Chapter 12: Homeward Bound
527 Words
Nathan Si kicked Kai playfully, drawing a grunt from him. Ethan Shao paused with his glass halfway to his lips, and both men glanced at Keith Fu—his brows were furrowed, his expression darkening by the second, a clear sign he’d been provoked.
“Keith—” Nathan started to comfort him, but Keith’s phone buzzed.
He stood up abruptly: “I need to take this.”
As soon as Keith left, Nathan pulled Kai into a headlock and tapped his forehead twice: “Are you out of your mind? Why bring up the one thing you shouldn’t?
You’re still a kid—stop running your mouth!”
Kai broke free, rubbing his head in annoyance: “Nathan! I’m an adult now!”
Ethan drained his drink and patted Kai’s shoulder: “Curiosity killed the cat, Kai. Drag racing’s thrilling, but racing off a cliff is suicide. Want me to tell your brother Adrian?”
Kai raised his hands in surrender instantly: “Fine, fine! I swear I’ll never mention her again, okay?”
He feared his brother more than anyone—who treated him like a son despite their small age gap.
Nathan and Ethan exchanged a look, both glancing worriedly at the door.
“Do you think he’ll go through with the divorce?” Nathan asked.
Ethan shook his head, sipping his drink.
“He won’t?” Nathan pressed. “How can you be so sure?”
“I don’t know,” Ethan replied.
Everyone knew Keith and Samantha Wu had once been a couple—three years ago, they’d even been engaged. But within a month, she’d vanished, and he’d married Dora Ni in a sudden, impulsive ceremony. Over the past three years, mentioning Samantha’s name had always soured Keith’s mood; they’d long since stopped bringing her up.
Nathan clicked his tongue, draining his glass. “If you don’t want trouble, keep your mouth shut. Keith hates people meddling in his business—especially his private life. You want to lose a Porsche to him?”
Before Nathan could finish, Kai jumped to his feet, panicking: “Do you think Keith will get back at me later? I’m doomed! My brother’s such a cheapskate—he’ll kill me! What do I do? Nathan! Ethan! Don’t leave me hanging!”
Laughter filled the room as Kai paced anxiously. Outside, though, Keith stared at his phone screen after ending the call—Dora’s soft voice lingered in his head, and an urgent, unshakable urge to go home washed over him.
He’d spent the entire night replaying Dora’s soft “Darling” in his head—he hadn’t even registered what Kai had said. When he walked back in, Kai froze like a rabbit facing a tiger: “K-Keith?”
“Something came up. I’m leaving. Enjoy yourselves,” Keith said, grabbing his car keys. He paused, glancing at Kai: “You okay?”
“Fine!” Kai yelped, shaking his head violently.
Keith frowned, confused by his skittishness, but shrugged it off: “Drinks are on me.”
Upstairs, Dora lay in bed, flipping through a German novel, muttering to herself: Sleep… don’t sleep… sleep…
- Writer
