Chapter 29 AROUND THE ROOM.
\~~~LUCIANO MORETTI.
The car finally stopped at the long driveway of the Monroe estate, the gravel crunching softly beneath the tires.
I turned to look at Raina whose fists were curled so tightly as she peeked outside the huge compound, and I shook my head gently, opened the door calmly, and then stepped out first.
Raina remained in her seat even when I had been standing for a while, and the door still opened.
“Will you not come down?”
“And what is your business with that? I could remain in the car as long as I wish,” she snapped back, her voice sharp and unapologetic.
I don’t like this woman. No, I really don’t. I hate the way she speaks, her lack of subtlety, and her unapologetic disrespects.
Everything I detest in a woman, this woman embodies it perfectly.
At that moment, I heard the movement behind me and I turned around to look at the middle-aged couple who rushed over to us.
Only then did Raina step out of the car, standing beside me.
“Mr. Moretti,” Arthur, her father, greeted with a small bow.
“Greetings, Mr. Moretti,” Evelyn added.
“Mother… Father…” Raina’s voice shook.
“My dear,” Evelyn said softly and I rolled my eyes.
The awkwardness was hanging thick in the air.
And to be honest, it only makes me wonder how they had pulled off switching brides and it really amazes me. The guts they must have had.
“You informed us of your visit on short notice. Welcome to our home,” Arthur said, stepping aside for us to walk in.
“It is no big deal, Mr. Monroe. My wife wouldn’t stop complaining about how much she missed home and wanted to visit,” I replied calmly, placing a firm hand around Raina’s waist.
Her eyes shot wide open.
“I DID?!” she blurted out.
Her parents paused and turned to look at her.
She quickly tried to fix herself.
“I mean…” she cleared her throat and glared at me.
“I did…”
“So, here we are,” I said simply.
Arthur and Evelyn laughed weakly, still unsettled.
As we followed behind them, Raina leaned closer to me, whispering sharply, “Did you seriously just lie?”
“Lie? I don’t lie, baby girl. And tell me, what child doesn’t want to see her family?”
“I swear, I am goi—”
“It is enough, Solnishko. You shouldn't waste your energy so soon.”
She looked at me, confused, but I didn’t explain.
_____
The Monroes led us into the dining room, a long, polished table already set with food.
Everything was arranged perfectly and it looked like they had spent hours trying to make it look effortless.
Raina tensed beside me.
And her parents kept darting glances between us, trying to figure out how to behave.
Arthur gestured politely. “Please, Mr. Moretti… let’s eat.”
I pulled out the chair for Raina and she sat stiffly.
I took my seat beside her, slow and controlled.
The room was quiet for a moment, the kind of quiet that presses on your ears.
Just as Arthur lifted his cutlery, I placed my elbows on the table and leaned back slightly.
“I believe we are missing one more person,” I said, my voice calm but sharp.
“The last time I came to this house… Raina sat there,” I pointed at the empty chair across from me.
“Your twin sister she is, right?” I asked Raina.
“Where is she? You must have missed her the most. I remember how you once told me you have never been apart for too long.”
The room froze immediately.
Arthur’s hand stopped mid‑air, Evelyn’s smile fell, and I smirked just a little.
Because Raina was sitting right beside me…
And this family was about to feed me some shitty excuse they had prepared.
The tension hit the room so hard that I could feel Raina stop breathing for a second.
I glanced around the room.
Someone was about to lie to me.
And, oh, I wanted to hear every word of it.