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It's also a good thing that Kylian lives on a completely different continent to her or else Damien might have disemboweled him by now. Damien does not like anyone looking at or talking to My-Linh too long. Which is too bad for him, because everyone loves her. We've all warmed to Kiara as well, who is sharp as a tack but also kind. It's hard not to be happy that my brothers have found women who love them the way they need to be loved.
We listen to the women and Kylian chatter for a little while. In his little box on the screen, I see Kingsley completely tuned out, flipping papers on his desk, Damien sits behind My-Linh, eyes trained on her and only her.
I wonder what he's going to say, when he finds out about Clarissa. Jealous, no. Angry that I've brought her back into the family fold, yes. Unequivocally, yes. And he won't bother hiding it either.
"So, are you guys all ready for your wedding in a few weeks?" Kylian's question somehow makes My-Linh's face brighten even more. The question doesn't have the same effect on Damien though. He throws his head back in a groan while still keeping his arms wrapped around his fiancée's waist.
"Guys, it's become a thousand-headed tulle monster," he groans. "What happened to our little ceremony in the park with appetizers in the apartment before I kick everyone out before I ravage you?" Damien asks his fiancée. I'll never get over how playful he is with her. How he isn't afraid to show that side of him now.
My-Linh rolls her eyes, lovingly, and leans over and kisses him on the cheek. "How about I let you ravage me right now?"
"Ewwwww!" Kylian shouts and covers his eyes.
Ironic, considering I've managed to walk in on him and Kiara having sex every single time I've visited Hong Kong in the last three months.
"Anyway, I better go, let you guys do whatever you guys do in these meetings," My-Linh jokes. "Kiara, are you free for a Facetime?"
"Absolutely, sis, this was getting boring anyway."
The two women disappear and I almost wish they hadn't. With them here, I don't have to deal with the questions coming my way. I'm not quite ready to tell them about my arrangement with Clarissa. I know it's wrong to withhold it, considering it's a certainty, but until she and I start showing up in public and Paula announces our engagement, I'm hoping I can start warming them up to the idea.
A knock on my car window startles me while Kylian talks about construction on the new apartment building he's bought in Macau for Kiara's business.
I cover the webcam and wind the window down to see who it is. Clarissa peeks in saying, "Um, I've got my stuff. Are you ready?"
I hold my finger up and turn back to the screen. "Er, guys, I'm going to have to go. Last minute meeting, you get it. Catch up next week."
It's only a second before I close my laptop, but it's enough to hear Kylian heckle me, and to see a glimmer of a shadow cross Damien's face.
"I'm sorry, I... had a meeting." I say, getting out to help her with her things.
"At two thirty in the morning?"
"Brother meeting."
She nods, "Oh, yes, the infamous Wednesday meetings. I always wondered if those were an actual thing. Damien always kicked me out when it came time for one."
Her sadness makes me angry at my brother. There's such a difference between how he treats My-Linh now and how he treated Clarissa in the past. I don't blame her for her bitterness even if I know she brought some of it on herself.
I open the passenger door for her with a flourish. "Ready?"
She gives me an unsure smile and nods.
And then I drive us home.
***
"So, you can choose the main bedroom or this one here." I flick the light on and she follows me into one of the guest bedrooms. There's one further from my bedroom but I show her to this one first.It's so if she needs anything in the middle of the night, she can call out to me,I try to tell myself.
She looks around appreciatively, taking in the décor. The bedroom is large, especially by New York City standards. When I had my penthouse floor renovated, I wanted half of the apartment to be an open plan, and the other half with cozy areas, so that if I needed to, I could close the door on the world.
"This one," she says, dropping her suitcase on the floor of the guest bedroom. "I wouldn't want to put you out."
"You're not, Clarissa. You never could."
"Besides, I don't have to think about what ungodly things have happened on this bed," she jokes, her voice light.
"Um, sure. If that makes you feel better," I respond in kind.
