1 Chapter One

Greg & Colin

{Greg's POV}

It's a Sunday morning. Also, the only day in a week my older brother, Alexander Rae Kester gets a day off from work.

Alex is a five feet eleven so he's a bit taller than I am, more handsome and virtually better in everything else than me.

I've always looked up to him ever since our parents died. He and I had each other until his long-term girlfriend came home from the UK to work here in Ireland.

Then everything changed… well, most things.

And of course he'd have a girlfriend meanwhile, his younger brother might die single, maybe a virgin.

“Hey Alex, you have a call from your boss!” I shout behind the bathroom door as I hear the shower running.

“Just leave it!” He equally replies.

You don't interrupt his Sunday shower - ever. Even his boss can't. I've lived with Alex for almost a decade since I moved to Dublin and I know what to do every Sunday morning. I must take my shower before he wakes up, unless I wanna stink for the rest of the day.

Not like it mattered to anyone.

Anyway, Sunday is the only day he has to take care of himself, shave public and pubic hairs, do his manicure and pedicure. Gosh! If he's so busy during the week, how does he even keep his girlfriend happy?

“Gregory!” Alex shouts. He never calls me by my nickname, everyone does except him.

“What?”

“How's your job hunting going?”

Yeah, I forgot to mention. I'm a jobless graduate and there's no milder way to put it. I graduated a year ago yet I still haven't gotten a job, not even a menial one. Alex graduated like 4 years ago but before his convocation, he was already an employee.

“Still nothing, but I got a call from Mr Kilkenny last night and he assured me that he'll help me out.”

“That's great! That calls for a celebration.”

“But I haven't gotten the job yet.”

“I know my boss. He doesn't make a promise and break it.”

“That's assuring, very.” More sarcastically than excited.

“Anyway, can you help me call Laurel? She has to celebrate with us,” he adds.

Urgh! He always manages to bring everything back to Laurel! For Pete's sake Alex, this is my celebration!

“She's your girlfriend, why should I call her?”

“Actually Gregory, I want to propose to her tonight.”

“Really!”

Wait… what! He wants to use my spotlight to propose?!

My excitement slowly turns to rage. If a heart was made of glass, mine would surely break and the shards would pirece through my chest and I'd bleed to death. But a heart isn't, nevertheless I can still feel the same pain.

“About time,” I say, trying to conceal my foul demeanor.

He finally wants to propose to Laurel, but couldn't he think of a better date? Gosh! If he wasn't my brother, I might consider burning him alive in this apartment.

“You know she will never agree to let me take her out on a special date,” he says and I could tell he's smiling to himself with the thought. “One more thing, can you reserve a restaurant for us?”

“What!” I grit my teeth.

“Please. I'm quite busy here.”

“He's your brother. He's your brother. He's your brother,” I chant until I cool down. “Fine.”

{Colin's POV}

“Where did I keep that freaking birth certificate?” I complain, throwing books on the ground.

I have turned this fucking house upside down and I still can't find something as unimportant as my birth certificate. Like why would anyone need a birth certificate for a menial job?

I've told those snooty little interviewers that I'm 22 years old. Why won't they believe me? And it's just a delivery job I'm applying for, not hotel management. Mere looking at me, they ought to think I'm still a teenager but no! 'You just have to bring your birth certificate.'

Crap! I'm so fucking tired of being useless to Ivy and maybe everyone else. I need a job badly. While I rummage the shelves, I hear footsteps coming towards me from behind but I am too distracted to know who.

“What the hell are you doing?” That voice can never be mistaken.

If it isn't Ivy's malicious eighteen year old sister, Jane Lance. She always finds a way to get on my nerves.

“Mind your business you short bitch,” I say without looking at her.

I know I use cuss words a lot. She's the only one who triggers that side of me. By the way, I didn't lie about the short part. Jane is a five foot five but a giant when she's on witch-mode.

“Since you've decided to turn the house upside down and inside out like you own it, I just had to ask why?”

Damn it! She never misses an opportunity to ridicule me. That stupid birth certificate is the cause of this. I would have gotten this job and won't have to bear this mockery.

“Can you shut up?” I hiss back at her.

“I can't wait for Ivy to see this,” she says with a fucking smirk on her face. She really takes me for a joke. “Sometimes I wonder what my sister saw in you to date you.”

That's it! My fuse explodes.

I walk up to her to bless her with a slap but before I raise my hand, Ivy walks in.

Fuck it.

“What's going on?” She asks.

I could see the anger glowing in her beautiful brown eyes. It got me gazing. Those eyes…

Hey Colin! Snap back to reality! Colin!

“I'm looking for my birth certificate, I need it for a job I'm applying at,” I say softly.

I think I've been charmed by those eyes, her slender eyebrows, her dark brunette hair that smells like autumn, her figure. Everything about her just mesmerizes me.

She sighs. “Did you really have to scatter the books there? One would think animals fought in here. And what makes you think your birth certificate would be out here?”

“I'm sorry. I'll set things back before you know it,” I plead.

Jane just stands where she's been all along rolling her eyes and being her malicious self. Ivy walks up to her room, leaving Jane and I alone in the main hall.

Yup! A main hall. Ivy's house is that big. After their parents death, everything was left in her care with the supervision of her uncle who comes and goes as he pleases.

But Jane is right. Sometimes I wonder why she liked me in the first place.

“As if,” she says and goes wherever she is supposed to go.

Damn! I hate that girl.

{Greg's POV}

“I'm still wondering why you brought me here. Why is the celebration in a fancy restaurant?” Laurel asks with a confused look while Alex and I sit across her fully aware of what this is all about.

“I'm wondering so myself,” I whisper softly.

“It's just something I want to do for my brother,” Alex responds as he subtly stretches out his hand to hold Laurel's.

“Yeah, right,” I roll my eyes.

They're such a sweet couple but two different personalities.

Laurel is a workaholic, a real one. She's so addicted to her work and never jokes about it. Working under Mrs Meers as an event planner, she's always busy traveling from city to city. She may have planned so many weddings, maybe so much that she doesn't think of hers. I guess that's why she doesn't feel the need to get married just yet.

But today is the day. At least, Alex can finally remind her that they have been a couple for more than four years and are long overdue to tie the knot. He has a chance to propose to her. Unfortunately, it had to be on my special occasion.

And what exactly am I even celebrating? A job I haven't gotten yet?

A dashing waiter in monochrome walks up to us and takes our orders. In less than three minutes, our food arrives. Desserts will come in much later. Looking around, I notice how excellent the services of this restaurant is. Not only are the waiters handsome, their food tastes great too.

After having the sumptuous meal before us which concludes the minor part of the celebration, Alex signals me with an eye gesture.

Actually, I've wanted to leave for a while since all along I've been feeling like the third wheel, so he didn't have to signal me.

I get up quickly to sit elsewhere. Why? Of course I want to see how he would propose to Laurel. I wouldn't miss that for anything.

“You know, all this time we've been together, you've brought me nothing but happiness,” I hear Alex say. My brother can be so old-fashioned.

I shake my head in disappointment.

Alex's long speech goes on and on and it seems like forever, but then he finally summons the courage to propose. I like Laurel for many reasons and one of them is that she's not the emotional touchy feely type. No blushing, no giddiness, all she does is stare at Alex while he speaks his lines. That's a good laugh if you ask me honestly.

“Laurel Polanski, will you marry me?” Finally, Alex proposes with one knee on the floor.

“You didn't have to cook up this excuse using Greg's job appointment to propose to me, you know.”

I instantly get the shock and thrill at the same time. Eat revenge brother Alexander! My sweet revenge.

“But of course I will marry you,” she adds. “We've been together now for many years and I know how long you've waited for this.”

Alex changes from sulking to excitement. He lifts himself from the floor and hugs her.

“You really scared me you know.”

Laurel laughs and I get my satisfaction. Just that I'm a bit surprised Laurel's busy work schedule isn't an excuse this time.

They continue their date and I leave the restaurant. I'm not needed there anyway.

{Colin's POV}

As if my day isn't going to be bad enough, Ivy announces that uncle Benjamin would be coming today. He's a huge man in his late forties with curiousity as big as his tummy. Also, the only family member of Ivy's I know. Well, of course apart from her evil sister.

His arrival is always grand, he made sure of that. Coming home with things to spoil them with, especially Jane. How can anyone find someone like her a 'sweet innocent darling', like uncle Benjamin would usually call her?

*

By evening, the show begins.

Pff! What a show off.

“Didn't you see me Colin?” He asks me.

As I lay lazily on the couch playing games on my phone, I sincerely do not want to answer but I can't be that rude, especially when Ivy is around.

“Welcome back uncle Ben,” I say plainly.

“Whatever!” Jane spites me.

That little brat.

Uncle Benjamin knows about my relationship with Ivy, also one of them who still puzzle over it. He doesn't really pay attention to me when he's around but whenever he does, it usually ends up in a fight. The last time we argued, it was about my relationship with Ivy. He even questioned my intentions towards her.

I swore that I was going to kill him and I wish I did. He never speaks anything good about me. He should have been Jane's father instead.

*

As the sun sets, I volunteer to take out the trash when I see something odd but usual. It's Ivy leaving the house all dressed for work - like I've always assumed. Neither Jane nor I know what job she does so late in the day but despite the uncertainty, we still appreciate her a lot because she's literally the breadwinner.

What's more odd is that whenever uncle Benjamin is around, she never goes out this late. Tonight seems like an exception. After something like Ivy sneaking out of her own house, uncle Benjamin confronts her at the gate.

“Where are you going to young lady?”

She doesn't even startle. “How's that your concern?” She asks rudely.

“It's 9pm and the streets are quite empty so yes, it's a thing of concern.”

She sighs in frustration. “I'm going to work.”

“At this hour?”

“Uncle Ben, this is Dublin. People work at different times of the day. Can you please not question me any further? I'm running late.”

“I hope you're not doing something illegal.”

That statement takes me by surprise. My dear Ivy can't be into illegal stuff. I mean, look at her! She's so sweet and reserved. But Ivy is more shocked and a bit disgusted from the look on her face.

“Can you… can you just fuck off?” She blurts, already burning up with anger.

Ivy can be sweet and gentle but when she's angry, avoid her.

She walks pass her uncle and leaves through the gate while he stands there looking so determined to find out what she could be hiding. I can tell by the way he suspiciously sees Ivy leave.

It's not in my place to say but uncle Benjamin does not have the right to butt into people's lives. I'm her boyfriend and I don't fully understand what she does for a living, what makes him think he should know everything? I believe people reveal the part of them they want to reveal. Everyone has his right to his own private life and people should respect that.

But what can I say? Typical Mr Benjamin Moore, always sticking his nose where it does not belong.

{Greg's POV}

I arrive at Alex's firm. It's a few storey building in the middle of a busy city. The building looked smaller outside but inside, it's hard to believe the number of desks that can fit into just one floor.

After I wait a few minutes outside the conference room, Kilkenny comes out with who I assume to be business partners.

“Alex!” He shouts as soon as he dismissed his partners and noticed me standing at a distance looking offish.

Alex strides from his desk to stand before his boss while I take a few steps to join him.

Alex has been acting all day like he doesn't know me at all which is almost a habit of his whenever we are at the same place that is not our apartment. I still haven't gotten used to it but sometimes I can deal. Not like he's proud to have me as his brother anyway.

We smile and greet back.

Kilkenny is such a kindhearted person. He's a tall man, rather long if I must say. He's always on suit or something official and that baldness gives him the perfect hitman look.

“Come in,” he gestures, inviting us to his office.

We sit across his desk while he takes his seat on his comfy swirling-thingy chair.

“I've been expecting you.” He says to me.

“Boss, you wanted to see my brother, right? Why did you call me too?” Alex asks.

“I promised him a while ago to assist him in finding a job. Well, congratulations because he'll be working here from now on.”

“What!” Alex and I react.

“I called you here since he's your brother. You can help him, show him the ropes and I'm sure he'll learn faster and better if you're there to teach him.”

I look over at Alex with a question dangling in my head. I was happy about this news and that's why I screamed but why did Alex scream as well? Did he not want me to work with him?

“The seat of the assistant head of logistics is vacant right now so it'll be a perfect opportunity for him.”

“Why should Gregory work here?” Alex asks, and answers MY question. He's not even happy that I've finally gotten a job.

“I know why I'm doing this Alex,” Kilkenny replies

Alex looks at me with the corner of his eye as though I'm incapable of doing something worthwhile - I'll show him. He always thinks I'm going to get myself in trouble, even though I did most of the time. He may have given up on me but this time, I am going to prove my worth to him.

“Thank you so much Boss, I really appreciate the help you've given me,” I say, not minding my judgemental brother.

“Alright, I'll see you at work tomorrow,” Kilkenny responds.

I get up and leave Alex in the office with his boss - I mean, our boss. I can't stand Alex right now.

# # # # #

Hey readers, my name is Franklin, I've lived two decades and a few years on earth, I still study, blah blah blah. There's actually nothing thrilling to know about me, but…

This is my first mystery/thriller story, so please kindly support, encourage or criticize me however you want. I hope you enjoy this novel, k