Cafe Butterscotch
After days of missed calls and postponed plans, all four women finally gathered there, ready to spill their little secrets.
"Come on!" Ria groaned, tapping the table impatiently. "All of you clearly have something to say, and yet no one is saying anything!"
Meg shifted in her seat. "Umm… baby Ria, you already know what I have to say," she murmured.
Ria's lips curved into a mischievous smile. "Exactly. So you should begin." She wiggled her eyebrows playfully.
"Ahem!" Meg cleared her throat, instantly drawing everyone's attention. "The thing is…"
She paused, then lifted her hand. "I'm dating someone. And we're engaged."
"Oh my God!" Bella hooted happily. Nidhi gasped, still trying to process the words.
"Tell us! Tell us!" Nidhi leaned forward eagerly. "Who's the lucky guy?"
Meg blushed. "It's… Rian. I mean, Adrian."
"Wait…. Adrian Remington?" Nidhi exclaimed. "Ria's overprotective brother?"
Ria giggled and nodded.
"My turn is done," Meg announced proudly. "Now Bella, you're up."
Bella smiled calmly. "I… I'm Isabella Smith, from the Smiths, the military family," she said with dramatic flair.
Only Ria gasped. "You're brother Ben's sister?"
Bella nodded, then turned to Nidhi with a teasing look. "Now… spill the beans."
Nidhi's cheeks turned crimson. "Umm… I'm dating Ben," she blurted out in one breath.
For a second, all of them just blinked.
Then Ria squealed, "This is perfect! Meg is my sister-in-law, and you're Bella's!"
Laughter erupted around the table. The café echoed with their happiness as they continued chatting, their secrets finally out in the open.
Remington Mansion
Zachary's Study
Theo arrived at the study the moment he was summoned. Adrian had already briefed him about the spy issue and the possible threats surrounding Ria.
Now, Theo sat silently, deep in thought.
"I don't know what to do," Zach finally broke the silence, his voice heavy with desperation. "I can't lose my child. Not again."
"Relax, Zach. We're all here," Theo said gently, trying to comfort his old friend. "Nothing will happen to our Ria."
Zach exhaled shakily, but the worry in his eyes refused to fade.
Theo hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "Remington Mansion clearly isn't safe for her anymore. How about…" he paused, choosing his words carefully, "…marrying her off to a safer place?"
He barely finished the sentence when….
"Are you out of your mind, Theodore Gonzales?!" Zach roared, slamming his fist hard against the oak table.
Theo flinched but quickly composed himself. "Dear friend, I merely gave a suggestion."
"To hell with your damn suggestion!" Zach snapped. "She is my daughter, Theo!"
"Wait, Dad." Rian's voice cut through the tension. "Uncle Theo's suggestion isn't that bad."
Zach turned to him sharply, disbelief etched across his face. "Rian, son… have you finally lost it?"
"No, Dad. I'm serious," Rian said calmly.
Zach shook his head. "Serious? How can you even say that? What if the man she marries is…."
He stopped himself, running a hand through his hair. "I can't even think of it. If she isn't safe here, then she's safe nowhere." His voice dropped, thick with disappointment.
Rian sighed. "No, Dad. Absolutely not," Adrian added firmly. "We're not asking you to marry her off to a stranger and gamble with my sister's life."
Zach frowned, listening intently as Rian continued.
"It's different, Dad. Completely different if the person is capable of protecting her," Rian said steadily. "And he is… someone she's in love with."
Zach froze. His frown deepened.
"She… loves someone?"
Theo frowned too, taken aback.
'Now who is this idiot who stole my daughter?'
Theo thought bitterly.
' I wanted our baby Ria to be my daughter-in-law. Who wouldn't She's such a sweet little girl.'
He sighed inwardly.
'But what can I do? I have an insensitive, idiotic, unromantic son.'
"It's our Alex," Rian dropped the bomb.
Both Theo and Zach looked at him in stunned silence.
"Our… Alex?" Zach asked slowly, as if he hadn't heard right.
"Yeah," Rian nodded. "The great Alexander Gonzales."
'I am so proud of you, my son', Theo thought, a ridiculously proud grin spreading across his face.
Rian pulled out his phone and showed Zach a few pictures.
"Here, Dad. See for yourself. Our muffin is so happy with him. And he…."
"I can see it," Zach interrupted softly, his lips curving into a faint smile. "In his eyes. He truly adores her."
Theo leaned in to peek at the screen and smiled too, seeing how genuinely happy they both looked together.
"But…" Zach's smile faded. His voice grew heavy. "How can I leave my daughter?"
"I know, Dad," Rian said quietly. "I'm not ready for this either. But given the situation…" He clenched his jaw. "She's safe with him. Otherwise, I would never let that bastard anywhere near my sister."
Theo gasped dramatically, clutching his chest.
"Dear son, am I air to you?"
"Oh…" Rian winced. "Sorry, Uncle. I forgot."
Zach chuckled despite himself, the tension easing a little.
"Then let's fix their wedding after Rian's," Theo announced confidently.
"Wait, Uncle!" Rian quickly said. "I still have to ask her. Only if she agrees."
Theo nodded, approvingly.
"If he ever hurts her…" Zach began, his voice low and dangerous.
"I'll kill him myself," Theo cut in calmly. Zach patted Theo's shoulder, grateful.
"Well then, I should leave," Theo said, standing up. "I'll talk to him and Emma. Call me if there's anything else."
Zach nodded, and Theo walked out of the study.
Rian turned back to his father and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry, Dad. Nothing will happen to our baby."
He smiled, though it was more to comfort himself than Zach.