The morning air was filled with the aroma of freshly cooked breakfast, and Eva hummed happily as she whisked eggs in the kitchen. She was excited—her brother, Tristan, would be visiting soon, and she couldn’t wait to catch up with him. It had been too long since they’d spent time together, and Eva wanted everything to be perfect.

Evander wandered into the kitchen, looking surprised to see Eva busy at the stove. “Why are you cooking? Don’t you have maids for that?” he asked, leaning lazily against the counter.

Eva smiled warmly. “My brother is coming over. I wanted to cook for him.”

Evander’s eyebrows shot up. “Does Andrew know he’s coming?”

Eva shook her head, the tiniest hint of mischief in her smile. “Nope.”

Evander grinned wide, as if he had just stumbled upon a hidden treasure. “Good thing I stopped by today. There’s going to be one hell of a show,” he said, barely able to contain his amusement as he walked out of the kitchen.

As if on cue, Andrew strolled into the living room, dressed casually in a fitted black t-shirt and jeans. He plopped down on the couch next to Evander, eyes glued to the TV. He noticed the grin on Evander’s face and raised a brow.

“Why are you smiling like that?” Andrew asked, suspicious.

Evander’s grin only widened. “Oh, no reason,” he said, his voice dripping with amusement.

A moment later, Eva brought out coffee for both of them, placing the cups in front of them with a sweet smile.

Andrew took a sip, eyeing her with suspicion. “Why are you serving us? Where are the maids?”

Before Eva could answer, Evander chimed in mischievously. “She cooked breakfast too. Made it all by herself.”

Andrew set his cup down and leaned forward, his sharp gaze locking onto Eva. “What are you planning, Eva?”

Before she could explain, Mia came bounding into the room with a happy grin, throwing her arms around Eva in a warm hug. “Eva!” she squealed excitedly.

Evander perked up at the sight of Mia, a pleased smile creeping onto his face.

From the doorway, Irene entered, greeting Andrew and Evander casually. Just as everyone was settling into the lively scene, the front door opened, and a tall, commanding figure stepped inside.

Tristan.

The moment Tristan and Andrew’s eyes met, the room shifted into something tense and dangerous. The two men locked gazes, glaring at each other with unspoken hostility, as if the air between them had dropped several degrees.

“What are they doing?” Irene whispered, nudging Evander.

Evander leaned toward her, equally confused. “Even I don’t know.”

Irene narrowed her eyes and then smirked mischievously. “It’s like they’re a couple reuniting after a long time.”

Everyone turned to stare at Irene, who quickly grabbed Eva by the arm and dragged her into the kitchen, stifling a laugh. “Let’s let them sort out their… weird tension.”

Eventually, everyone gathered at the table for breakfast. Irene was excited, knowing Eva’s cooking was a rare treat. As Eva stood to serve everyone, Andrew's cold voice stopped her.

“The maids will handle it. Sit down.”

His tone was as icy as ever, making Tristan’s jaw twitch. Tristan’s sharp eyes tracked the way Andrew spoke to Eva, his irritation barely concealed.

Evander, with a mouthful of food, grinned and said, “Eva, this is delicious. Healthy, too.”

The others agreed, and Eva’s heart warmed at their praise. She beamed as Tristan gave her an approving nod. It felt good to have everyone together, even with the strange undercurrent between Andrew and Tristan.

After breakfast, Eva pulled her brother aside. “I want to show you something,” she said excitedly. She led Tristan to the couch, where they sat down and opened the family photo album from her father’s box.

As they flipped through the old photos, they laughed and reminisced about their childhood memories. The passage of time seemed to melt away, leaving only the warmth of the bond between siblings.

The others watched from a distance, curious. Irene eventually wandered over, picking up one of the photos. “Eva, who’s this cute baby?”

Eva smiled fondly. “That’s Tristan.”

Irene blinked in disbelief, looking between the baby in the photo and the sharp, cold man beside Eva. “No way. How could someone this cute grow up to be... well, you?” she teased.

Tristan’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean, ‘grow up to be me’?”

Irene grinned. “I mean, how does that cute baby become you—so serious and grumpy all the time?”

Tristan glared at her, clearly insulted. “What?”

Irene burst into laughter, and soon they were bickering like children.

Evander leaned back on the couch, thoroughly entertained. “Eva, pass me some popcorn. This is the best show I’ve seen in a while.”

Andrew, sitting nearby, rubbed his temples and muttered under his breath, “What a nuisance.”

Eva shot her brother and Irene a stern look. “Both of you, stop it. You’re acting like kids.”

The two went silent, though they continued to exchange glares, neither one ready to back down.

Andrew, having reached his limit, spoke up sharply. “That’s enough.”

His commanding tone silenced everyone. Evander chuckled and pulled Irene down beside him on the couch, while Eva tugged Tristan down next to her. Peace, at last.

They spent the rest of the afternoon watching a movie, the atmosphere finally relaxing. Andrew, his head resting on the back of the couch, drifted off to sleep.

When lunch was ready, Eva invited everyone to stay the night, and they all happily agreed. Later in the evening, as the girls took over the kitchen to prepare dinner, Andrew pulled Evander aside.

“Any updates on Jessica?” Andrew asked, his tone low.

Evander sighed. “We’ve only found out that she ran off with a guy named Nolan Smith. That’s all we know.”

Tristan scoffed from across the room, overhearing the conversation. “That’s it? That’s all you’ve got?”

Andrew turned to glare at Tristan. “Stay out of it. This isn’t your concern.”

Tristan’s cold gaze didn’t waver. “Eva is my sister. That makes it my business.”

Evander tried to defuse the situation. “Come on, guys, let’s not fight.”

But Tristan sneered. “You two suck at gathering intel.”

Andrew’s anger flared. “Then enlighten us, smartass.”

Tristan leaned back with a smug grin. “She’s in Italy, trying to become a supermodel. But you don’t make a move yet.”

Andrew raised an eyebrow, curious. “And why is that? Is it because she’s your sister?”

Tristan’s eyes darkened with pure loathing. “Hell no,” he spat. “I want her to succeed… so I can destroy her.”

Evander frowned, confused by the venom in Tristan’s words. “You’re really going to ruin her life after she makes it big?”

Andrew nodded thoughtfully, then smirked. “Not bad. They aren’t biological siblings.”

Tristan shot Andrew a glare. “You did a background check on me, didn’t you?”

Andrew shrugged unapologetically. “I did one on your entire family.”

Tristan laughed bitterly. “And yet, somehow, you didn’t know what Jessica was up to?”

Evander scratched his head, looking between the two men. “Yeah, Andrew… How did you miss that?”

Andrew’s jaw clenched, clearly not amused by the conversation. “I don’t miss things,” he muttered, though the frustration in his voice said otherwise.

Tristan smirked, satisfied at having gotten under Andrew’s skin. “Well, keep up, King. You’ve got a lot to learn.”