Reynold sat behind his office desk, a tall stack of reports waiting for his signature untouched. His elbows rested on the polished wood as he leaned back in his chair, silently staring at the old frad photograph that sat beside his laptop.
It was a simple photo—faded slightly at the edges but still clear enough to bring back every mory it captured. He gently picked it up with one hand, brushing off a thin layer of dust from the glass with his thumb.
They were all smiling in the picture. Their mom, in a bright floral dress with her hair pulled back in a neat bun, held a cake topped with a large number ’13’ candle.
Their father, Soren, stood tall and proud beside her—one arm wrapped around her waist, the other resting on Reynold’s shoulder. Reynold himself, barely sixteen then, wore the sa serious expression he had now, though his eyes were brighter, lighter sohow.
And right in front of them was Zephany, younger Zephany in her blue birthday dress, grinning from ear to ear.
She looked so full of life in that picture. Confident. Cheerful. Bright.
Now, Reynold could barely rember the last ti he’d seen her smile like that.
A soft sigh escaped his lips.
The day that picture was taken was one of the last tis their family was truly whole. It was before everything shattered. Before the incident that stole his little sister’s light. Before his parents—
He clenched the fra tighter in his hand, the muscle in his jaw twitching.
"I failed you once," he murmured to the photo, his voice low. "But never again, Zeph. I swear on their graves, I’ll protect you this ti."
---
Zephany paced back and forth in the small office she shared with her best friend Pia. Her heels clicked against the floor with each step, hands nervously fiddling with the lanyard around her neck. She’d already rearranged her pens three tis and adjusted her seat height twice.
"Girl, stop!" Pia finally burst out, spinning her chair around to face her. "Just tell what’s bothering you! Did the grumpy boss do sothing again? Ask you to do another one of those weird, vague assignnts? Or did he—oh no—did he bully you?"
Zephany paused mid-step, her lips parting, but before she could answer, Pia continued with a sly grin, "Or... is it your brother?"
"My brother?" Zephany raised an eyebrow.
Pia’s expression softened into sothing dreamy, eyes glazing over as she leaned her chin on her hand. "I’ve only seen him once, rember? When he dropped you off on your first day here. But, oh God, I swear he’s even more handso in real life than in that ID photo you showed . He’s like the kind of man they base book boyfriends on. Serious, sharp-jawed, all broody in a suit. Mmhmm. I still rember the way he said ’take care’ before driving off. I nearly fainted."
Zephany groaned and rolled her eyes. "Are you interested in my brother?"
"Who wouldn’t be interested in a man like that?" Pia replied without missing a beat, still wearing that hopelessly dreamy look.
"You shaless woman!" Zephany chuckled, shaking her head.
Pia laughed too, but quickly sat up straight and placed her palms flat on the desk. "Alright, enough joking. Seriously, Zeph, what’s wrong? You’ve been pacing like a cat in a box. What’s really bothering you?"
Zephany bit her lip, unsure at first if she should say anything. But Pia was persistent—and she trusted her.
"I... I just hope my brother doesn’t accept Mr. Davidson’s proposal," she finally said.
Pia’s eyes widened in horror. "Proposal?! Oh my God! Wait—wait—wait! Are you saying Mr. Davidson is interested in you and he asked your brother for permission or sothing?! But he could already pass as your father!"
Zephany’s face turned beet red as she lunged forward and quickly covered Pia’s mouth. "What nonsense are you talking about?! It’s nothing like that! Don’t say stuff like that! Soone might overhear and turn it into so weird office gossip!"
Pia blinked a few tis, then nodded under Zephany’s hand until she let go. "I’m so sorry!" she whispered. "I didn’t an any harm! I was just... shocked. I bla those short dramas I watch at night. They’ve ruined ."
Zephany let out a tired sigh. "It’s okay. Just be careful with your words. You know what kind of place this is. We work in a dia company—gossip spreads faster than breaking news."
"You’re right," Pia said quickly, nodding. "One sneeze in the hallway and soone’s writing a headline about how you’re sick and dating your boss."
---
Kendrick unlocked the door to their family’s small ho and stepped inside, shutting it quietly behind him. He let out a deep breath, thankful for the silence.
Mom’s not ho yet.
He placed his keys on the small table by the door and looked around. The living room was neat, a little too neat, which ant his mom had cleaned again even though he’d told her to rest when she could.
For the past few days, he’d been living at the apartnt with Zephany, only coming back once in a while to grab things and check in when his mom wasn’t around. He hated lying to her, but he still hadn’t found the right ti—or the right way—to explain everything.
It helped that she worked the night shift at the hospital lately, aning she assud he stayed ho at night and left early for work in the mornings.
But the mont he turned to head to his room, a familiar voice stopped him cold.
"Where have you been?"
His heart dropped.
Christy stood in the hallway, arms crossed, her expression a mix of worry and disappointnt. Her eyes locked with his, no room to escape.
"Where are you staying at, Kendrick?" she asked again, softer this ti, but firr in intent.
He opened his mouth to answer but no words ca out at first.
She looked so tired. She always looked tired these days.
"I..." he finally said, running a hand through his hair. "I’ve been staying at the studio."
Her brows furrowed. "Why didn’t you tell ?"
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