Kali thanked the maids one last time for the evening before dashing out the door to meet an impatient Samuel. Dinner had gone swimmingly despite the last-minute changes Ysabel had made. Ember helped with the planning, and Kali believed she handled her guests, especially Mr Claudius, with enough grace to make her husband proud. And if she hadn't been sure he was, he told her so the minute the door closed behind the last guest.

Now, they were on their way to the address of a clubhouse Ember forwarded the previous day. Kali had taken longer to change out of her gown, and Samuel had been waiting on her.

"Why am I not invited again?"

Kali spun around, scanning the first floor, until she spotted Giovanna on the balcony.

"The party is twenty-one and over." Samuel hollered back. "You entertain yourself at home and don't throw any private parties."

"Yeah. Whatever."

Giovanna waved before slipping back into the house. Kali chuckled, taking Samuel by the hand and leading him to the passenger's side of the car. She opened the door with a courtesy executed in impeccable form, and still, Samuel managed to smile and tease her.

"You know we still have work tomorrow morning, right?"

"I do." She steered away from the mansion and floored the accelerator. "I have already set alarms to help me wake up. I don't drink too much when I go out to parties so I'd not be nursing any headaches you need to worry about."

"Someone thought ahead then."

"Way ahead."

She rested her hand over the console and smiled when Samuel interlaced their fingers. During the dinner, they kept contact with each other to a minimum, physical or otherwise, because Ysabel's eyes were stuck on them. Kali was sure she could see right through their pretence because it was something Ysabel had been accusing them of for months. The only reason she bothered to keep up the lie was because she knew they were partially safe until Ysabel could confirm anything.

"Have you called Ember yet?"

"I called her while I changed," Kali replied. "She and Peter must already be there waiting for us. We bought out the top floor of the club and hired a DJ for the night. It'll just be me, you, your siblings and all our friends. You'll love it."

"Hey," Samuel whispered after a beat of silence, kissing the back of her hand. "I didn't say how sorry I am to you that she came."

Kali shook her head. "Don't apologise. Your mother knew what she was doing when she added Daniel to the list. She knew Christine would have to come because Daniel would bring her."

"Daniel didn't have to bring her."

Kali chuckled. "Daniel wants to fit her into his life as much as possible. It seems he invites her to any and everything. She has been on his arm at every party, every gathering. Your mother knew she'd be at the dinner too."

"Well, I am sorry."

"Don't be. Christine is a good person. She doesn't go out of her way to antagonise the boyfriend stealer."

Samuel scoffed. "You and your jokes."

They got to the club, and she led him past the bouncer and the guard at the stairs. They walked up the stairs and past a few more checks before reaching the room Ember paid for. Before going in, she turned to look at Samuel, winking as she pushed the door open with her boot.

"Happy birthday!"

Confetti erupted around them, along with the cheers and applause from their friends and his siblings. Kali pushed him ahead, drumming on his back as they made their way through the fall of paper and hail of songs.

The guys were the first to come over and personally congratulate him before his siblings and the rest of the guests.

"Happy birthday, little brother." Peter kissed the top of his head before yanking him forward for another hug.

"Thanks. You guys didn't have to go through this."

"Oh, come on, man. When was the last time you had yourself a good old party." Hollan hollered from the bar, raising a glass, and everyone else followed.

"Get this man something to drink," Holland commanded. "And turn some music up. It's time to party."

Music blasted from the speakers, and the lights came on, bright blue and pink lights spinning around the room. Samuel slipped an arm over her shoulder, dragging her to his side just as a tumbler was handed to him. She beamed when he kissed the side of her head and wrapped her arm around his waist.

"I hope you remember we have to drive back." He joked when she raised her glass to him for a toast.

"If the worst comes to the worst, we'll call a taxi."

Samuel grinned and looked around the room. "Well, here's to whatever has to happen."

The boys whisked him away while Kali went to the couch with Ember. She filled her glass with more champagne as she collapsed into the chair, crossing her legs and shaking her hair out.

"I need a whole bottle of this to unwind from the dinner earlier."

"I hear that." Ember supported, raising her glass. "It was marvellous though. I know I keep saying it, but I am happy you and my brother are a unit. Mother is a force to be reckoned with when she is unhappy."

"And I bet I give her many reasons to be unhappy."

"One of your mounting sins was allowing Giovanna stay at your place."

"Mm." Kali promptly shook her head. "Samuel has her staying with us. I keep my mouth shut about it. As long as she is on her best behaviour, we can all live together peacefully. Can we not talk about your mother, though? It's a party, after all"

"You are right. I shouldn't ruin a happy moment."

"No, you shouldn't. Instead, tell me about you. Germany, boyfriends, what are you up to now that you are back permanently?"

"First thing, get an apartment. If I am back for the rest of my life, the last thing I need is to be living next to my mother. After that, I would like a job to occupy a few days in a week, so am thinking of teaching."

Kali's brow softly arched as a suggestive leer spread over her face. "Teaching. Like a TA type thing? Handsome, tall, dapper in a suit, patronizing form of speech kind of teaching."

Ember licked the underside of her teeth as she laughed. "I am pretty sure what am thinking is not what you're thinking."

"Uh-huh. Sure? Where are you gonna teach? A high school? A university? Is it his university?"

"I haven't decided yet. But, yes, it's going to be a university. Not his. I am not stalking him."

"Have you seen him since you've been back?"

"I have."

"And did you give him that piece of your mind you were dying to give him before?"

"I did."

Kali gasped, pleasantly shocked. "You have to tell me."

Ember nervously scratched the back of her head. "I confronted him about he spoke to me and told him it felt demeaning. Apparently, he speaks like that to everyone and not everyone at the same time."

"I..." Kali did a double take before glancing accusingly at her empty glass. "I've only had two of these, and somehow, nothing you just said made any sense."

"He only speaks to students like that. Anyone he has taught before. He said takes time to drop the tone, and then he apologized. I felt bad." Kali laughed, and Ember looked away, embarrassed. "It's not funny."

"It is. You have a little crush. It's cute."

"I do not, and it's not." She retorted strongly.

"Please, who do you think you're fooling? I'll have you know I am the queen of crushes."

"Really? Had a few?"

"I did. Your brother is one of them."

She bit her lip when the implications of her statement sunk into her ears. Of course, Ember wouldn't understand she was admitting to having a crush on him while they were married. She'd think it was before they started dating when she knew he was already with someone else.

"Sorry. That didn't sound right."

"Hey, don't think about it now."

"Ladies!"

They looked ahead to Peter, who danced towards them, swaying and spinning to the rhythm of the music. He grabbed the both of them off the couch and pulled them to him, hanging his hand on their shoulder.

"This is a party." He said, looking first to Ember, then Kali. "You are meant to be having fun. How can you leave the birthday boy to those hooligans?"

Kali saw Samuel laughing with his friends, his face bathed in the blue lights. He was happy, and just seeing the brightness of his smile made her heart warm. She could hear his laugh over the music and the smoothness of his voice over the boom of the music.

"Dance, sing, celebrate." Peter smiled, kissing Ember's head. "Don't sit around just yet."

"In that case." Kali patted his chest with a smile. "I am going to kidnap my husband."

Peter whisked Ember away, and Kali walked to Samuel, nodding at his friends when they raised their glasses to her.

"I hope you don't mind that I take the birthday boy dancing."

"Not at all," Reggie shouted without hesitation, slapping Samuel hard on the back while Rick pushed him forward.

Samuel crashed into her, and she laughed, their face close together as he pressed his forehead to hers.

"Did you come to save me?"

"Wasn't aware you needed saving."

"Ah." He laughing. "My friends were going down memory lane. I need to make it a decades thing. If not, I'd hear the same stories, year after year."

"Must be embarrassing to realise that you were once young and wild. Creating chaos must be so hard to remember."

"Have you met me? I am the picture of excellence."

"Who do you think you are fooling? I was at our wedding reception you know? I paid attention to the stories."

Samuel chuckled. "Those were mostly the boys."

"Of course, you'd say that."

Her fingers slipped beneath his jacket, running over the cotton material of his shirt and bunching it in her fist. As the music played, she swayed backwards, feeling his fingers move against her skin with each move. Thankfully, the song was one she knew, so she sang the lyrics out as they danced. Her hands travelled all over him.

As she got close, her lips barely a breath away from his, she felt his fingers climb up her neck. It closed at the base of her jaw. Swiftly but gently, using his hold around her neck, he turned her around, bringing her back against him as he buried a kiss in her neck.

Kali laughed, throwing her right arm over her shoulder while she kept moving and singing.

"I didn't say before," he began to whisper, arms closing around her waist. "You look absolutely stunning tonight."

"You have a good eye, Samuel Madden."

She craned her neck to the side, kissing him as they moved with the music.