Forget Me Not (Zayn/Harry; Mpreg AU)

43 - Spilling some beans

"Mrs. Cole, what I am about to tell you is, simply put, destructive. These information are serious and often leave lasting damages to those who hear them. Thus, before I reveal them to you, I have to know if you are ready. Do you think you could handle them?"

"Growing up and living with an unmerciful set of parents taught me a thing or two about pain and misery, Mr. Brown. I'm fairly sure I have got the resistance to traumatizing information and then some."

"Alright."

A thick manila envelope slides across the table to land in front of Doniya, some of its contents spilling out into the open. Gently, delicate hands pick up a stack of photos while contrastingly sharp brown eyes thoroughly scan the images imprinted in them.

"I have traced the owner of the black Mercedes S-Class Saloon to a Miss Joann Van Den Herik, a young model from The Netherlands. Apparently, Mr. Zayn Malik's accident was not because he wanted to overtake the car in front of him, but rather, he was attempting to lose said car that was following him from behind."

"Who in the world is she? What is her reason for following my brother around in bloody London? We don't even know her."

"I have yet to watch the security camera footages, Mrs. Cole. However, I can confidently assure you that it is not Miss Joann who was in the car when your brother was involved in the subsequent vehicular accident."

"O...kay."

"I don't know how this might help for now, but for your further information, Joann Van Den Herik is Gigi Hadid's cousin."

There are warm hands cupping her cheeks and then an annoyingly chirpy voice repeating her name dangerously close to her ears, threatening ear pain with its volume and proximity. But, it works like magic because in the next second, Doniya quickly snaps out of her trance, the memory of her meeting with Mr. Jude Brown, one of the most sought after private investigators in England, dissipating almost immediately.

"What?" Doniya mutters with a pout.

Waliyha emerges from beside her, giggling playfully. So, she is the one responsible for calling Doniya's name countless of times. "You look weird staring into thin air, Doni."

Scott, her husband, ruffles Doniya's hair with a grin. He kisses Doniya's cheek and then gives her a warm cup of tea. "That's jasmine, love," the gentle giant of a man affectionately murmurs. "With one teaspoon of honey, just like how you love it."

A swarm of butterflies invade Doniya's stomach and she blushes, still not fully used to her husband's genuinely caring nature. She takes a sip of her tea and instantly feels herself relax, her limbs loosening up. "Thank you, babe."

"Are you okay, Don?" Safaa asks next, looking up from her spread of workbooks and papers. In her overprotective state, she has brought her schoolwork along with her while visiting Doniya. "You zoned out earlier."

"I'm fine. I just remembered something."

Waliyha and Safaa look as though they are itching to press Doniya to confess, but Scott being in the same room prevent them from doing so. Despite the fact that Doniya's husband has a close relationship with the siblings and then there is the added reality of what recently happened to Doniya and Scott's supposedly firstborn, they are still unsure if he is ready to fully understand just how messed up the Malik family truly are, that behind the glitz and glamor lurks unfathomable darkness fueled by terrible greed. So, in the meantime, they try their best to keep him as far away as possible from danger.

As luck would have it, after a few minutes, Scott's phone rings, prompting him to excuse himself in order to answer the call. As soon as he is out of earshot, Waliyha and Safaa are attacking Doniya with questions.