CHAPTER 94: IS THAT REALLY YOU, BRO?”

"Who are you talking about, Ian?"

"My wife, where is she?"

"Your wife?" Geneva scoffed, an unbelievable look crossing her face. "You even missed your own wedding, and you are referring to her as your wife?"

"What is she to me then? I am a good son, and I listen to my mum, so thank you for getting me a bride!"

He leaned over and gave her a peck, then rounded the table to sit like nothing was going on.

Geneva was at a loss for words but she was secretly happy too.

"You really like her?"

"She’s okay..."

The adults exchanged glances, knowing perfectly well that Shelby was more than ’okay’. Why wouldn’t she be when she had accomplished the task that all of them, combined with their resources and societal power, had not been able to achieve?

"Katie..."

"I’m right on it, Geneva. I’ll get Suzie to go get her."

***

It had been nothing short of a tiring few weeks for Brad, and he was truly exhausted. He had spent a few short days outside the home, and now he had come to a conclusion.

’I need to face up to my fears, or else I will truly become a shell of myself. Yes, I can do it!’

He drove his favourite Lambo back home and parked it that morning.

’I wasn’t even able to enjoy the thrill of this yet because of all that is going on,’ he thought as

he dragged his tired feet and went straight to the dining area.

"Are my parents having their breakfast?" He asked the first worker he saw,

"Yes, young master, they are bu-"

Brad waved his hand and dismissed the worker mid-sentence. He had all the info he thought he needed and did not feel the need to listen anymore. He was tired to the bone, sleep-deprived and hung-over too.

"Mum!"

He shouted as he entered the room, only to stop short.

"I- Ian?"

Ian raised his head from his cup of morning tea and looked at his brother whom he had not seen for ... well, quite a while and his mouth twitched. Brad was not on his good people list that morning.

For Brad, his heart skipped a beat, first from astonishment, then to glee, irritation and then lastly to guilt.

Of all the people he had expected to see and even those that would find their way to his unexpected list, Ian was not on any of them. Given the fact that Brad was already thinking of Ian’s wife, his guilt level soared, and he averted his eyes slightly.

"Good of you to finally decide to join us! Why Ian? Was the room getting too stifling now?" Brad snapped, trying to hide his guilt.

"Are you done?" His mother asked.

Geneva wanted to strangle him. Ian had just come out of his room and Brad wanted to goad him back? That would be over her dead body, son or not, no one was allowed to say anything that would make Ian remotely think about getting back into that god-forsaken room.

"Just look at you. It’s as if you’ve been disowned and you have no home to call your own. Don’t just stand there and come take a seat. Your brother is here, so we should have a celebratory dinner later on; what do you think, Ian?"

Ian nodded and kept his eye narrowed on his brother.

"That’s a good idea, Geneva, but let’s keep it family only."

Geneva nodded at her husband’s input, her only regret being that she wished Ava was there to do her mouth-watering recipe.

However, the next statement from Ian had the older couple as well as everyone else freeze, their blood almost running cold. It was so out of the blue that Brad had no way of reacting or even overreacting!

"I heard that you tried to ’force yourself’ onto my wife, dear brother. You still hunger for what is mine after all these years? From toys to clothes and now ... my wife?"

Ian had said it so casually. It was he had just remarked on how tasty the toast in his hand was.

Brad froze, all the blood draining from his face. When these words had come out, he had just been about to pull out a seat by his mother.

Alex sat at the head of the table, Geneva to his immediate right and Ian to his immediate left, followed by Currey.

"I-"

Geneva got infuriated at once. Brad’s demeanor had admitted his guilt, and she did not need to ask. She had learnt her lesson earlier with Ian, so this time, she did not use her hand; she picked up a tray and hit Brad with it.

"Useless! Utterly useless!"

Brad shrunk back instinctively, avoiding everyone’s eyes, but he did not run away. Instead, he did something that surprised everyone there. He got on his knees.

The prideful Brad went on his knees when no one had asked him.

’So, this was why he was behaving funny all those times?’ Geneva felt guilty for leaving Shelby unattended enough for her to experience that. Even though it had been nearly and not succeeded, it did not make it any better.

Alex, on the other hand, looked at Brad in disappointment. He opened his mouth to reprimand his youngest son when they all turned from the slight sound.

It was from the light footsteps that had stopped abruptly upon these same words. Their eyes landed on Shelby, who equally looked a bit shocked. In her sheer overcoat over the bra and short skirt, she had even forgotten to feel shy and self-conscious from those words she had heard from Ian.

’How had Ian known of this?’ she asked herself, and the shadow bodyguards came to mind.

Her blue eyes met his grey ones across the room. Shelby noted that he had made a bit of an effort to groom himself. Gone was the long, unkempt beard and, in its place, a Zeus-like beard but way shorter and trimmed to perfection. His long hair had been trimmed, but it was still past his shoulders and held loosely.

He had on a round-neck T-shirt and a long jacket on it.

His gaze only landed on her briefly, a smile gracing his lips, before he frowned and exited his seat. In a few strides, he was by her with his coat in is hands. He hung it on her shoulders and wrapped it around her. Because of his height and figure, the coat almost reached her calf, which was huge on her.

"Why are you wearing so little?" He whispered.

She gazed up at him, not sure of how to react.

Ian held her hand and guided her back to where he was. Currey had already vacated the seat by him, and Ian nodded in satisfaction and helped Shelby onto that seat.

Shelby sent a whisper-like greeting to the elders but avoided their eyes. She wished she could run back into her room and never come out again.

"Currey? Hi,"

"You know Currey?" Geneva almost screamed.

Shelby realized her mistake, ’I am not supposed to know Currey!’

"Yes, she does, she had a video call with him yesterday." Ian chipped in smoothly, making both Currey and Shelby relax.

"I’m sorry!" The hoarse voice of Brad echoed around stopping them all from the new conversation.

"...and what exactly are you sorry for, dear brother?"

Ian played with Shelby’s hand and watched his brother intently.

"She’s just a witch that tempted me tempo-"

Ian didn’t have to say anything as Geneva used the same tray and hit Brad hard on the head.

"Mum!"

"You disrespect your brother’s wife, and instead of apologizing to her, you call her a witch? Is this how I raised you?"

"But Mum, you have no idea what happened that day, sh-"

Shelby raised her head and stared directly at Brad. Just that look from the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen was enough to stop Brad mid-sentence.

"I’m sorry, Shelb- I mean, sister-in-law! Please forgive me! This will never happen again. I mean, it should have not happened. I don’t know what came over me that day. I swear, I will never tell anyone what happened but please make it stop!"

"Make what stop?"

"Are you feigning ignorance? You-"

"I wouldn’t complete that statement if I were you, little brother. My wife may be younger than you, but she is my wife! So, accord her the same respect you give me."

Brad looked to be struggling with himself for a while, and then he rendered another apology that looked sincere. As to whether it was, no one knew nor cared.

Geneva looked at Shelby across the table and sighed with regret.

"Shelby, I am sincerely sorry for whatever you went through." She had been so keen on getting Shelby to seduce her older son that she had forgotten that there were other men in the house as well.

Her only gratitude stemmed from the fact that Brad had been dealt with and had not succeeded in whatever he wanted to do.

"Sorry to interrupt, Geneva,"

"What is it?"

"A visitor is here for the family,"

"It looks like I cannot have my breakfast in peace today."

"Let the person wait since they came unannounced." Then Geneva turned to Brad with a glare. Alex beat her to whatever she wanted to say, though.

"Leave my sight, I do not want to see you now."

"Send him his meal in his room!" Geneva added,

"Errrmmm... I don’t think it’s appropriate for this person to wait..."

"...and why is that Katie?"

"Because it is ..."

*********

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