The car stopped some short distance away from the secluded bistro, which was symmetrically lined along with other cafes and bakeries. The busy street was humming with walking pedestrians and moving cars alongside. Resetto Cafe stood out relatively as larger than other restaurants in the same lane.

They walked out of the car and steadily moved with the flowing crowd towards their destination. The weather today was pleasant, with the whispers of breezy wind and light downpour. Reaching the entrance, Amaya nudged the revolving door, and a blast of cool wind hit their faces.

The inside was still as opposed to the buzzing outside. The air was suffused with the toasty smell of baked goodies and coffee beans. Amaya and Eira both found an isolated corner to sit. As soon as they settled down, the chirpy barista came out with her notepad and pen to take down their order.

"We'll have some croissants with brewed tea and make that for three." Amaya placed the order and turned around to catch a glimpse of Eira who was looking at her with an intuitive stare, "is someone else joining us? You ordered for three." The sisters had decided to enjoy a quick breakfast with each other today and thus the confusion.

Amaya fidgeted in her seat, "yeah, look don't get mad at me but I invited Huzaifa too. I thought if he had to meet you, this will be a good chance to do so." She didn't look up to see Eira who had gone silent in her place now.

The disbelief was evident in Eira's tone, "you're not serious, are you? You invited him when this was supposed to be just us two. Not to mention, you didn't inform me that he'll be here too!" She was trying to lower her voice but it was hard to curb the anger and her frustration.

Amaya felt guilty about hiding the news from Eira but she knew that it wouldn't have been easy convincing Eira to meet him otherwise. She didn't tell her that it was actually Huzaifa's idea. She knew her sister would walk right out this instant if she knew about it so she kept her silence.

Her voice had turned into a plea, "Eira it's just a meet and greet, and I promise it won't be much longer than an hour tops. Pretty please!" For the extra effort, Amaya rolled her bottom lip and gave Eira her puppy face to convince her. With a dejected sigh, Eira gave up and rolled her eyes at the unnecessary dramatic behavior of her sister. "Alright, let's meet him. But one hour tops! Not a minute more than that." Wagging her finger, she pointedly told her sister.

A smile bloomed on Amaya's face at her answer and she happily nodded her head. "And just by the way, he's already failing at first impressions considering he's running late on the very first meeting." The waitress was back with their order and Eira inhaled the rich aroma of coffee beans. "He's not running late. I told him to come a bit later than us as I wasn't sure about your reaction." Amaya gave her a sheepish smile as she told her about why Huzaifa still hadn't arrived.

"He just texted me! Oh my God, Eira he's here!"

Eira looked up from her breakfast to see Amaya who seemed as if she was about to start dancing in the middle of the cafe with happiness. She was shaking her head at her antics, "calm down, he's not some celebrity and you're making a spectacle of yourself." Moving her head slowly, she whispered to Amaya.

Just when Amaya quietened, the door of the bistro opened with a squeaky sound, and Eira glanced ahead at the man who just came inside.

His cowboy stride was at odds with the pristine, collared dress shirt and slacks he wore. There was a casualness to it that wasn't quite right in cloth so crisp. He walked with that assertive manner and when he reached their table and opened his mouth it was with a New York accent and the hand he offered to shake was manicured to perfection, the skin softer than a baby. His face was one of utmost confidence, whatever game this man played he wasn't habituated to losing. He grinned like a long lost companion and shook Eira's hand warmly with the perfect squeeze and eye contact. Eira reciprocated though hesitantly, she didn't trust a man so perfect, as far as he was involved the more ideal the image the greater the danger underneath. Everyone has flaws and quirks, if they had been smoothed right out then the belief wasn't even an option.

And for now, Eira didn't trust this guy. All her instincts were somehow raising their blaring alarms at this creature with intense, shining eyes and a crooked smile.

"Pleasure to meet you, your majesty. Huzaifa Naveed at your assistance."

He smiled that usual smile of his with his pearly whites on display. His voice was gruff and a mixture of raspy. He enunciated his words and his gaze didn't waver from Eira for even a second. Somehow, the words he had spoken didn't sit well with Eira. The carefully spoken sentence was definitely a taunt disguised under the guise of humor.

Subtly, Eira glanced at Amaya who looked starstruck. Huzaifa pulled out a chair and sat down on it, his big hands resting on the tabletop. "So, Amaya invited me to meet her beloved elder sister and I couldn't resist saying yes to her." Reaching for the croissant, he took a bite and then tilted his head and gave a charming smile to Amaya who not surprisingly blushed and ducked her head down.

His every move was so perfectly calculated, the ease and the way he built up his dialogue somehow made Eira extremely suspicious about him and his character. Malignancy often came wrapped up under wooing and this guy knew how to play the game.

"I wasn't actually aware that this was going to be a meet and greet session, you know. I'm sure you know about that." Sipping the hot tea, Eira scooted closer to the table and folded her hands together on the top.

A challenging glint in his eyes.

The game had started.

"You have to throw the meat to get the lion out of his lair, Eira."

"But the lion should always be aware of the preying hunters and that's how life works. Sometimes a predator, sometimes a prey. The chain revolves." She saw his facial muscles tightening.

The air had shifted between the two if one would dive deeper, they'd see the crackling tension around them. Since the day Amaya had announced her engagement to this guy, Eira had her own suspicions, and meeting him now, she could see that her hunch had been right all along.

Huzaifa Naveed was a wolf under a sheep's clothing.

"I confess that I was greatly curious to know about the infamous Shah sister. I must say this entire town sings praises of your unusual beauty. They call you the 'ice queen'. It goes well with those eyes and nature. Cold-like frost." The smirk of his sent shivers down her spine.

"You seem awfully interested in me when your fiance sits right beside you." An open challenge.

He drawled, "one should know the family they're getting involved with. That's the first rule of marriage. Besides, I've got my whole life to be interested in my fiancee."

Eira's mouth puckered up with a bitter taste, "interesting how that family only means meeting the sister and not the parents first. Isn't that how this whole marriage thing is done? Or am I somehow living in the wrong era?" Eira Shah knew how to play her cards and she was going to give her all with him.

The bait was taken.

"It's good to have as many supporters as you can before going for the parents. The more people on your side, the better the chances of approval." The taunting smirk was back with a vengeance.

"Bold of you to assume that you'll have the approval in the first meeting." She raised her brow at him.

Her words had thrown him off guard she could see. He hadn't expected that. Internally, Eira reveled in the satisfaction of her small victory. She saw him picking up his coffee and drinking it, while his gaze remained fixated on her face. In the haze, Amaya was somehow ignored. Eira looked at her sister who even was trying to smile, but her face somehow showed her unease.

Amaya took advantage of the silence around them, "wow that was uh intense but now that is done, I'd like to actually formally introduce you two!" If this was her attempt to dissolve the building tension, then it was failing miserably. At her words, Huzaifa craned his neck to peer at her and give her one of his charming smiles in return.

Even from her place, Eira could see the effect he had on her sister and somehow that was the most dangerous thing. "That's alright, darling. I think this introduction is enough. Why don't you go ahead and order something else for us? The bill is on me." His gaze didn't waver from Amaya's face as he let out each word with great care. Amaya stared at him and then at Eira before she reluctantly nodded and stood up to go.

Eira's eyes kept track of how he followed her sister until she had reached her destination.

"I know the genuineness in people when I meet them and you are far from what you portray, Huzaifa Naveed."

Huzaifa looked back at her and a throaty chuckle escaped from his mouth, "good to know that at least one of you got the brains in the family."

She had hit the nail right on the head with this one.

"You're terribly wrong if you think I'll let you insult my sister."

"Insult? I'm merely stating the facts here. She's impulsive, naive, and pathetically desperate for some attention."

Eira's hands clenched in anger, "I dare you to say one more word against her and that'll be the last you'll see of her."

He scooted closer to her face, his gaze lingering everywhere where it shouldn't be, "you can't do anything to me. I'd be worried about my own self if I were in your place."

"She's my sister and she'll never believe a word of yours over me."

"I thought one was naive but I was so wrong. Just wait and watch the show, Eira Shah."

Only if Eira had not been so much indulged in her anger, she would've noticed his eyes shifting behind her back and the malicious glint that took over him. Before she could even contemplate his actions, his hand rose up and held hers in a tight grip. Eira's eyes widened in shock, her instincts kicking in. Not a second had passed before he dipped her hand in a way that it looked as if she was holding his not the other way.

"Look, Eira what you're saying is not possible. I love your sister very much and your confession has put me in a very precarious position."

Eira couldn't even grasp what was happening around her. Her mind was in absolute chaos, she was tongue-tied. Huzaifa's entire face and tone had drastically changed from cocky to that of an innocent man. His brows were furrowed, and his forehead had wrinkled as if he was distressed beyond his wit.

"What the actual hell!"

Through the haze, Eira heard Amaya's voice from behind her.

No, he didn't.

When her stunned eyes met him, she could see the conniving glint in those browns of his. He had perfectly orchestrated the entire thing and now he waited for the final blow.

Eira quickly snatched her hand away from his grip as he loosened his hold on hers. Both of them scrambled from their seats and hastily stared ahead at a very still Amaya. Her disbelief was so potent on her face that she kept opening and closing her mouth. Eira saw the outline of tears in her eyes and her heart clenched in her sternum at the sight.

"Amaya listen to me. Whatever you saw is not the truth and you know it." Eira walked towards her sister who was still in very much shock. "This was all his plan all along. The engagement, the meeting, and all this! He's not what you think he is. He's just playing with your feelings, Amaya. Listen to me." She held her shoulders while her eyes begged her to understand and see the reality.

"I hope you're happy now."

Amaya had spoken up in a whisper.

Eira didn't understand what she was trying to imply but the taunting smirk on his face infuriated her. Amaya now stood face to face with Eira, her eyes swimming with tears.

"You just couldn't live with my happiness, could you? The only person in my life I liked and you had to take him away from me too!"

Amaya was wiping her tears and her face was turning red. She had never seen her sister like this. This was someone else, Amaya didn't talk like this to her ever. But most importantly, Eira's heart hurt. She was frigid and frozen in her place at the accusation thrown on her by her own sister.

Eira held Amaya's hands in hers, her head shaking, "no, you can't believe this man, Amaya! He's a liar and a cheat. Believe me, please."

Amaya wrenched her hands away from hers and scoffed, "believe you over him? Why should I huh? It's not like you're my own blood!"

Silence.

A hush hangs in the air like the suspended moment before a plummeting glass shatters on the ground. The silence was like a gaping void, needing to be filled with sounds, words, anything. The silence was poisonous in its nothingness, cruelly underscoring how vicious their conversation had become. The silence was eerily unnatural, like dawn devoid of birdsong. Silence clung to them like a poisonous cloud that at any moment could choke the life from them. Silence seeped into them every pore, like a poison slowly paralyzing them from either speech or movement.

And then it was broken by her whisper, "I heard you and dad that day you know. Before they went on their trip. I knew everything but kept my silence. Not even once did I think that you were not my own sister after that but I was so wrong. I should've known. It's always been about you, isn't it? Eira this, Eira that. Eira, Eira, Eira! Where was I? Nowhere! And when finally things fell into place for me, you took that away from me too! Just like how you always do! You know what, I hope you're fucking happy after this!"

The buzzing inside her head kept on increasing, the light not reaching her. She didn't know when her hand had left Amaya's or maybe she had wrenched it away. She didn't see anything beyond what stood in front of her. Everything around her was slowly blurring away, the shapes and pictures all mixing into nothingness. There was just that buzzing sound around her and the urge to breathe. Somewhere, from the far, she heard the walking footsteps and then the cafe door being banged shut. And then her vision focused and she saw him.

That taunting smirk.

"Wait and watch, Eira Shah."

And then there was just silence.