[COMPLETED]
High-flyer Ria Aslan thought she had her entire life planned out perfectly.
Except her plans didn't quite foresee the still unsolved hit-and-run that prematurely claimed her father's life. The unfortunate tragedy only amplifies Ria's n...
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Chapter one:
"Don't you think that you may be rushing into things?" Ria peered over at her older brother, Reid. The topic of his love life was indeed a sore one, but one that urgently needed broaching.
"Rushing into what, exactly?" Reid replied. He was kneeling over, desperately trying to finish packing his suitcase for his upcoming romantic trip to Bali where he planned to propose to his girlfriend, Lydia. This was something that Reid should have done at least two weeks ago. He visibly cringed as he recalled Lydia shrieking at him over the phone earlier that same day regarding his tardiness.
"Reid," Ria called out her brother's name. She needed his full attention if she was going to seriously place the seed of doubt into his mind. She allowed her eyes to wander over to Blaine, her brother's best friend. Blaine's entire muscular body was situated on top of the suitcase, whilst Reid attempted to zip the overflowing bag.
Ria sighed as she vacated her spot on the sofa, strolling over to the two men to show them where they were going wrong.
"Ria," Reid replied absent-mindedly.
"Lesson number one, if you roll the clothes instead of folding them, you can fit more into the suitcase without a problem. Look," Ria demonstrated her point to the two bemused men beside her. "Lesson number two, you don't rush into a marriage less than six months after a failed relationship." It was a topic that should have been discussed weeks ago, months even, but Ria hadn't had the heart to discuss it with Reid.
"I'm not rushing into it...but when you know, you know, right? Isn't that what they all say?" Reid responded surprisingly calmly. He wiped the back of his hand over his naturally tanned forehead, where several tiny beads of sweat had accumulated from the strain of the packing.
"Mate, this isn't an early 2000s rom-com. This is a matter of your life, or rather your lack of life once you marry Lydia. That woman's going to have your balls in a chokehold." Blaine interluded, placing both his hands into a fist, one on top of the other, and mimicking a strong rotatory motion to reinforce his point.
Reid cringed in response, turning away from Blaine. "She's not all that bad...is she, Ria? You'd like her as a sister-in-law, wouldn't you?" He asked genuinely.
Ria looked between the two, caught off-guard by the question. "Well, actually I —"
She was rudely interrupted by Blaine's howling laughter.
"You're kidding, right? Are you talking about the same Lydia that bullied your little sister through the high school? The Lydia that convinced everyone that Ria had an Onlyfans account? The Lydia who-"
"Blaine! Shut up! You are not helping." Ria pointed an angry finger toward Blaine. "All that is in the past, honest. I don't...I don't mind, Lydia. I don't know if she's the right woman for you, especially since your breakup with Indiya is so fresh." Ria continued, providing Reid with a more diplomatic answer than Blaine had.
