"And this." Samuel came up behind Kali as she reached for her necklace. He leaned down to kiss the back of her neck and shoulder before lowering the necklace he held to her chest. "Is for you."

It wasn't sapphires like the one the stranger sent, even though he had been tempted, but it was an equal match. The necklace was made from rubies and diamonds and matched the dress she had chosen for the night. One of the bright sides of her picking her outfits weeks before an event.

He hadn't been sure when he ordered the necklace, but seeing her face light up with amazement and joy-filled him with confidence.

Kali gasped. "What is this?"

"Last Friday, you got a necklace that upset you. I don't know; I thought I could get you one that made you smile. The event tonight was a perfect excuse to do it."

"Oh, Samuel. It's gorgeous."

"Like you."

"You cheesy bastard." She popped to her feet and threw herself at him.

Her arms went around his shoulders. She giggled, pulling him close and kissing him. Samuel grinned before raising a hand for her to see the matching earrings he still held.

"To finish the look."

"Well," she turned to give him her right ear. "What are you waiting for?"

Samuel hooped the first earring in and then did the same for her left ear before taking a step back to look at her. Kali spun around for him.

"Beautiful."

"And you are equally handsome." Her hand brushed the necklace, and her face softened. "Thank you for this. You are too thoughtful."

"I'll try not to make a habit of it."

He winked at her and offered his hand. They left the house together, arriving at the gallery early enough to meet his father before he was swarmed by other guests.

It was a rare thing that his father held exhibitions twice in a year, but he seemed to have had a great deal of inspiration and time. Samuel was proud of him, and he couldn't help but enjoy Kali's adoration of his father's work. Despite his mother's snubs, he believed her praise for his work was sincere and heartfelt.

His father was equally pleased. They spoke at length about his art while his mother glared at the necklace she wore. Samuel's unease grew until guests began to flock to his father, giving them a chance to escape before his mother exploded.

"I thought she was about to break the necklace off you." He chuckled as they walked away.

"I would have snapped off each one of her fingers." Kali patted the necklace with ardour. "My husband got me this. No one is going to ruin it."

"I am blushing."

"You will be when I plaster your pretty face with kisses." She teased, squeezing his arm. "Oh. I forgot to make a call. June wanted to come, and she said she'd be late. I need to check on her."

"Go on then."

Kali rushed off to find a quiet spot while Samuel stood by one of the tables, glancing from one guest to another. Peter joined him at the table a few minutes later. Accompanied by Ember and another woman Samuel had never met before.

"Good evening." Samuel greeted his siblings. "You look dashing."

"Thank you, bro. That suit looks good on you. Is that also the work of your wife, or is her good taste just rubbing off on you?"

"This is me."

"Her good taste then." Peter ribbed.

"You with your jokes." He glanced at the woman who watched them with interest and smiled. "Are you going to introduce us?"

"Samuel, this is Remi. She is one of my friends from the gym. She did me the honours of coming out with me."

"Hello." Remi stuck out her hand, and Samuel shook it. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

"Where is Kali?" Ember asked.

"She went to make a call."

"What are we doing then," Peter asked his date.

"Do you want something to drink?" Remi asked his brother. "Something strong, like Vodka."

Peter's nose wrinkled, and he shook his head. "I don't drink."

"Oh? Well, punch then. I saw a delicious-looking bowl when we came in."

"Sounds good. See you later, man."

Peter left with his date, and Samuel watched him. Since his birthday party, he hasn't mentioned his thoughts about Peter to anyone. Not even Ember, who had voiced her concerns about his change months back. He wasn't sure what he saw, but now, after seeing the same reaction, Samuel didn't doubt that something was wrong with his older brother.

"I think you were right." He whispered to Ember. "About Peter."

"What about him."

"When you said he was acting strangely and was wrong with him. I think you were right."

"What did you see?"

"At the party. Someone offered him a glass of something alcoholic; it could have been a glass of brandy. The face he made when he rejected it was impressionable. It was disgust, aversion and panic all in one. Then it happened again, right now, when Remi asked if he would like vodka or something strong."

Ember glanced around, although they could no longer see their brother. "I knew something was off. What do you think it might be?"

"No clue. As far as I know, Peter never had any issues with alcohol or needed to go into recovery."

"I will talk to him." Ember nodded, determined. "It's not right for us to ignore it."

"I think if he wanted to talk, he would have."

"If not willingly, I will coax it out of him. I remember our Peter before I left, and that's not completely him. Till I find out, don't mention anything to anyone. If he feels cornered, he might close up."

"Sure."

"Ember!" Kali squealed, rushing to their side as fast as she could in her heels."

"Hey. Hey." Kali and Ember hugged one another. "I was just telling Samuel that you guys are early."

"When are we not."

"Ah!" Ember gasped, noticing the necklace. She fanned herself. "This is beautiful. It suits you too."

"Thank you. This sweetheart got it for me."

"Oh, Samuel. You hopeless romantic. What would the world do without your brilliant gestures."

"The world will leave. I, on the other hand, might not."

"I'll leave the both of you here if you continue teasing me."

"Don't be shy." Kali blew him a kiss.

"Have you spoken to dad?" Ember asked with a grin.

"Yes. We have. Kali and I saw him when we entered. He is excited, and we are excited for him."

"Good. And Gio?"

"She is staying over at a friend's."

Ember's smile dropped. "But today is for Dad. She couldn't make it to show support."

"She spoke to him and asked for permission."

"She is still peeved at your mother." Kali stepped in.

"Gio thinks they'll get into a fight if she comes, and she didn't want to ruin the night for Dad."

"That girl needs to grow up."

"She will," Samuel assured. "You? Did you come with anyone?"

"No. I wish though. Maybe next time." Someone called to her from behind him, and Ember waved in response. "I will speak to both of you soon, but I have some friends to say hello to."

"That's alright." Samuel smiled and waved as she rushed off.

"Your father is really talented." Kali smiled.

She had her eyes glued on the nearest painting. Though it wasn't obvious. The picture was of Ember as a teenager and took her first ride on a horse at the beach. As a teenager, his sister looked vastly different, wide-eyed, with her hair dyed a dark shade of amber. She wore a large straw hat with strings tied underneath her chin and a bulky jacket that swallowed most of her upper body.

"It's Ember." He said to Kali. "The painting is of Ember."

Kali, astounded, nearly snapped her neck, looking back at the painting. "Are you sure?"

He chuckled. "Very. It was years ago. Puberty was like surgery for Ember. If you saw her as a teenager you wouldn't be able to link the two together."

"But her hair..."

"She dyed it a lot when she was younger. That year, she was into fiery red shades/ The year before that, it was black with blue highlights. It depends on what she wanted."

"Well, that makes this even more beautiful. The memory must be precious to your dad."

"We are his muse." Samuel winked.

"As sweet as you are, why wouldn't you be." She looked around before pecking his lips. "So what's your muse when you paint?"

"I used to be into aesthetics. Didn't really get to the point where I found my inspiration. I painted what I saw."

"What made you stop?"

"I don't know. Never really thought of it."

"I hope to see one of your paintings one day. Do you have any?"

"Yeah. It's in my parent's attic. Maybe I'll grab one so you can be my first critic in so long."

"I'd love that."

They walked along, discussing the pictures and his father's works. Of course, she was also incredibly fascinated with the information of his paintings, and she questioned him about anything and everything when she could.

"How often does he do this?"

"What?"

"The sales."

"Once, sometimes twice a year. He spends a lot of time painting and working, so he only holds this when he has reached a certain number of paints."

"These are going for so much." She muttered, looking at the price of the painting they faced. "Does it all sell in one night?"

"Most times. Yes."

"They are beautiful."

"Yes, they are."

They moved on, moving through the other guests before Kali stopped him. "Do you want me to get us something to drink? I am thirsty."

"Sure."

"Alright. I will be right back." She kissed his cheek and sashayed off to the bar.

It didn't take long for his mother to appear. Samuel could tell from her face that she already had complaints to lay at his feet. It was their father's celebration, so he hoped it wasn't anything that would turn into a problem. His mother made no promise to keep her calm for his father's sake, but he could hope.

"Both you and your wife are here."

"Were we meant to come separately?"

"Where is Giovanna? Why isn't she here with you?"

"She didn't want to come."

His mother laughed. "You know the rules of the house. Every family member is to be present, especially when it has to do with your father."

"I talked to Dad and told him Giovanna wasn't feeling like a party. Especially considering how long this would be. He understood. Giovanna has already congratulated him, and they talked at length."

"So, you left her at your place? Alone?"

"Giovanna is staying at a friend's tonight, Mom. She didn't want to come."

"No doubt because she knew that Vincent wouldn't be here." Ysabel snickered, grabbing her phone from her purse. "She better not be lying to you and using this as an excuse to meet up with him."

"I called Mrs Bayland. Giovanna is at their place. There is no need to exaggerate anything. And if she wants to talk to Vincent, you can't forbid her from doing it. She is eighteen, not nine."

"You are not going to lecture me on how to raise my children."

"I can't and won't, but I will give my opinion. Vincent means a lot to her. If she wants to make things right, that should be her choice. Not yours."

"She stays at your house because I allow it. If you give her any more freedom than you are allowed, I would have her dragged back here. Don't think you have power just because she is with you."

"Ysabel." Kali sang as she joined them, handing him a glass. "Shouldn't you be trying to enjoy the night?"

"Interesting piece." His mother replied instead, her eyes on the necklace Kali wore. "Must have cost a lot."

"I am allowed to spoil myself every now and then. It suits me fine. Don't you think?"

"I mean, I expect no less from you. I hope you enjoy spending our money on yourself because your time in this family is running down faster than you think."

"Is it?"

"It is. The money, the comfort, and that king-sized bed you have gotten accustomed to would soon be nothing but a passing memory. You will have nothing except the pimped apartment you gave to your sister. You won't have millions to spend on your outfits or cars well above your station."

Kali kept her smile plastered on, but Samuel moved closer to stand between Kali and his mother.

"Mom, this is Dad's day. Let's not attract attention."

"Please, Samuel, what can stop the great Ysabel Madden. Do you even care for your husband enough to not ruin his night with your egotistical power trips? Spew as much of your poison as you like. I am unphased."

"You..."

"Enough, Mom," Samuel said strongly but quietly. "People are going to start looking."

"Show some class, Mrs Madden." Kali taunted.

"You would know class unless it had a price tag on it." His mother threw back.

Kali rolled her eyes. Her smile incensed his mother before she finally gave in and stormed off. When her eyes were off them, Samuel rested his hand on Kali's hip and turned to her.

"You shouldn't let my mother goad a reaction out of you."

"I didn't."

He cocked his head, looking unimpressed. "Really?"

"Oh, whatever." She touched his cheek, sweetly smiling. "I'll do better on our next standoff."

"I pray God gives me strength."

There were still four hours to go, and Samuel had a feeling there were more surprises to unfold before the night was over.