Christian

Derek insisted we watch a movie to pass the time.

Fast forward to about an hour into Ratatouille, everyone had fallen asleep besides Brad and I. I turned to look at him, with Alex snuggled close into my chest, and Joan snuggled close into his.

"They all knocked out like ten minutes into this film." I commented. Brad chuckled, as his hand gently massaged Joan's neck and shoulders. She curled up deeper into his side, still fast asleep.

"They should have just laid down in the guest rooms. This furniture isn't the most comfortable." He replied. The only person who looked to be struggling, was Derek. He shifted every few minutes to find a better position on the couch he was laying on. Alex had told me about his misfortunate luck with woman.

Maybe I should try setting him up with someone, I thought.

Then I remembered all my previous exes, and quickly expelled that thought from my mind.
Plus, Derek was... special. He was really going to have to find someone on this planet to match that weirdness.

Alex seemed more than comfortable against me, and the same went for Joan. Vanessa was still knocked out from her drunken state, which meant she could have probably slept anywhere comfortably, including the floor.

It was now going on one in the morning. We still hadn't heard from our parents, but I assumed they wouldn't be there for too much longer. My mother didn't enjoy staying up late, and my father was due to return to his work soon, so I'm sure he was hoping to find some sleep tonight.

I felt my phone vibrate from somewhere in my pocket. Alex looked to be out cold, but I still did my best not to disturb him as I pulled the device out. When I glanced down at the caller ID, I noticed it was my father.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey. Your mother and I are just pulling up now." My father replied.

"Okay. I'll get the door." I answered, before ending the call.

"They're here?" Brad asked. I gave him a nod.

"Looks like it'll be just you and I for this conversation tonight."

Brad was the first to get up. He set a pillow on his lap, and gently lifted Joan until she snuggled into the soft material. He then slowly shimmied off the couch until she got herself repositioned, and fell back into that deep sleep. I ended up doing the same thing for Alex. He was out so cold, he barely stirred.

Brad was waiting for me at the door when I got to the entrance. We watched as our parents made their way out of their car. Brad didn't have any caretakers for his property. He didn't believe in sleeping where you worked, so he preferred to hire maids on a needed basis. Most of the work and cleaning around his home, was done by him.

I could see the disappointment on my parents face as they realized their car wouldn't be parked in the garage for them. I, for one, liked Brad's home specifically for this reason. He enjoyed his privacy. He liked the fact that there wasn't other people around to disturb his peace. Judging by how he looked at Joan, I assumed his views on solitude were quickly changing.

"Hello, my sons." My mother welcomed as she gave both Brad and myself a kiss on our foreheads.

"Hi mother." Brad and I replied.

"Let's go in and get settled. Are your friends here still?" My father asked. I nodded at him.

"They're all asleep in one of Brad's living rooms. We can chat in his private study."

My father gave me a firm nod, and followed us inside. Mother made frivolous comments on how nice the remodel was, but no one really paid those comments much attention. That wasn't why they were here. Brad was the last to make it into his study, before closing the door behind all of us. He sat at his desk, while our parents and I took a seat across from him.

"So let's just jump right into this." I announced. "Tell me exactly why your brother is here, mum, and how he made it into the Gala tonight."

"That's what I wanted to discuss with you before the Gala." My mother replied. "It wasn't that your father and I weren't being honest with you.... well, it was, but we were doing it to protect the both of you."

"Your mother is right." My father chimed in. "We didn't do this out of spite. That man is a deranged abuser, obsessed with your mother. When your mother and I founded Ivanov Corp, it took Vadik close to no time to find us. Back then, Russia was different... Pursuing legal action wasn't something Anna could do without the potential risk of losing her child. She did everything she could to get back to you, Brad. I want you to know this."

"When Vadik found us, we decided to negotiate an agreement where we would send him a certain amount of money in order for him to keep his distance. We were never aware that he would, at any point, attempt to reach out to you. Our team is currently determining how he made it here, and why he's here." Our mother added.

"Well I think it's quite clear as to why he's here. He's here for his son." I replied. I was doing my best to take into account my mothers own trauma. This must have been the farthest thing from easy, for her... but this also want easy for Brad. I couldn't understand why they weren't seeing that.

"You are not his son." My mother snapped at Brad harshly. "You are my son. You are our son. Cast out whatever nonsense you've conjured, because this man is not worth a millisecond of your fucking time."

"Then explain to me what I'm supposed to do." Brad snapped back. "He's here, mum. Here in the states. In fucking county jail right now, being concealed by hush money I'm sure you've both bribed the cops with. Fuck me being your son, at this point. As your goddamn motherfucking attorney, what the fuck am I supposed to do?"

This might have been the first time I have ever heard Brad address my parents like this. He had cast aside his emotional self, and presented the cold tactical Brad. He got this way whenever he needed to solve a problem, but I couldn't help but wonder who was going to tell him that this wasn't a problem he could so easily fix.

"We honestly don't know, baby." My mother replied. Her voice broke at those words, and instantly, Brad's eyes softened. "At this point, we're going to do everything we can to keep this quiet. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how that will work if we do end up having to press charges. I don't know if we can renegotiate the terms-"

"I don't really think it's the best idea to keep your rapist brother on your payroll." I cut in. My parents both turned to me.

"There's no way this can get out." My mother replied. "There's absolutely no way anyone can know that this happened. That will dig up far too many skeletons I rather have remained buried."

"He fucking raped you." I snapped. "If you're worried about business, that should be the farthest thing from your mind at this point. He deserves to serve time for what the fuck he's done."

"I can't possibly expect you to understand this right now, son... but soon, you will."

I glanced over at Brad. He looked as stoic as he always did, but when I looked down, I noticed he was digging his nails into his own skin.

This is what Brad used to do as a kid, when he needed to keep himself grounded.

••

Hey lovelies!
Sorry I couldn't update yesterday, work has been the absolute worst. Every day this week has felt like a Monday, and every night, a Sunday night.
I literally wouldn't wish this upon my own worst enemy.
Maybe Trump though.
Thank you, as always, for reading! The CEO's Kryptonite is almost at 2 million reads and I want to fucking cry, y'all are amazing- thank you!
How are we liking the new book?
Xoxo