“LAURIE, this is my brother. His name is Ken,” Tyler introduced the man beside him to Laurie. “He’s a pastry chef in France and has a restaurant in Paris.”

Laurie swallowed hard as she tried to avoid Ken’s eyes that were focused on her. “It’s nice to meet you, Ken.” She offered her hand for a handshake, but the man just stared at her. 

“We don’t do handshakes in France,” he said, looking at her straight in the eyes. “You’ve been there, right?”

Laurie cleared her throat and pressed her lips together. “Well, as far as I know, el beso is just for old friends, loved ones, or relatives,” she said, arching her brow. “We don’t know each other, right?”

Ken scoffed. “Really?” he asked, then gave her a once over. “You’ve changed a lot.”

“Do you know each other?” Tyler asked in a knotted forehead. Based on his expression, he’s quite baffled by their exchange of conversation. “Can you please enlighten me, guys?”

Ken focused his dreamy eyes at Laurie. And she doesn’t understand why she suddenly felt weak. It was as if his gaze is consuming all her energy. She heaved a breath, this man might looked harmless now, but she knew that she’s just hiding his thorns. “I-I don’t know him—”

“I’m expecting that answer from you, Laurie,” Ken cut off in a surprisingly calm and colder tone. “I’m not even surprised.”

Laurie looked away from Ken. She can’t believe that she’s actually here in front of her. And, of all people that could be Tyler’s brother, why it has to be Ken? Why it has to be the man that she despised and never wanted to see again?

She caught her head as she felt the sudden dizziness. “Ah, Tyler. I don’t think I can do this meeting now. I’ll see you again next time,” she said and walked away.

“Wait, Laurie.” Tyler caught her arm. “What’s wrong? I don’t understand,” he asked, then looked at Ken. “Ken, what is this?”

Ken put his hands on his pockets and shrugged his broad shoulders. He cocked his head to the side to sweep his bangs away from his beautiful eyes. “I don’t know. I was just trying to know if she’s also one of my fans since she lived in Paris before.”

“How do you know that she lived in Paris?” Tyler asked, still holding Laurie’s arm.

“Ah, Tyler…” Laurie pulled her arm free from him. “Can we reschedule this meeting?” she asked, starting to get uncomfortable. “I’m not feeling well.”

“If you’re intimidated by my presence, Laurie, I will leave this table,” Ken said in his most sensual voice. And, Laurie felt like melting inside. “It’s very unprofessional for you to just leave your employer just because you feel uncomfortable with someone’s presence, right?”

Laurie pressed her lips together. What the hell is wrong with you, Kenzikiel? She wanted to snarl at him and shun him away but she controlled herself. She glanced at Tyler, who still looked baffled by what’s happening between them. “I’m sorry, Tyler…” she said and lowered her head. “Okay, let’s resume this meeting.”

She watched Ken from the corner of her eyes as he occupied the table a few meters away from them. But Ken’s eyes were still focused on her. And, it only made Laurie tensed and agitated. Her heartbeat is starting to race with every second that Ken’s around.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Tyler asked worriedly. “We can reschedule this meeting since I have to revise the contract.”

Laurie focused her gaze on the table. How come that Ken was Tyler’s brother? They have a different surname—and different personalities. Do they have the same obsession? I guess not. She bit her lip as her brows furrowed at the thought. Is it still right for her to pursue the contract with Tyler?

“Laurie, I hope you don’t mind, but how did you know Ken?” Tyler asked curiously.

She hesitated to answer, but bits of memories flashed in her mind. “Ah, I really don’t know him personally. But I have seen him in Paris, just like what he said earlier,” she explained. “I just didn’t expect that he was your brother.”

“We’re half-brothers,” he said and smiled. “We have the same mother, but different fathers. He’s older than me. He’s turning twenty-eight this year. While I’m turning twenty-six,” he added. “Our mother remarried a year after Ken’s father’s death. And, that’s how I appeared.”

Laurie wanted to laugh at Tyler’s choice of words on how their mother gave birth to him because she knew that’s what he intended. But she doesn’t have the energy to laugh at their relativity now. It shocked the hell out of her. But it seemed that Tyler doesn’t know anything about her marriage to Ken six years ago that ended in divorce after a year.

“Did you also live in France?” Laurie asked, which made Tyler slightly knotted his forehead. “I-I just think if I have seen you before.”

“Nope. I lived in New York. That’s where our mother met my Korean father,” he said, then paused. “Oh, by the way, don’t tell anyone that I am a half-Korean, okay?”

Laurie laughed. “It’s not hard to tell, you know? With your chinky eyes and porcelain skin, you really looked like a Korean.”

Tyler narrowed his eyes at her. “Does it make me adorable in your eyes?”

Laurie coughed. Why this guy has to be so cheesy at all times? She reverted her gaze to Ken’s direction and caught him scowling at them. She looked away and pretended to be reading the contract again.

“Ah, is it the final contract?” Laurie asked and looked for a ball pen inside her bag. When she found it, she accidentally dropped the pen on the floor and rolled towards Ken’s feet. Shit…

Ken slowly stooped low to pick up her ball pen. He looked up at her and smirked. Laurie wanted to snarl at him, but she couldn’t do that in front of Tyler. Ken raised from his seat and sauntered towards their table gracefully.

Since when he started to be so dashing like this? She looked at Ken from head to toe. With his cream-colored cardigan with an under-layer white buttoned shirt, brown trousers, and leather shoes, he looked like a professional French guy that was about to visit the love of his life. Where is the dangerous-looking Ken that she married and divorced before? Laurie flinched at the memory. Marrying him was the worst decision she has made in her life and divorcing him was the best—which also saved her life. 

“It’s yours,” he said as he gave the ball pen to her, even if it’s apparent that it was hers. “Next time, hold it tight so it won’t let go from you.”

Laurie looked up at him with furrowed brows. “Not all things are worth holding on,” she said and snatched the pen from him, “especially if they’re the one that stopped working.”

“How sure are you that they already stopped working if you didn’t give them a chance to prove to you that they still do?” Ken asked back, looking straight into her eyes.

Laurie glared at him. Why is he saying all these things to her as if he was the victim and not her?

“Guys, are you still talking about the ball pen?” Tyler interrupted. “I have a spare pen here. If it’s not working anymore, you can use mine, Laurie.”

“Thanks, Tyler,” Laurie said and took the spare pen from Tyler. “But, I don’t understand why does it need to have a spare pen if the current one is still working?”

Ken clenched his jaw. Before Tyler could notice his reaction, he turned his back at her and walked back to his table. Laurie let out a sigh. Why does it feel hurt?

***