.
My sister Ishika looked at me and said, "Brother, why are you so upset? Do I need to kiss you to make your mood better?"
The moment those words left her mouth, I yelled, "What kind of nonsense are you talking about?!"
But the person more shocked than me was the driver. He slammed the brakes so hard we almost flew forward. He stared at us through the mirror like we were from another planet. I quickly muttered, "Sorry for the trouble," and then turned to my sister. "Ishika, please just shut up!"
The driver, a guy named Raju, handed me a water bottle and told me to drink some. He started the car again. As I opened the bottle, Ishika pouted and said, "Brother, why are you getting so angry? After all, I'm your future wife."
I had just taken a sip of water, and those words made me spray it everywhere. I started coughing so hard I couldn't breathe. Suddenly—BAM!—Raju slammed the brakes again. My head hit the seat in front of me. Ishika was totally fine because she was wearing her seatbelt.
Raju was looking at us with the weirdest expression. Just as I was about to say something, Ishika leaned forward and said, "Can you turn off the camera recording?"
My heart stopped. I noticed something off about this driver—the way he was braking and driving, he wasn't a pro. He looked like an amateur. "I think you're mistaken, miss," he said nervously. "There's no recording."
"I'm certain you're a liar," Ishika said, her eyes narrowing. "A big liar."
The driver started sweating instantly. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry! I accidentally left the HD recording on. I'll turn it off right now!"
I was stunned. He was actually recording us? He kept apologizing over and over. I was about to yell at him, but Ishika just waved it off. "It's fine. No need to lie anymore."
"Ishika," I whispered, "don't you think going further is dangerous? Let's go back home."
"No way!" she huffed. "This car guy has been watching our house for days. I need to meet the person who keeps calling and bothering you. You always say no because of me, right?"
"How do you know about that?" I asked, shocked.
"I saw it on your phone," she said.
"But I kept those messages private!"
"Big brother," she smirked, "nothing is private for me. I can open anything."
I moved away from her, feeling a chill. "You're getting really scary. I thought you were joking, but I need to get serious now."
Suddenly, she put her hand on my shoulder and leaned in close. "What are you getting serious about, big brother?" She was practically sticking to me.
"Get off me!" I pushed her back, my face heating up.
"Why is your face turning so red?" she teased. The driver was just staring straight ahead, listening to every weird word we said.
"Ishika, there's a limit to your bad behavior! Are we really going to meet that weird guy?" I asked.
"You caught me, brother. Yes, we're meeting Roy."
"Fine," I sighed. "I hope you don't regret this."
"Don't worry," she whispered. "You are my property. I won't let you belong to anyone else."
A little later, the car stopped. "We've arrived," Raju said.
The door opened and someone said, "Welcome." I saw a luxury hotel and a squad of bodyguards. A lady approached us. "Sir, please follow me."
Ishika grabbed my hand tight and whispered in my ear, "Brother, if a fight starts, I hope you protect me... and I'll protect you."
"I'm more worried about them," I whispered back. "They're about to get their ears blasted by you today."
Ishika went dead serious for a second. I added, "I know your habits. If you do anything crazy inside, I'm deleting you from that 'future wife' list forever."
"WHAT?!" she screamed. Everyone in the lobby turned to look at us.
The lady led us inside. The place was golden. Huge chandeliers that looked like real gold were hanging from the ceiling. Ishika's eyes were sparkling. "Wow, brother! This place is amazing. We should come here for our honeymoon after we get married!"
I slapped my hand over her mouth immediately. I was breathing hard, feeling everyone's eyes on us. The lady looked at us with a bit of anger. "Sir, please follow me."
"Sorry, ma'am," I lied. "My... uh... girlfriend is just a little upset."
The moment I said "girlfriend," Ishika's face turned bright pink. She went totally silent and just smiled, holding my hand peacefully. I should have said that sooner, I thought.
We walked past the bodyguards and there he was—a guy I knew all too well. Roy. Ishika was still blushing and staying quiet. I took a deep breath and whispered to her, "You look pretty cute like this." Her ears turned red instantly.
Roy stood up. "Welcome, Rio."
"I didn't really want to meet you," I said, "but somehow I'm here."
"Are you still mad because you can't beat me?" Roy laughed.
"Maybe I should leave," I said, turning around. His bodyguards stepped in my way. I looked at Ishika; she was angry but still blushing.
"Fine," I said. "We can talk. But stop looking at me like I'm a freak."
"We have to talk," Roy said. "I paid a big fee just to get you here. It wasn't cheap."
I looked at Ishika's dress. It looked expensive. Then I looked at mine—it was a high-end outfit too. "Roy, how much did you pay her?"
"Come on, friend! Why talk about money? We're buddies!" Roy dodged.
"Tell me, or I'm leaving."
"Fine... it was about $10,000," Roy said. "But she didn't ask for just money, she asked for it in dollars."
My head started spinning. What the hell is going on?
"Why are you yelling?" Roy asked. "Are you crazy?"
Suddenly, Ishika's face went back to normal. She stepped forward. "Listen, you weirdo. You can't talk to my boyfriend like that."
Roy's face went pale. He looked at me in shock. "What... what did you just say?"
"She's joking," I said quickly. "Calm down."
"He's NOT my brother, he's my fiancé!" Ishika yelled. "We're already engaged!"
Roy literally fell to his knees. "What are you saying?! You got engaged to your own sister?! Ayesha is going to kill me! I'm a dead man!" He started mumbling to himself, looking like he'd seen a ghost.
I grabbed Ishika's face. "She's joking! She's just a bratty sister! Don't take her seriously!"
Roy stood up and brushed off his coat. "Oh... that was a joke too."
"But your face was literally white!" I pointed out.
"Please," Roy begged, "take this woman away from my sight. I need to talk to you about something important."
Ishika puffed out her cheeks. "I'm not leaving my fiancé. Sorry, Roy."
"Shut up!" Roy snapped. "Talk to me with respect! You've totally changed just to meet my friend. I had to get your permission just to talk to my own best friend!"
"Fine," I said. "We'll talk. If she bothers you again, I'll break up with her... I mean, the friendship."
Ishika went quiet. Roy looked at me closely. "Rio... you've changed. Your blue hair and blue eyes are getting deeper."
"You think so?" I asked. "Are you trying to prank me again?"
He snapped his fingers and a servant brought a mirror. I looked at myself. It was true—my eyes were glowing and my blue hair was darker. Even my clothes looked worn out.
"I have special clothes for both of you," Roy said.
"No thanks," I said. "You'll just ask for something in return later."
"I promise, I don't want anything," Roy insisted.
Suddenly, two bodyguards grabbed my arms and started dragging me away. Ishika tried to run to me, but lady bodyguards grabbed her too, dragging her in the opposite direction.
"My dear husband!" Ishika cried out, tears in her eyes. "This world is so cruel, separating two lovers! Don't worry, I'll come to save you! Wait for me, my dear husband!"
The whole room went silent. Every bodyguard stopped and stared at me with judgey eyes. They let me go, and they let Ishika go too. She stood there, watching me from a distance.
"She's just acting!" I yelled at everyone. "It's a drama! Don't pay attention!"
But the bodyguards didn't care. They grabbed us again and started pulling us apart once more.