55. Archer
Chapter fifty-five
Archer
D isregarding both of them, my head darted over to Pierce, opening the front door. The Masahiko family entered first with Kimiko and her parents, and Sterling ran over to Kimiko to complain about his encounters with my father and Luca.
Shin stayed impassive, watching them as his wife calmed Sterling down. Blaine and Maia entered next, and I took note of how he was trying to look at the nearest exit points. And last but not least... the Russels. Killian entered reluctantly as Brielle held his hand, and Zachary wasn’t far behind. I bit my lip as the only person I had been waiting for this entire time entered the room.
Even after being confronted by her biological father and mother in the same week, she still lit up the room with her presence—it was almost magical.
Noticing my gaze, she looked over to me and averted her eyes. A blush rose to her face, and her lavender dress and short white cardigan made her look more adorable than she already was. I tried to hide my growing smile, but I stopped immediately when I felt Killian’s eyes on me.
He appeared oblivious to our interaction, but he seemed keen on letting me know he was watching me. I couldn’t blame him. Our last interaction wasn’t exactly the best, and he’s probably sour that he didn’t have another comeback.
“So glad you all could join us,” Vivienne said with a smile. My father stood beside her with a slightly sinister one.
“Yes, it’s always fun to be in the same room with the man who wants me dead. Speaking of Killian, how are you?” he asked.
Killian sighed. “At the moment, I’m doing my best to remain civilized. Brielle seems to think that would be a better approach for me to take during stressful situations,” he answered.
My father tilted his head. “I couldn’t agree more. Now, onto the patio. Dinner is soon to be served, and I would like to… catch up, if you will, before we get straight to the point and discuss business matters. Pierce, please be so kind as to provide champagne and wine for our guests. White wine still your favorite, Brielle?” he asked.
The room went silent for a moment. My father had this stupid look in his eyes, and it was unclear if Blaine or Shin knew Brielle was pregnant. I only learned about it because Delilah told me, but my father must have figured it out another way.
Brielle sighed heavily as she gave him a grin. “You know me well, Calvin.”
He chuckled, “I know you well enough, Brielle...” His unwavering smile showed he was still waiting for her to speak.
She shook her head. “Although white wine is my favorite, I cannot have any at the moment because... I’m pregnant.”
Blaine and Shin both harbored a look of shock while Andrew, who was now entering the room, seemed satisfied with her answer as if he knew, too. Their wives, along with Vivienne, seemed unfazed; however, Killian was slowly growing more and more pissed at my father.
“Mazel tov!” Luca exclaimed from the living room, causing the tension in the air to thicken even more.
I looked down at my watch and nodded softly. I was damn impressed. Blaine was right; three minutes into talking, Killian seemed about ready to strangle my father… but not yet. I gave Shin the side-eye to initiate damage control, as Blaine suggested.
“Anyway, Calvin, I see you’ve updated the furniture and aesthetic of your home since I last visited?” Shin asked.
Calvin sighed. “It had to be done, Masahiko. Not all of us are humble enough to have the same furniture as when we first moved in. I don’t know how your wife tolerates it,” he said, causing Hana to agree wholeheartedly, even though I knew personally that they changed it frequently.
“See, Shin. I told you that old furniture makes our house look plain and boring!” she complained, and Shin nodded in understanding. I noticed Killian had also calmed down.
So, Shin is basically used as a target for my father to throw under the bus. Because he knows most of it is just bullshit, he’s the only one truly able to bite his tongue and tolerate it... Not bad, Blaine… although watching him sneak a candy bar from Maia’s purse had me second-guessing both him and myself.
Soon, my father guided us to the patio, and I sat with Sterling to my right and Luca to my left. I was uninterested in the fake business plan Blaine and Shin had conjured up for Killian and my father, so naturally, my mind drifted elsewhere.
My eyes landed on Delilah speaking to Kimiko by the rose garden, looking as beautiful as ever. If it wasn’t for her father sitting directly across from me, I would have taken a picture of her and made it my phone wallpaper. Cheesy, I know, but she did this to me. She made me feel like a high school teenager with his first crush all over again.
“Archer, my boy!” Luca exclaimed beside me, effectively shifting the focus of the conversation to me, and I remained stoic as he threw his arm around my shoulders. “You must be feeling the pressure of Stephan being out of the picture. Tell me, how are you holding up?” Luca asked with a smile.
I grabbed his wrist and unwrapped it from around my neck as I ignored his face. “Fine… not as bad as I would have imagined it to be,” I muttered, and looked discreetly to the garden to see Delilah and Kimiko being called in by Vivienne and Brielle to help Pierce arrange the table for dinner.
I looked her up and down for a moment before our eyes locked as she walked. I sent her a sly wink, and she rolled her eyes, smiling, and entered inside.
I leaned down to grab my water when I heard Sterling whisper. “You’re treading on thin ice, my friend. Very thin ice…” he warned.
I looked over at him for a moment before gazing over to Killian, who seemed impassive but still cautious as he sent me a quick glance as well.
I took a sip and groaned as Luca whispered in my ear, too. “I agree.”
Placing the glass on the table, I stood up to go back inside, and all eyes turned to me. “Gentlemen, excuse me. I’m going to head indoors for a bit.”
I approached the glass door when I stopped in my tracks. Eugene entered slowly, almost timidly, and placed his hands in his jacket pockets as everyone looked over at him.
“Eugene, what an unexpected surprise,” Killian uttered.
I remained silent as Eugene sent me a look. It didn’t take a genius to know his eyes were telling me to keep quiet. For now, I would oblige to his unspoken request, given his record of not being entirely sane.
He looked over to Killian and nodded. “Yeah. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
Blaine beckoned him over harmlessly. “Come sit with us for a moment. Dinner will be ready soon. Does Brielle know you’re here yet?” he asked.
Eugene sighed as he sat down. “If she did, we most likely would be having a staredown... so no, not yet.”
I entered the house, feeling as though I’d mingled enough with them.
Kimiko was assisting her mother and Vivienne with a few things while Maia, Pierce, and Brielle were having their own conversation about how dessert would be served.
Making use of the distractions, I looked around my home slowly for the girl I’d been waiting to see all afternoon, and lo and behold, there she was, coming out of the den. I smirked as I wrapped my arms around her waist, and she bit her lip, placing her arms around my neck.
“What are you doing so far away from everyone, Princess? You shouldn’t just be wandering off like that, hmm? My father could have forced you to listen to him talk, and no one would be there to save you,” I muttered, kissing her neck.
She smiled. “Just wanted some time... to think. And to get away from your constant stares.”
“Was I that noticeable?” I asked, knowing she caught me every time I took a peek.
She rolled her pretty eyes. “In front of my dad? You definitely have an early death wish.”
“Then you must be a death certificate, because I am dying to have you right now.”
She gave me a look of shock, and I shook my head with a sigh. “I need to stop spending so much time with Sterling, is what your face is telling me.” She giggled, but she jerked as my palm landed on her ass. “And stop rolling those pretty eyes of yours, hmm?”
She blushed as she avoided eye contact. Leaning down, I took that as a moment to place a kiss on her lips, muffling her little whimper as I groped her ass.
“Side note: I’m not on the best terms with your father right now,” I continued.
She frowned as she ran her fingers through my hair. “Why?”
I shrugged. “I may have bickered back and forth with him for a bit before telling him that Brielle had the control over his anger and actions, to which he had no response—in front of your little brother and bodyguards, might I add.”
She shook her head, gazing into my eyes. “You’re so bad,” she muttered.
I bit my lip. “You know you love it, Princess.”
She smiled but stayed silent momentarily before a look passed in her eyes, like she wanted to say something in response—maybe, I love you— or maybe I was just imagining it because I’d been dying to say it to her.
Nevertheless, she pulled me closer and whispered, “Maybe I do... but I would never tell you that. It would ruin the fun.” She giggled, and I squeezed her ass once again before pulling her closer by the waist.
“Ruin the fun, hmm?” I whispered, and she giggled again as I kissed her pink, plump lips. Felt like fucking heaven and tasted like candy...
I could tell she was holding back her little moans as we didn’t want to be too loud, and I smirked internally as I deepened the kiss. If it weren’t for our families in the next room... I’d want to kiss another part of her. But we couldn’t… at least not right now. And speaking of our families—
“I do hope I’m not imposing, but dinner is starting soon,” Brielle’s voice rang out, and we pulled away to see her holding a dish with salad, standing just a few feet away. Delilah’s face was more red than a tomato, and I smiled as Brielle approached us slowly.
“And do your best to be just… a bit more secretive,” she suggested, and I nodded.
“We’ll do our best,” I answered, and she smiled, turning away as she headed for the dining room.
“I’m dying a little inside right now,” Delilah whispered, and I chuckled as I felt the complete opposite.
Giving her one last peck, I sent her in first so we wouldn’t look suspicious, and after a few minutes, I entered the grand dining room as well.
The only seat available was the one across from Luca and in between Sterling and Zachary. Delilah sat by her parents, but I didn’t pay attention to where the rest of them were seated. There was tension in the air, and I noticed the angry gaze Brielle was directing to her brother, who seemed used to it.
“The proposal seems… rational, but I don’t see it as something I would want to be in long-term,” Killian remarked.
My father pouted. “Was it something I said?” he asked idiotically.
Killian scoffed. “Something you said? Really? Lockwood, the last time I let you into my building, one of my departments was on the verge of collapsing, and we lost almost $100 million in damages.”
My father sucked in a breath and nodded. “Then you have good reason to be cautious. I’d be wary, too, if I were in your position.”
“Vivienne... honestly, darling, how do you do it? The man is insufferable,” Killian asked Vivienne, who simply took a sip of her wine as she shook her head. I had to hold in my laugh as my father grew slightly more agitated by the moment.
“Killian... when can we learn to put our differences aside?” my father asked.
Killian scoffed. “When you decide to stop screwing me, that’s when.”
“That’s what she said,” Sterling said, listening in, and the table was silent momentarily.
Blaine nodded. “Amazing delivery, Blaine #2. Keep them guessing, and don’t make it look too hard.”
“That’s what she said,” Sterling said again, and Blaine smiled, pointing to him like an idiot.
There were looks of shared confusion at the table. However, the comedic relief between those two fools seemed to lower the tension in the room.
We began to dine when Andrew decided to speak.
“You’ve been quiet all night, Eugene. The tension between you and Brielle is quite thick and rather palpable, I’d say,” he remarked.
Brielle ignored them as she continued to butcher her steak in irritation, to which Killian slowly retrieved the knife before placing a small kiss on her head.
“We’re still on edge, if you will,” Eugene muttered.
Brielle’s head shot up. “Because you didn’t apologize to me. That’s why.”
Killian rubbed the palm of her hand, and Brielle continued, “You’re always holding secrets, and you never tell me anything. Ever. You push me away constantly. Why?”
I noticed my father and Eugene locking eyes for just a split second.
“Brielle... I… I’m sorry. It’s just that—” Eugene began, his hands trembling slightly as his gaze shifted to my father for a split second.
Blaine’s eyes widened as we waited for the words to come out of him.
Was he really going to confess? Would this finally clear the air?
I gazed at my father, who looked emotionless. He sensed the incoming confession as well. I glanced at Delilah and Kimiko, who seemed slightly paranoid. Why, he couldn’t be confessing now… That would make things far too easy.
“Eugene, please,” Brielle whispered, and he sighed again.
However, my attention was directed to Pierce, who was making a swift walk to the front door and looked panicked as he answered a phone call. In the distance, I also saw the red and blue flashes of police cars, but no sirens. What the hell was going on?
All of a sudden, there was a knock at the door, and the entire table turned to look.
Pierce opened the door hesitantly. “Good evening... Can I help you, gentlemen?” he asked worriedly.
We heard the voice of the police officer. “We got a tip that two suspects in our recent case are here. We have a warrant to search the residence. Is the homeowner present at this time?”
My eyes darted to my father.
“Calvin, what the hell is going on?” Killian asked.
My father, for the first time in my life... looked completely and utterly shocked.
Multiple officers made their way into the dining room. Two officers grabbed my father while the other two grabbed Eugene.
“Eugene...” Brielle whispered as tears came to her eyes, and I also felt in shock.
As they were being placed in handcuffs, I went to speak in order to get clarification as to what was going on when I noticed Luca... casually eating as if nothing was happening.
As if he could feel my eyes on him, he looked up at me for a moment and raised his finger to his lips as if to silence me as he slowly broke and let out a sinister grin.