The Queenbee’s Downfall

8: Brotherhood and Pride

Chapter 8: Presentation of the Boys

Brad

Our attention darted to Heath’s tantrums when he angrily shut the door of the cabin. His face streaked with irritation as he slumped on the blue bean bag in our room.

Dante is busy fiddling with something on his laptop. Titus is beside him reading a book. While I am busy texting some girl, asking her to send me some pics. But because of the noise Heath caused, I ignored her delicate images and sat up as I watched my friend’s eyebrows crease into a thin line.

“Dude, seriously?”, I asked as I gestured my phone to him.

“Don’t start with me, Brad Adler, I’m not in the mood.”

I just showed him both of my hands, a sign of surrender. It’s hard to talk to an annoyed Heath Evans. Once we stoke his mood, definite destruction of furniture would erode in the room.

“What happened?”, I asked.

“It’s that stupid girl,” he kicked the ball.

It almost hit Titus’ face. Fortunately, he quickly dodged it and caught it with both of his hands.

“What girl?”

I watched as Dante shook his head in disappointment. “When it comes to women, indeed, you’re all ears.”

“Says the guy who happens to be like me,” I grinned at him.

He just chuckled before focusing again on his laptop.

“Can’t you see I’m talking here?”, I heard Heath complain.

Oops, our King is beginning to demand attention. We must give him what he wants. I mentally shook my head as I inwardly grimaced. He’s such an attention-seeker king.

“What just happened?”, Dante asked.

Titus just went back to reading. This dude is reading all right, but he’s all ears while his eyes are busy scanning, and his mind storing information about the book.

“The girl’s always intercepting our plans for leaving the campus,” he explained.

Only then did something click in me as a memory flashed inside my head.

“Oh, you mean that girl who purposely trapped herself inside that wooden cage?”, I am referring to the incident that happened last week.

I was with them. Only Heath and I were there when that occurred. Dante and Titus seemed to be focusing on being at the top of the school. But I stopped tagging along when we were successfully caught by that girl and managed to make our parents come to a conference meeting regarding our delinquency.

Dante’s head quickly turned to us. Titus slowly put down his book and decided to give all his attention to Heath.

“Someone caught the two of you?”, Dante incredulously asked. “Dude! That’s history!”, he howled in laughter as he high-fived Titus, who was now plastering a grin on his face.

“I can’t believe someone managed to stop the two of you from walking outside the campus,” Titus added.

“She just got lucky. That’s only it,” Heath threw the pillow out of irritation when Dante didn’t stop laughing.

“Come to think of it, only now do I notice Brad stopped breaking out of the school. What’s the reason?”, Titus asked.

I couldn’t help but let the smirk curve on my lips. “It’s that girl’s doing. Ever since she succeeded in summoning our parents, I have not been with that madman.”

Only then did Dante slowly calm himself. “Wait, Tita Heather was here?”, he seemed a bit shocked.

“Yup,” I answered. “My mom even scolded Tita Heather. She thought that her son was being a bad influence on me, but she didn’t know that I was the one who was demonizing Heath,” I said while laughing at the memory. “They almost had a catfight in the Principal’s office.“

Their jaws dropped. While Heath just averted his eyes and clenched his jaw as he stared at the cream-colored wall. Who wouldn’t be shocked? Mom and Tita Heather were known as the best of friends during their teenage years, that’s why I couldn’t blame these guys if they reacted this way.

“But how could Tita Britney stop you from everything?”, Dante absentmindedly wondered after a while of silence.

I let Titus answer his question when I noticed the sly smirk on his lips. “Aside from women, what could be the other things that mattered to this savage boy?”

Dante slowly nodded, as if understanding what Titus was saying. “Right. Tita Britney threatened you with being kicked out of the family, and not being able to inherit anything from them. That makes sense.”

“There’s something suspicious about that girl,” Heath declared in the middle of our conversation.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“This is the first time someone intervened, and she has the nerve to block my path.”

We fell silent, not because of what he said, but because of how intense Heath’s eyes were. When he’s this serious, knowing that his system is filled with irritation, it is unlikely that he would do something that could ruin, not only him but also the girl.

“What’s the name of the girl?”, Dante looked at his laptop again, ready to type in the name Heath would mention.

“I think it’s, Kathlyn?”

I frowned. “Kathlyn. Wasn’t it, Coreen?”

“No. I’m pretty sure it’s, Madelyn.”

“I beg to disappear—“

“Then beg..”

I threw the pillow at him before I spoke. “I think it rhymes with ‘in’ and starts with the sound of ‘k’,” I explained. “So it’s probably, Carlyn.”

“I’m damn sure it’s, Georgeanne.”

“It’s too far from what I mentioned, bro.”

Heath rolled his eyes. “I’m sure that it’s Pauline.”

We heard someone sighing. “It’s Caitlyn. Caitlyn Montero,” Titus said in a low voice.

Heath and I looked at each other. “Oh,” we said as we scratched the backs of our heads in embarrassment.

“But the names we mentioned are close enough to her name,” I reasoned out, making Dante and Titus shake their heads in disapproval.

“Well, this is intriguing,” Dante’s eyes became intense as he stared at the screen.

By the looks of him, he discovered something interesting. So, I quickly stood up and walked towards him before stopping just beside him.

"What? What is— oh. She's popular?", I asked.

He tilted his head. "Not anymore...”

He clicked on the Eagle Press-Con’s website and an article came into view about the girl.

"This was posted a few weeks ago…”, I said as I read further.

"And many more," he added as he scrolled to the bottom. "Wow, she's popular."

"Popular? How could she be? There’s nothing beautiful about her,” I laughed at what Heath said.

"Dude, don't be such a baby. Just because she succeeded in stopping you from leaving the campus doesn't mean you have to deny the fact that she's gorgeous," Dante said. "But man, these articles about her are really disturbing."

I nodded in agreement. Various stories are being published by the Eagle Press-con on their website. Even a kindergartner will be able to notice the lies in every article.

"I don't get why billions of people believe this kind of stuff,” I whispered.

"Yeah,” Dante said.

"Does it say anything about the incident?", Heath asked.

"Uhm," I watched as he scrolled to the top.

The bottom of the website contains numerous pictures of her. Dante has to go back to the top where the articles are located.

But I must admit, she's one hell of a girl. She has this curvy body that any man would want for themselves. Those red lips that if you plant a kiss, it’d feel like kissing a marshmallow. Healthy mountains that’d make you feel good if you caressed—

“Oi, Earth to Brad,” Dante suddenly elbowed me.

I was half in a daze when I looked at him. I felt the heating of my ears as he continued to smirk at me.

“It’s surprising. This is the first that I’ve seen you so preoccupied. If that girl stopped Heath from what he’s doing, you, on the other hand, are staring too much and stunned by a picture of her for the first time in so many years.”

I scoffed, trying to hide the embarrassment I was feeling before playfully punching his arm. “You’re just seeing apparitions, bro,” I stood up before fixing the disarray in my clothes.

I was planning to leave the dorm and take a stroll outside. I am being caught by a sneaky monkey.

“Oh, where are you going? Planning to cool your mind?”

I heard Titus cackle with laughter. “Obviously...”

“Would you guys stop stalking that woman?” Heath complained.

“Why so grumpy?”, Dante asked as he let out a chuckle. “How big does Caitlyn owe you for you to react this way?”

“Can’t be measured, and as a matter of fact, I know what she’s doing. It’s just the same as before. I’m sure this is Mommy’s doing.”

That made me think. If he’s on what happened before, where students would just surprisingly appear and try to stop us from escaping school, it all makes sense why this girl, Caitlyn, is exerting too much effort.

But if that’s her current situation, I had better warn her about Heath. I know this guy. For now, he’s letting that girl cross paths with him. But once Heath reaches his limits and grows impatient, Caitlyn’s in jeopardy.

Rivaling with a guy named Heath Evans is already difficult to handle. If I were her, I’d stop what I am doing.

“What are you going to do?” Titus seriously asked him.

“I cannot do anything unless I have proof of my theory. I can’t be too eager and hasty, it’ll ruin my plans for this school.”

We all shut our mouths as we watched him in deep thought. No one knows what’s going on in his mind. No matter how hard we try to keep up with his speed, we’re still no match for him.

That’s why I need to go. Even if I’m a womanizer, I still care for the girl’s feelings.

“I have to go, Madeline is waiting for me outside,” I broke the silence before walking towards the door.

“You mean, Christine?”, Dante shouted before the door completely closed.

Now, where could I find that girl?

When I started walking down the stairs to the first floor, my phone suddenly vibrated. I took it out of my pocket and read the message.

‘If you’re going to look for her, she’s on the soccer field.’

It was from Titus.

A grin slowly crept on my pinkish, soft lips. One thing the three of us agree on: we care, and we worry about every person who could be endangered by Heath. He’s a dangerous man. All we could do was move a few steps ahead of him.

Heath’s not entirely evil, you just have to step aside when he suddenly crosses paths with you. He doesn’t like his plans being ruined. We do not tolerate him, he still listens to us whenever we try to correct him. The only thing worse than he can do is when he’s pissed. It’s when in that state we can no longer reason out with him.

And this is the only help we can give. Plant a danger sign on whoever’s messing with Heath.

When I reached the first floor, I bumped into the guys who were present the day Caitlyn stopped us from leaving the campus the other day.

“Yo, dude. ‘Sup?”

Sam and I did a handshake before proceeding to a chest bump.

“Quite fine, you?” I asked.

He barked a laugh as he scratched the back of his head. “Nah. They threatened me with my inheritance if I continued to hang out with Heath.”

I chuckled at that. “Same here. Still, do you have any plans to join?”

“Can’t. Mom put a tail on me.”

“Ooh, that’s straight hell, bro.”

He shook his head in dismay. “I know. Gotta go... I still need to email everything that I did today.”

“What?”

“I’d be out of the family if I write lies about my day to Mother.”

I just gave him a nod before walking past each other. It’s hard to move around school freely if your parents intervene, and start using our rights just to discipline us.

That girl is something. I can’t help but grin at the thought.

I ran towards the door of the dorm building, but couldn’t quite get past the girls who suddenly swarmed towards me. Right. I forgot that it’s already past 4 in the afternoon, and school hours are over. Now I am trapped between them.

“Oh my God, Brad! Please marry me!”

“Impregnate me, please!”

“Let me be your children’s mother, Brad!”

“Kyaah! You’re so handsome!”

“Don’t listen to them, Brad, they’re too perverted!”

“Notice me, Bae!”

“Sign my boobs, please! Just give that to me as my birthday gift!”

My ears rang at what I heard. I faced in the direction of that girl before a curve on my lips. The girls squealed more and shoved their bodies entirely toward me as I tried to look for the one specific girl.

“W-wait, girls... Please, give me some space first.”

I am beginning to be amused at how easy and attentive they are. The girls did give me a much wider space compared to when they crowded in on me. Still, their squeals can’t be stopped.

“Where’s that girl who wants my autograph?”, I was overwhelmed by how loud their screams were with just little words of mine.

Is this how women are?

They don’t run out of energy, nor feel any pain in their throats whenever they scream. If I were that loud, my voice would end up hoarse.

“It’s me, it’s me!”, said a woman as she ran towards me while unbuttoning the blouse of her uniform.

Her mounds look healthy, but if we're to compare them with Caitlyn’s, hers is healthier.

I took the marker from her hand and immediately signed her boobs, her brassiere almost peeking out. She’s pale, and her skin seems to be unscarred. One thing that I like about my girl.

And because I was not content with her wish, I looked at her for permission as I slowly leaned closer. Her eyes widened before she beamed at me with a smile as she nodded for approval. I planted a soft, yet lingering, kiss on her chest. The screams louden more, almost destroying my eardrums.

I quickly caught the girl before she could fall flat on the ground. She seemed to be unconscious, due to the romantic excitement I inflicted on her.

“Uh... Can someone help me?”

Her friends immediately arrived at the scene and hurriedly buttoned her blouse before scurrying off with a smile on their faces.

I raised both of my hands before the others could approach me and make the same request as the girl who fainted, stopping them in their tracks.

“Next time girls, arrange a fan meeting for me at the Auditorium and I will surely suck the life out of all of you.”

I quickly ran away from all of them. Women, indeed, are amusing and unbelievable. Playing with those girls is rather fun. I chuckled as I headed towards the soccer field. The place is not far from our building.

On the east side of the school are dormitory buildings, an auditorium, and a massive swimming pool are magnanimously standing in the area. In the West are the faculty buildings— both the High School and College Departments— Gymnasium, and other necessary buildings. In between the East and West sides is the soccer field, while far upfront is the main building.

I came across lots of other girls walking towards their Dorm building while I was running. And just like before, they’d squeal and have the same smile on their face as they watched me pass by as they gossiped with each other.

“Girl, it’s Brad!”

“OMG, you’re right!”

“He’s so handsome.”

“I wish I could be his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day!”

“You don’t have any chance.”

“Says the girl who thinks she has a chance...”

Girls these days. They needn’t have to fight, I am willing to share my body with all of them. We should start to be more generous to each other, and not be selfish.

Titus

The irritation on Heath’s face did not disappear. He’s continually kicking the wall as his back turns to us. Even if Dante and I wanted to talk with him, we couldn’t. Heath won’t calm down any sooner if we force him or try to soothe him with whatever he’s feeling.

He’s quick-tempered, we can’t just demand a person with that kind of personality when his attitude is enough to tell us that we should back off.

I looked at Dante when he elbowed me. He tapped on his phone as I saw what would happen next. My phone suddenly beeped. When I unlocked it, my notification bar told me that I had received a message from him.

Dante:

I just found out that Caitlyn Montero is a Valedictorian candidate assigned to manipulate Heath into becoming a good student by our principal.

That’s not surprising at all, because various students had been sent to us by the orders of the Principal. All of them tried to keep Heath walking on a straight path. But most of them failed, and only one succeeded.

I focused on Dante tapping furiously on his phone, waiting for the message to arrive. Another beep and I am reading his message.

Dante:

I hacked into the school system, and I discovered that the board agreed with Mr. Hennigan’s proposal, specifically Tita Heather, to hire someone from the Valedictorian Candidates to—

Our eyes widened in shock at how Heath swiftly snatched the gadget from Dante’s hands and deliberately read the text.

“I knew it!”, he shouted after a while.

His jaw clenched, his face darkened and the anger building up inside him was noticeable as his knuckles turned white, crushing Dante’s phone in return as his hand formed into a fist. It never crossed his mind that it wasn’t his phone he destroyed.

“Not again, I just bought that one yesterday,” Dante complained in a slightly hushed tone before crouching down to pick up the pieces of his cell phone.

“Calm down, Heath. Your anger will do you no good,” I said.

I immediately pursed my lips when he threw me a cold look.

“I don’t need to calm down, I’ve been thinking about this lately.”

“You did?”, I glared at Dante when he sounded sarcastic.

Probably because he’s still hurt about what happened to his newly bought phone that’s now been crushed into pieces.

“I have a plan...“, Heath said to himself.

Even before I could speak, Dante preceded me.

“Dude, buy me a new phone.”

He received a smack on the head from me. The guy is serious about something, and he had the guts to tease him?

Brad

"Aww! You're leaving already?", the caress of— who’s this again? Wait, I’ll ask her.

"What's your name again, babe?", the woman giggled when I seductively bit her earlobe.

"Oh, I'm hurt, but since you're so handsome I'll repeat it for you. It's Chloe... “She attempted to make her voice sound sexy but eventually failed when I got up as I caught a glimpse of Caitlyn walking in our direction.

She’s with two other girls. All of them have the same height, but my eyes focused on Caitlyn.

"Brad?", the woman beside me called.

"Sorry, I gotta go sweetheart...”

I did not bother to look back and just left the girl and walked towards Caitlyn. I need to talk to her and warn her about what she’s doing. Caitlyn’s eyes were blank as she continued to stare at me as if I didn’t interest her in any way.

Ouch.

The three of them stopped and looked at me. I could feel the intense gaze of the girl on her left, but I ignored it.

"Oh my gosh, it's Brad Adler!", the girl squeaked.

"What do you want?", Caitlyn’s cold voice slightly shocked me.

I pretended that I was hurt by her indifference. "Ouch, your words hurt my ego."

"I couldn't care less."

My jaw mentally dropped at what I heard.

"How come you’re the only girl who could break my heart?" I teased.

"Do I look like I care?", the irritation in her voice didn’t go unnoticed.

I think this is bad timing. She seemed like she was not in the mood. I scrutinized the exhaustion in her eyes as I stared at it for a long time, which made her cheeks burn red.

"Are those dark circles?" I genuinely wondered. "Wow, you're really brave to sh—"

"What did you just say?!"

I was a bit startled as she got hysterical. And here I thought she was different from the rest.

"Cait, calm down. It’ll eventually disappear once you take a long beauty rest," her friend on the right soothed her.

Wow, she's hot, hotter than her. How can I get this girl’s number? Should I ask her myself or sneak it into her bag? I think it would be more romantic if I put some cheesy anonymous notes. Girls would always fall for that kind of trick.

Definitely the anonymous note trick.

I took out my phone from my pocket when I felt it vibrating. When I unlocked it, I saw a message from Titus.

From: T2s

Where are you? Dante’s phone was already destroyed. That should be your cue.

Dang! I forgot about my intention of coming all the way here from our dorm.

"Uh hey— What? Where are...?"

When I turned around to look for them, I couldn’t help but shake my head in disbelief. Is that woman even for real? They just suddenly left me without saying goodbye. I diverted my attention to something important, just for a moment, and that’s how fast they easily escaped from me.

Why did I not notice?

I sighed as I watched the three of them converse with each other as they walked away from me.

"Wow. It's nice meeting them, by the way," I whispered to myself.

"Where’s Dante Romero?"

Shoot! Another fangirl encounter. If I ran away, they’d probably corner me and won’t let me go. I should just stay calm as I walk away.

"The who?"

"Didn’t you read what Eagle Press-con published on their website a few years ago?"

"What about it?"

"Dante Romero is the heir to the Golden Empire."

"Eh. No one could ever beat my Brad Adler."

"So what if Brad is the heir to the Adler Chain Group of Hotels? That’s the only thing that could provide him as he survives this world right after he’s come of age. Hmph!"

“Still, he’s better than any of you girls. Ha!”

"All of you are so boastful as if your biases could beat my Titus Beckett."

"The who? His name is so boring."

"Excuse me? He’s the next heir to Aspin Pharmaceuticals. A well-known pharmaceutical company in Asia and some parts of Europe. Their company is leading the American nation. Take that!"

"Gosh! Pharmaceutical? Chains of Hotels and the Golden Empire? That’s all you’ve got?"

"And who the heck are you?"

"I am the only girl that loves Heath Evans, dearly. Heath is the only heir to the Evans Group of Companies and Evans Pharmaceutical. Hah! All of your biases are no match for my Heath Evans."

"And why the hell are you guys here if those boys are your biases?"

"So?"

Well, the girl has a point. Then again, I have no right to interfere. That’s some girls’ petty arguments. I am only allowed to watch. Unless they start a catfight.

I wouldn’t want them to start anything. I don’t like my girl physically fighting with anyone. I don’t want a single scratch on her body. I’d like to protect my future girl from harm.

But, flying skirts, blouses being ripped off, and brassieres rapidly being shown in front of me due to a massive catfight, I quite enjoy everything. Can’t help it.

As I was walking, a girl kissed me on the cheek. A smirk suddenly curved on my lips as I continued walking, never bothered looking back at the girl. She’s smooth like a snake. 20 points for her for being a very brave girl despite the chaos arising.

Then again, I had to leave. I don’t want my face getting scratched out of nowhere. This is the only investment I have and then my friends’ fangirls might destroy it? Nuh-uh.