POWER, BLOOD AND A WOMAN : Two Brothers, One Girl

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ROD’S POV ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ I was wide awake, watching the wine swirl in my glass. Across the room, a woman slept on my bed, her face half-buried in the pillows. I couldn’t remember her name. Was it Lisa? Maybe Risa. Or Rita. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ I didn’t care enough to wake her and ask. My life was a cycle of entertaining women, going to parties, and working. I had built a career in consultancy and management, making enough money to prove I didn't need my family’s inheritance. I wanted to show them I was everything even without their billions. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ My phone vibrated on the nightstand. It was 04:05 am. I looked at the screen and felt a knot in my stomach. I recognized the number immediately. I let it ring until the screen went dark. It started ringing again a second later. Whoever was calling wasn't going to stop. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ It was Elena, my half-brother’s mother. After what she did to my family, I hated that she had the nerve to call me at this hour. On the third attempt, I snatched the phone up. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "Hello," I barked into the receiver. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "Your brother has been attacked," a voice said. It wasn’t her. It was Grandfather. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ I felt a chill. "Mark? What happened to Mark?" ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "We don’t know who the attackers are yet," Grandfather said. His voice sounded heavy and tired. "You need to come home right now." ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "I left that house, Grandfather. I left that life behind five years ago." ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "Rod, don't start," a woman’s voice interrupted. It was Mark’s mother. "These people are out to kill. You have to come home." ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ She said the word "home" as if she hadn't destroyed mine. She had walked into my parents' lives with a son two years older than me and shattered everything. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "The last time I checked, you destroyed the one home I had," I snapped at her. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Grandfather took the phone back. "Rod, if you want to fight us, you can do it with a gun in your hand. But get yourself here first!" ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ The woman on the bed shifted in her sleep. Outside, the city was alive with lights and the low hum of traffic. The world didn't stop because my family had a crisis. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "I can't come home. I'm sorry," I whispered. I didn't want to give up my freedom or my business. Why should I go back because Mark got hurt? The attackers weren't coming for me all the way out here. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "There is another reason you have to be here," Grandfather said, his voice steady. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "What reason?" ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "The company can't run itself. I’m too old to handle Mark’s workload and mine. It’s time you took responsibility." ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ I let out a dry laugh. I knew exactly what this was. The old man, Mark and his mother had been happy with me gone for years. They probably wished I was the one in the hospital instead of their golden boy. Now that they needed a warm body to sit in an office chair, I was suddenly family again. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "I’m not doing it," I said. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "You will. I’m not asking you, Rod. I am telling you. You will be on the first flight to Clovista." ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "Or what?" ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "Or I will freeze every bank account you own." ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ I stared at the wine in my glass, then swallowed it in one gulp. I looked back at the woman on the bed. "Three months. I will stay for three months and then I am leaving for good." ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Grandfather had always kept my share of the company away from me, calling me the "careless grandson." Mark had everything. He was richer than me, and it burned. I was the younger brother but I was the legitimate son. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "You leave when your brother is healthy," Grandfather said. "You leave when I say you can." ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "We'll see about that." I hung up. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ I walked over to the bed and shook the woman’s shoulder. She groaned and opened her eyes. I brushed her hair back and kissed her. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "I have to leave," I said. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "Where are you going?" She yawned. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "Back home. I have to take a flight to Clovista." ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ She sat up, clutching the sheets. "Your country? Rod, what are you talking about?" ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "I have urgent work there. I’m booking my flight now. I can book yours too, if you want to come with me." ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ She looked worried. "I have medical school tests tomorrow." ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ That’s right. Her name was Miranda. This was only the second time we had met. There was another girl I knew who looked just like her. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "It’s fine," I said, already reaching for my laptop. "I’ll just credit your account." ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "Thank you," she whispered. She leaned in and kissed me again. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ * ‎ ‎ ‎ * ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ The air in Clovista felt thick and heavy as I walked off the plane. I felt a surge of panic. Who had attacked Mark? Was it a business rival or someone more personal? My family was into everything; real estate, oil, manufacturing. They bought companies just to break them apart and sell the pieces. We were billionaires with a long list of enemies. After my parents died in that jet crash, Grandfather had turned our lives into a fortress. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ I saw a man holding a sign that said Velazi. He was my driver. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "I thought he’d send an army of bodyguards," I said as I got into the back of the car. "He sounded so desperate on the phone, but he only sends one car and a driver?" ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "He thinks this is the safest way to move right now, sir," Velazi said with a small smile. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ I snorted. Grandfather always thought he knew best. "Take me to Maxix." ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Maxix was the biggest club in the city. An old friend from high school owned it, and I wanted a drink before I had to face my family. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "I can't do that, sir," Velazi said. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "Yes, you can. You work for me now, and I’m telling you where to go," I said, leaning forward. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Velazi grinned in the rearview mirror. He didn't turn the car toward the estate. Instead, he steered us toward the bright lights of the city. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "Velazi, you and I will be up to a lot of mischief. I know you cooperate," I chuckled. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ We arrived Maxix and packed in the garage among other fleet of cars . People danced and screamed wildly on the dance floor but in the VIP section, men as rich as Grandfather or even richer say with girls the granddaughters age for company. For a second, the image of Mark lying in a sterile hospital bed flashed in my mind, but I pushed it down with a mental shove. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ I straightened my jacket and looked around. That was when I saw her. Slender, light skinned, with a very tiny waist and blonde ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ I ordered for a bottle of wine, my eyes locked on her. She was moving toward the bar with a grace that made the rest of the room look clumsy. She didn't look like the usual club crowd; her posture was enticing. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "Sir, we really shouldn't linger," Velazi whispered behind me, though his eyes were also scanning the crowd. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "Five minutes, Velazi," I said, not taking my eyes off her. "The family isn't going to crumble in five minutes." ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ I straightened my jacket and stepped into the crowd. Mark was in the hospital, and my grandfather was probably waiting at home for me. They wanted me to be a saviour and take up the position of my brother. But as I moved toward the girl with the tiny waist and the blonde hair, I realized I didn't want to be any of those things. I just wanted to be a man who could lose himself in a beautiful mistake. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎