[Bonus chapter]A Little Wife

As Demetri began to drive, Nora stiffened, her gaze locked straight ahead, her eyes wide as saucers, lips pressed into a tense line. Demetri shot a concerned glance her way, swiftly decelerating and pulling the car over to the roadside.

In a flurry, he swung open the passenger door and urgently advised, "Do not let your stomach betray you."

With those words hanging in the air, he dashed off to the pharmacy, hastily procuring hangover remedies and stomach-settling aids. By the time he returned, Nora had succumbed to slumber. A relieved sigh escaped Demetri's lips as he steered back home, deposited his little wife onto the bed without much ado and threw the medicines on the bedside table.

***

It had been twenty-eight minutes since their brother left and Ian and Seb continued to stare at their phones, transfixed... No one knew their brother's current whereabouts and they were too curious and this had made them unable to concentrate on work... At the twenty-ninth minute, their cell phones buzzed simultaneously. Almost in synchronization, the two fumbled for their devices, their composure almost crumbling. But that was not enough for what the message revealed had them doubting their very existence.

It was a picture of their brother carrying a woman in his arms... Although the image was captured from the rear, the identical suits worn by the man and their brother hinted that this was, indeed, Demetri Frost. Ian hastily magnified the hands draped around his brother's neck, desperately seeking any clues that might unveil the woman's identity.

"What holds your rapt attention?", a calm voice spoke.

Seb hastily concealed his phone, tucking it away in his pocket, while Ian stealthily slipped his phone beneath himself, effectively sitting on it. Blast it all! The Demon had reappeared with uncanny precision! Dam* it!

They needed to escape and question Gabriel about where and how he had clicked this picture and if he knew the identity of this woman who wielded the power to not just summon their brother from the meeting but also act as her personal chauffeur!

As Demetri ignored them, Seb, surreptitiously glanced at his phone and tapped on the 'Frosty Cousins' group icon. The group consisted of Ian and Seb who worked in the hospitality sector of the Frost industries and their cousins Gabriel Frost and Lucien Frost who worked in the Banking sector.

The group had been ideally formed to keep each other in the loop as the cousins had grown up close to each other. Demetri Frost was not a part of this group as it was mainly used to gossip about him and rib each other.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, Demon gave them a break and they were allowed fifteen minutes. Using this time, Ian and Seb quickly escaped with their phone in their hands.

The photo was still there along with Gabriel's comment," Is that who I think it is?"

Gabriel had already been impatient and sent a dozen messages from them seeking confirmation about his doubts. Finally, Ian and Seb glanced at each other and Ian typed grimly," It is who you think it is."

That single message seemed to bring about an explosion in the group.

Gabriel:" Holy Cr*p! That really is Demon?"

Lucien: "What on earth is this? Forget if that is Demon, who is the woman in his arms?"

Seb: "Where did you get the picture, Gab?"

Gab: " I was going to The BAR. I thought I saw Demon but I wasn't sure..."

Ian: "Stop wasting time and find out the identity of this woman!"

Seb: "Yes. The identity of the woman is special. He was in the middle of tearing into us when she called him away! Since it's outside The Bar, she must be drunk and called him to rescue her!."

Lucien: "Could it be a mistake? Maybe this person looks like Demetri from the back?"

Gab: "You think I did not try to find the identity of the woman? But Demetri's warning has already reached these people. No one at the restaurant is willing to say a word."

Ian: "Her name starts with N."

Gabriel: "How do you know that? Where did you find out."

Ian: "Demon has her number saved in his contacts."

Seb: "Someone needs to hack into Demetri's phone! Our resident IT expert? Lucien?"

Lucien: "I do not have a death wish."

Gab: "We need to meet up soon! Is our resident bachelor going to fall? And if we do get a sister-in-law, we need to make sure she is on our side firmly!"

Lucien: "I was almost sure that Demetri played for the other team! A brother-in-law..."

Ian, Seb, Gab: "Shut up, Lucy!"

While the group chat buzzed with fervour, the four cousins reacted with the overdramatic flair that was characteristic of their interactions. The two main characters involved remained blissfully unaware of the havoc they had caused. With one immersed in work and the other in slumber.

***

It was almost morning when Demetri finally made his way home. The quiet of the house gave him a moment of peace before worry for the passed-out girl had him checking on her.

With a quiet knock, he opened the door and quickly averted his eyes. Had the girl been practising playing soccer while asleep? He'd left her lying on her side, head on the pillow. Now, she lay on her stomach, one leg dangling from the bed, her dress riding up to expose... Trying to avoid looking at her exposed skin, he tried to adjust the blanket but it seemed impossible. Her blanket was stuck under her.

Sighing, Demetri marched to his own room, grabbed the extra quilt and tucked her into it, before turning off the lights.

He paused for a moment at the door, staring intently at her face and wondered for the umpteenth time, if he had not made a mistake impulsively just because her face looked like...

Stopping himself from thinking of the past, Demetri closed the door and walked away.