Chapter 4

Mikhael~

"This is really incredible. That piece of shit lost my money again!" I heard my twin cousin Phoenix cursing. The veins in his neck were bulging, his eyes blazing. We were sitting in the VIP lounge of an upscale nightclub.

I shot him a glare of irritation as the loud, pounding music blasted through my head. The DJ wasn’t holding back tonight. Add to that the screaming crowd—relentlessly dancing, dripping in sweat.

It was just that Nicola—our other cousin—had lost the money Phoenix had painstakingly saved to buy a new big bike chopper. The ten luxury cars parked at his mansion weren't enough for Phoenix, apparently.

I leaned over the bar counter and handed my glass to Kendrix, his twin. My “very good” cousin who acted like he owned the nightclub—though he didn't. He had managed to shoo away the actual bartender earlier, taking over with the kind of entitlement only a Henderson could get away with. Not that I cared. If he was busy being ridiculous, he wasn’t my problem. He loved showing off. I asked for a refill. He raised an eyebrow at me but didn’t complain and poured Chivas Regal into my glass. I curled one side of my lip before downing the drink.

“Why is he so addicted to the casino?” Phoenix snorted, drinking again. He wiped his mouth with his elbow and cursed again. “Fucking asshole! A goddamn leech!”

“Calm down, twin. Nicola’s always been like that. You should know better than to lend him cash. That’s your fault, you see?” Kendrix said lazily while opening a bottle of rum.

I didn’t know if Phoenix’s cheeks turned tomato red, but I was sure his nose was steaming with rage. “I didn’t lend him money. He stole it! Do you get it? He’s dead meat—”

“Argh, enough. I’m tired of listening to you,” I cut in, giving him a sharp look. Then I rubbed my temples, the throbbing intensifying. I hadn’t slept in days, not since I turned over the company as CEO. And this goddamn cacophony wasn’t helping. I didn’t want to stay home either, being alone only made my pain worse. I glanced at my smartwatch. 3:15 a.m. Another sleepless night. I was one step away from becoming a vampire.

“You will never understand my situation, cousin. I can’t handle not buying what I want. That’s why I work hard in our company—to fund my indulgences. And now it’s all gone, just like that,” Phoenix lamented. I wasn’t interested, but it was impossible to ignore the arrogance of the future CEO and current VP of our sister company, Strix Holding Corporation, which specialized in high-end property development, luxury hotels, and upscale retail complexes.

“Just say what you want,” I muttered, standing to avoid him. I reached for another bottle of Chivas, but a heavy hand suddenly slapped my shoulder.

“Hey, look who’s here!” Nicola said in a loud, cheerful voice as if Phoenix hadn’t just insulted him moments ago. I had to admire this cousin of mine. Grinning like a dog, acting innocent, even though one of us was already glaring at him. “I thought you went to sleep tonight? Oh, look at that—guess you never sleep, huh?”

I clenched my jaw. I turned to him, but he met me with that smug face. I was getting annoyed with this bastard too. He must’ve just come back from the casino—after spending Phoenix’s stolen money. “What the hell do you want?”

“Just saying hi,” Nicola replied, throwing his hands up in mock innocence. “Can’t I check on my dearest cousins?”

“Yeah, you’re done depositing my twin’s money at the casino, right?” Kendrix quipped, shaking his cocktail with a teasing smile.

Nicola gave a dry laugh. “I left a little. I heard he was planning to buy a new big bike,” he said sarcastically. His devilish grin sparkled. Then he turned his attention to Phoenix, his smirk sharpening. “Hmm, someone doesn’t seem too happy to see me.”

“You son of a—” Phoenix lunged at him, his fist tightly clenched, but I stopped him faster than lightning. I didn’t want a scene at the bar.

“Enough!” I snapped in a low, menacing voice. “Phoenix, sit down. Nicola, either replace the money you took or get the hell out of my sight.”

“What? Replace?” the asshole laughed, veins popping in his tone. “What do you take me for, Mikhael? I just got unlucky at the casino. That happens, right? Besides, you’re the CEO now, right? Got all the money to burn. How about helping a cousin out?”

Phoenix was about to explode. “You stole one million pesos from me, Nicola! What do you think I am—your personal ATM?”

“Uh-ho! Why’d you give him your black card then? Forgot the difference between forced and voluntary?” Nicola interrupted with a roll of his eyes. “Cry me a river, baby. Should I sell your fancy cars too? Which one’s best?”

“Don’t you dare!” Phoenix stood again to go after Nicola. I shoved him back to his seat. Nicola was laughing his ass off, and Kendrix was clearly enjoying the chaos too.

My headache intensified. I couldn’t deal with my red-flag cousins. They were toxic, selfish, and completely indifferent to consequences. I had spent half my life keeping them out of trouble while managing my own chaotic world. It was exhausting. They were lucky I loved them.

“Get out,” I said calmly. “I said all of you, leave now.”

Phoenix blinked, stepping back. “What?”

“I said get out.” I stood first, ignoring my spinning vision caused by fatigue. “I’m done babysitting tonight. And Nicola—” I glared at him, “if you take anything from us again, I won’t be so forgiving.”

This is what happens when you're the eldest cousin. They respected me.

He grinned, but I showed a glint in my eyes that worried him. He raised both hands and backed off. “Okay, okay. No need to get so serious, boss. We’re family, aren’t we?”

That’s always been his weapon. Family.

“Family.” I let out a humorless laugh and pushed past Nicola without another word. Right now, all I wanted was fresh air and space.

I stepped out of the VIP lounge and walked down the quiet corridor toward the balcony that overlooked the entire city of Manila. I felt a bit better, and the pounding in my head eased slightly when the cold wind hit my face. I leaned on the railing, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. I could see the horizon beginning to light up.

It was 4:30 in the morning. I hadn’t slept in over forty-eight hours.

And now, everything had only gotten worse between my cousins. Nicola’s gambling was out of control, Phoenix’s temper was becoming unmanageable, and Kendrix seemed to enjoy ruining other people’s lives. Only one cousin, Beau, wasn’t here—he was serious about work as my company’s VP, but even he wore a mask: innocent up front, deadly behind your back.

Enough of this. My cousins were exhausting. Just extra weight on my shoulders. All I wanted now was a few moments of peace. I wouldn’t ask for more—because as a Henderson, peace was a luxury rarely granted.

Everything could’ve stayed calm… but then my phone vibrated. I quickly pulled it out to check the message. My mother wanted me to pick her up at the airport. She had gone to Japan for three days right after I became CEO.