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Chapter 52
~Zara’s POV~
My pulse quickened as his words settled over me. I had a sinking feeling that he wasn’t going to let me walk away from this easily.
"Get dressed, Zara. His voice left no room for argument. "You’re coming home with me."
Ella’s eyes widened, her hand instinctively reaching for mine, but I could already feel the weight of Snow’s demand pressing down on me. "I’ll be waiting in the car," he added, turning on his heel.
If I was sensible, which I regretted later, I should have let Snow be, but my mouth did not let it rest as I uttered a sharp ’No,’ and stood my ground.
Snow halted, the pressure from his aura growing intense suddenly as he half-turned. "No?" His deep voice went down further by a hundred percent and my knees literally bucked.
That hothead used his alpha aura on me. And God Astrid felt the weight of his power, raw and fierce.
I tried to counter with Astrid’s power but with each step Snow took, it became nearly impossible. I swallowed, lifting my head to look him in the eyes and defy him one more time.
"Do what you want but I am not going to live with you and your mistress."
Anger flared in his eyes at my outright disobedience before Ella. If I felt his weight on Astrid was heavy, then that was a joke.
Ella coughed out and immediately fell to her knees but I didn’t bend. Snow towered over me, his presence suddenly felt intimidating, and before I could do anything, he bent down a bit and hoisted me over his shoulder.
My eyes widened as I felt my nighties fly in the air, exposing my panties. "Aaaahhhh!!"
Snow spun, heading for the door and completely ignoring my predicament. "Drop me," I ordered.
He paused. "Are you sure you want that?"
Before I could sass back, the memory of our previous mishap made my stomach drop (literally, if he dropped me). Falling from this height would make Humpty Dumpty’s great fall look like a feather-soft landing.
With that issue on the way, I continued hitting his back when Snow did the one thing that left my mouth open.
His palm connected with my ass cheek, earning a jiggle of my soft flesh as I winced, stuffing back the pain.
"Want to continue, wifey?"
I pressed my lips shut, accepting defeat till we got to the car.
He placed me in the back seat, closed the door and quickly entered into the driver’s seat.
We didn’t waste a second as Snow turned on the ignition and drove off, leaving Ella’s apartment behind.
By the time we reached the house, I was furious. Snow had driven so fast, that I’d barely had time to catch my breath.
He parked in front of his mansion, alighted from the car and opened the passenger’s door.
As soon as he reached for me, I kicked but his palm caught my heel easily and yanked me forward.
Once more, I saw the ground from an uncomfortable height being turned upside down, slinging me over his shoulder like I was a sack of potatoes, completely ignoring my protests as he took me inside.
"Put me down!" I screamed, hitting his back with my fists. "You can’t just—"
He kept walking, his grip firm on my legs. I squirmed, desperate to get free, but it was useless. As soon as we entered the house, I wiggled harder and before I could stop myself, I slipped, tumbling to the floor.
Snow’s hands were on me in an instant, helping me up, but the rage in me flared. I shoved him away. "Get off me! Go back to Aira, your true love!" I spat, tears of frustration welling up.
"Zara, stop it—"
"No! Why don’t you go back to her? She’s clearly who you want! She’s perfect, isn’t she and she has a son for you. You don’t care about me. All you want is your contract. Just go and leave me alone."
He tried to reach for me again, but I pulled back, shaking my head in disbelief, kicking at him as I tried to stand. "I should’ve known better. I should’ve just—"
Before I could finish, his lips crashed into mine, silencing me with a rough, possessive kiss.
His hands gripped my waist, and my initial reaction was to push him away, but I felt my body betray me as I melted into the kiss. Anger, confusion, and something darker surged inside me, swirling into a mess of emotion.
"Shhh," he whispered against my lips, his forehead pressing against mine, "you’re going to wake the entire house."
But it was already too late. Between his earlier reckless driving and my outburst, the house wasn’t asleep anymore.
Just as we broke apart, a soft voice cut through the tension. "Isn’t this just a lovely scene," Aira’s voice echoed from the end of the hall, her tone playful, though laced with an edge, "dearest brother?"
I froze, my heart hammering in my chest as Snow turned, pulling me flush against his chest.
There she was, sitting in her wheelchair with little Storm nestled in her lap, his tiny arms wrapped around her, the chauffeur standing behind them, a knowing look in his eyes.
"Brother?" I blinked, the word felt strange in my mind as I tried to make sense of it. "What do you mean, ’brother’?"
Snow glanced at me, a small smirk tugging at his lips. "That’s what I was trying to tell you, Zara."
"No... No, that can’t be right," I muttered, shaking my head, and struggling to process the revelation. "Storm calls you Dad. He always calls you—"
"Yes," Snow sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "But that’s because I raised him when Aira was sick. He was still a baby, and when she recovered, it just stuck. I never corrected him."
My legs wobbled beneath me as confusion swept over me. I stared at the three of them—Storm, Aira, Snow—trying to find the truth in their eyes.
That’s when it hit me. The resemblance, the similar blue eyes, the only difference was the dark hair, it was all there. I never gave Aira a proper look when I first met her and since then... oh well.