Relatives asked about flower thes, colors, the guest list, and even the seating arrangents for the press.
Lois sat quietly, nodding here and there, but her mind wasn’t on the decorations or the cake flavors.
She was waiting—watching for the right opportunity.
Finally, after what felt like hours, her chance arrived.
"Why don’t I show Ross around our ga room?" Lois said, her tone casual though her pulse raced.
"I rember hearing in one of your interviews that you’re into gas. We’ve got a decent setup."
Ross leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful hum escaping his lips.
Then he flashed that signature smile, the kind that seed to light up a room and disarm even the harshest critics.
"Hmmmm... that would actually be a nice break for . Thank you, Lois."
Laura, sitting beside him, giggled. "Don’t let him beat you, sis. He’s competitive."
Ross chuckled, rising smoothly to his feet. "Only when it’s worth it."
Lois stood too, forcing a smile as her stomach tightened.
She gestured toward the hallway, and together they walked away from the buzzing conversations in the living room.
The voices of their family faded into the background, leaving just the two of them moving side by side.
Ross walked easily, hands in his pockets, his presence calm but commanding.
"You know," he said lightly, glancing at Lois, "it’s rare I get a mont away from all the noise. I appreciate this."
Lois gave a small nod, her mind whirling.
She hadn’t invited him just to play gas—she needed answers.
And maybe, just maybe, she would finally see through the mask Ross Oakley wore so perfectly.
Along the way, they talked like friends—Ross asking her about her favorite gas, Lois teasing him about whether he was as good as he claid in those interviews.
Outwardly, it was easy, lighthearted. But inside, Lois was bracing herself for the conversation she truly wanted to have.
Thud!
The ga room doors shut behind them, muting the excited voices and laughter from the crowded living room.
The silence between them was thick, charged, and suffocating.
Lois took a sharp breath, her nails digging into her palm as she clenched her fists.
"Why?" she demanded, her voice low and trembling with restrained fury.
Ross tilted his head slightly, pretending not to understand.
"Why what?" he asked with a casual shrug, strolling to the pool table like he had all the ti in the world. He
leaned against it lazily, his sharp eyes never leaving her.
"If you’re asking about Laura, then I already explained. You weren’t available to , Lois. So I took your sister instead. And since you’re twins..." His grin widened, wolfish and cruel. "It’s almost as if I’ve already had you, too."
Lois’s breath caught in her throat.
Heat rose to her face, anger and disbelief twisting inside her chest.
She wanted to scream at him, slap him, anything—but her body stayed rooted to the floor.
Ross chuckled at her silence, his voice dropping to a near whisper as he leaned closer.
"But now that I’ve seen your mother..." His words dripped like honey, poisoned and sweet at the sa ti.
"I might just go after her once I’m done with Laura. And eventually—" his gaze road slowly down her figure, deliberate and taunting, "—I’ll probably have you as well."
For an instant, Lois’s mask slipped. Triumph flickered in her eyes, as if she had finally caught him revealing his true intentions.
She thought she had him cornered—exposed.
Ross noticed. He always noticed.
His smirk sharpened, the predator in him savoring her tiny victory before tearing it apart.
"Ahhh," he said smoothly, straightening up and fixing his jacket as though he were about to step onto a stage.
"So that’s what you were hoping for, wasn’t it? That I’d say sothing incriminating. That I’d hand you the weapon you need to destroy ."
Her lips pressed into a thin line, but her silence betrayed her.
Ross’s eyes narrowed knowingly.
He tapped the pocket of her blouse lightly, right where her phone rested.
The gesture sent shivers up her spine.
"I know you’re recording this, Lois."
His voice grew louder, theatrical now, ant to be heard clearly by anyone listening through the device.
"It’s just a joke, everyone. Don’t take seriously. I love Laura more than I love life itself."
He laughed softly, a confident, disarming laugh that filled the room.
A laugh that sounded genuine enough to fool anyone who might later hear this recording.
Lois’s heart sank.
The little hope she had of exposing him was slipping through her fingers like sand.
Her chest tightened, her throat dry, but her eyes remained locked on him, refusing to look away.
Ross took a slow step forward, closing the distance between them. His voice lowered again, intimate, ant for her alone.
"You see, Lois... I always play three steps ahead. Don’t think for a second you can outsmart ." He leaned in, his breath brushing against her ear.
"And one day, when you least expect it... you’ll co to willingly. Just like your sister."
Lois flinched, her breath shaky, but she didn’t back away. She hated him.
She hated how calm, how untouchable he seed.
But what terrified her most wasn’t his arrogance—it was the small, unshakable part of her that feared he might be right.
Ross smiled again, his victory complete, and turned back toward the door as though nothing had happened at all.
Lois stood frozen, her recording now useless, her anger burning hotter than ever.
"You’re impossible." Lois exhaled sharply, her thumb pressing the screen as she killed the recording. Her chest rose and fell, her pulse hamring in her ears.
Ross’s smile curved darker, sharper—predatory.
"Is the recording off?" he asked lightly, almost teasing. Then, as the room seed to shrink around her, his voice dropped into a chilling whisper.
"Good. Because I want to make this absolutely clear to you, Lois. I want you. And I will have you. Either you co to willingly... or I’ll take your mother first, and save you for last. That’s the only choice you’ll get."
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