“What’s the matter? Why are you sitting here like this?” Aaliyah walked to Katherine.
“Did you know Bryce was a part of the gang? Is Dominic Volkov the leader of the python gang?” Katherine looked at Aaliyah with tears brimming eyes.
It wasn’t hard to guess that Katherine had found out the truth and was upset about that.
“I knew everything. Can you forgive him? He had a reason to hide things from you. They can’t just reveal their identities so easily. You love him, don’t you?” Aaliyah patted her shoulders to comfort her, but Katherine shook her head.
“He lied to me, Aaliyah! How could he do this to me? I feel so heartbroken. Even if he has his reasons, why did he hide? He told me everything today, and I feel betrayed. Like all our love has been a big lie,” Katherine’s words shocked Aaliyah.
“So what? What upsets you so much?” Aaliyah’s gaze and voice turned cold.
“Why are you talking to me like this? Shouldn’t you be apologizing for not telling me and keeping me in the dark? All of you hid these things from me,” Katherine looked at Aaliyah, hurt.
“And? Can’t you see why Bryce did that? It’s exactly why he hid it/ Look at your reaction. It’s not hard to guess you got into a fight with him and probably said mean things to him. Why? Was your love enslaved to his identity? I thought you fell in love with the character and the person. Are you having second thoughts about him?” Aaliyah asked.
When Aaliyah was working her shift at Cafe, Bryce dropped by and told her what happened between Katherine and him.
He wanted to propose to her, but before that, he thought telling her the truth about his identity was important. After hearing the truth, Katherine went berserk and rejected his love. She even said humiliating words to Dominic, which he couldn’t bear as Dominic was his friend and boss, and they got into a massive fight.
“Wh-what do you mean?” Katherine asked wide-eyed.
“Stop acting like a fool when you are not, Katherine. Where did you think Bryce worked? Every time you got into danger, no matter the level of it, you called him because you knew he would solve it for you. Why did you trust him that much?” Aaliyah scoffed.
“Can a regular employee solve such problems? You called him when you knew I was going to deal with the gangs to save dad, didn’t you? If you didn’t have an inkling about who he was, did you want to kill him? Can you stop deceiving the truth to your benefit?” Aaliyah’s words shocked Katherine.
“How can you be so selfish and self-centered? Everything was right in front of you. Was it his fault that you turned a blind eye to it? What kind of fantasy are you living in to think a regular employee can save and kill anyone and come out of it unscathed?” Aaliyah’s gaze turned colder with each passing second.
Even Bryce and Dominic, sitting inside the car at some distance and hearing Aaliyah’s words, pressed their lips into a thin line.
Wasn’t she going a bit overboard? Why did it feel like she was taking out her anger about some other stuff on Katherine?
Seeing her sister shedding tears, Aaliyah gripped her chin, forcing her to look into her eyes.
“Don’t shed these tears of weakness and helplessness. If you don’t love Bryce, free him from your shackles. If you can’t accept him just because he is a gang member, stop spoiling his life. With the amount of love he bestows you with, he will get any girl who would die for him,” Aaliyah said before scoffing.
“So much for true love. Do you remember when you described how much he loves you and you are waiting for the right time to get married? What happened to that? Just because he is a gang member, you can’t? Because a regular employee can’t die or get into any feud? What kind of man are you waiting for? Mason?” Aaliyah said, and Katherine understood what her sister was trying to say.
Aaliyah was getting angry because these were the same things that their mother had used before kicking their father out of the house, and Aaliyah was the most affected one.
“Aaliyah, I didn’t mean things that way. I was just shocked -” Katherine held Aaliyah’s hands, and the latter jerked away angrily.
“I am a gang member too. Don’t bother me from now onwards. If you can kill your love for Bryce because he is a gang member, how can I trust you will love me your entire life? I mean, what if I put your life in danger?” Aaliyah’s harsh words were like slaps to Katherine’s face, which brought her to reality.
“But what about mom? Do you think she would accept us? There is no way she will -”
“You should’ve thought that before falling in love with anyone. Why didn’t you do a background check? Where is that girl who couldn’t stand a second away from Bryce? You are not my sister. I can’t believe I have such a cowardly sister. Go away, Katherine. Go away before I say something that I will regret,” Aaliyah said before she gritted her teeth and left the park, making Katherine sniffle.
“Go to her,” Dominic pinched his nose, and Bryce nodded before running to Katherine, who hugged him and cried loudly, making Bryce bite his lips.
If Aaliyah wasn’t Dominic’s girlfriend and Katherine’s sister, he would’ve made her pay for making Katherine cry. Bryce clenched his fists before sighing when he remembered Aaliyah was the reason Katherine was back to her senses.
Dominic started his car to go and see how Aaliyah was doing.
Seeing her entering the house, Dominic sighed before driving away.
“Aaliyah? What happened, my dear? Why are you angry?” Laura rushed from the kitchen when she heard Lily’s concerned voice.
“Your elder daughter is in love with a guy called Bryce, the right-hand man of the python gang. Now she is ready to throw away her relationship and all the good memories because she is afraid you won’t approve of it. They are madly in love, and I am a witness to that. So will you approve of their relationship for your daughter’s happiness?” Aaliyah pointed to her mother, who felt like this was a trick question.
“I think we should wait for Katherine to arrive, and we can discuss this -”
“That’s not the answer to my question, mom. I am also meeting the leader of the python gang. So your answer will decide the life of your both daughters,” Aaliyah confessed without a doubt.
“What if I said no?” Laura asked.
“I don’t know about Katherine, but I won’t stop seeing the person I like. Nothing is confirmed, but I like him a lot. You already know his father, Nathan Volkov. You guys were childhood friends,” Aaliyah said, and Laura leaned on the wall.
“Why are you asking me if you have already decided?” Laura scoffed, her gaze turning cold just like Aaliyah’s, and Lily didn’t like where this conversation was going.
“Because I love you, mom. I love you more than anything in this world. If you told me to die this instant, I will, but I won’t let you control my life like that. I like him too. However, I can’t see you unhappy because of us either,” Aaliyah’s words immediately softened Laura’s heart, and the latter turned around to hide her tears from her daughter.
Aaliyah’s father was the first person to say such lines to her when he had proposed to Laura, and now seeing her daughter saying the same words, she didn’t know how to feel about it.
In a world where children don’t even respect their elders and parents, Laura was blessed with three kids, who always respected her. Though their choice of careers never appeased her, they were humans with emotions. Was it not enough that they loved her to this extent?
“You have indeed inherited all the bad things from your father, haven’t you? How dare you melt my heart by saying such lines! How can you say these words so -” Laura bit her lips to stop her tears, and Aaliyah hugged her from behind.
“I am not saying these words just to calm or persuade you, mom. You are the main reason I dropped the idea of joining the gang. I am a delinquent, but no one can rule out how much I love you. I can die and kill for you, and I know it’s not normal to feel and confess like this, but that’s the truth. You and dad are my whole life. I also know that you love us a lot,” Aaliyah hugged Laura tighter at the same time as Katherine walked inside the house.
“Aaliyah,” Katherine started before pausing when Aaliyah’s cold gaze met hers.
“Don’t you dare talk to me until you get the courage to face yourself,” Aaliyah said before rubbing her face on Laura’s back, who sighed.
“Mom,” Katherine started before walking towards Laura.
“I want to confess something,” Katherine looked at Lily for comfort, who nodded back at her.
“The person I am in love with is a gang member. I love him very much, mom. Can you give us your blessings?” Katherine held her mother’s hands.
“Shouldn’t your boyfriend be asking these things?” Laura asked, and Katherine looked at Aaliyah for help.
“What are you looking at me? Don’t tell me he is such a coward who can’t come to appease his girlfriend’s mother. What is he doing?” Aaliyah scoffed, and Katherine didn’t know how to react to Aaliyah’s changed attitude.
“I know, right? Harry even went on his knees to ask for my hand from my father. Boys these days don’t have any etiquette. I don’t think I can say yes to such a man, who couldn’t -”
“Mrs. Gold, please give us your blessings,” Bryce shouted from outside, and everyone walked to the door.
Seeing Bryce kneeling on their pavement, Aaliyah pressed her lips to stop herself from laughing.
“What a stupid guy! Do you want to make a scene? Where are your parents? Send them to talk for -”
“He doesn’t have parents, mom,” Katherine added softly.
“I see. I am sorry to hear that. Why don’t you come on Monday to talk things out? I don’t have surgeries lined up on that day. We can go for lunch. Sounds good?” Laura said before turning to leave. However, as she was about to leave, she turned to look at Bryce.
“- remember that I am doing this only because I believe in my daughter’s choice, my younger daughter’s choice, more than my elder daughter’s. So if you let us down and made my Katherine shed even a single tear, I will chop you with my bare hands, and I must add, I am very good at it. Apart from that, I approve of you,” Laura smiled before walking inside, and a shudder ran down Bryce’s spine before he looked at Aaliyah.
“I owe you my life,” Bryce said, and Katherine bit her lips before hugging Aaliyah from the side.
“Get off of me. I don’t have a -”
“Come on, I know you love me a bit too much to depose me like this,” Katherine kissed Aaliyah’s cheeks forcefully.
“Eww! Gross! Mom! Katherine had gone mad!” Aaliyah rushed inside, and Katherine sighed before smiling happily at Bryce, who shrugged and stood from the pavement.
“I am sorry for hiding it,”
“I am sorry for reacting too harshly,” Katherine hugged Bryce.
“I am sorry too, but we are getting late,” Dominic honked from the car, feeling jealous, and Bryce pecked Katherine’s lips before running away, making the latter sigh with happiness.