Chapter 86 Do you love him?

Chapter 86 Do you love him?
Kayla’s POV

Steven sat across from me in the lounge, his posture straight, his hands clasped loosely in front of him. The silence between us felt heavy, thicker than the air itself. I sat on the opposite couch, my fingers fidgeting with the hem of my sleeve, my heart beating faster than it should.

I did not know where to start. Or if I should start at all.

The truth was, I felt guilty. Guilty for the way things stood between Steven and Ashton. Guilty for how I kept letting things linger without giving either of them clarity. Guilty for drinking myself into unconsciousness the night before. Guilty for surviving when others did not.

Steven shifted slightly, his eyes scanning my face like he was trying to read what I refused to say.

“How are you feeling?” he finally asked, breaking the silence.

I opened my mouth to answer but hesitated. My throat tightened. I could already hear the lie forming. I was fine. I was tired. I just had too much to drink.

He leaned forward a little, his tone calm but firm. “Do not lie to me, Kayla. Please. If you are going to say anything, let it be the truth. You can confide in me”

That did it.

The walls I had been holding up cracked instantly. I swallowed hard and looked down at my hands. “I am not okay”

He waited. He did not interrupt. That was one of the things about Steven. He knew when to push and when to let silence do the work.

“My private investigator was found dead,” I said quietly.

His expression changed immediately. “What!”

“He was investigating the death of the race woman. Mel. I hired him to trace it back to Vivian” My voice trembled despite my effort to sound composed. “They found him in a hotel room. He was murdered”

Steven exhaled slowly and leaned back, his jaw tightening. “Kayla, I am sorry. Truly”

I nodded, blinking back tears. “I feel like it is my fault. Like I pushed him into danger”

“You did not kill him,” Steven said gently. “But you are taking this too far”

I looked up at him sharply. “Too far”

“Yes,” he replied. “You are trying to play detective, judge and executioner all at once. This is dangerous. Vivian is not a small-time enemy. You should leave this to the authorities”

I shook my head. “I almost died that night. At the hotel inauguration. If that bullet had hit me instead of Mel, I would be dead right now”

He did not respond immediately.

“If I had died” I continued, my voice rising slightly, “I would want someone to find out who did it. I would want justice. Not silence”

Steven sighed and rubbed his temple. “I understand your anger. Your fear. But this path you are on will only consume you”

He reached across the table and gently took my hand. His touch sent a strange mix of comfort and anxiety through me.

“Tell me something else” he said softly. “How do you feel when you are around me?”

The question caught me off guard. I laughed nervously. “Why are you asking that now?”

“Because I want to know,” he replied. “Be honest”

I hesitated, then answered. “I feel anxious”

He raised a brow slightly but said nothing.

“I always feel like I have to measure up,” I continued. “Your reputation. Your name. Your family. You have this perfect image and every time I am with you, I wonder why you have no dating history. I wonder what is wrong. With you or with me”

Steven chuckled softly. “That is what makes you nervous.”

“Yes,” I admitted. “I am never calm around you”

He squeezed my hand lightly. “Kayla, the reputation you are afraid of is my family’s. Not mine. I am just a man who works hard and minds his business”

“And the blank dating record?” I asked quietly.

“I never found the right woman,” he said without hesitation. “Until I met you.”

My breath hitched.

“I told you before,” he continued. “I am not playing games. I am confident about you. About us. I am honest about wanting a future with you”

His words stirred something warm in my chest, but fear followed closely behind. I pulled my hand back gently.

“There is something else,” I said. “Your family”

He frowned slightly. “What about them”

“Powerful families have expectations,” I said. “I know because I have lived through it. I built my empire by refusing to be molded by anyone. I do not know if I can survive another life where people think they can decide my worth”

Steven studied me quietly. I could tell he wanted to argue but he held back.

I stood up abruptly. “Let me get you something to eat. My mother’s recipe”

Before I could move, he spoke. “Do you love Ashton?”

The question froze me in place.

I turned slowly. “What?”

“Do you love him?” Steven repeated, his voice lower now.

I opened my mouth. I closed it. My mind went blank.

Seconds passed. Too many seconds.

Steven nodded bitterly. “I see…”

“That is not fair,” I said quickly. “You are not the judge of my life”

He stood up. “I am not judging you. I am asking you to know where you stand.”

He walked toward the door. “When you do, call me.”

Then he left.

I stood there long after the door closed, his words echoing in my head.

Know where you stand.

I was still standing there when my phone rang. My mother walked in, holding it out to me. “It is the commissioner”

I answered quickly. He told me about files found among the private investigator’s belongings. Important ones.

When the call ended, my mother looked at me closely. “Are you not going too deep with this Vivian matter?”

I did not answer.

“You are letting it consume you” she continued. “Your time. Your focus. Your life”

Her words echoed loudly in my ears and for the first time, I wondered if she was right.