1. *Brotherhood, Regret, and Tears of a Broken Gem and a Foolish Man*

The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.

~ Mother Teresa

But I do love thee! and when I love thee not, Chaos is come again.

~ William Shakespeare

Love makes you do the unthinkable

~B.L.

I have friends in overalls whose friendship I would not swap for the favor of the kings of the world.

~ Thomas A. Edison

Constant use had not worn ragged the fabric of their friendship.

~ Dorothy Parker

In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things, does the heart find its morning and is refreshed.

~ Kahlil Gibran

Friendship plus brotherhood, more precious, valuable and priceless than any material and gems in the world and that I will never trade for anything in this world.

~Lune Blood

Letting go of a Gem is the most foolish thing a man can ever do

~Lune Blood

*************

Greek Village is a village founded and made by the 20 bachelor friends. I won't introduce them all yet, but we will get to know them as the series continues and their stories of friendship, brotherhood, and love unfold.

Here in this village are their homes, and of course, a resort and bar that only they can use.

The village is only part of the Black Village, where prominent, famous, heirs, and bachelor men live. Black Village was founded by the Montifierro Brothers.

The village has 6 sub-villages: the Greek Village, Lethal Village, Hell Village, Sin Village, Villareal Village, and the Billion-Heirs' Village.

***

Today is the 25th birthday of Travis Villaflor, Heir to Villaflor Empires and Owner of Villaflor Industries, specializing in Food Productions and Telecommunications. He's filthy rich, an Heir, and a self-made billionaire. What a catch! (Wish I had one, hahaha, but I'm currently broke, NSF too)

His birthday is held at the Black Village's enormous party hall. Different kinds of foods and dishes are served. There are various drinks and beverages. The decoration is elegant, fit for an heir and billionaire. Friends, families, friend's family, and all the residing men in the village, including the Lethal Team, The Diablos, Seven Deadly Sins, the Villareal Heirs, Billionaire Heirs, and the Montifierro Brothers, are invited.

Eighteen of the friends are seated together. Only eighteen, as the Montemayor twins are missing in action.

Suddenly, Vaughn elbowed Travis, causing him to turn around.

"What?" Travis asked.

"Earlier, I saw the youngest of the Montemayor twins staring at you. It seems he has a thing for you, that kid," Vaughn said, nodding towards where Raine, the youngest son of the Montemayors, was sitting.

Travis turned to look, and Raine, who had been staring, quickly averted his gaze and blushed.

"Oh, and so. I cleared it with him because he already confessed his feelings to me. I told him we can't be together because I have Cathy, remember? And besides, she's my friend's brother, and I just see him as one. And one more thing, Vaughn, I'm straight as an arrow," Travis replied boredly.

"Cool, brother. But speaking of Montemayor, where are the twins?" Vaughn asked.

"Do we need to even ask? And who's this Cathy?" Lance mumbled with his mouth full of cake, earning a slap on the back of his head from Klaus.

"Hey, idiot! Don't talk with your mouth full! And Cathy is Travis's girlfriend for a month now," Klaus said.

Lance swallowed his food before speaking. "Sorry, I didn't know Cathy. The only saying I know is 'Don't eat when your mouth is talking.'"

Klaus and Vaughn rolled their eyes and sighed.

Lance, feeling embarrassed, stood up and shouted, "Is it wrong to eat! Where is the justice! Basilio! Crispin! Free the Philippines!" causing everyone to turn and look at them, and then burst into laughter when they realized it was Lance.

Lance, realizing his mistake, made a peace sign and sat down, embarrassed.

"Oh, there he goes, the idiot," Leviathan remarked, and the friends all laughed, even the usually serious ones like Stavos, Damian, and Slade.

Their laughter stopped when they heard a commotion.

"Oh, there they are. Why are you so late?" Heaven asked, looking at the twins with a knowing gaze. The other friends also looked at them curiously.

"Why are you looking at us like that?" Samuel asked them as he sat together with his twin Rafael

"Like what?" Stavos asked, smirking mischievously.

"Like that," Rafael said, pointing at them.

"Tsk, Aderfos, why do you always make things awkward? I'll just ask. Is it painful or pleasurable, Samuel?" Lance asked.

Samuel's eyes widened in confusion. "What!!?? Idiot!? We didn't do anything!" the twins exclaimed together.

"What did you do? I meant the food you ate," Lance said, grinning.

"wh—fuck--, you—" Samuel started, but was cut off by Lance.

"Another what, Samuel?" Lance asked, still grinning.

"Asshole. Stop that. Oh and Travis, Happy Birthday, fucker," Samuel said, forcing a smile, and everyone, including Travis, laughed at their friends' antics. That's just how they are; after teasing and joking, they would laugh it off. No hard feelings, as they know each other's quirks. Thankfully, they never get tired of each other's company. Why would they? They're not just friends; they're brothers. They have not only the foundation of friendship but also the foundation of brotherhood.

Their laughter stopped again when the coordinator called for Travis to start the celebration.

"Friends, families, fellow colleagues, and residents of this Village. I, Travis Villaflor, am very happy and thankful to all of you. Although I'm not very religious—"

"Hahaha, Aderfos, you're not religious at all!" Lance interjected, to which everyone laughed.

"Hey, asshole, it's not your opinion I asked for. Is it your birthday? Tsk. Ahem. Okay. Even though I'm not religious, Aderfos, I'm thankful to all of you. I'm content, I hope Cathy and I will be together forever. I love you, Cathyrine," Travis said, then descended from the stage, giving Cathy a bouquet of roses with Ferrero Roche chocolates.

Everyone cheered, with Lance's voice being the loudest.