The sun had already disappeared behind the horizon by the time Kai finally arrived at his peaceful home town of Carlpole.
When he rolled into the Treshvire estate, he wasn't surprised to see Kaleb already waiting outside the magnificent mansion, holding two champagne flutes in both hands.
From the thrum of music spilling out of the mansion to the silhouettes of guests swaying beneath its bright lights, it was clear the party had already begun without him.
Kai didn't slow down as he sped towards his brother, skidding to a halt just inches from Kaleb's knees.
His smirk was wicked, the kind that promised trouble, as he revved the engine while holding his brother's narrowed gaze.
Kaleb didn't flinch. He only raised one brow in a daring smirk.
"Really! Are you planning to murder me before I get to congratulate you on becoming the genius of the year's married bachelor?" He said with a sarcastic grin.
"Just making sure the looks match the nerves." Kai killed the engine with a satisfied smile. He slid out of the car in his tailored blazer and made his way towards his brother, his sunglasses still perched smugly on his face. "What are we celebrating?"
Kaleb shoved one of the flutes into Kai's hand. "Champagne for the knucklehead who just signed his life away. I thought you were going there to stop the wedding and not become the groom?"
"Well... Like the saying goes, 'We only live in the moment.'"
Kaleb scoffed, "Even a coin flip would have made a smarter choice. I just hope you know what you're doing."
They both clinked glasses like gentlemen, making a toast over a successfully concluded business deal.
"To chaos and facing dad or worse, grandpa Maxwell with your impromptu and unplanned marriage decisions." Kaleb drawled, with a wicked smirk.
"To a peaceful marriage and winning the heart of a princess." Kai countered, before downing half of the champagne in his glass.
"So… how's the wifey? Was she dazzled by the diamond ring?" Kaleb asked, still convinced that his twin brother had made a huge mistake.
Kai chuckled as he recalled Ruby's reaction to the diamond ring. "She rejected it. She said it was too expensive."
Kaleb almost choked on his champagne. "Are you kidding me?! Who says no to diamonds?"
"Ruby, I guess." Kai shrugged, leaning on the car with his leg crossed. "She's not materialistic after all."
"Or she could be a phenomenal actress," Kaleb muttered under his breath. "So, where is the diamond?"
"I slipped it into her finger before she had the time to reject it."
"How convenient!" Kaleb scoffed, knowing how girls like that operate.
First, they reject an expensive gift to make them look conservative and decent. Then they innocently accept the same gift while scheming their way into riches they know nothing about.
"Listen, bro..." He placed a hand on Kai's shoulder. "... I'm not going to judge your decision on going after this girl. But you have to be careful. For all we know, she might just be playing you. I'm speaking from experience."
"I understand your worries, General..." Kai's tone was playful yet serious. "...but trust me. This girl is different from any girl I've ever met. She's definitely not like Tatiana."
"Hmm..." Kaleb's face twisted into a mask of restrained fury, that name leaving a bitter taste at the back of his tongue. He took another sip of his champagne, his eyes lingering on his only brother with an edge of worry.
"So what's next now that you've married her? Are you planning to reveal your identity to her?"
"Already did..." Kai gulped down the remaining wine in his glass, his amused gaze flickering to Kaleb's stunned expression. "I wanted to start on the right note with her."
"Are you out of your freaking mind?"
Kai's smirk widened. "And there's more..."
"Please don't tell me she's pregnant." Kaleb's voice was clipped and icy.
"She is." Kai straightened up ready to join the rest of the family inside the house, while averting Kaleb's frozen gaze.
"She is what?!" The champagne flute Kaleb was holding fell from his hand, shattering on the concrete floor.
Kai paused mid-step, his jaw tightening as he forced his shoulders back, pretending the sound hadn't rattled him.
"Please Kai, tell me you're joking." Kaleb's tone shifted, his gaze darkened.
"Do I look like I'd joke about something as important as that?" Kai met his brother's furious gaze.
"How could you have been so reckless, dude?" Kaleb grabbed his arm, his voice sharp. "Have you forgotten everything Dad and Grandpa taught us about women?"
"I haven't." Kai snatched his arm from his brother's grip, gritting his teeth. "Like I told you... We were heavily drunk that night."
"Or she planned every little detail." Kaleb spat out.
"No she didn't." Kai retorted.
"Then how did you know she's pregnant? Did she come crying to you, telling you how pathetic her life was and how she needed you to clean up her mess?" Kaleb's eyes blazed, his lips curling into a hard sneer as he jabbed a finger at Kai's chest.
Kai's smirk vanished, replaced by a clenched jaw. His eyes narrowed with a simmering fire as he replied.
"Don't talk about her like that," he snapped, stepping forward so their foreheads nearly touched. "Ruby is not pathetic, and she sure as hell doesn't need saving. She hasn't even said anything to me about it. I was the one who found out."
"How?!" Kaleb's voice rose, every word cracking like a whip.
"Do you know what..." Kai turned his back on his brother. "... There is no point explaining anything to you when you are in this mood."
Kaleb gritted his teeth, letting out a heavy sigh as his brother tried to walk away from him.
"She hasn't even joined the family and you are already turning your back on me." He placed his hand on Kai's shoulder. "You know I'm always watching your back. I won't stand aside and watch a woman hurt you."
Kai exhaled, knowing that his brother only meant well, even though he could be an extremist at times.
"Trust me..." Kai turned to face his brother, his gaze subtler. "I've spent the whole night with this lady, watching, researching and studying her like a book. If I hadn't bugged the phone I gifted her, I wouldn't have confirmed my suspicions about her pregnancy. I feel it in my bones that she's the one. We may have met on questioning grounds but I think I like her a lot. All I just want is for you to trust me on this."
Kaleb exhaled, wiping his hand over his face.
"Then you must let me investigate her my way. I want to be sure she's not one of those gold diggers or worse, someone sent to destroy our family."
"Deal!" Kai shook his brother's extended hand. "But don't scare her away or go lusting over her." He warned fiercely. "She is mine alone."
Kaleb chuckled. "I'm not like our late Grandpa. Besides, I don't see myself being with any woman again after Tatiana. I'm never loving any woman for life."
"Never say never," Kai warned.
Just then, Kai's phone buzzed with a familiar ringtone that made both brothers go rigid.
Their heads snapped up in unison, only to find their father standing on the balcony of his study, his sharp gaze fixed on them, like a general catching his men slacking on duty.
When Kai answered the call, with slightly trembling hands, Leon's calm but frigid tone sliced through the receiver.
"In my office, NOW."
The call ended, and Leon disappeared back into his office, leaving the twin brothers rooted to the spot, while trading uneasy glances as the weight of his summons settled over them.