Chapter 57 – Cousin Meet Up

Dominic’s POV

Ring!

Ring!

The sound of my phone broke through the quiet in my office.

I glanced at the screen and raised a brow. Micheal—My cousin. It had been a long while since I last heard from him.

“I wonder what he wants,” I muttered, sliding my finger across the screen to pick up the call.

“Bro, are you free? I want to drink.” Micheal’s voice came from the other end. It sounded rough, like gravel, and too heavy for this evening

I leaned back in my chair. “Does Mr. Celebrity not want his fame anymore?” I teased.

Micheal was never the type to drink. He always kept his image polished. So something serious must have happened.

His reply came fast, flat, and bitter. “Take it that I was cheated on, and I really need something… or some way I can drown this heartbreak.”

I blinked in surprise. Cheated on? That was not the Micheal I knew. He didn’t throw around words like that carelessly.

My tone softened a little, though I tried to keep it steady. “I’ll send my driver to get you some drinks. I’ll join you later tonight. I still have work to finish first.”

“Thanks, bro.” He cut the call without another word.

I placed the phone down slowly, my brows furrowed. Micheal… heartbroken? The thought sat oddly in my chest.

---

I forced myself back to the mountain of work on my desk. Document after document waited for my signature. My pen scratched across the paper, and when I finally closed the cap, the small click echoed through the office like a sigh of relief.

“Finally.” I leaned into my chair, muscles relaxing for the first time that day.

My hand reached for my phone, but before I could check the time, another call came in.

Ring!

Ring!

The name on the screen flashed bright—Grandfather.

I exhaled slowly, bracing myself. The moment I picked up, his booming voice exploded through the line.

“Yo! Dominic!”

I pulled the phone a little away from my ear and rolled my eyes. Where did he even learn that slang?

His voice carried on, loud and certain. “Micheal is in town. He’s a bit sick. Before you head home, stop by his place. Spend some time with your cousin. It’s been too long since you two talked.”

“Alright,” I answered shortly. It wasn’t like I had a choice.

When the call ended, I stood and walked toward the coat hanger. My black suit jacket slid smoothly onto my shoulders.

Knock. Knock.

The office door rattled.

“Come in,” I called without turning.

One of my assistants entered, arms full of files. “Sir, these documents need your signature and review. This one came from the finance department. That one is from legal. And the others—”

I sighed, already feeling the relief drain from my body. “Alright. Send me the e-documents as well. I’ll deal with them at home.”

“Yes, sir.” He bowed lightly before leaving.

I waved him off and picked up my work tablet.

---

When I reached the elevator, my finger hovered over the button for the presidential floor that would take me straight down to the garage. But something made me pause.

It was a sudden thought. It was a strange kind of feeling that I couldn't exactly place my hand on.

Mannie.

I frowned at myself. Why her? Why now? I shook my head, annoyed at the way her face slipped into my thoughts. Her smile. Her soft voice.

I pressed the button for the marketing floor instead. The elevator doors opened, but when I looked out, the hallways were empty. Everyone had already gone home.

I stayed inside, silent, and pressed for the garage. There was no reason to linger.

---

The drive to Micheal’s apartment was smooth. I worked on the tablet, signing e-documents as the city lights blurred past the car window.

“Sir, we are here,” Mark, my driver, said as the car slowed to a stop.

“Mmm.” I stepped out with the bag of fruits I had picked up on the way.

“You can go home,” I told him. “Just leave the car here.”

“Yes, sir.” He nodded, leaving the vehicle parked.

The building’s elevator carried me up to Micheal’s floor. The doors slid open, and there he was—sitting slumped outside his apartment, his back pressed against the wall.

He looked exhausted. His usual polished look was gone. His shirt was wrinkled, his eyes red.

“I brought you some fruits.” I lifted the bag.

“Thanks.” He took it from me with a weak smile, then pushed open the door to let me inside.

The apartment was tidy but dim. He led me to the living room and poured me a glass of water.

I studied him as he sat down heavily across from me. His shoulders sagged like he carried a mountain.

“How are you feeling now? Still heartbroken?” I asked, half teasing, half serious. “Grandpa thinks you’re sick. He has no idea.”

“I still feel the same,” Micheal muttered, rubbing a hand over his face. “I don’t understand why she would do this. It’s not like we lost contact right away. It’s not like she didn’t know my friends. She could have reached out to one of them. But instead…” His voice cracked. “Instead she entered into that line of work.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What line of work?”

His gaze dropped. His voice lowered like he was ashamed to even say it. “Prostitution.”

The word landed between us like a heavy stone.

“And who told you this?” I asked sharply.

“Her sister.”

I stiffened, my thoughts racing.

I didn't know whom this sister was so I couldn't know if she was lying or saying the truth.

Micheal’s face twisted with despair. “Her sister said things got too hard. She tried to stop Mannie, but she didn’t listen. She sold herself until she got pregnant. And not with one child—eight. Eight at once.”

I choked on the water I had just sipped. Coughing, I set the glass down hard.

“You sure?” My voice was rough.

“She showed me an article,” Micheal said quickly, pulling out his phone. He pushed it into my hand. “I checked it myself. It’s true.”

I scrolled through the article. My eyes caught the bold headline, the words praising her “rare fertility.”

“She gave birth at once?” My voice dropped, stunned. “That’s rare. I thought only she-wolves did that.” I shook my head, my thoughts spinning. “Her fertility… One mistake, and eight children?”

Micheal dropped his head into his hands. “Bro, I wish I could be like you. At this point, I’m hurting so badly. I don’t even know what to do. Part of me wants to confront her. Another part of me wants to forget everything. But I can’t reconcile it.”

His voice broke. The sound of his pain hung heavy in the room.

I leaned back, tossing his phone back at him. He caught it automatically.

“What do you mean by ‘be like me’?” I asked.

He looked up with tired eyes. “You’ve never fallen in love. You’ve stayed chaste all this time. I should have done the same. Love only ruins people.”

At his words, an image flashed uninvited in my mind. Mannie. Her shy smile. The way her voice softened when she spoke. The stubborn way she held herself even when she was wrong.

“What the f*ck?” I cursed inwardly. I clenched my jaw, forcing the picture away. I couldn’t afford this kind of distraction.

My relationship with Mannie was nothing. Just a game, a tool to appease my family. That was all.

And yet… my chest felt heavy, as if his words had exposed something I wasn’t ready to face.

I looked at Micheal, my cousin, broken and lost. I didn't know how to comfort him, but to drink with him.

I went to the bar and took out a bottle of wine.

"Let's drink and forget our sorrows." I said, pouring him some wine.