1 Chapter 1

How long has it been since that fateful night? I asked myself while staring blankly at the resume' handed by my PA earlier this morning.

I was standing in front of the floor to ceiling glass window overlooking the scenic view of the cosmopolitan city when Ms. Peterson, my personal assistant, came in the room.

"Good morning, sir. The applicant is here," she said as I turned around to meet the stern gaze of the woman I've longed to see all these years.

"Good morning, Mr. Anderson. My name is Amanda Windsor and I believe that you're expecting me for my final interview," she said with confidence while smiling brightly as if nothing happened between us many years ago.

I was reluctant to shake her hand because I was preoccupied with questions. But, I tried to calm myself and asked her to sit down on the settee in front of my table.

There was an awkward silence before I cleared my throat and turned to my PA.

"Sara, you can ask questions first," I told her as I pretended reading the contents of Amanda's CV. She nodded and smiled.

"Sir, it would be easier to read that if it isn't upside down," she whispered. From my peripheral view, I could see Amanda biting her lower lip trying so hard not to laugh out loud.

"Ask her questions," I said with a low voice warning her not to embarrass me anymore. She complied.

I was impressed by how Amanda answered the questions with ease and confidence.

"We will give you a call, Ms. Windsor," Sara said.

"Thank you so much. I'll be looking forward to it," she replied while shaking my hands.

'How could she change so much?' I thought as I looked at her. Our eyes met. I couldn't figure out her emotions at that time. Her eyes were beaming but were empty at the same time.

'Why did you come back?' I asked in my mind. I cleared my throat. "No need to do that, Sara. She's hired," I said without letting go of her hand. She looked shocked but recovered instantly.

She simply pulled her hand from my grip and said, "Thank you so much, Mr. Anderson. I will try my best to learn the ropes as fast as I can. Again, thank you for the big break."

I just nodded. "Don't worry. Sara will give a grounding in everything you need before she leaves," I told her. Sara smiled, but amusement with the situation was apparent in her eyes.

"You can start next Monday," I said in a dismissive tone.

My head was throbbing because of overthinking, so I decided to go to Isla del Fuego, an island 30 minutes away from the mainland of Mevious city. The island is famous for three things: magical sunset, coral reefs, and romance. In other words, a paradise on earth--- a perfect getaway especially for a budding romance. It is a private property owned by the Suits Brotherhood, an exclusive club for self-made bachelors in the city.

It was in this club where I met the McKnight brothers and Luke Adams who were already members of SB and we became best buddies. Then, later be known as the FabFour because of our looks and golden touch.

I chilled out in The Bachelor's Den, a famous resort on the east coast of Isla del Fuego owned by the dashing brothers, Owen and Shane McKnight.

"Are you talking about Amanda, who ditched you eons ago? Her?!" Owen said with exaggerated expression, even widening his chinky eyes in amazement.

"I smell something fishy, man! I'm not saying that she's here to avenge herself, it's just a bit odd," Luke added, comfortably drinking his beer at the bar.

"Fuck off! I am suspicious as you guys. I couldn't piece the puzzle together. But, I came here to relax... so please stop clucking like a hen," I replied.

They both raised their hands with a grin on their faces. I just shook my head.

"Catch!"

With questions hovering in my mind, I failed to notice the bottle of beer thrown at me by Shane, who appeared out of nowhere. Before I knew it, a sound of shattered glass disturbed my pondering head. I stared at the broken bottle in front of me while the spilled beer was soaking the sole of my shoes.

"Jesus Christ!" I exclaimed. I was tensed as I looked at the evil smiles plastered on their faces as they slowly drew closer to me.

"No- no!" Shane said while gesturing me not to run away when I tried to escape through the back door. Then, they came pinning me down on the cold floor while throwing punches all over me.

"Fuck y'all! Bastards!" I cursed while they enjoyed beating me up. That's the kind of game we play when we're together. You have to catch the bottle of beer thrown at you or all three of them will beat you up. That's how silly we are.

"Why did I even become your friend?" I grunted. They chuckled at my statement as they help me sit on the comfy sofa.

"What's with him today?" Shane asked the two while cleaning the broken bottle on the floor and some droplets of blood from my wounds.

"Amanda's back!" Owen said while tossing the ice pack to Luke who's tending my wounds. I just closed my eyes ignoring Shane's questions.

"Like Amanda... his ex-girlfriend?" Shane whispered but was loud enough for me to hear. Clearly, he's teasing, pushing my temper. But, I remained quiet. I wouldn't give what he wanted as I wasn't in the mood to kick his ass.

A few moments later, we entertained ourselves chatting and flirting with some pretty customers who were patrons at the Den.

"Hey... what happened to your lips?" a cute chick asked as she traced my swollen lower lip. I smirked.

"As if that would matter if mine touches yours!" I said. She blushed. Then, she tried to kiss me. I stopped her, to her disappointment.

"I really like you, but this call is very important that it mustn't be delayed!" I said before pretending to answer a call as I left.