Shap 74 Cawelcome Meriones-2
Chapter 74: Unwelcome Memories-2
Damien’s voice cut clean through the air-low, smooth, but sharp enough to draw blood.
“Whatever Maya once imagined, I’ll make reality look better.”
He stepped forward without hesitation, his presence shifting the entire energy in the room. With practiced ease, he slid his hand to the small of Maya’s back, a possessive gesture that said she was already claimed.
“If she wants lavender and tulips,” he murmured, gaze locked on hers,
“I’ll plant her a kingdom of them.”
Ethan’s smile faltered, but before he could respond, Ashcroft’s voice followed-cool, amused, and laced with a warning.
“Careful, Miller.” He leaned just slightly forward, his grin lazy but his eyes razor sharp.
“Fantasies tend to end badly.”
Maya’s breath caught-not because of Ethan anymore, but because of Damien’s quiet promise. It wasn’t performative. It wasn’t for show.
It was personal. It was deliberate. It was him, claiming her-without fanfare, without fear.
Lunch resumed like nothing had happened, the staff bustling in with plated servings and refilled glasses. But everyone at the table felt it-that subtle shift. Like gravity had quietly realigned.
Maya sat between Damien and Harper, with Ethan across the table-far enough to pretend distance, close enough to still matter.
Light conversations returned. Harper teased Jessa about her Pinterest board. Trina reviewed the schedule with practiced ease. But the ease was a mask.
Beneath the clinking of cutlery and polite laughter, the game had begun.
And every seat at this table… was part of it now.
The peaceful atmosphere of lunch was interrupted when Ethan once again opened his
outh.
y, May… by the way,” Ethan said casually, dabbing the corner of his mouth with a napkin.
“How’s Jamie doing?”
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The fork in Maya’s hand paused just short of her lips.
Her eyes flicked up, startled. The mention of her brother-Jamie-landed like a pebble in still water, sending ripples through her chest.
His name carried weight. He was her weakness.
And hearing it spoken aloud in Ethan’s voice… brought with it a tide she wasn’t ready for.
She hadn’t expected him to remember.
Not Jamie. Not after all this time.
She blinked, caught off guard. A quiet breath escaped her lips as she composed herself. Then she looked at him, offering a small, gentle smile.
“He’s doing well… thank you for asking.”
Damien’s jaw ticked.
The scene unfolding in front of him didn’t sit well. Not one bit.
The way Ethan said “May”-so casual, too familiar. It grated. No one called her that. No one should-except the boy Damien had already come to respect. Jamie was the only one who earned that kind of closeness.
Damien hadn’t even dared.
And yet Ethan tossed it out like a shared secret, like he knew exactly how to tug the strings that led to Maya’s heart.
What made it worse was Maya’s response-calm, polite, soft. Too soft. As if Ethan knew where her vulnerabilities lived. As if he’d been there once.
Damien’s fingers curled slightly around his glass. Then his voice cut in-low, cold, and smooth as glass,
“So, Mr. Miller,” he said, eyes locked on Ethan,
“I take it you’ve met Maya’s brother too?”
Maya felt the weight of his voice, heavy and unmistakable. The tension around them had shifted. It didn’t just linger now-it loomed, stretching tight above them like a dark cloud
to crack.
Lihan, on the other hand, seemed to sit taller. There was a flicker of smugness in his eyes, the edge of a smile threatening his lips.
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As if he’d just won something.
As if he’d pushed the right buttons-and watched Damien Blackwood bleed beneath the surface.
Ethan leaned back in his seat, swirling his water glass slowly, his tone deceptively light.
“You know, I still remember the first time I met Jamie.”
Maya stiffened beside Damien.
“It was finals week,” Ethan continued, gaze drifting to the view like he was reminiscing.
“We were buried under that brutal advertising project. Everyone was panicking about deadlines, but Maya…” He chuckled, as if sharing some private joke.
“She kept checking the time-over and over. Couldn’t sit still for more than a minute.”
He glanced at her, smile soft but knowing.
“I asked if she had a hot date or something. She didn’t answer-just grabbed her bag and bolted.”
Maya’s fingers curled subtly on her lap.
Ethan’s grin grew.
“I followed her.”
Damien’s fork paused in mid-air.
“From a distance, of course,” Ethan added innocently.
“Didn’t want to freak her out. I saw her stop by this tiny bakery. Watched her count every coin she had-literally poured out her purse-just to buy a single cupcake. Blue frosting, I remember.”
He shifted his eyes to Damien, still smiling.
“It didn’t make sense at first. But then I followed her home… and I saw.”
He gave a small, deliberate pause.
“A little boy was lying in bed-looked sick. Maya knelt beside him and sang Happy Birthday.
le cupcake. Just the two of them. And yet…” He exhaled, like the memory filled him
something warm.
“The way his face lit up? Man. You’d think he’d been handed the world.”
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He let that hang, then added, quieter this time:
claim
“Then I saw him struggle to sit up… just so he could throw his arms around Maya and say, ‘ You’re the best sister in the world, May.”
Ethan let the word May linger just a second longer than necessary.
He looked directly at Damien then, calm, composed-but his eyes sparkled with challenge.
Damien said nothing, but the air around him darkened. Palpably.
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Cedella
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella’s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.