The Coldwell

Unpleasant surprise

Darius was trying to win Dina's love, doing everything possible to please her. He listened attentively when she shared her problems, dreams, and aspirations, but he began to notice that she was becoming increasingly distant.

That night, he decided to call Vane, as she was the only one he trusted. He didn't want his grandmother or mother to realize that he was seeing this girl.

"Hello," Vane answered, groggy from being awakened by the insistent ringing of the phone. She felt a bit annoyed because she had to get up early when Dante would pick her up.

"Vane," Darius spoke, and the girl quickly woke up upon hearing her brother's voice. Given the hour, she thought something might be wrong.

"Darius? Is everything okay?"

"I just need to talk to you, sister. Since I can't visit you when you're alone because it would seem strange to Dina and Dante, I decided to call you."

"What's happening?"

"I need your advice; I think I've fallen in love."

"Do you think, or are you sure?"

"Well, I'm sure I've fallen in love."

"I'm happy for you, but make sure Mom and Grandma don't find out because it would be a scandal. A member of the Coldwell family in love—imagine how they'd react."

"Hush, don't even say it."

"What do you plan to do?"

"I don't know. I'm confused. At first, everything was going well with Dina. I've tried to understand her, to be her best friend, but lately, I sense her pulling away."

"That's been your mistake. If you're her partner, you can't be her best friend unless you're already living together. She'll start seeing you only as that, and the romantic interest will fade. A man should never know everything about his partner, or the relationship will cool immediately. The mystery will be lost, and the spark will die."

Vane was surprised; she realized she was speaking like Sara.

"Oh my God!"

"What's happening?" Darius asked, alarmed by his sister's tone.

"I'm talking just like Sara, can you believe it?"

"Haha, you scared me. I thought something was wrong."

That evening, Vanessa invited Dante and her sister to dinner, and of course, she also invited Darius. She wanted her brother to have the opportunity to show his girlfriend that she was important to him.

Before they arrived, she talked to Tanya. She had noticed that Tanya had become friends with Dina, and perhaps she could help Darius.

"Tany."

"What's going on?" Tanya asked, arching an eyebrow. She knew Vane well and sensed that she was up to something.

"Dina is important to Darius. Could you talk to Dina? Of course, you can't let on that you know him well, but you could say he seems like a good guy and that it's clear he's crazy about her."

"Hmm, and why should I do that?"

"Because Darius is your cousin, and you love him," Vane said, making a playful pout.

"Fine, I'll do it," Tanya replied, rolling her eyes. "I don't like getting involved in other people's relationships. This will be the only time I do it."

"Thanks, beautiful cousin. I knew I could count on you."

"If Grandma or your mom find out what Darius is up to, you know things will get complicated."

"I know, but if neither you nor I say anything, they don't have to find out."

Tanya decided to stay quiet. After all, Darius and Vanessa were covering for her; her grandmother and aunts believed she was still traveling; otherwise, they would have called her to give her a new mission.

Later, the guests arrived. Darius couldn't take his eyes off Dina, who looked beautiful in the emerald green dress she had chosen. The color matched her eyes, and she had left her hair down.

The short dress showcased her toned legs, and its fitted style accentuated the perfect curves of her body.

Vane wished she could hand her brother a towel because she was sure he was drooling. She couldn't help but laugh at her own thoughts.

"Laughing all by yourself," Tanya remarked.

"Haha, I remembered something."

Dante stared at her, curious to know what had caused her spontaneous laughter. Lately, he found himself trying to figure out what Vane liked, and he didn't like it.

His expression suddenly hardened as he tried to refocus. He enjoyed admiring beautiful girls, and while Vane was gorgeous, he wasn't ready to commit to just one.

Vane served dinner, and Dante found it hard to believe she had prepared everything herself. The aroma was exquisite, and everyone took their seats at the table.

Vane sat next to Dante, or rather, he was the one who chose the seat next to her. He couldn't help it—even if he didn't want to, he was drawn to her like a magnet to a small coin.

Darius and Tanya sat next to Dina, with Dina in the middle. It looked odd, with empty seats around the table.

They had dinner while Darius and Dante discussed some new businesses that had recently been established in the city. Suddenly, Dina's face turned red.

"Is something wrong?" Dante asked, concerned.

"No, it's just that the food is a bit spicy. It's delicious, but you know I'm not used to eating spicy food," she replied, trying to hide her nervousness.

Under the table, a pair of hands caressed her legs. She would have liked to run away at that moment, fearing being discovered.

"Have some water, or a bit of wine," Dante suggested.

"If you put a little salt under your tongue and on your lips, it will pass immediately," Vane advised.

Dina did as they suggested to make it convincing.

Elsewhere, Katrina and Evenus had dinner together. Evenus behaved interested and affectionate. If it weren't for everything the girl knew about him, she would think he was a good man.

"What are you thinking, beautiful?"

"I'm thinking about how our baby will be, because I'm sure it will be a boy."

"Our son," Evenus said, sighing heavily.

Katrina poured herself some red wine, brought the glass to her mouth, but before she could drink, she was stopped by Evenus.

"No! You can't do that; it will harm the baby. Have some juice; I'll go get it."

Katrina smiled as she watched him walk away. Evenus didn't know he was about to pay for everything he had done.

The next day, at sunset, Dante decided they would leave early. He had no scheduled appointments, so it was better to call it a day.

"We're leaving. There's nothing to do today, so let's go home and relax."

Vane looked at him, finding it odd.

"Haha, wipe that look off your face. You'll relax in your apartment, I in mine. Don't get your hopes up; I'm not suggesting anything inappropriate."

Vane just rolled her eyes. Since they started pretending to be in a relationship, they went back and forth together.

In the lobby of the building, they ran into Darius, who was carrying a large bouquet of roses for his girlfriend.

"You're quite romantic, brother-in-law," Dante said.

"I hope she likes it."

"She'll love it. All girls love getting roses."

"Maybe Dina is with Tanya. My sister and that girl have become good friends since they met."

"Yes, they've hit it off. I think Dina and my cousin have similar tastes, that's why they get along."

Darius chose not to say anything. He was annoyed by that friendship and hoped Tanya would soon return to the mansion, no longer being a third wheel between him and his girl.

With difficulty, Darius entered the elevator, struggling due to the large size of the bouquet.

"Do you need help with that?" Dante asked, seeing him enter with difficulty.

"It's okay, I can handle it."

"Okay, if you say so."

Upon exiting the elevator, Vane hurried ahead to find the access card to the apartment. Her purse seemed to have a mysterious bottom where everything disappeared.

"Here it is. I don't know how it always hides inside my purse."

"The inside of a woman's purse is an unknown dimension. Legend has it that whatever goes in there is lost forever. Haha," Dante joked. Vane found Dante's joke distasteful. Lately, he had been making such jokes, and she didn't understand what was going on with her boss. Sometimes he was in a terrible mood, and suddenly he would make bad jokes.

Vane quickly opened the door, seeing that Darius was struggling to hold the enormous bouquet.

Upon entering the apartment, her face suddenly paled. Behind her entered Dante, and finally, Darius. Upon observing the scene in front of them, Darius angrily threw the bouquet aside.

He felt like the most foolish man on earth. He simply couldn't believe it. He clenched his fists tightly, even hurting himself. Dante didn't know what to do or say, and Vane was completely in shock.

"How could you do this to me?" Darius shouted. His voice reflected a mix of anger and anguish.