CHAPTER 108: RIYA IS IMMATURE.

Biased?

Nathaniel’s expression tightened with clear displeasure. He was about to respond sharply when Zara’s voice cut in.

"Excuse me." She rose from her seat. "You have no right to question why I’m here."

"That’s enough," Nathaniel snapped, silencing her.

Both women flinched under the weight of his authority. His gaze locked onto Riya. "She is here because I asked her to come," he explained.

Riya turned slowly to Zara, confusion clouding her thoughts.

’He called her?’

She couldn’t wrap her head around why Nathaniel had invited Zara to his office. It didn’t make sense.

He had never shown any interest in her before, let alone allowed her near his professional space. But after deciding to divorce her, his behavior and attitude toward Zara had changed, and Riya couldn’t understand why.

Her mind raced with growing unease.

Last night, he had shown up at the event with Zara by his side. He had even spoken to Nicole, asking her to offer Zara a chance. Now this?

Had he changed his mind about the divorce? Was it possible that he had fallen in love with her?

The thought ignited a fire in her chest.

"So now I need an appointment to see you?" Riya spat. "Seriously, Nathaniel? This is too much."

"Why are you making such a scene?" Zara shot back. "If you want to meet Nathaniel, go to his house. Why show up here? This is his workplace, full of confidential files. If something goes wrong or any documents end up missing, you’ll be the one people suspect."

Riya’s face paled. A flicker of fear passed through her eyes as she thought, ’Has Zara seen something?’

Zara didn’t stop. "Not only you, but Nathaniel will also be in trouble. Employees, board members—they’ll start to question Nathaniel’s professionalism. You are not just crossing boundaries; you are putting his reputation at risk."

"This is too much," Riya cried out, tears welling up in her eyes. She looked at Nathaniel, hurt etched all over her face. "How can you stay quiet while she speaks to me like this? She is treating me like I’m some criminal, as if I’ve stolen something. I told you exactly why I came. Did she really have to be so harsh?"

Nathaniel’s temples throbbed with irritation and helplessness. He sighed, rubbing his brow. One was his wife, and the other was his sister. And the two of them disliked each other and could never be in the same room without bickering. He felt torn, pulled in opposite directions.

Though he didn’t want to upset Riya, he couldn’t ignore the truth in Zara’s words either. In fact, he had never been comfortable with Riya frequently dropping by his office unannounced.

Trying to defuse the moment, he softened his expression, his hands on her shoulders. "Don’t be upset. Zara isn’t accusing or humiliating you. She was just looking out for you, speaking as an elder would. Don’t take it to heart."

But his words only seemed to sting deeper.

"You are siding with her," Riya exclaimed, stepping back. "You don’t care how I feel. You have chosen her over me."

Zara rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh and turned her back, arms folded tightly across her chest.

"I’m not taking sides," Nathaniel muttered tightly. "I understand you came here to tell me about the dinner, and I appreciate that. But something like that could have been handled over a call. There is no need to come all the way here for something so small—"

"I get it," Riya snapped, cutting him off before he could finish. "You don’t want me here. Fine. I’ll never come again."

Her gaze burned into Zara. "Is this what you wanted? To drive a wedge between us? To turn Nathaniel against me?" she hissed, her tone accusing. "You must be satisfied now."

Zara’s temper flared. She whipped her head toward Riya and jabbed a finger toward herself. "I turned him against you? Really?"

"That’s enough," Nathaniel thundered.

Zara whirled and shot him an angry look. The moment she caught him defending Riya, her blood boiled.

Nathaniel ignored that burning glare and returned his focus to Riya. "You should leave now. We’ll talk later."

Riya threw Zara a glare and stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Nathaniel exhaled, relieved that the storm had momentarily passed, but that relief was short-lived. The moment he looked back at Zara, he froze. Her expression was even more furious than before.

’Why does she still look so mad?’ he wondered.

He had just asked Riya to leave, hadn’t he? Shouldn’t she be satisfied?

Trying to ease the tension, he stepped closer and offered a soft smile. "Let’s sit and talk, okay?" He reached for her hand.

Zara stepped back, avoiding his touch. "Don’t call me when she is around," she snapped, grabbing her bag and heading toward the door.

Nathaniel caught her by the arm, stopping her. "Where are you going? We still have the board meeting."

Zara shrugged off his grip with a glare. "That’s not until after lunch. I’ll go there on my own."

As she moved again, Nathaniel quickly stepped in front of her, blocking her path. "But you said you’d have lunch with me," he reminded her.

"I changed my mind."

Nathaniel’s frustration bubbled over. "Come on, Zara. Why are you so upset over something so trivial? I sent Riya away, didn’t I? I even told her not to show up uninvited anymore. Do you really need to stretch this matter?"

His words only added to her fury. "Right. I’m the problem here. I should’ve never agreed to come. I should’ve stayed out of your way and out of Riya’s, apparently."

She brushed past him, shoving him out of her way.

Nathaniel moved swiftly, unwilling to let Zara slip away. Before she could take another step, he wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her against his chest.

"Stay," he murmured, his voice softening. "Have lunch with me."

Zara went still in his hold. She didn’t push him away this time, nor did she say a word. Though she wasn’t struggling, the storm inside her hadn’t quieted.

"You know how Riya is," he said, trying to soothe her. "She is still immature – childish. Don’t take her words so seriously."

Childish?

A humorless laugh almost escaped her lips. She turned in his arms, slipping out of his hold.

"She is not a child anymore."

Nathaniel remained composed. "I know. Sometimes she tests my patience, too. But she is my sister, Zara. Can’t you just overlook her little slip-ups and stop arguing with her?"

Sister.

A pang of helplessness tugged at Zara’s heart. ’He has no idea what kind of ’sister’ he is defending so blindly,’ she thought.

It baffled her. How could Nathaniel not see the signs? The way Riya behaved coquettishly, the way he looked at him with that sultry smile, the insecurity, the jealousy... Did he really not notice? Or was he simply choosing to avoid those red signals, clinging to a version of Riya that he had in his mind?

"Are you sure?" Zara asked, her eyes searching his. "Are you sure that she thinks of you the same way you think of her?"