41

SOLEIL

"And who is this?" asks the older gentleman.

Even when Brice's uncle pulls back from their hug, his cool gaze is still assessing me. I feel the need to smooth out my outfit, check my face and my hair. However, I stand firm and plaster a smile on my face.

"This is my girlfriend, Soleil Spellman," says Brice as he wraps his arm around me and pulls me into his side.

I turn to look at him, this time my smile coming from a genuine place. So he's claiming me in public, huh?

"What happened to the blonde?"

Damn. Tell me you don't like me without telling me you don't like me. I refuse to let this man phase me though. I wrap an arm around Brice and lean into him.

"Long story short? Maman adopted her. Hailey's officially a part of the family and my sister now. She should be arriving soon with Hidde and a few of our friends."

"Like a true royal to keep it in the family, huh?" says Divin.

He picks up a glass of wine he must have set down on the railing before we came out and takes a sip.

"It's a little more complicated than that," counters Brice.

And as much as I don't like that his ex is still in the picture, I'm mindful enough to know it's no fault of her own and understand Brice's hesitance in explaining something as personal as the abuse she suffered at the hands of her blood relatives.

His hand slips from my waist to clasp mine as Brice leads me to a side table set up with various wine glasses and bottles.

"Which one would you like?" he asks me, picking up a few bottles to read the label.

He settles on a deep red and pours himself a glass.

"Might I suggest the rosé?" says Divin coming over to the table. "It's a new blend we're introducing to the line. Light on the palette, not as heavy as the merlot, but still carries notes of the rich flavour we're famous for."

"Sure. Yes, that sounds good."

"How long have you two been together?" he asks, pouring me a glass.

"Officially, only a couple of days. Unofficially, it seems like forever," answers Brice giving me a wink before taking another sip. "Enough about us. Tell me uncle, where have you been and when did you get here?"

His uncle switches to French. It's kind of rude to speak another language in the presence of guests but I let them be just glad I'm not the topic of discussion any longer. I manage to pick up Divin mentioning something vague about traveling and arriving a few days ago.

I tune out because French was one of my worst classes. I dropped it in grade 10. As pretty as it sounds, I didn't care much for the headache that came with the subject. I chose Afrikaans as my second language. I'd rather deal with their STOMPI structure.

"Excusez-moi," I say, setting my glass down. Excuse me.

"Where are you going?" asks Brice.

"The ladies' room."

I know it's a bit early to break the seal, but it's been hours and the liquid slipping down my throat is a good reminder of that. The two also sound like they haven't seen each other in years. Maybe in my absence, they can speak more freely.

"Alright, there's one down the left passage, third door to your right."

I nod and head off in that direction, their conversation resuming behind me. I find the bathroom and empty my bladder, wash my hands, and touch up my gloss and hair. Not that I need to. I'm just a little nervous. This is the first time I'm meeting Brice's family. Scratch that, I had already met his grandfather and he was pleasant enough. His uncle, not so much. I guess these things are 50/50.

I exit the bathroom, a bit hesitant to rejoin them so I decide to take a look around to give them more time to catch up. Heading in the opposite direction I came from, I explore the home walking down the hall and passing various rooms, taking in the framed photos and paintings. I can appreciate the hyper-realism in the art. I've never been a fan of the abstract. Like what exactly am I looking at? Make it make sense.

I recognise Brice in some of the pictures and a younger version of his grandfather and uncle in others. The women are few are far in between. I can only assume the one with the dark hair standing with his grandfather and an older woman who shares similar features are his mother and grandmother respectively.

I'm in the lounge and haven't seen anybody on this side of the house. Most of the activity was coming from the kitchen and taking place outside as the servers moved back and forth. I'm about to turn around when I hear a familiar laugh.

Gogo?

It can't be.

I move in the direction of the muted voices. The door is cracked open. I would knock but I could be wrong so I stand to the side and listen in.

"What's so funny Nceba? You know this is what I've always wanted. We've discussed this for years. Now is the time."

It is my grandmother and it sounds like she's talking to Riaan. I would be impressed with his pronunciation of her name but I'm more focused on what he's talking about. He doesn't sound amused by my grandmother who's still laughing albeit not as loudly.

"Yoh! Huh ah," she finally calms down enough to say. "I thought we settled this a long time ago. What about what I want? Our time has passed and I thought we agreed to remain friends."

"I was only friends with you for the sake of my marriage out of respect for my dying wife at your behest. She's dead now and so is your husband. What's holding you back? If there's a problem, I'll solve it. You should know that by now."

Oh-kay... this is why one shouldn't eavesdrop. Now I'm picking up stompies. That brief conversation I had with Michelle on the way to the clinic resurfaces. It's hard to imagine my God-fearing grandmother having an affair but after listening in on that it's starting to sink in and the visuals are just sordid.

Gogo is not the baking cookies type of grandma. She's a striking woman. Like Angela Basset and Connie Ferguson, she's a poster child for black don't crack and there's no denying the handsome gene that runs in Riaan's family. He's still an attractive man. However, the visuals of family members are gross.

I take a step back in an attempt to mind my business. When I turn around I find myself face to chest with Divin. I didn't even hear him coming. I look up at him and those cold eyes of his are staring me down.

"Excuse me," I walk around him to beat a hasty retreat in search of Brice.

I make it a few feet down the short hall before I come to a sudden halt.

I'm frozen.

I can't move.

Divin's footsteps trail from behind as he gets closer and walks around me. He comes to a stop in front of me. His power over me is stunning. He wraps a large hand around my neck, lifting my feet off the ground, and slams me into the wall. The impact of my head against the brick wall is jarring.

"Who the fuck are you?" he grits out.

I can't talk with his grip crushing my throat. His eyes darken, the once light blue fading to black. At this point I'm scared. I would scream if I could and probably wet myself had I just not been to the bathroom.

"Speak and don't you dare lie to me, or I'll snap your fokken neck."

He lets go of me and I'm able to breathe easier. However, I'm now stuck to the wall.

"M-my name is Soleil, S-soleil Spellman."

"I already know that you idiot. What are you doing here? Why are you snooping around?"

"I wasn't snooping." I'm starting to panic. "I was just looking at the photos and paintings and found myself here."

"Found yourself standing outside my uncle's office, listening to what I'm sure is a private conversation. Whatever happened to a man having privacy in his own home?"

"Yes. I mean no. I didn't mean to... I was invited."

Between the pressure of his hold keeping me arrested and his withering gaze, I can't think straight.

"My nephew may be pussy whipped and gullible for a pretty face, but I assure you I'm not. This is the last time I'm going to ask."

The pressure around me increases and I feel my chest caving in.

"Please, my grandmother is in there with him."

He tilts his head to the side as if considering my words and I swear his eyes turn completely black.

"Who's your grandmother?" he asks, his voice low and cold.

"N-nceba Khumalo," I wheeze out.

He laughs – a dark humourless laugh. He takes a few steps over to me and runs his nose across my cheek before whispering into my ear, "And who's your mother?"

I'm petrified - literally.

"M-m-maya," I manage to stutter out.

At this point, I can barely breathe let alone talk in his all-consuming presence. It's heavy and crushes everything around it including me. He takes a step back and I immediately feel the pressure lift. I drop onto the floor and my legs buckle. I quickly get up, standing on shaky legs and massaging my now sore throat. I'm scared to look up. I need to get out of here, away from him.

Keeping my head down, I attempt to walk around him for a second time yet he stops me again, this time grabbing a hold of my wrist. I chance a glance up at him wondering what he wants from me.

"Where's Michelle?" he asks.

His eyes are back to blue but something tells me to lie. Lie, lie, lie, and deny any knowledge of my aunt's whereabouts.

"She's not here. She works a lot usually in New York or London."

I place her far away and hopefully out of his reach. His eyes look over my face, weighing my words.

"Does she have any kids?"

"No."

He lets me go and walks away without another word or a backward glance. I stand there in a state of shock trying to piece together what happened. I wonder if Divin is the man Michelle told me about.

I don't know how long I stand at the threshold of that empty hall between the office and the lounge. Apparently long enough for Gogo and Riaan to come out and find me there. She looks just as surprised to see me as I am to see her. I shove what just happened to the back of my mind and try act like nothing is wrong when I greet the two.

"Gogo, what are you doing here?"

"Riaan invited me for lunch. He told me you kids would be coming over so I decided why not. I get to catch up with an old friend and check up on my baby."

"Right..." I give my grandmother the side-eye and she pulls on my cheeks as if I'm five.

I'm going to pretend I don't know about these two because now is neither the time nor the place.

"Soleil," it's good to see you again, greets Riaan.

"Thank you for having me," I remember my manners.

"You're always welcome. Let's head outside. I'm sure the staff are finished setting up."

We make our way back to the patio to join the others. I spot Brice with the rest of the group who must have arrived in my absence. He pulls me to his side and for the first time I find safety and comfort there. I finish off my glass of wine while everyone else converses around me.

Soon after, we take our seats around the table. Riaan is on one end with Gogo to his left and Hidde to his right. Divin is on the other end thankfully far away from us. Brice is seated next to his cousin with me at his side. Antonella, Hailey, Jessica, Olivier, Baptiste, Didier, and Louis occupy the remaining seats in the middle.

As I suspected, it's a formal lunch with plated dishes paired with different wines. Various dishes are set before us, one after another. My throat hurts and I don't have much of an appetite. I can only stomach a few bites and Brice notices.

"Hey, are you okay?" he turns to ask me.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You're going to have to lie better if you expect me to believe you."

There's a playful smile on his face as he uses my own words against me. I'm a little irritated and still unsettled from earlier.

"I said I'm fine!" I say a little louder than I intend to drawing the attention of Hailey and Antonella who are seated across from us. "Excuse me."

I get up and walk away from the table moving towards the back of the house. I'm scared to step inside and be alone after what happened. Footsteps trail behind me and I take a deep breath stealing myself for explanations I don't care to give.

"Soleil!" Brice calls.

He takes a hold of my hand halting my procession. I turn around and pull it back instinctively reaching for my irritated throat as I swallow past the discomfort. Brice steps closer to me and this time wraps his hand around the back of my neck, with the other he pries my hand away. He tilts my chin up and gently runs his thumb down the column of my throat. His grey eyes glide up and lock on mine.

"Who put their hands on you?"

I don't want to start something and I can see the crazy look enter his eyes. I'll tell him later; not here, not right now.

"It's nothing."

"I'm not going to ask you again. Who put their hands on you, baby?"

I'm trying to think of an excuse. I don't know how bad it looks or whether he's just super observant. No one else seems to have noticed.

"Don't test me, Soleil. I can see for myself if you're not up to the task of talking."

Shit. I forgot about his mind reading. I hear another set of footsteps approaching and try step out of his hold but he won't let me. His hand moves from the back of my neck to my waist keeping me in place, his eyes boring into mine.

"Someone's coming. Can we talk about this later?"

"I don't give a fuck and no, we're discussing this right now. Who put their hands on you?" he asks me for the third time, his voice rising.

"I did."

It happens so fast. As soon as Divin takes accountability, Brice turns around and swings, throwing a punch to his face. The older man stumbles back but remains standing. He swipes the bottom of his nose, his fingers coming up bloody.

"I deserved that," he says with a crooked smile looking Brice in the eye.

I watch the muscles tense along his jaw and through his black t-shirt as he takes a menacing step forward.

"Brice, don't."

I reach for him not wanting to escalate the situation any further but he shrugs me off. So, I make the bold move to stand between them as if I'm some kind of referee.

"Are you standing up for this fucker?" he asks me. "You, apologise now," he spits at Divin, pointing an accusatory finger.

I turn around to face the man in question. Brice pulls me flush against his front and I relax into his embrace. Crow's feet crinkle at the corner of Divin's eyes when he looks at me with a smile. With the blood dripping from his nose and into his mouth, and even onto his white shirt, he looks maniacal.

"I apologize, Soleil. I thought you were someone else."

"You thought I was Michelle's daughter?"

"Yes."

I nod my head in understanding having some of my suspicions confirmed.

"What would you have done if I was?"

"Luckily for both of us, we'll never have to find out."

I can read between the lines and know the thought of their child must linger painfully in his mind as much as it does in my aunt's.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"What's going on here? What are you two talking about?" asks Brice.

"I'll leave you two love birds to get this cleaned up."

He walks away and uses one of the open French doors to enter the house.

"Soleil, care to explain?" asks Brice turning me around in his arms.

"Not unless you're willing to tell me what upset you last night." I watch as his guard goes up and his jaw tenses. I thought so. Now is not the time or place for such heavy conversations. The man apologised and looked relatively sincere. "We'll talk about this later."

Brice doesn't say anything but doesn't push back either. We head back to the table hand in hand.

"Nana, is everything alright?" asks my gran.

"Yes Gogo. I just needed to get some fresh air."

"Haw! Angithi we're sitting outside. There's fresh air all around us."

"Well, I needed fresh air without the people around it," I counter.

"Hmmm so how's the vacation with your friends?" she asks with an amused smile.

"It's going well. Plett is beautiful."

"I'm sure it is. I know you told me that you and Hidde were just friends so is this your boyfriend?" she gestures at Brice with her fork.

"No," I say.

"Yes," says Brice simultaneously.

I look at Brice who doesn't look too happy and feel a dozen or so beady eyes us on. Shit. This is so embarrassing. Why did I say no? I feel cornered.

Why did Gogo have to be so spicy in front of all these people? I would have told her about Brice eventually. I just never expected to see her here.

I reach deep into my soul and find my mother tongue despite us speaking English at home.

"Singaxoxa ngalokhu kamuva. Kukhona abangazi lapha." Can we talk about this later? There are strangers here.

"Haibo! Bengicabanga ukuthi bangabangane bakho?" Hey! I thought they were your friends?

I narrow my eyes at this woman. If I was half as reckless I would ask her the same thing about Riaan. Thankfully, she drops the topic and picks up whatever conversation she had going with Riaan as if she didn't just open a can of worms and leave me to stew in it.

2024 / 04 / 07

WC: 3045

Thank you so much for 100k reads!! As promised, a triple update tonight!

Dedicating this chapter to LadybugMela The triple update you once asked for is served 🖤

I can't think of a bigger flex than owning a vineyard. The Boers ATE when they cultivated the Cape Winelands so that people like me could occupy their land and drink🍷

Speaking of which there are some people that will drive you to drink like I love Gogo lol but she's the embodiment of family embarazzzzment and sheesh Divin is a mess.