The temptation of my brother-in-law-Chapter 59 - fifty nine

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Alicia’s POV

I went back to my room feeling frustrated and confused. My body was still buzzing from being so close to him. From almost getting what I wanted before he pulled away.

Why had he sent me away? Why kiss me like that and then tell me to go to sleep like I was a child?

I changed into my nightgown and paced around the room. Tried to calm down. Tried to stop thinking about the way his lips had felt on mine. The way his hand had felt wrapped around my wrist. The way his fingers felt inside me.

My pussy clenched at the thought.

My phone buzzed. A text from Malachi.

"Go to sleep, little bird."

I stared at the message. Was he serious? After everything that just happened, he was checking on me?

I typed back quickly. "I was going to sleep already."

It was a lie. I was nowhere near sleep. But I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d gotten under my skin.

I climbed into bed and turned off the light. Lay there in the darkness, willing sleep to come. But my mind wouldn’t stop racing. Wouldn’t stop replaying every moment in his study. Every touch. Every look.

Eventually, exhaustion won. I drifted off into restless sleep filled with dreams I wouldn’t remember in the morning.

The next morning came too quickly. I woke to sunlight streaming through the windows and someone knocking on my door.

"Miss Alicia?" One of the maids called. "Pa. Blackwood wants to see you downstairs. He says it’s important."

I groaned and pulled myself out of bed. Got dressed quickly in jeans and a simple blouse. Pulled my burgundy hair into a ponytail and headed downstairs.

Pa Wood was waiting in the sitting room with Travis. The old man looked pleased about something, which immediately put me on edge.

"Alicia, good. You’re here." He gestured for me to sit. "I’ve made an appointment for you and Travis this morning."

"An appointment?"

"With Mercier Couture. The anniversary celebration is in two weeks and you both need proper attire."

Right. The wedding anniversary. I’d almost forgotten about it. There wasn’t anything to celebrate.

"Grandfather, I can just wear something I already have," I said.

"Nonsense. This is an important event. You represent the family now. You need to look the part."

Travis looked as unhappy about this as I felt. But neither of us argued. You didn’t argue with Pa Wood.

An hour later, Travis and I were sitting in the back of a car heading downtown. The silence between us was heavy. Uncomfortable.

"You don’t have to do this," Travis said suddenly. "I can tell grandfather you were sick."

"And make things worse? No thanks."

"Suit yourself."

Pathetic.

Mercier Couture was exactly what I expected. All expensive furniture and staff who looked down their noses at anyone who wasn’t dripping in wealth. Though their expressions changed quickly when they saw the Blackwood name on the appointment sheet.

"Mr. and Mrs. Blackwood, welcome!" A woman in a suit rushed over. "I’m Diane, I’ll be assisting you today. We have several options prepared."

She led us to a private room filled with clothing racks. Evening gowns, suits, accessories. Everything designer. Everything expensive.

"We need to find complementary outfits," Diane explained. "Something that shows you as a united couple."

I wanted to laugh at that. United couple. If only she knew.

They had me try on dress after dress. Each one more elaborate than the last. Travis had to stand there and give his opinion on each one, which he did with zero enthusiasm.

"That one’s fine."

"Sure, whatever."

"They all look the same to me."

After the fifth dress, Diane was starting to look stressed. "Perhaps if you both tried them together? So we can see how they coordinate?"

So we did. I’d put on a dress, Travis would put on a suit, and we’d stand there while Diane and her assistants fussed and adjusted and took notes.

It was torture. Standing so close to Travis, pretending we were a happy couple. Smiling when they asked us to. Acting like this was normal.

"Perfect!" Diane finally declared after what felt like hours. "The midnight blue gown with the silver accents, and the matching suit. You look stunning together."

We looked like strangers playing dress-up. But I nodded and agreed.

After that ordeal, we went our separate ways. Travis headed back to the office. I had another appointment.

The hair salon was across town. I’d made the appointment weeks ago but kept putting it off. But now felt like the right time.

"Are you sure about this?" The stylist asked when I told her what I wanted. "Burgundy is such a beautiful color on you."

"I’m sure. I want my natural color back."

"Alright. But removing burgundy dye can take a while. And your natural color is quite unique."

She wasn’t wrong. It took three hours. Three hours of chemicals and washing and more chemicals. But finally, it was done.

I looked in the mirror and barely recognized myself. My natural silver hair. A color so rare that people always assumed it was dyed when they first saw it.

I hadn’t seen this color in over two years. Not since I’d first dyed it burgundy when I’d moved into the Blackwood mansion. I’d wanted to blend in. To not stand out. To be invisible.

But now I wanted to be seen.

The drive back to the mansion felt different somehow. Like I was returning as a different person. The me I’d been hiding for so long.

When I walked through the front door, Sophie saw me first.

"Alicia!" Her eyes went wide. "Your hair! It’s so pretty! It’s like... like moonlight!"

I smiled and hugged her. "Thank you, sweetheart."

"When did you change it?"

"Just now. Do you like it?"

"I love it! It’s so good to see you like this again."

We walked toward the dining room where the family was gathering for lunch. The moment I stepped through the door, conversation stopped.

Everyone stared. Adrian. His mother. Pa Wood. Sasha. Layla.

But I only looked at one person.

Malachi.

He’d been reaching for his water glass when I walked in. His hand froze mid-air. His eyes locked on me with an intensity that made my breath catch.

He looked shocked. Completely and utterly shocked. Like he was seeing me for the first time.

"Alicia?" Adrian’s voice broke the silence. "What did you do to your hair?"

"I went back to my natural color."

"Silver?" His mother looked scandalized. "That’s your natural color?"

"Yes."

Pa Wood was studying me carefully. "I’ve never seen hair that color before. Not naturally."

"It’s rare," I said simply, taking my seat. Right next to Malachi, as usual.

I could feel his eyes on me. Feel the weight of his stare. But I didn’t look at him. Just calmly served myself food like nothing unusual had happened.

"You’ve had burgundy hair since you arrived," Pa Wood continued. "Why change it now?"

"I felt like it was time."

That wasn’t the whole truth. The truth was more complicated. The truth was that I was tired of hiding. Tired of trying to be invisible.

"It’s very striking," Layla said. "Unusual."

"Thank you."

Lunch proceeded, but the atmosphere had shifted. They kept glancing at me. Whispering. I’d definitely made an impression.

Malachi hadn’t said a single word. Hadn’t taken his eyes off me either. I could feel his gaze like a physical touch. Hot. Intense. Consuming.

Finally, I turned to look at him. Our eyes met and something electric passed between us.

He looked at me like he was seeing something he’d been searching for his whole life. Like I’d just revealed some secret he’d been desperate to uncover.

"What?" I asked quietly, so only he could hear.

"Nothing," he said, his voice rough. "Just didn’t expect this."

"Do you like it?"

The question came out before I could stop it. Why did I care what he thought?

His eyes darkened. "Yes." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Just that one word. But the way he said it made heat pool in my stomach.

"Good," I said, turning back to my food.

But I could still feel his eyes on me. Still feel the tension crackling between us.

I’d wanted to be seen. Wanted to stop hiding.

Mission accomplished.

After lunch, I went upstairs to check on Sophie’s homework. When I came back down, I ran into Malachi in the hallway. He didn’t say anything at first.

He just stood there, blocking my path, staring at me with that same intense look from earlier. "I need to know something," he said finally. "Why burgundy? Why did you hide this?" He reached out and touched a strand of my silver hair.

Let it slip through his fingers slowly. The gesture was intimate. Possessive. "I wanted to disappear," I admitted.

"Silver hair makes you stand out. Makes people remember you. I didn’t want to be remembered when I first came here."

His jaw tightened. "And now?"

"Now I’m tired of disappearing."

He stepped closer. So close I could feel the heat radiating off his body. "Good. Because I see you, little bird. I’ve always seen you. But this..." He touched my hair again. "This is who you really are, isn’t it?"

He leaned down, his lips almost brushing my ear. "Beautiful," he whispered. Then he walked away, leaving me breathless in the hallway.