Chapter 50: In Love With Him.

“Get up, sleepyhead.” Steven tapped Dua's shoulder gently, trying to rouse her from her slumber.

“I don't have classes today,” she mumbled sleepily, adjusting herself to a more comfortable sleeping position, pulling the covers up like a protective shield.

“Even so, do you have to sleep all day?” he retorted playfully, and with a reluctant sigh, she finally peeled herself from the warmth of her bed, wrinkling her nose in frustration.

She trudged to the bathroom, where her mind wandered back to the previous night’s conversation. A small grin crept onto her face as she thought of how they were finally starting to coexist peacefully. Maybe Shane was right; all they needed was to understand each other better.

After a quick wash-up, she slipped into a comfy mini gown and styled her hair into two playful pigtails, giving her a relaxed, homely look.

When she entered the kitchen, her breath caught in her throat for a moment. Steven was casually clad in a pair of shorts and a baggy polo, his hands adorned with intricate tattoos, coming in display. His hair was tousled, lending him a boyish, vulnerable charm that left her momentarily speechless. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed him earlier in the bedroom.

“Stop fucking me in your mind,” his deep voice jolted her from her reverie.

“Why can't I?” she challenged.

“Can I bring your thoughts to reality?” he shot back, a teasing glint in his eye.

Dua mentally slapped herself. “What was I doing?” she questioned internally, scrambling to regain her composure.

“Uhmm...” she cleared her throat. “Need any help?”

“No, I don’t want someone chopping her fingers as an extra ingredient for my food,” Steven replied, amusement dancing in his eyes.

“Yeah, I don't want that either,” she quipped sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

He glanced at her with a smile. He always found her sarcastic remarks interesting. But that smile made her heart flutter. “Why did I even ask you?” she muttered under her breath as she walked out of the kitchen, shaking her head.

As she moved to the entrance, she unexpectedly bumped into her siblings, who greeted her with warm smiles. She was about to speak when Denise gasped, "OMG! Is that my brother-in-law?!" Denise exclaimed, shoving Dua aside for a better view of Steven.

"Hi," Steven greeted with a half-smile, and Denise flopped dramatically to her knees, giving him a dreamy look that could rival a movie star's fan.

Dua could only scoff and exit the kitchen, a familiar frustration bubbling up inside her.

She made her way to the living room and flopped onto the couch, scrolling through social media on her phone as a distraction from the adoration unfolding in the kitchen.

"Yo, sis!" Desmond flopped down next to her, resting his head on her shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Dua merely glanced at him before returning to her screen, uninterested in losing herself in his antics.

Denise soon joined them, her hand effortlessly intertwining with Dua's. "God, I wish I could find a man like my sister's husband," she sighed dreamily.

"If I were you, I wouldn't be wishing for that," Dua replied, still fixated on her phone.

Denise rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed. "Talking like you don’t like him." She shot a teasing glare at her sister, who met it with a hard look of her own.

"Whatever, sis. Just make sure you never leave him. If possible, have his children. That way, he'll never abandon you, and we'll never have to worry about being poor again," Denise enthused, her eyes sparkling with ambition.

Dua scoffed, unable to keep quiet any longer. "Do you only care about the money?"

"What else is there to care about?" Denise shrugged casually. "So tell me, will you bear him kids or not?" Her enthusiasm was palpable, and Dua felt the weight of the question pressing down on her.

"I plan on it..." Dua began before Denise cut in, her face lighting up with expectation. "That's good!"

"But I'm not doing it for money," Dua completed her statement firmly, leaving Denise with a shocked expression, as if her sister had just announced she was moving to Mars.

Desmond raised his head slightly, an eyebrow arched skeptically. "Are you in love with him?"

"In love with him?" Dua let out an incredulous laugh. "Why would I do that?"

Denise narrowed her eyes, her voice dripping with skepticism. "If it isn't money or love, then what's your reason?"

Dua hesitated, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her face. "Uhmmm... It's... goodwill," she finally responded, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Goodwill?" Denise scoffed, crossing her arms defensively. "Sounds a lot like a cop-out. You're not exactly Mother Teresa here."

“Even Mother Teresa wouldn’t go through the whole childbearing process and the pain just for ‘goodwill,’” Desmond interjected, his gaze intense as it bore into her. “What are you really hiding from us, sis?”

They were right—Dua was holding back. A confession sat heavy on her chest, one that she couldn't bring herself to share with them or anyone else—The truth about Steven's health condition. The sincerity in their eyes made it difficult to maintain her facade, but she knew they wouldn’t stop pressing until they had an answer, and she gave them one. "Fine!" she finally said. "I'm in love with him!"

"I'll let you think whatever you want, at least you'll both let me be in peace." She said silently to herself.

At that moment, Steven walked into the room, inadvertently stepping into her declaration.

“Happy now?” she lashed out at them, frustration bubbling to the surface as she glared at her siblings. But their expressions of shock—wide eyes and dropped jaws—silenced her.

Rolling her eyes, she cast her gaze downward, only to find herself meeting Steven's soft, inquisitive eyes. Time seemed to pause as the air between them thickened with unspoken emotions, each heartbeat echoing the bombshell she had just dropped.