One minute more, and Calvin would be done for the week. His office door burst open while he was making the final touches to a contract. He scowled, prepared to give whoever that was a lecture about knocking and waiting for his invitation. But on seeing his twin sister, Camilla, he rolled his eyes. At least she was sober.
Camilla’s pointy heel clicked against the floor as she sashayed towards him like his office was her runway. She stopped behind one of the swivel chairs and spun it. Christ.
“Good to see you too, baby bro.”
“Fifteen seconds,” Calvin reminded her. Pinching his thumb and index finger together, he said, “Fifteen seconds, Cam.”
Camilla flipped her brown hair like he was wasting oxygen by speaking to her. She was such a diva, and he knew better than to be offended.
“Is all it took to make me the older one, baby bro.”
The urge to throw her out of hi
Cara burst into her sister’s room without knocking. Hana looked up from her laptop as her sister joined her on the bed. Cara copied her stance. Resting her back against the headboard, she folded her legs under her and dropped her laptop on her thighs.Today was Valentine’s Day, and Cara didn’t have any lectures. Mr Black had missed their last two appointments, and Hana was more relieved than she should have been about it.What if the man was also having second thoughts? Baba was intent on this deal for his sake, not Hana’s, Cara’s or Mama’s. She couldn’t get out of the deal unless Mr Black cancelled, and she doubted he would after waiting so long. What if he was sick, ugly or burnt? Or even worse than Baba?A tap on her shoulder shook her out of her thoughts. She dropped the laptop on the bed and smiled at her sister. “Yes, Cara?”“What were you thinking?”&ldqu
Friday came sooner than Calvin wanted. So far, Camilla hadn’t bothered him all week, and he was grateful for that. The moment his door opened, that gratitude flew out of it. Camilla waved. Today, she wasn’t in a pencil skirt but a suit. Shutting the door with her foot, she catwalked to his door.Calvin stretched his hand to her. “Eggs.”“Come on, I just got here. Let me sit first,” Camilla told him. Yeah, she didn’t have the eggs. “Well, can I sit now, Vinny? Last—”“Sit if you have the eggs.”“Come on!” she whined.Since he was done with work for the day, he might as well entertain both of them.“Fine. Have a seat, Miss Mckenna,” he said.Camilla grinned. Sitting, she dropped her bag on his desk. He had already packed up. If she had come ten minutes later, she would have missed him. He withdrew his pen from his breast pocket, wrote two dig
The car drove into the vast compound, and their butler came to open the door for them. Calvin left the wine for Camilla and carried the cake. Adam, their butler, grabbed his suitcase. The old man cracked a smile, and he knew that was the most they would get.“Welcome. Your parents are waiting.”Camilla darted him a sharp glance, and he rounded to her side, bumping his hip into hers. “Are you good, Cam? You look pale.”“I’m fine.”“Bible?”“I’m not fine,” she admitted. “Later.”Walking ahead to avoid Calvin asking more questions, his sister opened the front door and shut it before he entered. Adam laughed. He was used to her tantrums because he had been in the family for as long as he could remember. Adam opened the door for him, and Mum’s voice was the first he heard. He heard her laughter, and then Dad agreeing to what his wife said. He didn’t th
Breakfast was a quieter affair. Calvin had just spread jam over his toast when his sister pointed at his chest. He stared down at the open collar of his shirt, wondering what she was up to now.His parents continued eating, but their eyes darted to him a few times. KJ was scrolling through the newsfeed on the phone in his left hand while munching on the bread in the right. They were seated side by side while Camilla sat beside their mother. Dad smacked his youngest son with the folded newspaper on the table, and when KJ howled, Mum only scowled in support of her husband. No phones at the dining table. It was a rule in the McKenna household.KJ looked around. When he didn’t get any support from his siblings, he dropped the phone face down, grumbling, “That was important.”“Not as important as the family breakfast,” Mum told him. None of them could argue with that. When his mother turned to Camilla, memories from last nigh
Today, Hana arrived before her date. Mr Black had profusely apologised for being late, but it wasn’t his fault because she was fifteen minutes early. She was nervous. Baba hadn’t given her any details beyond asking her to look good. He seemed happy about the result of the last date, and she could only hope that was the case today.Mr Black had selected an open restaurant, and she was grateful for his choice. A large metallic fence with leaves interwoven into it surrounded them. The cool air was a topic for discussion, but she had been unable to speak since their drinks arrived.“Miss Kent,” Mr Black murmured. “I’d like to apologise about the last meeting.”Hana forced out a laugh. “It’s fine.”“You didn’t even get my name,” he said. She wasn’t sure she cared for it. If she had her way, they would have separate rooms after the wedding. Placing a hand on his chest, he contin
“Who is she?” Calvin screamed at his best friend. He had tried to run after Angel, but her driver was faster. Diane tried to hold him, but he shrugged her off. Her presence was irritating him. Plus, she had refused to leave the two men to talk. The next time she tried to touch him, he snapped. “Stop.”Charles had returned to the spot where he had the date with Angel. Calvin wasn’t thinking straight when he grabbed the glass from Charles. His friend glared, backing off when Calvin didn’t so much as blink.“I already told you, her name is Miss Kent. You were supposed to be here as a backup plan, but fortunately, I didn’t need one,” his friend said, scowling at the lady seated on the hand of Calvin’s chair. Diane shrugged, and Calvin did his hardest to ignore her. “I’m glad you made it here, Cal. Truly, I am. But I don’t appreciate your newfound interest in my wife. We’re good now.&r
“He has a girlfriend,” Hana murmured.Hana was sitting by the dresser, her fingers fisted in the air as she tried to take off her earrings. She couldn’t remember how many minutes or hours she had spent in this position, but the moment the driver parked, she had run into her room. Baba wasn’t home when she returned. Mama had been watching a soap opera, so she didn’t get a chance to question Hana.She finally removed the second earring and tucked it into the case on the table. A groan from the bed reminded her she wasn’t alone. Her sister was reading on her tab. Hana had taken her advice to split the book so Cara was making all the final touches.“Who?” Cara asked.Hana picked up her laptop and opened the manuscript. She thought she was done with it. The book had ended with a happy ever after, but the happiness she felt the day she put the last full stop to the document was missing. There was a hol
On Friday, Calvin skipped family dinner. Late in the afternoon on Saturday, he went to his parent’s house and tiptoed into the room to avoid calling attention to himself. Calvin had just climbed into bed when a knock came from behind the door. Pushing the cover off his legs, he sat up against the headboard. The door opened without his permission, and he hid a groan as his sister enter. He must have forgotten to lock up. Sweeping a hand over his body covered in a tank top and briefs, he asked, “What if I was naked, Cam?” “Are you?” “See for yourself,” he retorted. Thoughts of Angel still plagued him, but he wasn’t sure who to discuss it with. Camilla must have heard him enter because he had been very quiet. “So, did that guy ever call you?” Camilla shut the door with her foot and rested her weight on it. They were silent for a moment. He didn’t know if it was a good idea to mention Angel. If Camilla knew, then the