Bonds

Chapter 96 -Maya's POV- The cinnamon buns were amazing, just like Ivan promised. But the delightful sweetness couldn't quite erase the bitter aftertaste of reality waiting forback at his office. Stepping through the door, my good mood vanished faster than a sprinkle on a hot pastry: Miranda sat there, casually scrolling through her phone, looking perfectly at hin Ivan's office chair.

Ivan was the first to react, his voice tight with annoyance, "Miranda, what are you doing here? And how many times do I have to tell you not to just waltz in here?" She looked up, her eyes flickering between Ivan andbefore a slow, smug grin spread across her face. I might have known her for only a few months, well hardly knew her but I knew I would never like her. Everything about her rubbedthe wrong way and I wanted to slap the grin off her stupid face..

Pushing herself out of the chair, she walked towards us, arms outstretched. I watched with a mixture of apprehension and annoyance as Ivan visibly stiffened under her touch. "I'm sure you've seen the news already," she chirped, her voice dripping with false sweetness, "but I just wanted to tell my big brother in person." Her hands remained firmly wrapped around Ivan while her eyes drilled into mine. The smugness on her face only intensified the urge to wipe the smile off with the back of my hand.

"So," she continued, finally pulling away, still managing to keep her gaze locked on me, “how have you been?" Ivan let out a tired sigh. "Miranda, I'm not in the mood for your games today. We have work to do. Congratulations on the wedding." He then turned to me, a genuine smile warming his features. "Con, Amaya, let's get back to it." Miranda's playful facade faltered for a second, replaced by a flash of imitation. Her arms crossed tightly, and the smugness morphed into at scowl. "That's all you have to say?" she huffed, her voice dripping with disappointment.

He shot her a pointed look. "Is there anything else I need to say? Anything specific you expect from me?" "You know exactly what I mean, Ivan," she retorted, her voice rising a notch. "You're being so annoying! And then you add her to the mix? Now you're just plain irritating!” "Mirandal" Ivan's voice boomed, a warning laced with his exasperation.

She ignored him, turning back towith a pointed question, "Aren't you even going to congratulate me?" I stared at her, my jaw clenched tight. The question hung heavy in the air, a challenge I refused to acknowledge. Ignoring her completely felt like the most powerful response I could offer.

The silence stretched on, thick and uncomfortable. She tapped her foot impatiently, her smugness slowly giving way to frustration, Ivan, caught in the middle, pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly at his wit's end.

Finally, unable to handle the silence any longer, She huffed tically. "Finel Be that way. I don't even want the two of you at the wedding anyway.

With that parting shot, she stormed out of the office, slamming the door shut behind her with a bang that rattled the windows. Ivan let out a long breath, the tension visibly draining from his body.

10:32 Sat, 22 Jun Chapter 96 "Wow," I finally managed, the word barely a whisper. “That was... intense." 86% Ivan chuckled, a dry humorless sound. He gestured towards his chair. "Con, sit down. Let's try to get sactual work done before she decides to grace us with another one of her surprise visits," I sank into the chair, the events of the last few minutes swirling through my head.

Neither of us said anything and he went on explaining what I would be doing as his personal assistant but i could tell his head was somewhere else. I stopped him, placing my hand on his. He looked up at me, clearly not expecting the touch. I gave him a small smile. “Let's talk about it." He let out a sigh running a hand through his hair, "Okay." "Has she always been like this? I mean after what happened with your parents.” I paused a bit when I saw the pain flash in his eyes, "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it." He smiled sadly, "I want to." "Did you see it too?" asked softly, "You toldMiranda witnessed it, but did you see it too? See them die?* His eyes flashed with pain, and he nodded slowly. His body trembled, and I could see the grief and trauma etched on his face.

I got up from my chair, my heart aching for him, I moved towards him, my legs feeling heavy, as if I was walking through quicksand. I climbed onto his lap, molding my body to his, ignoring the fact that we were in a workspace. Nothing else mattered in that moment except for Ivan and his pain.

He pulledcloser, his arms wrapping tightly around me. We stayed like that for a long time, the only sound being our ragged breathing. Finally, he started talking.

"I was six...so small, I didn't understand what was happening. Our pack was under attack. I remember the sounds, the growling, the screams...my parents, they were trying to protect us, but there were too many." He paused, taking a deep breath, his body trembling.

"I hid behind a crate, watching...watching as they....as they... His voice cracked, and he couldn't finish the sentence.

I held him closer, my tears falling onto his chest.

"They killed them, Amaya. They killed our parents in front of us. Miranda was...she was so traumatized. She didn't speak for months after. that. And I...I was left with the guilt of surviving, of not being able to protect them." His voice was laced with pain and regret.

"I remember the smell of blood, the feeling of being so small and helpless. And the sounds...the sounds still haunt me. Miranda and 1, we were all each other had left. We clung to each other, trying to make sense of it all." His body shuddered, and I held him tighter, my heart aching for the little boy who had witnessed such horror. "As we grew older, Miranda becmore and more withdrawn. She couldn't cope with the trauma, and I...I tried to be strong for her, but it was hard. So hard. And then she started acting out, seeking attention in all the wrong ways." His voice cracked again, and he paused, taking a few deep breaths.

10:32 Sat, 22 Jun Chapter 96 86% "I'm so sorry, Amaya. I'm so sorry you have to deal with her, with all of this. But I can't help it. She's my sister, and I love her, no matter how much she hurtsbut sometimes it gets tiring"

As I held him, I couldn't help but think about Miranda. I knew I would never understand or like her. She had been hurt, traumatized, but that didn't justify how she acted. She had let her pain consher, and it had turned her into a bitter, resentful person. I didn't know how vant had managed to cout of the sexperience so differently. He was scarred, yes, but he was also strong, kind, and compassionate. "How did you do it? How did you manage to get through it, to cout the other side?" He looked at me, his eyes searching mine. "I just learned to let the past go, Amaya. I had to. I couldn't change what happened, but I could change how I reacted to it." "But how?" I pressed. "How did you learn to let it go?

He sighed, his body relaxing into mine. "It wasn't easy. It took a long time, a lot of therapy, a lot of support from people who cared about me. But eventually, I realized that holding onto the past was only hurting me. It was only keepingstuck in the splace, reliving the strauma over and over again." I nodded, my mind racing with understanding. "And what about your parents' attackers? Did you ever find out who they were?" There was a beat of silence before he answered, "No. I never found out. I never wanted to know." I looked at him, my eyes searching his face. "Why not?" He shrugged, his shoulders barely moving. "I don't know. I just didn't want to know. I didn't want to give them any more power overthan they already had."

I nodded, my heart aching for him. I knew that I would never fully understand what he had gone m through, but I was grateful that he was willing to share it with me. I was grateful that he trustedenough to be vulnerable with me. I looked up at him and smiled, "Ivan?" "Yes." I leaned towards him, placing a kiss on his lips and then whispered, "I think I am falling in love with you."