Part-258

  "Why are we even doing this?" he muttered under his breath. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice Toya approag until she was right in front of him.

  "James," she called out, her voice calm and measured.

  He looked up, startled. Toya stood there, dressed in a cute but casual outfit—a floral skirt that fell just above her knees and a light blue top. It wasn’t overly fshy, but it suited her perfectly. For a moment, James fot what they were doing here. His mouth opened, and before he could thier of it, he said, "You look really oya."

  She g him briefly, then waved her hand dismissively. "You don’t have to act yet. Save it for wheime es."

  James blinked, a little taken aback by her abruptness. He shrugged, deg it was best not tue. "Right. Got it."

  Without another word, Toya turned and began walking into the mall, motioning for James to follow. He fell in step beside her, still unsure of what exactly was going to happen. The atmosphere between them was oddly calm, sidering the circumstaoya wasn’t nervous, nor did she seem overly focused on their fake retionship. She walked with an air of nonce, occasionally gng at the shop windows but showing little i in the dispys.

  At first, it felt like a normal shopping trip. They strolled through the crowded corridors, pausing here and there to g a store or watch passersby. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, and James began to wonder if this whole thing was just a way to keep up appearances in case Rakib had people watg them. But even that seemed too simple. There had to be more to this pn than a mere public outing.

  "Are we just supposed to wander around?" he finally asked, breaking the silence.

  Toya shot him a sidelong gnce. "For now, yes. Just aal. We’re supposed to be a couple, so don't look like you’re analyzing everything."

  James hough internally, he was anything but calm. Every sense was heightened, every instin edge, waiting for something—anything—to happen. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but his gut told him this wasn’t going to be as easy as just walking around the mall pretending to be Toya’s boyfriend.

  As they turned a er into a quieter part of the mall, James felt it—a shift in the air, a faint prickle at the back of his neck. He gnced behind them, his eyes sing the crowd. That’s when he saw him.

  A man stood at a distaall and well-dressed, his presence almost unnoticeable amidst the flow of people. His attire was refiailored pants, a crisp button-up shirt, polished shoes—but his gaze was focused entirely on Toya. Even from this distance, James could sense something was off. The man didn’t move like an average shopper; there was a fiden his posture, a smootho his steps that seemed too calcuted.

  *Rakib.*