CHAPTER 286: BOARD ISSUES II.

When Angela got downstairs, she was surprised by what she saw. The boys were back with Marcus, and they were already sharing bottles of vodka among themselves. From the happy look on their faces, it was clear everything had gone well.

"What is going on?" she asked, stepping down from the last stair. The noise died down immediately as her father turned toward her with a wide smile.

"We won," Marcus said with joy as he walked up to her. "You can continue schooling in the academy without anyone knowing about your identity."

"Wow... how did it happen?" Angela asked, curiosity filling her face. She couldn’t hide the smile spreading across her lips as she watched her mates celebrating. They wanted to come closer and hug her, but they didn’t dare because Marcus was right there.

Her father was about to explain when Bellezza came in and pulled him aside. They whispered to each other, and Angela tried to listen, but she could only catch Bellezza’s voice telling him to follow her because it was urgent.

Did something bad happen again?

"Is there a problem?" Angela asked, watching him carefully.

"No, dear. I’m needed somewhere else, but I’ll be back before nightfall," Marcus said as he handed his glass to Seraphina, who smiled and blushed.

"Okay. If there’s a problem, please tell me," she said softly. He nodded and left with Bellezza. They had said they wouldn’t be gone long, but Angela didn’t believe them. Something was wrong. She saw it in their faces, how their smiles quickly faded into worry.

"Hey," Kaito said as he walked up to her and pulled her into a hug. "I’ve missed you so much. Since you woke up, you’ve been unreachable, Amor."

"I’m still mad at you for not telling me about Principal Valois and Renn," she said, frowning as she pushed him away. "How many times did you lie to me when I asked what was going on with Renn?"

"Oh Angela, let’s not fight over that," Kaito said, rubbing his face in frustration. He knew he was wrong to hide it from her and the others, but there was no way he could betray Renn by revealing his secret.

"We are going to fight over it," Hiro cut in, walking up with Taros. He was still angry at both Kaito and Renn for keeping things from them. "You kept something that serious away from us. I don’t even know who to be angry at anymore—Renn or you."

"It should be me," Renn said quietly as he placed the bottle of vodka on the table and walked toward them. "I wanted it to stay a secret, so Kaito had no choice but to keep quiet. I know he would have told you all at some point but..."

"He should have," Taros said firmly, his eyes filled with disappointment. "Why are we keeping secrets from each other if we claim to be brothers? If we truly love each other, we shouldn’t hide things like this."

"I’ve been Renn’s brother for years," Hiro said, his voice sharp with emotion. "I shared everything about my life with him—my parents, my family, everything. Yet he couldn’t trust me enough to tell me about his? Do you know how painful that is?"

"Hiro is right," Angela said softly, stepping beside him. "You should have thought twice before keeping it from us."

"I thought we already talked about it. I thought we settled this," Renn said, surprised to see her taking the same stance as before, just like last night.

"I don’t know," Angela shrugged, leaning against Hiro.

"I’m sorry, guys. I already apologized and I’ve learned my lesson," Renn said honestly, looking at each of them. "I won’t keep anything away from you again. I promise."

"It’s fine, Renn," Taros said as he patted his arm and pulled him into a brief hug.

"I’m sorry too," Kaito sighed, his voice low. "I wanted to tell you all but I couldn’t. I just hope you can forgive me this time." He didn’t know what else to say. The guilt was heavy, and he could only wish they would let it go.

"You can’t keep making mistakes and hurting people, then think an apology will fix everything," Hiro said sharply, still angry.

"I know," Kaito replied softly. "That’s why I said I’m sorry. I won’t do it again." He looked at his brothers, knowing they were taking this chance to make him pay for hiding the truth.

"It’s okay, Kaito. We all learn every day," Taros said, walking closer to hug him, but Hiro stopped him.

"What’s wrong with you, man?" Hiro asked, his brows furrowed. "Why are you making it easy for them? You forgave them too quick."

"I don’t see why I should keep making them apologize when they’re really sorry," Taros said with a small shrug before walking to Kaito. He hugged him tightly and smiled. "We can’t stay mad at each other for too long."

"That’s my best friend," Kaito said, patting his back with a grin.

"I hate you all," Hiro muttered, but his tone softened as he moved closer and joined the hug. Angela stood watching them, her heart full. Seeing them together like this made her smile. Her mates were learning from their mistakes, and she loved how quickly they could forgive one another.

"There’s the big mama," Taros teased, pointing at her.

Angela’s cheeks flushed instantly as he walked over to hug her, and one by one, the brothers followed, wrapping her in warmth. "I’m so glad to have you all," she whispered.

"You are a queen, you deserve them all," Stales shouted from the couch. Angela had almost forgotten the others were still in the room. Right now, she was completely glued to her mates, her heart full of warmth.

"Thank you, Stales," she chuckled softly, turning back to her mates. "So, how did it happen? The whole board issue?"

"Miss Valois didn’t disappoint," Hiro started. "She didn’t betray us, but the board found it hard to believe the story she told them. They started asking all kinds of shocking questions. Trust me, they came prepared. Kaito’s dad kept firing questions nonstop, and it made all of us anxious. Then your father walked in."

"Marcus?" Angela asked, her eyes wide.

"Yeah," Kaito nodded. "His presence alone made them panic because they weren’t expecting him to show up. The meeting was already halfway through."

"He brought up the topic of your late mother," Taros explained gently. "After that, the board went quiet. They stayed within their limits."

"I read Taros’s dad’s mind," Hiro added, his voice calm but thoughtful. "It was obvious he knows what really happened. I think he’s against the board, so that’s a good start. I’m sorry it’s your dad, Taros."

"No problem, it’s fine," Taros said. "I can ask him about it. He doesn’t lie to me, so he’ll definitely tell me the truth."

"Yeah, he won’t lie," Kaito agreed, knowing how close Taros was with his parents. Their relationship had always been strong.

"Now that we don’t have any other issues," Renn said as he picked up his drink again, "can Hiro complete the bond tonight?" His voice was calm but heavy, and everyone could tell he was trying to drown his thoughts in alcohol.

"That’s true," Kaito said, turning to Hiro. "Should we make preparations?"

Angela looked at Hiro, who stood there quietly, lost in thought. She could already guess what was going through his mind, but there was no running away this time. The bond had to be completed before the harvest moon.

"Fine," Hiro finally said with a small smile. "Let’s do it tonight."

*******

Hello Dearies,

This book is going to end 31st of this month, please stay with us till the end so that we can handle all the subplots remaining. There is going to be wonderful news this month and I can’t tell you now🤭

Guess if you can.