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After ten minutes, Lander returned, the irritation still visible on his face.
“Sorry, I didn’t know she was coming,” Lander said apologetically. “I hope you won’t take her words too much to heart.”

Eloise answered directly, “Lander, she likes you, and you’re important to her. Of course she’d feel hurt if we keep in contact. If you want to try being with her, then be serious about it. Don’t string her along just to please someone else. You’ll only waste her time, and it hurts more than you think.”

She didn’t really have to say it, but she didn’t want Michelle to be the one to end up hurt.

Lander froze. He stayed quiet for a few moments before replying, “I know.”

They were about the same age, but Eloise carried herself with more maturity and deeper thought. Lander knew deep down that he wasn’t worthy of her.

After dinner, Eloise went home. On the way, she passed by a cake shop and, on impulse, bought a few small cakes.

The villa was quiet as usual. Teresa greeted her like always and asked if she wanted some red bean paste.

After resting a bit in her room, Eloise went downstairs to get some sweet soup. But when she entered the kitchen, she noticed some new things had been added.

A smile spread across her face as she quickly ran to the study. When she opened the door, she saw Cosmo behind the desk, busy on the phone.

Cosmo smiled when he saw her, and Eloise struggled to contain the happiness rising in her chest as she slowly approached him.

They had just spoken on the phone yesterday, and Cosmo hadn’t mentioned he was coming back. So to find him already home was a beautiful surprise.

Cosmo took two more calls before finally tossing the phone onto the desk. Eloise was the first to speak. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming home today?”

Cosmo stared at her sharply, his deep eyes piercing. “And you? Why didn’t you tell me what you were supposed to?”

“You already know, don’t you?” Eloise countered, moving closer, but Cosmo deliberately avoided her, clearly upset.

Eloise looked at him with innocent eyes, lowering her voice. “I’m sorry, please?”

“Impossible,” Cosmo answered firmly, his expression serious. “Do you really think I’m that easy to fool?”

“Of course not! I wasn’t lying to you. I just didn’t tell you right away. I only said it a little late,” Eloise explained.

Cosmo’s gaze was sharp, his voice hard. “Eloise, put yourself in my shoes. Do you think you’d just accept it if I did the same thing?”

Eloise fell silent. With nothing left to say, she threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly. “Don’t be mad anymore. I was wrong, okay? I’m sorry!”

She didn’t care about her pride. What mattered was calming Cosmo down.

Cosmo didn’t move. He didn’t push her away either, but his voice was cold. “You’ve got some nerve.”

“Yes,” Eloise replied quickly, even smiling.

Cosmo couldn’t take it anymore. He shut his eyes, frustrated. He had told Eloise countless times never to hide anything from him, yet she still hadn’t listened.

What made him even angrier was finding out from Faro about everything Eloise had gone through in the past few days, including how close she came to getting hurt.

“You’re so reckless,” Cosmo muttered to himself as he lightly tapped Eloise’s cheek.

Eloise blinked in surprise. “Why are you hitting me?”

“Be thankful it was just a light tap,” Cosmo said firmly.

Eloise said nothing. Cosmo was right. Still, in a way, it felt like she had the upper hand.

A sudden smile curved her lips. “Maybe that’s why I bought cake earlier, because I could feel you were coming home.”

Cosmo studied her while brushing his hand against her cheek. “Who did you have dinner with earlier?”

His questions came one after another. Eloise could feel he already knew the answer but wanted to hear it from her.

“Lander,” she answered honestly. “Last time, when Kevin followed me and crashed into my car, he was the one who helped. So I invited him to dinner as thanks.”

“And dinner was all you gave him as thanks?” Cosmo asked.

“I also bought him a watch,” Eloise admitted. She had chosen it carefully. It wasn’t too expensive, but not ordinary either, just right for a friend.

Cosmo spoke without much emotion. “I have debts of gratitude I need to repay too.”

But the truth was, he appreciated Eloise’s clear and thoughtful way of handling things.

Eloise slipped off his lap. “I’ll go get the red bean paste Teresa made. Let’s eat together.” With everything that had happened, she had almost forgotten about it.

Eloise went down to the kitchen and returned carrying two bowls of red bean paste. She hadn’t eaten much at dinner, so the warm bowl was just right for her.

While eating, she asked Cosmo, “Did Atty. Andrade tell you everything? Kenneth, your driver and bodyguard, you didn’t know he had a brother?”

“Back then Kenneth said his parents died young. But he never mentioned having a sibling. Maybe they weren’t really blood-related,” Cosmo replied. He looked at Eloise. “They don’t even look alike. To be sure, I’ll talk to Kevin tomorrow.”

Eloise frowned. “You’re going to meet him? It’s obvious he hates you.”

She knew that even if Cosmo hadn’t directly killed Kenneth, he was still connected to his death. And from Kevin’s point of view, Cosmo was the reason his brother died. That was why he hated him so much, ready to lash out or even hurt him.

“When I face him, maybe he’ll tell me the truth,” Cosmo answered calmly, wiping a bit of red bean paste from the corner of Eloise’s lips.

There was something gentle in the way he did it, and his expression slowly changed. Before Eloise could react, Cosmo leaned in and kissed her.

The next day, Cosmo went to the precinct to meet Kevin, who was behind bars.

Kevin glared at him, his eyes burning with rage as if he wanted to kill him with just a look. “You’ve got the nerve to face me?” Kevin spat.

Cosmo gave a slight, cold smile. “Why not? In your situation, there’s nothing you can do anymore.”

If looks could kill, Kevin would have already struck him dead.

“What’s your real relationship with Kenneth?” Cosmo asked directly. “He never once mentioned having a brother.”

Kevin’s expression didn’t change. “Because there’s nothing to be proud of in someone like me. That’s why he never said anything.”

Cosmo smiled faintly, a bit surprised. “But the truth is, you loved him, didn’t you?”

Before coming, Cosmo had already studied Kevin’s background. His record was filled with petty crimes, stealing, fighting. He had also spent a few years in prison.

Still, Kevin’s face remained blank as he spoke. “Sometimes, when someone is still alive, you don’t value them. But once they’re gone, that’s when you realize they were the only one who truly cared for you.”

Cosmo stayed quiet, listening.

Kevin had been abandoned by his parents as a child. He lived on the streets until he met Kenneth, another orphan.

Kenneth had taken him in, given him food, made him feel like he was part of a family, even given him a name.

But as time passed, Kevin strayed. He fell in with bad company, started cutting classes, gambling, and stealing.

Kenneth had scolded him many times, but he never listened.

Then one day, Kevin got involved in a serious fight. People were hurt, and while the others escaped, he was caught.

He spent three years in prison.

During that time, Kenneth visited him several times, always trying to talk to him, urging him to change. Kenneth promised to help him start fresh once he got out.

But when Kevin was finally released, a heavy blow awaited him, Kenneth was dead.

No one could even identify Kenneth’s body because of the fire. For Kevin, it was as if his whole world had collapsed. His brother was gone. His family was gone. He was an orphan all over again.

He sat in front of Kenneth’s grave for an entire day and night, silent and unmoving.

In his mind, he replayed over and over how Kenneth had loved him, cared for him, and tried to set him straight.

Staring at the headstone, he whispered softly, “I’m sorry, Kuya. I was wrong. I’m so sorry…”

But no one would ever hear his regret. The brother who loved him despite all his failures was gone forever.