Page 158 of Rose
Ahzii looked up, her smile tight.Why was she the only one getting grilled?Gold and Sin both had their partners present, yet no one questionedthem.
“I’m thirty,” she replied evenly. “Some say that’s still young... but life forced me to grow up way before my time.”
“In what way?” Selene asked, tone deceptively curious.
Before Ahzii could open her mouth, Savior’s voice cut through the air like a blade.
“Allure, you don’t have to answer that,” he snapped, eyes burning into his mother. “Why is she the only one being questioned? Gold and Sin brought guests too.”
Ahzii gently placed her hand on his shoulder, calming him with a touch. “It’s fine,” she said softly, never breaking eye contact with Selene.
“Again, I don’t mind answering.”
She set her fork down, her tone calm but resolute.
“My twin brother and I were homeless after our parents died. We learned how to survive early, until we were adopted by a woman who gave us everything we were missing.”
The room went quiet.
“More facts about me, since I seem to be the topic of the evening.” Ahzii’s voice remained level, but her words landed with intent. “I graduated from FAMU with a business degree. I co-own a tattoo shop with my brother. I was married... and I had a child.”
Silence deepened like a crack spreading through glass.
“You saidwas,” Saint spoke again, this time softer than before. “Used to be married.Hada child. What happened... if you don’t mind me asking?”
“You don’t have to answer that,” Savior said, voice thick now, barely restrained.
But Ahzii shook her head gently. She looked at Savior with a small, comforting smile, then back to the table.
“He died a year ago. So did my daughter.”
A collective hush fell over the room like a dropped curtain. Even Selene’s cold composure wavered—if only for a second.
“I’m just now learning to live again,” Ahzii continued. “And your son... is a big part of that.”
Savior looked at her like she was sunlight.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Saint offered quietly. Aunt Marley echoed him, her voice laced with genuine sympathy.
“You’re a strong woman,” she added, and Ahzii gave them both a small nod of thanks.
Then came Selene’s voice, light and laced with something venomous.
“Oh...thatmakes sense.”
Heads turned. Eyes narrowed.
“What makes sense?” Savior asked, already bracing himself, blood beginning to boil.
Selene tilted her head, smiling like she held a secret everyone else was too naive to see.
“Why you‘love’her,” she said, the air around the table shifting instantly. “I wanted to meet her to see who had my son’s heart. I needed to understandwhy.And now I do.”
“By all means,” Ahzii replied, her tone sharp but composed. “Enlighten us.”
Selene leaned forward, eyes glinting. “He loves you because hefeels sorryfor you.”
The words dropped like a grenade.
