allowed.” She turned to leave, then paused dramatically as if remembering. something. “Oh, and since I ran into you, I should tell you that Alex and I have moved up our wedding. We’re getting married in a month.”

out a deep, frustrated growl within me. We didn’t have him before, and frankly, the way things ended, it was

possessiveness within me still reared its ugly head, a reminder

mask. Offering a tight smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes, I said, “Congratulations to you. Ivan and I will be in attendance.” The words tasted like ash in my mouth, but I refused to let Miranda see my true emotions. She thrived on drama, and I

flicker of something akin to grudging respect played across her features as she glanced at Natalia, who stood poised with a challenging glint in her eyes. Finally, she spoke, her voice

“He’s fine.”

She chirped, a touch too eager, Alex has been swamped lately with wedding planning.

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Chapter 24

eyes sparkling with a triumph that felt anything but

Why couldn’t she just shut up and

“That’s wonderful news.” The words felt hollow,

know, Alex and I were talking about the guest list the other day, and he didn’t want to send invitations out to

hence family.”

jab. Anger flared within me, hot and fierce. How dare she

me?

said tightly, my jaw clenching. “Ivan and I wouldn’t miss

rising but she

predatory beneath the surface. “That’s lovely,” she purred. “It wouldn’t be the same without you, would it? After all, you and Alex

within me, threatened to come bubbling to the surface. I somehow suspected she knew about Alex and I. What confused me was if she did, why didn’t Ivan know?

cool still

time ago, I’managed

they certainly do,” She agreed, her eyes gleaming with malicious amusement. “Speaking of change, Alex seems like a different man these days. So much happier, so much more… content. Perhaps some people are just better suited for each other than others,

spoken