Daniel walked into the president's office— Ethan Ontario. The office was extravagantly beautified with luxurious antiques, all white painted wall, extremely spacious and wide, everything screamed expensive, high-priced, it was exorbitant, the place oozed with superiority. On a side on the wall were photos, old photos hung and displayed in gold frames.

    "You wanted to see me sir?" Daniel faced his father, a few meters from the big mahogany table. Yes, the boys addressed their father as sir whenever they were at the office. It was a moral formality Ethan imbibed in his children.

   Ethan was touching the glass structure that settled on his table, with the words president, in capital letters written in gold, on it; when his older son entered.

   
    "What was that in there?" Ethan removed his glasses, giving Daniel a long look.

    Almost a minute ago, they had just returned from a board meeting. Scott and Daniel went head to head, arguing to and fro, nonstop. Scott didn't agree with anything Daniel said, he was always contradicting. It got to a point where Ethan had to stop and adjourn the meeting.

    Daniel looked at his father. "It was only a misu—"

   Ethan cut him off. "Didn't all the department officers agree and sort out all necessary issues before calling for a meeting?"

    "We did sir." He nodded.

    "Then what was that?" He raised his brow at his son. Just then, the door opened. Scott came in, closing the door behind him immediately.

     "You called?" Scott said, walking up to his dad, stopping some meters just like Daniel.

     "What in the world was that Scott?!" Ethan snapped at him.

     "I was only stating my opinions sir." Scott told him.

     "Opinion? What opinion is that?! You both sounded like bickering idiots!" Ethan raised his voice, looking at both sons.

    "If I may—"

    "You may not." Ethan interrupted Scott before he could talk. "There won't be another board meeting until you both are sure everything is in place. Have I made myself clear?" He said authoritatively.

    "Yes sir." Both boys replied without questioning.

    "You can leave." Ethan leaned back against his chair. "And Scott, I want the marketing plans on my desk by 2pm tomorrow." He said to Scott while Daniel proceeded out.

     "Yes sir." Scott nodded, before leaving.

Daniel had tried to meet Scott as soon as Scott got out of their father's office, but he is stopped by his staff, requesting to sign a few papers.

    Scott was going through some papers in his office when Daniel knocked and entered. He looked at who had entered, seeing Daniel, he continued what he was reading.

    "I was hoping we could talk." Daniel said calmly.

   "No one told me I had an appointment with the head of administrative department." Scott said scratching his eyebrow, without glancing away from the papers.

    Daniel closed the door. "Look," he started. "I know things has not been great between us."

    After the incident with Anna five days ago, Scott didn't see Daniel eyeball to eyeball. Scott would make annoying remarks at Daniel but Daniel being the cool headed brother didn't seem bothered.

   "But what you did back there at the meeting was not cool." Daniel stated.

    Scott finally glanced up at him, keeping the papers on his desk. "I did not support whatever you put out there to the board. I found it too boring."

    "You made it seem like my team and I didn't put any effort. If you found it too boring why didn't you say something when we had departmental meetings huh? You could have said something before the board meeting." Daniel frowned at him.

    Scott scoffed at him. "You didn't do your job right. I just showed the board that you haven't been putting your work as first priority, instead," he placed his arms on his table, leaning in. "You've been going to Ireland to be with your..." He was looking for the right word. "Mistress."

    Daniel narrowed his eyes at him. "You're doing this on purpose aren't you?"

   Scott leaned back against his chair. "And hell I am enjoying it." He smirked.

    Daniel shook his head... "I thought you're better than this."

   "You should know me by now brother, you started this." Scott held his smirk.

       Daniel nodded, looking at Scott. "If this issue is personal, don't drag work into it."

    "I would do as I please. You can't tell me what to do. I think our meeting is over, you can leave." Scott told him, picking up his papers from the table.

     Daniel gave his brother one last look before walking out of his office.
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   Anna, her daughter and Naraya had finally settled in. Daniel had made sure to send the Ontario private plane to make their travel less stressful. Isla was thrilled and overjoyed to be in America, even better, the capital of America. She phoned Syla, telling her all she had seen in just three days of her stay. Anna knew it was the best decision to bring Isla along.

   Scott sat at the backseat of his car, reading through a newspaper. His car had stopped at the traffic sign that blinked red. Just then, he unconsciously looked out of the window and he saw a woman, standing at a distance.

   He looked twice to be sure. "Anna?" He frowned. She was dressed in a midi chiffon printed dress. Then he saw she was talking to a little girl. "Isabelle?" He frowned, looking at them standing by the pavement. Anna was getting an ice cream from an ice cream shop.

    Scott was surprised. As reached out to open the door, he saw someone walk up to them. A man, to be precise. Daniel. His jaw hardened. Scott watched them leave.

   "I want you to follow them." He ordered his chauffeur. 

    "Sir?" The chauffeur wasn't sure.

  "The lady and the man with the little girl. The lady in a blue printed dressed, follow them." He instructed him.

   Scott watched them get into a car, while he tailed them closely. He kept eyes on them, even when they went into a resturant to eat.

    "Let's go." He told his chauffeur. Scott was pissed beyond anything. Seeing them happy, looking like a family is what infuriated him more.

     His chauffeur drove off.

   "Son, how are you?" It was Rhonda. His mother.

    "Hmmm. Tired, stressed... Angry?" He said, sighing deeply.

    "Wha-what happened?" She was concerned.

   "I just need sometime out, I'd be fine." He told her, over the phone.

   "Okay. Um, remember the dinner is today right?"

   He rolled his eyes. "Oh dinner."

    "Scott..." She said in a stressing tone.

   "I know, I know. I didn't forget." Scott relaxed his back against the chair.

   "Don't forget Amanda. Make sure you bring her along okay?"

    "I will." He nodded.

   "Okay now, let me call up your brother to remind him."

     Scott scoffed... "He'd be too busy to answer."

    "Why do you say that?"

  "Nothing." Scott said to her. "Why don't you call him first."

    "Alright. I love you." She told him.

  "Yeah, I know." He said, before hanging up.
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    "Sorry." Daniel said, replacing his phone back into his pocket. He had just gotten off the phone with his mom.

    "It's okay." Anna smiled at him.

They were eating lunch together, while Isla was talking to a kid at another table.

     "I am really sorry, Isla can be a spoilt brat at times." Anna blushed. Isla had taken her phone and called up Daniel to meet them. "I didn't think she'd call you."

    Daniel chuckled.. "Are you kidding? It's a good thing she called, the tension at work was killing me."

     Anna nodded, keeping an eye on Isla. "I think Isla's made a new friend."

    Daniel glanced at Isla. "She's an adorable kid, she blends in quickly." He nodded.

     "I couldn't agree more." Anna grinned, turning to him.

    They both ate in silence, soon after, Daniel decided to talk.

     "How are things at the restaurant?" He asked her.

   "Fine. Since Naraya is here, I don't have to be at the resturant all the time. At least, I get to spend more time with Isla." Anna told him.

      Daniel nodded in understanding. "And her schooling?"

    "Yeah, I am working on it. I also want her enrolling in ballet classes her. I mean she loves it and I don't want to take away the one thing she loves." Anna told him.

    "If you need anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to ask. Okay?" He gave her a tight smile.

   Anna nodded slowly. She stared at him when he looked away, she knew something was on his mind but he did not want to open up. "Hey." She tapped his hand.

    "Hmmm." He turned to her with a smile before taking her hand into his.

     "Okay, what's wrong?" Anna frowned slightly. She also noticed his thumb caressed her knuckles.

   "Nothing." He told her.

  "Don't say that, I'm sure there is something bothering." She poked his arm.

    Daniel smiled again, reaching for her cheek to remove a strand of hair from her  lips.

    Anna quickly tucked the hair behind her ear. "So?" She urged him to say something.

   Daniel stared at her, then looked away. "It's Scott." He said with his voice deeper than usual.

     Anna had avoided talks and conversations about Scott Ontario. Daniel and her hadn't said anything about him after Scott's visit.

    "Oh." She said dryly, licking her lips. "I know I should have asked before now, but I saw you didn't bring up the topic so I pushed it aside." She told him honestly, picking her words carefully. "What happened?"

    Daniel sighed... "It's nothing I can't handle. Scott's been avoiding me, so we haven't had a proper conversation since Ireland. I don't blame him either. We're supposed to have a family dinner tonight with a few immediate family members and his fiancé... Amanda." He scratched the back of his neck. "I guess I have no other option than to go."

     Anna nodded, knowing she might be the cause of the feud between the brothers. "Daniel I am so sorry if I came between you and your brother, it wasn't my inte—"

    "It's not you Anna. Besides, Scott and I are going to figure everything out before you know it." Daniel told her.

    Anna could tell he was lying about getting settled with Scott soon but she didn't press further. "So Amanda..." Anna changed the topic.

    Daniel chuckled. "His fiancée?"

   Anna chuckled too. "Not that I pried or anything, but Scott must really love her for him to have given her your family heirloom ring." Anna noticed Daniel's expression which read how do you know that kind of stuff. Anna rolled her eyes playfully. "I was contracted as the baker, remember?"

    His mouth formed an O shape in realization.

     "She kept flaunting it. When we were younger, Scott had shown me that exact same ring. Although at that moment, it didn't hit me that it was the heirloom she was flaunting." Anna shrugged. She didn't care about it. "So when is the wedding?" She asked for her curiosity.

    "A date hasn't been fixed yet." Daniel didn't seem interested in the conversation so he was nonchalant when he said it.

    "Why do you..." She smirked, giving him an eye. "Why do you say it like that?" She asked.

    "Like how?" Daniel asked, confused.

   "Like, A date hasn't been fixed yet." Anna copied his gesture and even deepened her voice to sound and act like how he did.

    He chuckled. "That's because it doesn't concern me. It's his choice." He told her with a smile.

    Anna nodded in agreement.

   "I just wished he was more careful." Daniel suddenly said, after remembering what led to Scott and Amanda's engagement. He did not tell Anna the full story of the engagement. Not that he didn't trust her, he didn't see it useful to her. Besides, it was a family issue.

    "Hmm." Anna narrowed her eyes at him. "Sometimes you speak in words I don't understand." She point a fork at him, accusingly. "It's not fair."

    Daniel grinned at her before turning to Isla's direction.
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    The dinner table was set and it had a whole lot of fancy meals and dishes. Two full roasted turkeys, macaroni and cheese, Italian salad, mashed potatoes with carrot sauce, bibb lettuce salad, brie on grilled bread, and sesame chicken in an acorn squash, everything they could ever eat was on the table... Literally.

     Chad, his older sister, and his parents were seated on the fifteen seater dinning table, only that a few chairs were removed to make it more organized. Ethan, as always, took the head of the table with Rhonda at one side of the table.

     While they were chatting and talking and the butler served the table, Scott walked in with Amanda by his side.

    She decided to wear a see-through black sheer top with nipple pasties and midi pencil skirt and strappy heels. Her makeup was done, at least it was perfect, her hair curled up and held in a place.

    All eyes were on her immediately she walked in.

    "Good evening mom, dad, Aunt Vienna, uncle George, Valeria." Scott greeted, acknowledging all people present.

    Amanda smiled at all of them. "Good evening to you." She said nodding her hand trying to be polite.

    Rhonda had already stood up to welcome her son before others stood up. "Scott." She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Everyone's been waiting." She told him, giving him light taps on the cheek with a big smile.

    "Hmmm." Scott nodded.

  Rhonda went over to meet Amanda. "Hi Amanda, I'm Rhonda, Scott's mother." She said, giving Amanda a friendly hug.

    "It's a wonderful pleasure to meet you ma'am." Amanda smiled, pulling away.

    Ethan finally got up, going to meet Amanda and Scott. "Son." He nodded. "Glad you made it." He said keeping an indifferent expression on his face. He went to Amanda.

     "It's finally nice to meet you in person Mr Ontario." Amanda said as she shook his hand.

  "Hmmm." Ethan shook her hand firmly before allowing her meet with the others. He immediately went over to Scott who was talking to Rhonda. "She couldn't have found decent clothes to wear to this occasion or is it that she thinks we're all clowns?" Ethan said without trying to be sarcastic.

    "Ethan." Rhonda gave him a warning tone. "Not today okay?" She tried not to make it obvious that Ethan had commented on Amanda's dressing.

     "I tried telling her." Scott told her.

   "Jesus christ, what kind of woman does she want me to think of her? I guess she really is a streetworker, a slag." Ethan frowned, glancing at her as she had a conversation with his sister's family. He could not believe Scott would be really stupid.

   Couldn't he had gotten engaged to a respectable woman?! A Senator's daughter or a business mogul's daughter! The woman had no shame at all. Ethan frowned but couldn't voice his opinion.

    "Try to say nice things to her." Rhonda told him quietly as she pretended to fix his tie.

    "Well I mean, I'm not wrong." Ethan scoffed.

    "That's why I said try, now... Smile." Rhonda told him before letting him leave for his seat. She wouldn't let him ruin their dinner. Rhonda turned to Scott. "I wonder where your brother is?" She wasn't necessarily asking for him to answer.

    "Screwing someone, who knows." Scott shrugged walking towards the table.

   It took about ten minutes before Daniel showed up.

   "Sorry I'm late. Mom, dad, uncle, aunt." He greeted all of them before taking his seat beside Valeria. "Hey." He smiled at her.

    "It's okay. We've not started anyway." His mother said to him.

    "What happened, you're never late." Valeria, Chad's sister nudged him playfully as soon as the older ones began talking again.

    "Your father has been talking nonstop about the progress you've made in the company." She told him with a smile.

    "I'm charmed." He chuckled.

   "What's up dude?" Chad said from across the table.

    Daniel had finally noticed Scott and the woman beside him... Amanda.

    "Chad." Daniel had a small smile and that's when Amanda looked at him.

    "You must be Amanda." Daniel nodded with a smile.

    "I am. And you're Daniel, the older brother. Finally, we meet in person." She smiled at him. "A lot of times, Scott has mentioned your name. I tell you he's a big fan of yours." Amanda thought it would be a good thing to say that to Daniel.

     "Oh." Daniel nodded, glancing at Scott who was more focused on his phone. "I didn't know."

    Amanda said a few more things to him, soon she was talking about bags and shoes to Valeria who seemed interested. Daniel was busy with his phone while Chad and Scott blabbed about latest cars. This went on for almost ten minutes before Ethan Ontario used a spoon against his glass to call their attention. Then there was utter silence.

   "I would like to thank everyone for honoring my invitation today. It feels good to know that our family is still as strong as ever. I want to thank my wife for this sumptuous meal she specially prepared for this occasion." He said, glancing at Rhonda who smiled at him.

   Ethan continued. "I also want to thank my sons, Daniel and Scott for their hard work towards the company, not forgetting Chad to." He smiled at Chad. "It's really good to see you here Vienna and George, I couldn't be happier." He looked at his niece. "By the way Valeria, you look stunning in that gorgeous blue dress." His smile widened.

    "Aww, thank you uncle." Valeria grinned at him.

     Ethan's eyes finally settled on Amanda and so, he cleared his throat. "It's no news that Scott has had his hands full recently. Soon, we would be having an addition to the family. Amanda, it is a pleasure to have you with us this evening." Ethan said to her.

    "The pleasure is all mine Mr Ontario." Amanda smiled at him.

   Rhonda clapped her hand once, feeling happy. "So then, with all said, I think it's time for dinner. I hope you all enjoy it." Rhonda said to them. "Valeria sweetheart, can you grace the meal for us?"

    "In the name of the father and of the son....." Valeria started with the sign of the cross.
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A/N:   Whoa! Three thousand plus words😲😲😲. Longest chapter... Yet.

   Okay, what do you think is going to happen next?

A little drama?

  Who wants drama cos I definitely want too see DRAMA!!!

    Don't forget to tap that star⭐ icon right below the left side of your phone. It means a lot to me. Muah!! Also, please comment 😭😭.. I want to see what you all think about this story.