Mikhail Redfern Arsenault

Chapter 9

Maraiah's POV

"You've been quiet a while ago. Why? Did the noise in the bar give you a headache?" Mikhail said, perhaps noticing my silence. We were in her car, heading home. I sighed.

"My head doesn't hurt," I said, "but my heart does..."

Earlier, I had seen the kiss between Mikhail and that sophisticated woman. And not only that, she had also hugged the woman as if comforting her. I wanted to cry right then and there. I also wanted to confront Mikhail, but what would she say?

And most of all, I was afraid of being hurt by her answer if I asked. But no matter what she did, I was still hurt. I felt it keenly when she stopped the car. She grabbed my palm.

"Is something bothering you? Any problem you want to share with me?"  My mind raced.  Did she want to tell me something?  Did she want to confess that she had other women besides me?

"Honey...?"

"N-nothing. Go ahead, take me home." I retracted my palm and slightly turned my seat away from her. I heard her take a deep breath, though she didn't say anything more. We reached our house quietly.

"Don't go down, I can manage." When I stopped, she pretended to come down to open the door for me. Her face became even more confused when I avoided the kiss she was about to give me. But I didn't wait for her to comment because I immediately got out of the car.

Mikhail's POV

"WHAT WAS THAT?" I exclaimed incredulously as I maneuvered my car home to my condominium unit.

I was affected by her strange behavior. She seemed upset and hurt. Seeing her anxiety, even if it was uneasy, I pulled the car aside to call her. But even before I could, my phone was ringing.

"Cole!" I exclaimed happily.

"Hi, what's up?" Cole is also our cousin. She's currently in Paris. And I was glad she called because I was such a quiet person. Among our cousins, she's the best looking. But Cole is not stuck up. In fact, she was very charming.

"Big sis!"

"Laiver!" I exclaimed in shock. It wasn't my cousin who answered, but my youngest brother Laizer. He was six years old and a miniature version of me in terms of physical appearance.

"Kiddo, why do you have Cole's phone? Where is she? Oh, before you answer that... how are you? Mommy and daddy? Raze?"

"I'm fine, big sis, so is mommy, daddy, Raze, and the rest of our clan. Cole and I will be together. Just wait," he said before I heard his voice grow thin.

"Cole, you talk to big sis first. My ears still hurt because of the pressure on the airplane." I heard him say, frowning. Airplane?

"Cole, what pressure on the airplane is Laiver talking about?" I asked, making sure my cousin had the phone. I heard her chuckle on the other line.

"Actually, we just got off the plane with Raze. We're going to Disneyland. This is your brother, so he didn't stop me until I took him for a walk. Since I'm not doing anything, that's why I'm on my knees. We will be here for days. After Disneyland, we will go home to the Philippines."

"Why didn't I know about that stuff?" I exclaimed in surprise.

"Of course, it was Laiver's idea. He said he wanted to surprise you. That's why he's here now and he's constantly complaining that his ear hurts. Alright, Mikhail, I just called to let you know that Raze is with me. I'll call our other cousins. I'll call you again from time to time."

"Okay, be careful with that. Don't forget that Raze is a runner, keep an eye on him." I shook my head but smiled as I hung up the phone. One of my cousins is coming home and my naughty brother is with her. It's definitely going to make a lot of noise. Quin would surely be thrilled when she met my youngest brother.