Chapter 9 YOUR AUNT.
\~~~SERENA
Okay, this was definitely not what I was expecting. Not at all. Not one bit.
I had thought they’d lunge at me the second they saw me… at us. Maybe start shouting, maybe drag me out by the hair. But no. They just stood there. Still and silent like someone had hit pause on their entire existence.
No one said a word, but their faces screamed a thousand unspoken things.
They… they fear him.
It hit me like cold water. These people fear Damien.
Ryan used to rant about how no one in the family liked his uncle, how Damien was the outcast who kept to himself, who only appeared when necessary. But right now? Standing here, I can see it as clear as daylight.
They don’t hate him.
They’re terrified of him.
Damien’s hand stayed firm on my waist as he guided me forward, every step echoing too loudly in the room. I could feel their eyes on me. Burning, judging, and peeling layers off my skin one by one.
He moved with the kind of calm that only came from power. The kind that said ‘I own this place. I own you all.’
No one dared speak. Not Ryan. Not his wife. Not even his mother, who stood clutching her pearls like she could squeeze courage out of them.
“Sit,” Damien said, his tone low but commanding, like a king addressing peasants. And they actually did. Everyone sat. Just like that.
I swallowed hard, pretending I didn’t feel his thumb drawing lazy circles against my hip. Pretending the air wasn’t so thick that I could choke on it.
He leaned closer, his breath brushing the shell of my ear. “Smile, moonlight,” he whispered. “You are the new queen of this table.”
And right then, every pair of eyes in the room flinched. Maybe because they knew he meant it.
“Uncle!” Ryan, unable to keep it in, sprang up with a yell.
His face was so red, God, I was already enjoying this.
If I had known it would be this satisfying, I would have begged Damien to bring me here sooner.
These people who had mocked me just a few days ago, in this same room now watched me like I was… like I was something they couldn’t touch anymore.
And I swear, if I didn’t bite the inside of my cheek, I would’ve burst out laughing right here.
Ryan’s eyes burned holes through me, his jaw tight, fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. The veins in his neck strained, and his voice came out sharper, louder.
“You can’t just bring her here and…”
Damien’s head turned slowly, his gaze slicing through him before the sentence could even die. The silence that followed was deafening. You could practically hear the pulse in the room.
“Sit,” Damien said coldly. It wasn’t a request.
And Ryan actually hesitated… then obeyed.
I swear, the sight almost made me laugh.
The same man who once told me his uncle’s power was ‘overrated’ now sat, trembling, under the weight of it.
I glanced at Lisa. His perfect, polished wife. She was smiling, but it wasn’t the kind of smile people give out of politeness. No, this one was carved from malice. Like she was waiting for blood to spill, and she didn’t care whose.
For the first time since we arrived, I didn’t feel small. I didn’t feel like the secret lover hiding in the dark.
God, this is going to be so sweet!
______
Damien and I sat with the family, and as expected, he did all the talking calmly and composed. He laid out every detail, the wedding would take place in two weeks, everyone was to start preparing immediately, and Melissa, Ryan’s mother, would oversee the arrangements.
No one dared to question him. Not even Ryan.
Afterward, we excused ourselves, heading upstairs to his room on the first floor. He mentioned he needed to grab a few things. When we entered, he disappeared into the bathroom, leaving me alone.
I sank into the couch, scrolling through my phone aimlessly. Hell, I’d rather swallow a knife than open my inbox right now.
Messages flooded in from my friends. Missed calls stacked endlessly from my mother, more than ten in less than an hour since the news broke.
My throat felt dry. I scanned the room for water, found none, and then I reluctantly made my way downstairs toward the kitchen.
The atmosphere was still heavy and thick with unspoken tension. I couldn’t see anyone, but I could feel them watching. The kind of gaze that pricks at your skin and makes your heartbeat stumble.
Still, I walked into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and reached for a bottle of water…
Only to be yanked backward so hard that my shoulder burned.
“What the hell…” I gasped, spinning around.
Ryan stood there.
His grip is still firm on my arm. His eyes were dark, wild, and full of something that looked a lot like betrayal.
Betrayal? Dude, don’t even start with me.
I nearly screamed that out loud. Instead, I crossed my arms over my chest, lifting my chin with a calm I absolutely did not feel.
“I need an explanation this instant, Serena!” he snapped, his voice low but sharp enough to cut. His finger jabbed the air between us, as if he had any right.
“Serena?” I scoffed, tilting my head. “Where are your manners?”
He blinked, confused. “Excuse me?”
“If I’m your uncle’s soon-to-be wife…” I took a deliberate step closer, my tone sweet, mocking, venom laced with honey. “Doesn’t that make me your aunt?”
The look on his face was priceless. There was shock, anger, and humiliation. All clashing at once.
And for the first time since stepping into this house today, I smiled.