I think y'all pretty much guessed who they were already

—

Rhett had loved his mother. With all of his heart and soul and being. Her death had crushed him. He'd only been eight. Afterwards, the only thing he let himself remember was her warmth and he searched wide for any connection he could find with her, even going as far as fulfilling her dream of getting on an international runway to feel what she might have felt. One thing he was most obsessed with was finding the child she'd turned away to a distant orphanage on advise of her doctors for the betterment of her mental health.

He'd turned up short for so long, only to come across who he could only feel was him some three days ago when he'd gone to support his younger sister's swimming race. His mother was a classical beauty with rich and flawless olive skin, wavy brown hair he could remember combing out, a pointed nose and the prettiest eyes he'd ever seen.

Warm celery green with flecks of amber that appeared to flicker under the sunlight.

It was like someone had printed a copy of her and put right in front of him, save the more angular edges to his face. Rhett was willing to believe he could mistake anything else but never this. They'd been fooled many times before, people going as far as extensive surgeries to con their way into their wealth. It had taken his elder brother's intervention and soon, they had to put a halt to the public search and get their family out of the limelight.

The guy was gone before he could push to get any further answers and even intuitively, Rhett already knew he was the one they'd been looking for all this while. Nicolas. Tate, who had been with him and just as shocked at the familiarity, had gone asking around and soon unearthed his identity.

Rhett was self-aware enough to understand his elder brother would be better off doing the digging to find his exact whereabouts with his far deeper connections so decided to have a talk with him.

"It's alright," he dissuaded the receptionist who was ready to lead him up as per protocol. "I'll head up myself." Nash wasn't in when he let himself into his office on the topmost floor but he easily caught sight of the little demon of their household slouching in the chair to the side, one leg propped atop the couch and the other stretched in front of her.

"Nana?" he called, taken aback no little bit. He'd been overseas up until the week before when Taylor had dropped on him impromptu that he had to fly back to support her first interschool tournament. Nash's daughter looked the same as ever, prickly, the head of bright purple hair he'd grown accustomed to having switched to a fiery red. "Your hair looks lovely."

She snorted but didn't say anything, expression tightening. Dressed in a variety of her usual attire— dark tank, checkered sleeve shirt tied around the waist of her short, pleated skirt, fishnet stockings and combat boots— she looked anything but approachable.

"Where's your dad, Nan?" he asked, instead of engaging further with her.

"Fuck should I know," she scowled, tone bitter as she crossed her arms tightly in front of her, going back to staring into the distance.

He sighed before coming to sit next to her. "Why aren't you in school?" he asked.

"Don't know," she said, the line of her jaw rigid. "Don't care."

"McKenna, please don't do this with me," he said. "Thought you could tell me anything. I'm your favorite uncle, aren't I?"

She rolled her eyes but her profile softened slightly, arms loosening. "I skipped school to head downtown," she related.

"What for?" he asked, brow furrowing.

"Looking for my mom," she said.

"Nana," he called, helpless. "You know Nash doesn't want you looking for her."

"I don't care what he wants," she sniped, back to acting like a threatened hedgehog. "I hate him."

The door clicked open and Rhett glanced up to see his brother at the door, staring at his daughter with tightly pursed lips.

"Did you hear me?" she said, getting to her feet. "I fucking hate you."

"Kenny," he called out at the sight of his brother's increasingly rigid expression.

"I'm going home," she spat before stalking off, brushing past her father without an extra glance.

"Nash," Rhett managed despite his grim expression at the door slamming shut. "How about you just let them meet?"

Nash's gaze darkened but he didn't reply him, tugging at his tie before going to situate himself behind his desk. "Wasn't your trip supposed to be a short one?" he asked, pulling up a batch of documents he soon got busy looking into. "Why'd you come?"

"I found him," he said, coming to sit in one of the seats opposite.

"Who?" Nash frowned but didn't glance up, pen moving furiously as he laid his signature on the documents pending approval.

"Nicolas."

Nash looked up then and Rhett wasn't really sure what to make of his expression. He looked tired usually because of the responsibilities that came with managing such a large corporation but it was fine since he seemed to enjoy it. Now, he just looked drained.

"Rhett, please," he said, gaze dropping back after the brief shock that had flitted through it for a moment. "Not again."

"I saw him, Nash," he pressed, adamant. "Along with Tate too. It's Nicolas. I'm sure of it."

"Alright," he said, turning back to his work. "I'll look into it."

Rhett pursed his lips in dissatisfaction. He was well versed in understanding when his robot of a brother showed dedication to doing something and took the task on seriously. He could also easily recognize when he was being dismissive. Now was one such time.

He pulled out the stack of high-definition photos he'd printed beforehand and slammed it down in front of his brother, putting a stop to his one-track focus on his work.

Nash glanced at him in irritation.

Rhett motioned with his chin for him to look at them.

He glanced down and felt his body freeze at the sight of those all too familiar features tipped back in laughter.

"Similar, isn't he?" Rhett piqued.

Nash ignored his tone and picked the picture up. Similar. Too fucking similar. "He. . ." the word was a strangled mess. "Where did you say you found him?"

"Taylor and Tate's high school," he related, taking his seat once more. "He came to participate in the competition on the opposing team."

Nash said nothing but Rhett could almost see the gears working loudly on his head. Then he was getting to his feet, hands urgently working as he slipped his blazer on, tidying up his desk and picking up the photos.

"You're closing in early?" Rhett said, surprised to say the least. He knew this matter would be important to him too but nothing had ever beat the place his work affairs had in his heart.

"Yeah," his tone was quiet as he urged him to keep up with a motion of his hand. "Where are Kheri and Dex recently? Work?"

He responded on the affirmative, handing his keys to Nash's driver and getting shotgun into his brother's car.

"Call them back," he informed. "Urgent family meeting."

"Alright," he said, pulling up his phone book.

"Tay and Tate?" Nash wondered.

"Back home. No exams today," he explained. "You going to tell dad?"

Nash sighed. Wearily. "Best keep it from him for now," he managed.

The drive back was quiet the rest of the way and after relating the news, Nash received the same set of responses he'd anticipated. Kheri, his immediate younger sister, was on board with having him back, expression fond as she flicked through the pictures. As were the twins, having always been curious about the brother they'd lost over time. McKenna could care less what Tom, Dick or Harry joined the household, only having eyes for her mother and when she could reunite with her.

"Is it really necessary?" Of course, Dex's spiteful attitude was one he'd anticipated, too. The last one he wanted to confront. "He's better off wherever he's found himself. There's no place for him here."

"Dex," it was Kheri's chastising that broke the silence that settled.

"Be real, Kher," he spat, attitude going from bad to worse. "Our family wouldn't be riddled with so many holes if it weren't for him. Mom. . . would still be alive."

"Get real, Dee," Rhett mocked, returning the words back to him as he rolled his eyes. "Nicolas didn't cause her death. She died giving birth to Tay and Tate."

His immediate younger brother jumped to his feet, furious, face turning an alarming shade of red. "Her mind was messed up long before that! And it was all that stupid bastard's fault," he scowled, gaze venomous. "It was always your stupid idea wanting to bring him back."

"Mom would have wanted it," Rhett said plainly. "You know well enough what she regretted on her own deathbed."

His chest heaved but he didn't have anything to rebut to that. It was the truth.

"Do you have any other opinions on us bringing him back then?" Rhett asked.

"I won't stay here," he said, gaze glittering with rage. "Not under the same roof with him."

"No one's forcing you to," Rhett sniped. "You have tens of condos littered around the city. Now would be a good time to start using them." Getting into the entertainment industry was profitable and useful for him in that way at least.

That just earned him a ferocious glare before he was stalking off, slamming the door shut on his way out. McKenna, darling as she was, took that as her cue to leave as well.

"Rhett," Nash said, sighing.

"Sorry," he said though his tone was flippant. "I'm not going to stand for his skewed thinking though. The kid was innocent."

"Then. . ." Taylor's voice cut through after a while. She was the one in the split image of their mother, save her pure amber eyes and hence looked exactly like Nicolas. "He's going to live with us, right?"

"Yeah," Rhett said. That's what they hoped anyway.

She dragged her twin off then, in search of a room to redecorate.

"What are you going to do about dad?" Kheri asked, tearing her gaze away from past the sliding door to the rose garden and her father staring out in a daze from his wheelchair.

"I'll tell him," Nash said, rubbing the space between his brows. He wasn't sure how to gauge his attitude towards Nicolas. The man had more or less withdrawn into a shell of himself with the passing of his wife. "Eventually."

Kheri excused herself following his statement, headed for the sliding doors she soon slipped behind.

"I'll look into it as soon as possible," Nash reassured before heading for his personal study down the hallway.

Rhett sighed, massaging a kink in his neck and resting it against the couch, gaze finding the high ceiling and glittering chandelier. He felt so weary too, encumbered in worry these past few days, but the hope and light he felt in his heart was so worth it.

—

one more chapter tonight? yay or nay?