✧

"Tell me again why he's asked to see us?" Nick huffs out as we walk along the corridor to our father's office.

I shake my head. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"I haven't seen him in months," he mutters. "There is a reason for that."

"Yeah, trust me, I'm trying to keep as far away as possible too."

We pause before his office door, we share a glance at one another before Nick's jaw tenses. He raises his knuckles and brushes them against the door firmly. I already know that this isn't going to end well.

The last time I was in the same room as Nick and our father, the entire room went into chaos. He says one tiny thing about Elodie and Nick explodes, which is a given. He doesn't give a single shit about his granddaughter and he will regret it.

Elodie is better off without him. He's not a good role model. I know Nick struggles because he wants to involve our mother in her life, but sometimes it's nearly impossible when he's lingering everywhere we look.

She has an amazing dad, a caring grandmother and a pretty cool uncle. I'm not sure if she actually needs anyone else–except a nanny. I haven't mentioned it but from Nick's tense back and no new information, I can assume that he hasn't found someone suitable for her.

"Come in," my father's voice booms through the door.

Nick hesitates before pressing his hand down onto the handle. We step inside and he barely glances at us as we walk in and approach his desk. Both of us don't sit down, we stand.

"You wanted to see us?" I state, my expression bored.

After a few moments he flicks his eyes up at us. "Ah, there you are. My boys."

Oh God. Don't make me throw up.

"Take a seat," he gestures to the plush chairs in front of us.

"Is this going to take long?" Nick sighs. "I've got things to do."

Our father leans back in his chair and huffs. "So lovely to see you too, Nicholas."

I twist my head to my brother, silently telling him to sit down so we can get this over and done with as quickly as possible. We sit down at the same time and we both stare ahead at the man who is already wasting our time.

"Well," he starts. "I came here to share with you how well the business is doing and you guys know that I involved you with the stocks and shares a few years ago."

Nick rolls his eyes. "And what about it?"

"Now would be a good time to involve you both with what's going on in the business, help you both learn how to truly become your own successful boss." He straightens out his blazer.

Oh my. Here we fucking go.

"I've got my own stuff going on, father," Nick says bitterly. "I haven't been interested in your business for years. If at all actually. What makes you think I'd want to start collaborating with you now?"

He shrugs once. "Money."

Nick scoffs. "I don't need your money. I'm successful on my own."

"Ahhh," he says slowly. "The app... I presume?"

My brother glances at me, narrowing his eyes. I shake my head once to tell him that it wasn't me that split, it must have been our mother. No doubt he's always trying to get gossip out of her knowing that she'll speak.

"What I do with my own time is none of your business anymore." Nick shakes his head. "In fact, it hasn't been your business since you decided you didn't give a single shit about your only granddaughter."

Our father waves him off. "There will be more."

I notice Nick grinds his teeth together but I chant in my mind for him to keep his cool. "Is this all you dragged us here for?"

"So you're not interested?"

"No!" Nick exclaims.

I rarely see my brother lose his shit but when it comes to our father, it's inevitable.

"That's a shame," he sighs. "I guess I'll have to take matters into my own hands."

My body leans forward and I press my elbows onto my knees. "What do you mean?"

The corners of his mouth flick up and I hate the way he looks at me, as if he knows something I don't. "You'll see, Declan. You will see."

"Can we go now? This was pointless." Nick grumbles, becoming agitated on the chair.

"Why are you so desperate to leave?" He tilts his head in his direction. "Off to see that daughter of yours? Passing her off onto whoever you can find?"

Nick stands up so abruptly I barely have time to blink. "Her name is Elodie," his voice booms across the office. "And don't fucking talk about her like you have any idea what's going on in her life."

The way my father smiles makes my blood boil but I could only imagine how Nick feels inside. "It's none of your damn business but she's at school, maybe you'd know that if you ever cared a tiny bit about her. I'm fucking done."

He strolls out of the room, not looking back once. I stare at my father, shooting him down with a glare that I can feel in my soul. "That was uncalled for," I grit out. "I think it would be best if you left us alone. Keep nan's things, I don't even want them if they're coming from someone as heartless as you."

I follow after Nick but when I hear, "Declan," behind me, I stop. I shouldn't but I do and I hate myself for it. My eyes stare straight at the wall ahead of me, not wanting to glance over my shoulder. "You should take a look at this."

My nose twitches in frustration. I look once, finding him holding a folder in my direction. "What is it?"

"Something that might interest you."

I shake my head once. "I don't want it."

"No?" He quirks a brow. "I think you should. You might regret it."

My throat tenses and I swallow back any curse words that threaten to leave my mouth. I take two steps towards his desk and snatch the papers out of his hands, not bothering to say anything more.

The weight of the folder holds down my hands and I have no interest in reading what's inside. I open the door and instead of slamming it I leave it wide open, make the sad fucker get up to shut it himself. I don't even want to give him that satisfaction.

When I get downstairs Nick is leaning against the building and from the slacked expression on his face, he's trying his damned hardest to keep his shit together. "I am never seeing that man again," he pushes off the wall. "He's not even a father, at this rate he's our fucking sperm doner."

I bark out a sharp life. "Yeah, he might as well be."

"I can't believe he spoke about Elodie like that," he shakes his head, green eyes sharpening as if he's planning a murder. "That's his own blood, his granddaughter and he speaks about her as if she's nobody!"

My hand rests on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. "Nick, Elodie is better off without him. He doesn't need his negative shit, she'll be a better person not knowing him. We both know it."

He nods and then presses his fingers into his eyes, scrunching up his face. "I know. He gets under my skin and fuck–" he cuts himself off. "I want to strangle him sometimes."

"More like all the time."

Nick glances down at the folder between my hands. "What's that?"

I shrug. "Bullshit. I don't know."

"Typical," he dismisses the conversation.

"Come on," I beckon my head to my car. "Let's go."

As soon as we're inside and I throw the papers onto the backseat, Nick slams the door a little too loud. "Easy," I tell him.

"Sorry," he says under his breath, perching his elbow onto the edge of the door and glancing out the window.

"You're not usually this angry," I state but he still doesn't look at me. "What's really going on?"

Nick breathes through his nose sharply. "Nothing." He says quickly. "Everything."

My brow quirks. "Well which is it? Nothing or everything?"

"Jesus, Declan," he hisses, finally turning his attention to me.

I lean back and study him. "So everything then."

"I found a nanny, the most perfect nanny. She had an amazing resume, good references and no criminal record," he starts and I might as well get comfortable because I know he's about to rant until the sun goes down. "She met Elodie, they got on well. Young as well, so she had a lot of energy."

My eyebrows almost hit my hairline. Young. Of course.

"But last night she said that she can't look after her anymore because of a family issue but I can't help but think that she got a better offer. Now I've got to go back to the drawing board when I thought everything was going perfectly. Do you know how stressed I've been?"

I tilt my head. "Is that a serious question?"

It's all I've heard the last few months.

Nick remains silent and I exhale a sigh. "You can't be mad over family issues, that is literally your entire life right now. Shit happens, but someone else will come along."

"When?!"

"Soon."

He releases a sour laugh. "I can't find anyone, Declan!"

"Then I'll help you."

"What?"

"I'll help you find a nanny that is suitable for Elodie. I know you're going through a rough time right now and I'll help you. Alright?"

His eyes glisten with a new emotion. "You will?"

"I said I will."

The car turns silent for a moment. "Thank you, Declan. I appreciate it."

And now I need to stick to my word because the last thing I want is to see my brother crash before he's had the chance to do exactly what he loves.

✧

The next day I stroll into Chessman's to find Luca and Aris laughing together behind the counter. At first he made me feel uneasy but I've soon come to realise that he's a good friend and an even better employee, he treats this place like it's the damn Ritz. Always putting in one hundred and ten percent.

But seeing Luca laugh, it's my favourite thing. To think he used to be so stressed that he couldn't even enjoy his own business, now he can joke around and flash around smiles that aren't forced. I love to see it.

As the bell rings and I step forward, Aris catches my eye. "Hey, Declan," he offers me a wave.

Luca twists his head over his shoulder so fast that he almost face plants the counter. "Hey!" He says brightly. "I didn't know you were popping by today."

"Came to surprise you," I smile before leaning over the counter and pressing a soft kiss to Luca's lips.

"You're cute," he murmurs back before pulling away.

I glance around the cafe to find a woman with two children and an elderly couple sitting in the corner. "Busy day?"

"Barely," Aris huffs and leans onto the counter. "It's coming up to payday, everyone is broke."

"I see," I nod. "Ah well, I'm sure it'll pick up soon. We need another invention to put on the board outside, bring new people in for your amazing creations."

Luca snorts quietly. "No one barely came in for them."

"You should," Aris encourages. "It still catches peoples eye and if they don't come in for your new concoction, they'll come in for all the normal coffees."

I point at Aris and nod. "Exactly."

The sound of a mug shattering behind me echoes in my ears, then the piercing sound of screaming from a child. I twist my head to find coffee and pieces of a china mug everywhere. "Oh no," the woman says as she leans forward to her child.

Before I can even take a step, Aris is already there. He has a mop and tissue, consoling the woman who is apologising profusely. "Don't be sorry," he says, accidents happen.

"I'm so embarrassed," she covers her face. "God, I've had such a stressful day. Remind me to have my crap together in front of my children."

Luca steps to his side and pushes the broken mug to one side as he mops, then Aris drops down to the crying child's level. His big blue eyes are full of tears, now streaming down his face. The child must be three or four. "Hey," Aris says but doesn't use a baby voice. "No need to cry, little man. Was the noise really loud?"

The kid stops for a moment to look at him but he's still leaking tears. "Yeah," he rasps and then begins taking shallow breaths, as if he's about to start crying again.

"But that's okay. You're okay. Aren't you?" He responds, flashing him a small smile. "Loud noises aren't nice but it's stopped now. What's your name?"

"H-Hunter," he says with a hiccup.

He glances at the mother for a moment and I can see the gratitude in her eyes because he's no longer crying. She looks like she could do with a break and boy, she reminds me of my brother.

"Well Hunter, I don't know about you but we have a spare slice of cake sitting at the front that we were going to eat later. But I think it might have your name on it," Aris pulls back slowly and the boy's eyes widen.

"My name?" He repeats in a whisper.

Aris chuckles quietly. "Sure does. If that's okay with your mum, of course?"

"Yeah," she nods, her eyes looking tired. "Thank you so much."

"Alright then," Aris grins and stands up from the floor and walks around the counter. He glances at Luca. "I'll put the money in the register later for it."

Luca waves him off. "Don't be silly. The boy looked frightened, I'm sure we can sacrifice a piece of cake."

Aris grabs the Victoria sponge and walks around to the woman and her young boy. "Here we are," he says before placing it down in front of him. "Don't eat it all at once!"

"But I want to!" Hunter says back with a cheesy grin.

I turn back to Luca who is smiling, watching them both. "That was so sweet," he says to me.

My tongue drags along my bottom lip. "You know Nick has been looking for a nanny for Elodie." I state.

"Yeah, I remember you saying," he nods as he begins making the woman a new coffee. Aris meets his side and glances between us.

"Saying what?"

Luca smiles at him. "Declan's brother is looking for a nanny for his daughter."

"Yeah," I nod. "He hasn't had much luck, he is a bit of a control freak. He's willing to pay a lot."

Aris shifts from foot to foot as he watches me. "Really?"

"That was a nice thing for you to do," I gesture behind me. Aris shrugs as if it was nothing. "Do you have experience with children?"

He nods. "Yeah, I used to do summer camp for years. Not as young as Hunter," he points to the child. "But I find you should talk to them like human beings, not dogs. You know? I hate that baby voice people put on. It's insulting."

My lips curl at his words. That's something exactly Nick would love. Treating Elodie like an equal, not an alien who doesn't know how to do a single thing.

"But I did my fair share of babysitting when I was younger too."

"Maybe you should go for it, Aris," Luca says enthusiastically. "I know you said you need to see in some more money. I'm afraid Chessman's isn't going to be giving pay rises any time soon."

He waves him off. "I don't care about that. I like working here."

"Would you?" I raise a brow at him.

Aris flicks his eyes between mine. "I dunno. I guess I'd need to know more about it. As long as I could work around keeping this job too."

I nod. "Elodie goes to school during the day. It would mostly be after school until Nick comes home, weekends possibly. She's a wonderful kid, a bit cheeky but she definitely grows on you."

Luca nods in agreement. "She's so damn sweet."

"Do you know how much he'd be offering?" Aris asks and leans back on the counter.

I hum for a moment. "He's willing to pay £1,500 a week, if not more."

Aris chokes and Luca glances at him. "Sorry, say that again?"

"I mean nannies aren't cheap. I told Nick to put his prices up even more. But if it's something you're interested in, I could get you more information. See if it's something that could be worked out. He is desperate." I state.

"You need to do this," Luca says seriously. "£1,500 a week?! You'd be crazy not to!"

Aris chews on his lip after he recovers. "Yeah, I guess."

"Find out more information," Luca's eyes light up. "For sure."

I nod my head once. "Of course."

This might have been easier than expected, Nick was just looking in the wrong place.

✧

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Author's Note

Oooop, have I just planted a seed???? hehe🤭

Declan's father needs banishing ASAP👹

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I honestly adore Aris, he's so sweet. His back story truly breaks my heart and he deserves so much!😭

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