13
My brother instinctively answered, “Five million. Why?”
1 patted him excitedly on the shoulder.
“We could just rent it! With the money we’ve saved, we can afford it right now!”
His eyes widened, and he jumped to his feet like he’d just had an epiphany.
“You’re right! Why didn’t I think of that?”
The island we wanted was only about 300 miles south of the village, completely
surrounded by the ocean.
“Alright, I’ll go check it out now. You stay here and watch the house,” he said.
Before I could even respond, my brother was already halfway down the road, disappearing past the village gate,
This time, something about him felt oddly rushed, like he was worried about something.
Was it just that he hadn’t adjusted to life outside the city yet?
BANG!
The old wooden door slammed open, startling me so much that I nearly jumped out of my skin.
-Holden?! How did you find this place?!” I stammered, staring at him in shock.
Holden didn’t waste time. He stepped forward and asked urgently, “Where’s your brother? I’m serious about him. What happened last time was my fault, and I need to make things right.”
I froze, wide–eyed.
He admitted it. Holden just admitted it. Wait–no, hold on.
I stared at him in panic.
“How do you know Ryan is my brother?!”
Before he could answer, the sound of engines rumbled outside.
Cars.
In our tiny village, where seeing even one car in a year was rare, I immediately got a bad feeling.
Sure enough, Zane, Ethan, and Hunter walked in one after the other.
I tensed up, instinctively hiding behind Holden.
The men all frowned in perfect unison, their CEO glares cutting through the air.
Ethan was the first to speak.
“Luna, you said you liked me the most. Was that a lie?”
Zane wasn’t far behind his tone full of frustration.
11:25 Sun, 15 Jun
<
“Luna, I know you love me. Ever since you left, I’ve finally realized who I truly care about. It’s you.”
Holden let out a cold laugh, stepping closer to his brother, Hunter, to form a united front.
“Neither of you deserve her. Luna doesn’t like either of you.”
Hunter nodded in agreement. “One of you treated her as a stand–in, and the
other humiliated her. What right do you have to say you care about her?”
