Chapter 4

“Ugh, this is so boring,” Adrian Knight (Aiden Knight’s illegitimate son) complained, slouching at their hideout table. He is 21 years old and gay.

His brother grimaced and shook his head, uninterested in the bar they were at.

“My ex-boyfriend dumped me! Damn! I want to kill him!”

Rio raised an eyebrow at Adrian, tired of his constant complaints. “All I ever hear from you is complaints!” Rio snapped, throwing a piece of his snack at Adrian, who just grinned.

“Let him be,” Jacques said, reading a book. Adrian just grinned and stood up.

“I’m going somewhere. Just send my regards to Carrie and Tara,” he said with a smile. He grabbed his college uniform coat and slung it over his shoulder, with one hand in his pants pocket, before leaving their hideout.

He bumped into Tara, who seemed to be talking to herself. Furthermore, he chuckled and blocked her path.

“Adrian?!”

Adrian just grinned and flicked Tara’s forehead, noticing that his cousin seemed uneasy.

“Welcome back!” he said cheerfully, giving Tara a peck on the cheek, but stopped when he noticed that she seemed to be in a bad mood. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

Tara shook her head and let out a deep sigh. “Carrie left me. Damn. I don’t know where she’s going!” Tara started to pace, feeling the panic setting in. “What if something happens to her? What if she runs into our family’s enemies, and they find out she’s Mama Scarlett’s daughter? What if she gets kidnapped? What if…!”

Adrian put his hand on Tara’s shoulder to stop her from panicking. “Whoa! Slow down,” he said, taking a deep breath. “Don’t think negative, cous. Carrie is a Knight, she’s been training with us for 9 years, she knows what she’s doing.” Adrian smiled. “Just breathe. She will call you.”

Tara took a deep breath to calm herself, but she couldn’t help but worry about Carrie, as if she was being chased by something earlier.

“What if she saw Agustin and chased after him?”

Adrian’s smile faded and was replaced with sadness, but he didn’t let Tara see it.

“Tara, calm down. Our city is big. Just like Aunt Scarlett, Agustin is good at hiding,” he said, chuckling quietly because they would rather not get their hopes up of finding Agustin again.

He took a deep breath and smiled at Tara, tousling her hair.

“Hey, I’m older than you.”

Adrian just laughed and shook his head. “Yeah. Oh, by the way, I have to go somewhere. It’s boring here. I want to go somewhere that will catch my attention,” he grinned and winked at Tara, who just shook her head at him. He waved at Tara and left their hideout to go to his car.

His smile faded as he remembered Agustin, and he also remembered the embarrassing thing he did to his cousin because he didn’t know Agustin was his cousin…

FLASHBACK

“Hi!”

Agustin just looked at Adrian, who sat beside him. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

Adrian just shook his head and smiled, clearly seeking the attention of the man.

Agustin scoffed. “Are you trying to get my attention?” he approached Adrian and whispered, “I’m your cousin, idiot.”

Adrian’s eyes widened, and he stood up in embarrassment. “Oh, f***!”

END OF FLASHBACK

Adrian just laughed as he remembered the most embarrassing moment of his life.

“Damn you, asshole. Where are you?” he muttered, touching his lips, but suddenly stopped as he passed by a club.

Adrian glanced at the club and saw many gangsters hanging out outside the club while sitting on their motorcycles. He grinned and drove his car to the front of the place to park, not wanting the club’s customers to know that he was a Knight and a young businessman even though he was still in college.

Furthermore, he checked his ID and saw that he was of legal age. He removed his necktie and unbuttoned one button from his long-sleeved shirt, then looked at his face in the mirror before getting out of the car.

And he looked around and honked his car to lock it properly, knowing that no one would steal his car because it had an alarm connected to his phone and earbuds.

He rolled up his long-sleeve suit to his elbows and crossed the street to head to the club because the place seemed interesting to him.

When he arrived at the club, the men hanging out by the motorcycles looked at him and whistled as he walked by, but he just smiled and went straight inside. However, a bouncer stopped him, so he showed his ID.

He smiled as the bouncer inspected his ID, and then the bouncer returned it to Adrian, who thanked him and went inside the club.

Adrian chuckled softly as he entered the club and danced along to the loud music. He let out an “ohh” when he saw two men kissing on the side. He grinned as he observed the club until he reached the counter.

He sat down and faced the bartender. “Two beers please!” he said with a smile, and the bartender turned to him, his mouth dropping open because the bartender was handsome. He swallowed and sat up straight because there was a bulge in his pants.

“Shit!” he muttered, smiling at the bartender to calm down what was in his pants.

“Here’s your beer, sir,” the bartender said, placing two beers in front of him and opening them for him.

Adrian smiled as he looked at the bartender. “Thanks… I’m Adrian,” he introduced himself and took a sip of the beer, sweating because what was inside his pants was getting angrier.

“Emmett… Emmett, sir,” Emmett smiled and slightly nodded as Adrian, whom he didn’t recognize, approached him. He noticed that the man in front of him seemed wealthy.

“Hi, Emmett!”

Emmett just smiled and rolled up his white long sleeves to his elbows. “My shift is over, sir. I have to join my friends’ party over there,” Emmett pointed to where his friends were and smiled at Adrian. “Do you want to join us, sir?”

Adrian shook his head and bit his lip. “No, I’m fine. Go. Thank you for your assistance,” Adrian said with a smile. Emmett nodded and touched Adrian’s shoulder, causing him to look at Emmett’s hand.

“If you need anything, sir, just press this button,” Emmett pointed to the button in front of Adrian. Adrian nodded, so Emmett just smiled and left the counter to join his friends.

Adrian bit his lip as he looked at Emmett and took a sip of his beer.

CARRIE ARRIVED at her destination, but was surprised when the taxi stopped far from the club.

“Ma’am, I won’t be going all the way to the club because I don’t want to put myself in danger. There are many people there who scam and rob taxi drivers, so we avoid that area,” the taxi driver explained.

Carrie furrowed her brow, but paid the taxi driver and got out of the taxi. She took a deep breath and crossed the street to go to the club.

She immediately noticed Agustin’s favorite cruiser motorcycle, so she took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves. The men hanging around outside the club noticed her and started staring at her. She held on to her bag tightly and ignored the men.

The bouncer immediately stopped her, so she quickly took out her ID to show that she was not a minor. The bouncer looked at her, so she felt awkward and looked down.

“This way, ma’am,” said the bouncer as he returned her ID. She smiled and thanked the bouncer.

As she entered, she couldn’t help but observe her surroundings and cringed because it was a public bar with many people inside. She saw people kissing and others using illegal drugs as she walked through.

Maybe she just wasn’t used to going to a public bar in their area, so she felt uncomfortable.

She looked around to find Agustin, but he was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, a sweaty man without a shirt on approached her, and she pushed him away, causing him to fall onto the sofa, appearing to be high.

She hurriedly walked away to avoid the intoxicated men, but stopped when she saw a familiar figure. It seemed like she could only focus on Agustin and nothing else around her.

Tears welled up in her eyes again, but she quickly wiped them away and clenched her fists. She had been searching for her twin for eight years, and now she had finally found Agustin. She didn’t know why, but she wanted to hurt Agustin for leaving them.

She took deep and heavy steps to reach Agustin’s place, and she tightened her grip on her bag and took a deep breath before stopping in front of Agustin’s desk.

“Agustin.”

Eli, or Agustin, stopped and stared at the woman in front of him. He straightened up in his seat, wondering how she found him.

“Can we talk? Please?”

Agustin swallowed and clenched his fist, but didn’t respond because he didn't want Carrie to know he was Agustin.

“Miss! If you want to talk to the boss, you need to pay! His time is valuable! And his name isn’t Agustin, it’s Eli!” one of his colleagues interjected. Carrie didn’t say anything, but she took money from her wallet and dropped it on the table while staring at Agustin.

“Can I talk to him now?” Carrie asked while looking at Agustin/Eli. “I will add to that after I talk to him,” she added.

Agustin’s companions shouted as they counted the money Carrie paid them, but Agustin forcefully took the money and placed it back on the table.

“Boss?!”

Agustin shook his head as a signal to return the money to Carrie. His companions scratched their heads and returned the money to Carrie. Instead of accepting the money, she took out one of her credit cards and trembling placed it on the table, tears streaming down her face.

“T-this is all yours, just let me talk to him,” Carrie cried, placing her phone and the expensive watch Agustin gave her on her 18th birthday on the table. “Is this not enough? I will give everything… just let me talk to your boss…” Carrie was desperate to give everything she had just to talk to the man in front of her.

“Um, M-Miss…”

Carrie shook her head and bit her lip as she rummaged through her bag to find something to give, but she stopped when Agustin handed her all her belongings. Trembling, she took Agustin’s hand and gently touched it to her cheek.

“J-Just let me talk to you, brother, please? Don’t push me away,” Carrie cried. Agustin’s eyes softened as he looked at his sister and nodded.

“In my private room,” Agustin smiled and gently stroked his sister’s cheek.

He looked at his companions. “I’ll cut off your hand if you steal her stuff,” he threatened his friends as he grabbed Carrie’s hand and pulled his sister into his private room.

His companions scratched their heads and shrugged, puzzled by the woman’s earlier reaction. The bar owner approached them.

“Emmett, put away the woman’s belongings and don’t take her money because it’s not yours,” the old man said seriously. “Don’t disturb them. They need to talk.” Agustin’s friends then turned to look at him.

“Is she Eli’s ex-wife?”

“Eli doesn’t have a wife!” shouted Agustin/Eli’s girlfriend. The men laughed as it was obvious that Eli’s girlfriend was annoyed by Carrie’s interruption.

The old man shook his head and looked towards the door of a room. “She isn’t just an ex-wife or a friend, their relationship runs deeper. She is one of the most important people in Eli’s life,” he said, before turning back to Eli’s friends and returning to his office…

When they entered the room, Carrie angrily let go of Agustin and closed the door before facing her twin.

“Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you for eight years! For eight years, Agustin!” Carrie shouted in frustration, running her hands through her hair. “F***!”

“How did you find me?” Agustin asked. Carrie sarcastically laughed, as that was the first question her twin asked her.

“I followed you! I saw you at the

gas station! I’m with Tara! Even if your appearance or clothes have changed, I still recognize you because we’re twins! What have you done, huh?!” Carrie yelled, pushing Agustin in anger. “You’ve been missing for many years! I never stopped looking for you because I never lost hope of finding you! What the f*** are you doing, huh?!” She pushed Agustin again, and this time he didn’t resist.

“You don’t even think about how we feel when you’re gone? You are selfish!” She angrily hit Agustin, who remained quiet while taking each slap, and Carrie tried to hold back her tears. “I hate you! I hate you so much!”

Agustin held back his emotions and hugged Carrie tightly as she continued to hit him. Carrie’s knees weakened, and she hugged Agustin back, crying uncontrollably.

“Why are you doing this? You’re not the only one who was hurt when dad passed away. You’re not the only one who felt the loss because even mom still can’t accept dad’s death.”

Agustin remained silent and only tightened his embrace on Carrie. “Come back with me, brother. I need you. We need you, and mom needs you. She’s sick. Please… Brother… Just come back home,” Carrie pleaded, tears in her eyes. Agustin’s jaw clenched as he pulled away from the embrace and looked at Carrie.

“Listen to me, princess… I’m not coming back. This is my new home,” Agustin softly replied. Carrie shook her head firmly and pushed Agustin.

“No. This is not where you belong,” Carrie said firmly, wiping away her tears. “You need to get back to where you belong.”

“Carrie…”

Carrie shook her head again and pointed to the door. “You are selling drugs, and you use them! This is not you! This is not my twin brother! They are not your family! We are your family! Our world is different from theirs!” Carrie swallowed. “You belong to the Knights! You are a Knight.”

“Carrie!” Agustin shouted, causing Carrie to flinch and stop. “Enough! You will not force me! I don’t want to go back there! That is not the place for me!”

Tears streamed down Carrie’s face as she looked at her twin. “Mom is sick and not getting better. She wants to see you before she passes away,” she said, her voice trembling. “Tara is getting married, and she wants you to walk her down the aisle.” Carrie took a deep breath. “We need you. Come back home, brother. I miss my twin brother, my protector, and my hero.”

Agustin ignored Carrie’s words and gave her a cold stare.

“Leave this place and don’t come back,” Agustin said firmly, turning away from Carrie.

Carrie took a deep breath and approached Agustin. “What can I do to convince you to come back to us?” she asked, standing in front of him and holding his cheeks. “I love you, brother. Please keep in mind that you still have a family,” she said, closing her eyes and leaning in to kiss Agustin on the cheek.

“Come back home,” Carrie added as she left Agustin’s room.

Agustin was frustrated and angry, throwing his things around his room and punching the wall. He shouted and slumped onto his bed, not knowing how to feel.

When Carrie left the room, she sighed in relief, knowing she couldn’t force Agustin to come with her, as she knew her brother was determined not to return home.

“Ah, Miss,” Carrie wiped her tears and smiled gratefully at Emmett, who handed her belongings to her.

“Take care of him,” she said, then bowed and left the bar.

As she walked, someone blocked her path. She looked up and was surprised to see one of her cousins.

“Adrian? What are you—”

“I should be asking you that. What are you doing here? Tara is worried about you,” Adrian interrupted before Carrie could finish her question. Carrie looked around and approached Adrian so they could talk.

“I’ll tell you later,” Carrie whispered. Adrian nodded and glanced at Emmett’s spot before sighing.

“Let’s get out of here,” Adrian pulled Carrie out of the bar and headed straight to his car. Carrie sat in the passenger seat, while Adrian took the driver’s seat.

“So, what now? What are you doing in this place? It’s dangerous for you to be here,” Adrian asked as they got into the car.

Carrie took a deep breath and ran her hand through her hair. “I saw him. I saw my twin brother. Agustin is in that place. I talked to him and convinced him to come home, but he doesn’t want to come back to us,” she said, shaking her head.

Adrian was taken aback and turned to look at Carrie, who was starting to cry again.

“Adrian, I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to make him come back to the mansion. This is not where he belongs.”

Adrian’s eyes softened and he sighed. “Oh, fuck,” he whispered, pulling Carrie into a hug. Carrie hugged him back as she sobbed.

“I miss him! I miss my brother! He doesn’t want to come back to us! He doesn’t want to be with us anymore.” Carrie cried. Adrian didn’t say anything, allowing his cousin to let out all the pent-up frustration she had been holding in for eight years.

“We’ll put him back where he belongs,” Adrian said firmly, staring out the window of his car.

Carrie fell asleep from crying, feeling the exhaustion her cousin felt from searching for Agustin. If only he could do something to ease their pain and longing for Agustin, he would.

He would be the one to bring Agustin back to where he belongs.