Forbidden Mate- A Step-brother Romance - Chapter 76: Chapter 76

~APOLLO~
Excruciating. That's the word I would use to describe this dinner. My mother kept provoking Lana, making it feel as though she was singling her out. But that seemed impossible. She didn't know about us, I made sure to keep her far away from Lana, which meant she had no reason to treat Lana in such a cruel manner.
So then what was her problem? Why was she suddenly sending so many insults her way? And she may think I haven't noticed, but I saw the way she's been looking at her ever since she arrived. There was most definitely something bothering her that she's refused to tell me about.
This was meant to be a joyful occasion for the family—not for me or Lana. Everyone else was expected to enjoy themselves, but so far, it felt like the dinner was headed for a fight. Most likely, it would be between my mother and me because I couldn't sit here all night listening to her insult my mate. It was already hard enough agreeing to marry a woman I had no interest in whatever.
I was doing my best to stay calm so no one would suspect anything, but it was tough when my mother kept testing my patience. If she acted like this without knowing that Lana was my mate, how would she react if she ever found out the truth? Just thinking about that sent a sharp pain down my spine. That was precisely why I was determined to keep it from happening.
"Well," my father says, taking a bite of his steak, "this dinner is quite... interesting."
I was surprised my father and stepmother even agreed to host my mother after all the horrible things she had said about them, both to their faces and behind their backs. They had no reason to be this kind to her. Yes, I loved my mother and would go to the ends of the earth for her. However, I also knew that she could be too much at times.
I sigh and check my watch.
Lana and Isabella were taking longer than expected to return to the dinner. It almost felt like they had decided to skip it altogether.
"I think I'll check on Lana and Isabella," I say, setting my fork down.
My mother immediately grabbed my wrist. "You will do no such thing. Your future wife is sitting right next to you. I can't count the number of times you've left dinners and never returned. I don't want a repeat of that."
Damn it.
This was why I didn't want my mother here for this long. She was determined to make our lives miserable. With no siblings around to help share the attention, I was stuck under her hawk-like gaze every single second she was with us.
"I'm sure your stepsisters will return soon," Jada chimed in. "Your mother just wants to spend some time with you."
My grip tightened on the fork. I didn't like taking orders from Jada; I hardly knew her, and it felt like she was just a puppet for my mother, doing and saying everything to please her.
"Jada is right," my stepmother added. "Leave the girls be. They're probably up to no good, but I'm sure they'll be back before you know it."
My jaw clenched. I wasn't so sure about that. Lana was clearly upset by my mother's comments, and I didn't blame her. I was even angrier than she was but couldn't show it to the people sitting beside me. I had to pretend everything was fine while deep down, my world felt like it was collapsing.
The second I got engaged to Jada, I knew that would spell the end for me. I wouldn't feel the same way I did when I was with Lana. And knowing my mate, she would never cross boundaries when I was officially engaged to someone else.
I still had the memory of our last kiss locked away, replaying it in my mind every single night since. Lana had no idea how much her actions affected me.
And now, because of this engagement, she might never know. I was more concerned for her than for myself. We hadn't spoken since that day, and more than anything, I wanted to hold her in my arms again. To avoid that, I'd been staying out of the house, keeping my distance to resist temptation.
I wished things were different. I wished there was a way to be with her while also appeasing my mother. But once my mother set her mind on something, there was no changing it.
Even if I tried to stop this engagement, I knew she would never accept Lana. Not only that, but she would do everything in her power to tear us apart. I was only trying to protect my mate from that torment by keeping our relationship from getting more serious than it already was.
"Excuse me?" my stepmother called over to a waiter who quickly approached us.
"What can I do for you, Miss?" he asked.
"Have you seen my daughters by chance?" she inquired.
"The two beautiful girls?" he replies, and I had to fight the urge to grab him by the neck for gazing at my mate too much earlier.
"Yes, those two," she laughs..
He smiles. "I believe I saw them talking to two men on the bottom floor."