Chapter 48: Guests.

Dua's family arrived at the mansion, their mouths dropping in awe at the magnificent view that unfolded before them—a sprawling blend of lush gardens and elegant architecture that exuded grandeur.

"You're all welcome; boss has been expecting you," announced Marcus, Steven's chief bodyguard, as he greeted them. But the family, lost in the beauty around them, hardly noticed.

"Please, follow me," he instructed, and they complied, still entranced.

He led them into the living room, where they encountered Shane, who looked up, surprised by the unexpected guests milling about.

"They're the boss's guests," Marcus explained, trying to mask his own curiosity about the family.

"Guests? That brat didn’t even give me a heads-up," Shane muttered.

Hearing Shane refer to Steven as brat, Denise stepped forward, her curiosity piqued. "Excuse me, are you Mr. Levi's older brother?" she inquired, tilting her head slightly.

Shane blinked, momentarily stunned by her directness and charm.

"Maybe not," Denise concluded when Shane remained silent, taking in the beauty of the woman before him.

"I am," he finally replied, shaking off his surprise. "Please, have a seat." He turned and retreated to the kitchen, clearly off-balance.

As they settled in, gazing at the exquisite décor of the living room, Dua entered, her previous excitement dampened by a cloud of worry about her mathematics assignment. But that dissipated the moment her eyes lit up upon seeing her family.

"How are you guys here?" Dua called out, quickening her steps towards them.

"Your husband didn’t tell you?" Stella teased.

"No," Dua replied, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"Come on, let's get you guys settled," Dua said, grabbing hold of her mom's luggage.

"Shouldn’t we wait to see your husband first?" Stella suggested, brows raised.

"Then you'll have to wait until night because knucklehead isn’t home right now. Besides, you don’t need his permission to get settled," Dua replied with a cheeky grin.

"Yeah, you don’t," Steven chimed in, appearing at the top of the staircase.

"You’ve been home?" Dua's expression shifted to incredulity.

"You didn’t know?" Steven raised an eyebrow

Hey, you brat! You’ve been home?" Shane exclaimed, his surprise evident as he re-entered the living room carrying a large tray laden with drinks and burgers.

"You should have known, my cars are intact." Steven replied.

"Silly child, do I go around counting your cars?" Shane shot him a glare. "A young healthy person keeps living like a ghost." He hissed.

He dropped the tray on the table before Dua's family, "please, help yourselves."

Steven looked at Dua, the happiness from seeing her family, evident on her face. "How's your first day at school?" He threw her an unexpected question.

Dua blinked at him, not expecting such a question from him. "It wasn't that great," she replied.

"Why?" He seemed concerned.

"Mathematics," she replied and he gave a slight chuckle.

He turned and faced Dua's family, "you're all welcome to my abode. Do feel at home, and if you need anything, reach out to me." He gave them a warm welcome.

They expressed their gratitude to him and Steven excused himself, returning to his study.

Dua followed him into the study, asking, "Why didn't you tell me my family was coming?"

"I forgot." Steven replied nonchalantly, striding to his chair.

"You forgot." Dua scoffed. "Why would you forget?"

"Can I not forget?" He said.

"Yes!" She lashed at him and he sighed, rubbing his temples tiredly.

"Hey, I'm not in the mood to have a fight with you. And I'm sure you don't want your family to see us fighting." He said, making her calm.

As Dua exited the study, she took a deep breath, shaking off the remnants of her frustration. She knew that Steven had a lot on his plate, but sometimes it felt like he just didn’t realize the impact of his actions. Rejoining her family in the living room, she was welcomed by warm smiles and the comforting aroma of burgers wafting through the air.

"Did you talk to him?" Stella asked, her tone light but with an underlying curiosity.

"Yes, we had a chat," Dua replied, rolling her eyes playfully. “Nothing too serious."

Denise, with a mouthful of burger, chimed in, “He seems nice!" But Dua scoffed.

"He is nice, sis." Desmond supported.

"Yeah, he is," Dua finally admitted, rolling her eyes. "But you don't wanna go close to him, believe me. I know what I go through everyday."

"But he doesn't seem that way," Denise opposed. "The person who should seem that way is his older brother."

"Yeah, you're right, but the twist between them is funny." Dua chuckled. "Shane looks tough, and cold, but actually he's an angel. He's sweet and innocent. Knucklehead looks innocent, but he's The Devil."

"I like The Devil though." Denise giggled.

Dua sat down beside her mother, enjoying the casual banter as they ate. They exchanged stories about their days, and Dua found herself relaxing, feeling the familiar warmth envelop her as she shared a part of her life with them.

Time went fast and night caved in. Shane announced to the chatting family that dinner was ready.

Dua led her family to the dinning table where they met Steven putting the last item on the table.

Denise exclaimed at the beautiful layout of the mouth watering delicacy before them -- pasta and veggie sauce.

"I hope you enjoy it." Steven said as he sat between Shane and Dua.

"Why's he being so nice?" Dua said to herself.

"All husbands try to impress their wives' family." Shane whispered to her and they both chuckled.

Steven shook his head, regretting being between them.

Stella took a taste of the food and her eyes widened, marvelled at the taste. Denise and Desmond tasted the food too and they exclaimed loudly, "Wow!"

"Who cooked?" Stella asked.

"Knucklehead did." Dua replied.

Denise looked at Steven dreamily, her eyes lashes flashing at him. "You keep doing things that steal my heart away." She said sheepishly and Dua scoffed.

"Seriously, sis, eating delicious food like this everyday, I see no reason you shouldn't glow." Desmond said.

Dua smiled, a part of her proud of Steven's cooking skills, as she gave him a glance.

As they dinned, conversations began to flow naturally, with Shane joining in, stealing glances at Denise, and Steven eating in silence. Steven observed Dua as she exchanged smiles and banter with her family. He admired her laughter and the way she couldn’t stop teasing her siblings, who teased her nonstop too.

Shane noticed the way Steven looked at Dua and nudged Steven's arm. "Is your heart beginning to waver?" He said.

"What do you mean?" Steven replied.

"You're beginning to have feelings for her." Shane said.

"I'm not," Steven replied sharply. "It's just...complicated."

Shane shook his head, "You'll never admit it."

"What's there to admit..." Steven was saying, but then he heard Dua coughing. She choked on her food while laughing to her brother's joke.

Steven quickly poured her a glass of water and fed it to her, his hand patting her back gently.

Calming down, Dua looked at Steven, surprised at his sudden act of care. Her heart racing at the flash of concern in his eyes.

"Stay quiet until you're done with eating, I don't want someone choking on my food to death." Steven said, bringing her racing heart to a pause.

Dua scoffed and yanked off his hand from her back, earning a round of laughter from everyone.