Chapter 001. Hello, Brother

Daphne's POV

~

I was eighteen when I fell in love with Finn Hawthorne.

Six years later, I was still in love with him. And now, he had dropped to one knee and asked me to marry him.

Finally, I was going to be Mrs Finn Hawthorne!

I was still staring at the enormous diamond on my finger when a low chuckle sounded behind me.

I didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

Killian Hawthorne.

Finn's older, infuriatingly handsome brother.

I lowered my hand and spun around, unable to contain my triumphant smile. "Look who finally decided to show up."

Killian leaned against the doorframe, a white T-shirt stretched across his broad chest beneath an unzipped black jacket. His dark hair was slightly tousled, as though he'd run his fingers through it on the way here. His blue eyes, intense and sharp, settled on me.

He was the polar opposite of Finn. While Finn ran a respectable game company, Killian Hawthorne ran Chicago's biggest and busiest strip club. He was a maniac. The scar running down his left eye added to his scary-as-hell ensemble. In a nutshell, he was a ticking bomb.

"Glad to see you too, Dolphin."

"Are you?" I lifted my chin. "Because I have wonderful news for you. You've lost."

He chuckled. "Have I?"

"Finn proposed." I shoved my left hand towards him, spreading my fingers until the diamond caught the light. "The man you swore would never marry me. The man who, and I quote, 'doesn't love you, Dolphin.' Ring any bells?"

"Vaguely."

"You said I'd wake up one day and realise I'd spent six years loving a man who didn't feel the same way." I wiggled my fingers in front of his face. "Well, look at that. I'm engaged."

Killian glanced at the ring, then at me, before taking a leisurely sip from his glass of scotch.

"Congratulations."

I rolled my eyes, but my smile returned almost immediately. I couldn't help it. I was happy.

Six years was a long time to defend a relationship to someone who seemed determined to find fault with it.

Killian's gaze drifted back to my ring. "Are you sure about this, though? You can always dump my brother's ass and come to me, you know."

"Thanks for the generosity, but I'll pass." I shot him a glare. "And besides, not everything has to be a disaster just because you expect it to be one."

"Perhaps." His mouth curved faintly. "But tell me, did Finn really propose at a party he hosted for his business contacts? Sounds like some business strategy to me."

My smile faltered.

Finn had hosted a business event on my birthday to secure a contract with an old-fashioned Italian investor. I didn't expect him to propose but he did. I should be happy he was finally going to marry me after I've waited six years for this opportunity.

It wasn't bad if the proposal served him too, right? He had a company to run, people to impress, and responsibilities Killian never seemed to appreciate.

"You're reaching," I said, waving it away.

"Am I?"

"Yes. You don't know anything about our relationship."

"But I know you," Killian's smirk widened. "I know your idea of love is adjusting your entire personality just so you don't inconvenience him, Daphne."

I opened my mouth to counter his words, but he pulled out a velvet box I hadn't realized he was holding.

Of course.

And for all Killian's sarcasm and infuriating habit of appearing out of nowhere, he had never forgotten my birthday. I rarely saw him outside family gatherings, and he had a talent for vanishing before anyone could ask where he'd been. Yet every year, without fail, he'd show up towards the end of the night with a gift, hand it over, and disappear before I could properly thank him.

I had even caught myself checking the time earlier, wondering when he'd arrive. It was a ridiculous habit. One I preferred not to name.

He tossed the box onto the glass table between us. "Happy twenty-fourth, Dolphin."

I looked at it, then at him. "Is it safe to open?"

"No. There's a bomb in there."

"That has never stopped me before."

"Unfortunately, I know something about that."

I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face as I stepped forward and flipped open the lid.

The first was a leather original edition of an old financial ledger from the 1920s—something I had casually mentioned wanting in an offhand comment a year ago when I first started working as an accountant. My breath caught in my throat. It was incredibly thoughtful. Rare. Perfect.

The second item lying right beside it was a matte-black...taser?

I picked up the ledger first, ran my fingers over the cover, my chest warming. "Okay... I love this. This is actually amazing, Killian." Then I picked up the black stun gun by two fingers, staring at him in utter confusion. "But... a taser? Seriously? Killian, why on earth would you give me a taser?"

"Because I knew Finn was going to propose to you tonight," Killian said calmly, pushing his hands into his pants pockets."He couldn't stop rambling about it. And I thought to myself, what does Dolphin really need on a day like today? A shiny rock, or self-defense?"

I stared at him. "I don't need some silly taser, Killian. Finn would never hurt me."

Killian rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. But it doesn't hurt to be safe. Getting married to Finn is like being sent to die."

"And how'd you know that?"

"Because he's fucked up."

"And you’re not?”

Before I could finish, the door swung open.

Finn walked in, looking every bit the man I'd loved for six years. His chestnut hair was slightly ruffled, his brown eyes softened when they found me.

"Daph." He crossed the room, his smile lingering until he noticed Killian. Then it faded. "What are you doing out here? Not enjoying the party?"

"Uh, I just came to get a little air." I tucked the stun gun back into the box. "And Killian dropped by to give me a birthday present."

Finn's gaze moved from me to his brother, and I felt the atmosphere change.

Killian lifted his glass. "Hello, brother."

"Why are you here, Kill?"

"To wish your fiancée a happy birthday."

Finn came to stand beside me and wrapped an arm around my waist, drawing me against him. The gesture should have felt affectionate. Instead, his fingers carried a pressure that made me shift uncomfortably.

"You're telling me you left your strip-club to come all the way here and give Daphne a gift?" Finn asked. "I find that hard to believe."

Killian pressed a hand to his chest, feigning hurt. "You wound me. Is it so difficult to imagine that I might possess a thoughtful bone in my body?"

"Thoughtful?" Finn gave a humourless laugh. "You don't have an unselfish bone in your body, Killian. So let's skip the performance and get to the reason you're really here."

"Maybe I missed you."

"Don't insult my intelligence." I felt Finn's fingers tighten around my waist, digging into my skin.

"Finn," I said quietly, hoping to cool off the tension. "Can we not do this tonight?"

"Shut up, Daphne."

The words were sharp enough to make me fall silent. I looked at him, waiting for him to tell me he hadn't meant to sound so harsh. But his attention remained fixed on Killian, and his grip tightened again until pain spread through my hip.

"Finn, you're hurting me."

He turned towards me, his expression hardening as he snapped. "I said, shut the hell up."

I flinched at the sudden volume of his voice. The movement was small, but Killian noticed. Of course he did.

"You will let go of her, Finn. Now."

Oh no.

Killian's voice had changed. The sarcasm had vanished, his face had gone still, his stormy blue eyes fixed on his brother with a coldness that made the room feel smaller.

Finn's fingers loosened. I drew a breath I didn't know I was holding as I rubbed the sore spot on my hip.

Finn stepped away from me, squaring his shoulders. "What? You think I'm afraid of you?"

"No," Killian replied. "I think you're stupid enough to think i won't break your bones if you ever treat her like that again."

Finn scoffed and moved closer. "She's my girl, Kill. Not yours. I do what I want with her."

Killian took one unhurried step forward until they stood almost chest to chest. He didn't raise his voice or shout. He simply looked at Finn with a cold detachment, like he was waiting to rip Finn's throat open.

"Try touching her like that again," he growled, "I dare you."

My heart began to pound.

"Killian, please." I caught his arm, feeling the solid muscle beneath his jacket. "Just go. Please."

His gaze dropped to my hand before lifting to my face. Slowly, the coldness in his expression eased, revealing something soft I couldn't quite name.

"Why are you asking him to leave?" Finn demanded. "Do you think I can't handle him?"

"No, that's not what I meant."

"Then whose side are you on, Daphne?"

I stared at him. "I'm not taking sides. I just don't want you two fighting."

Finn's jaw tightened. "You must think you're all that, Killian."

"And that's because I am, Finn," Killian smiled lazily. "Take a good look at yourself. You're a mess. You should be grateful Daphne is willing to put up with you."

"Enough!" I pushed between them, my pulse racing. "Both of you. Please. I can't do this tonight."

Killian looked down at me. "If he touches you again, aim for his balls."

Then he was gone.

I watched the empty doorway for a second longer than I should have, a familiar ache settling in my chest. It always happened when Killian left: a small, irrational disappointment.

I hated that feeling. I hated it because Finn was standing right beside me, because I had just become engaged to the man I loved, and because Killian's absence had no business lingering in my head.

I turned towards Finn, ready to apologise for the argument. But the slap came before I could speak.