“Is he alright?” Kristin whispered to her husband when she met Kevin in the hallway. A day after the charity event is Kevin’s birthday and he organized a party in his house where his friends attended.
“Who?” Kevin smiled and wrapped his arms around his wife, pulling her closer.
“Nick.”
“Nick?” Kevin turned to where Nick is. He saw the young guy sitting on one of the bar stools and taking shots of some alcoholic drink that the bartender is serving him. He did not even join their other friends who are having fun at the poolside. “He’s been like that after he spoke with Anna last night.”
“Do you think they broke up? I’m only concerned. I already told the bartender to avoid Nick when he asks for another shot again.” Kristin turned back to Nick. “He used to be the life of the party but…” she stopped when Nick stood up and began mingling around. Later, he went out to join their other friends.
“Alright, I’ll check on him,” Kevin brushed his wife’s hair aside, “You’re sounding like a big sister to him now, huh?”
Kristin smiled. “That’s because I married his big brother,” they kissed and then, Kevin went out. Kristin began to go around too, but she’s still keeping a watchful eye on the guy she considered to be her younger brother.
~~~
Nick laughed at what Darren is telling him. His friend just dared him to go over a woman with the red hair and try to get a date from her.
AJ shakes his head. “Nick, I’m telling you…” He warned him. But Nick is already drunk and he’s been talking a lot ever since he left the bar and joined them a few minutes ago.
“I won’t just date her, I’ll sleep with her, too,” Nick laughed and so did Darren. When Nick walked towards the woman, AJ can only stare. He’d like to stop his friend but he doesn’t want to embarrass Nick in front of their friends as if Nick can’t manage on his own and AJ is acting very much like a big brother to him. He watched as Nick approached the woman.
“Hi, are you Kevin’s friend?”
“Uh, no. I’m Kristin’s friend. We used to be room mates in college,” the woman replied with a smile.
Older woman, nice, Nick thought. “My name is Nick.”
“Venice,” they shook hands.
Oh, great. Another city name, Nick blinked a few times as alcohol sets in him. “Do you want to hang out after Kevin’s party?”
“Where are we going?”
“Well,” Nick shrugged, “go for some coffee perhaps and chat,” he winked at her.
“Sure.”
AJ shakes his head again as he watched Nick exchanged phone numbers. He need to pull Nick out and remind him about Anna. Stupid guy. He’s looking for trouble. He saw his younger ‘brother’ already whispering sweet nothings to the woman and moving closer to her. Darren and the other guys, who didn’t even know that Nick already had a girlfriend, were exchanging high fives. His eyes widened when he saw the arrival of some media. Surely, Anna will know about this through the internet, or Intin. He started towards Nick.
“AJ,” somebody called and saw their manager, Kenneth, coming his way.
“Huh?”
“I’ll just give you this,” Kenneth gave him a CD, “you left your demo in the studio.”
“Oh, yes. Thanks, man.” AJ turned back to Nick and saw him already posing with the photographers. His arms are around the woman. He decided to call him to get him away. “Nick! Nick!”
Nick saw AJ waving. He excused himself from Venice. “What? Any problem?”
“Yeah, what about Anna? Your girlfriend?” AJ quietly hissed.
That’s when Nick seemed to finally wake up. “Oh, man!” he groaned. He ran his fingers through his hair. “I’ll go to Venice and cancel our date.” He shakes his head. “Thanks, man. I’m just frustrated and occupied, I guess.”
AJ rolled his eyes. “That’s no excuse.” When Nick didn’t reply, he continued, “she’s too far away, eh?” His friend only nodded in reply. “Any lead on Faye’s death?”
“Their uncle,” Nick met AJ’s look.
“Whoa! Really?” AJ quietly exclaimed. “What happens now?”
“She’ll confront them,” Nick sighed. “It worried me, AJ. It frustrates me. I want to go there but she doesn’t want me to. She’s concerned about our privacy and my safety. It’s something about their politics. She doesn’t want me to get involved with the mess,” he looked around and no one seemed to mind them now. He turned back to AJ. “I hate it, you know? I’m here and I can’t do anything to help her out.”
“That’s because you can’t really do anything. She knows what you are and she wants to protect you, Nick. You’ve got to understand that,” AJ sniffed. “And why are you trying to get drunk, huh?”
Nick drew a deep breath. Without any word, he left AJ. His friend shakes his head. Nick can be like that sometimes, walking away from something he doesn’t want to deal with. Someday, the younger man will have to deal in facing the consequences if he keeps up with that kind of attitude.
~~~
Anna clasped her hand together to keep it from trembling. She’s nervous on what will be the turnout of her plans on confrontation. She didn’t even know if the people she invited will come today. She invited her father, through a letter she sent to his secretary, and his uncle, verbally on the phone. She simply told them about dinner and neither knew that the brothers will see each other and Anna has prepared something for them.
“Stop it. Oh, God…” Anna muttered. She drinks her glass of water. She held her breath when the door opened. Her uncle Thomas came in. She reserved a small conference area in an exclusive restaurant where she can make the confrontation with the two men. “Hi, uncle Tom. How are you?” She didn’t move from her seat and just offered him a chair near hers.
“I’m fine. I’ve been wondering why you want to have a dinner with me tonight.” Thomas sits down.
“I think you know,” Anna only replied.
“I don’t understand.”
Anna stared at her uncle. Her heart is beating faster now. The door opened again and it’s now her father who arrived. The two men were surprised to see each other, Senator John Gomez turned to Anna. “What’s the meaning of this, Anna?”
“I’m glad that you came, Dad. Have a seat and let’s have dinner.” She tried to appear calm amidst the fact that she wished that it’s over now. Neither of the men moved. She cleared her throat. She decided to just continue with the agenda. “I know what caused my sister’s death.” She looked at her uncle who only returned the look. But when she turned to her father, the senator looked away. “You already knew, Dad?” Her eyes flared with silent anger.
“No. Why would I already know when I’m still waiting for that case?” John Gomez replied with a question.
“I don’t believe you. You already know and you’re hiding the fact to everyone.” Anna countered.
Thomas cleared his throat. “Is this what the meeting is all about? What am I doing here, Anna?”
Anna stood up and slammed her fist on the table. “Don’t play games with me! I know that both of you have something to do with Faye’s death. Your political bickering and sibling rivalry led to her death.” Her chest was heaving fast now. The two men only gave her expressionless looks. She hates it when they do that. Being lawyers and political figures gave them the ability to show composure despite of anything. “I know everything. Uncle Tom planted a bomb in that car that was supposed to be used by Dad. You didn’t expect that it would be used to pick-up Faye at the airport who decided to went home unexpectedly too, because of her pregnancy. It was too late to realize that and Faye was already dead.” Tears fell down her face and she quickly wiped it away.
John pulled his brother by the collar of its shirt. “Damn you!”
But Thomas is only laughing. “Stop the charade, John. Your daughter is as smart as I really thought that she is. She already got us. Both of us are guilty.”
The brothers stared at each other for a while before John pushed Thomas away. He turned to Anna. “What do you want? What are you going to do now?”
The question already affirmed the truth, Anna realized. She will never let this thing passes by. “Justice. I want justice for my sister.”
John smirked. “You will make us go to the police? Do you realize how it will cause you?”
“I know you won’t do that. But I will have my way. I will make sure that both of you will go to jail,” Anna answered her father. “You won’t get away with this.”
“We’re family, Anna.” Thomas asked her, his arms across his chest. “Are you going to sacrifice that bond?”
“You won’t ask me that if you’re not guilty but you are.” Anna saw the exchanged looks between her father and uncle. “And it seems that you know about this all along. How could you do this? Don’t you even felt guilty that my sister died because of you? Or you just don’t feel anything at all? You’re both scum and I won’t let this thing pass!”
“Watch your mouth, young woman!” John warned her.
“I am, that’s why I’m telling you that, dad,” Anna emphasized the last word. “For years, you haven’t been a father to me because I’m the rebellious one. I don’t follow your rules because I can’t do it. I knew the kind of man that you are and you’re afraid to let me see the rest of it that’s why you kicked me out of the house and sent Faye to the States. You want more power and money and those are one of the reasons that you and uncle Tom are fighting about. You were both greedy! You –“ She stopped and stepped back when she saw her father walked towards her. “No! You’re not going to slap me again! Anything that you do to me will be turned against you. I got it all planned.” It was her turn to grin when she saw the stunned faces from the two men. “That’s it, behave. And thanks for coming.” She quickly went out.
Her pace was fast as she went out of the restaurant and into the waiting van of her friend, Ivan. There’s also a police investigator who taped all the conversation she had with her father and uncle in the conference area. She planned everything.
“Anna…” Ivan opened his arms to his friend.
Anna burst into tears. “I hate him! I hate him! I hate them!”
