Chapter 40

Melissa stared.

Hadn't this family been so poor that they couldn't bear to part with a single battered pot? They'd brought things that ought to have been thrown away years ago. How could people like that know boys like these?

Worse, the boys were treating the older woman with extraordinary respect. They looked ready to wag their tails for her.

And what had Melissa and Ryan done? Looked down on her, discussed putting up a camera in case she stole from them, complained about the elevator, and refused to let her touch their dog because her hands might be dirty.

If they actually installed that camera, would these boys come back and beat them up?

As for the elevator, hadn't they taken it over for ages when they'd moved in? What gave them the right to complain when someone else needed it?

What if Mrs. Bennett told the boys everything?

Their leader clearly had money, and he looked as though he had very little patience. He might decide to hit them simply because he disliked their faces. Melissa couldn't imagine anyone taking their side afterward.

Her knees weakened. Ryan caught her at once. They exchanged a look, and the fear on his face matched hers.

She shouldn't have called the woman ill-mannered. She shouldn't have ignored her. She certainly shouldn't have implied that her hands were filthy.

The longer she thought about it, the less hope she had.

Mrs. Bennett was still trying to take it all in. Only after Miles introduced himself did she realize that he was one of Elise's biological brothers.

Since Elise had returned to the Whitmores, she'd deliberately kept her distance from the family, anxious to avoid any appearance of imposing on them. She'd never visited their home and had no idea what the brothers looked like. This was the first time she'd met one in person.

The boys were behaving so nicely that she couldn't stop smiling.

“What brings you all here? Oh, look at this place. We're moving today, and I haven't put anything away. I can't even have you sit down properly.”

“Please don't worry about us,” Miles said, the others hurriedly agreeing. “We've come to help you move. Just tell us what needs doing.”

An elevator chimed. Its doors opened on another load of furniture, boxes, and bags.

Miles gave Dylan and the others a look. They rushed forward, each trying to get to the load first, and began carrying everything into the condo. The movers had scarcely bent down before the boys crowded them out of the way.

Mrs. Bennett protested, embarrassed by so much eager help. Nobody listened. In the end, she could only stand aside with a helpless smile.

Looking at the care Miles took with her, she thought she understood. It was because she and her husband had raised Elise. He'd even brought all these friends to help them. Surely that meant he cared a great deal about his sister.

The attacks online had frightened them terribly after Elise went back to her birth family. Perhaps things there weren't as bad as they'd feared. Knowing she had a brother like this made Mrs. Bennett feel much easier.

Dylan and the boys emptied the elevator in no time. One of the movers turned to the couple lingering nearby.

“It's going down now. Are you getting in? Better take it before you tell us we're hogging it again.”

They might have kept their heads down and carried on working, but they'd heard every word of Melissa's complaints.

Her smile froze.

Miles had been standing neatly beside Mrs. Bennett. At that, the obedient expression left his face. His brows drew together.

“Someone said you were hogging the elevator?”

That was all the encouragement the mover needed. They started early and finished late, hauling other people's things around every day, only to get sneered at by people in expensive buildings. Everyone complained about the elevator. How else were they meant to move a household? Carry more than a dozen loads up all those flights of stairs until they dropped?

“Yes, and apparently we have no consideration for anyone else.” He glared at Melissa. “Who moves without using an elevator? Did you carry everything up the stairs when you came here?”

Her lips pressed so tightly together that they hurt. A mover thought he could talk to her like that? Under any other circumstances, she would have had plenty to say.

But Miles was watching. His expression had darkened, and the small crease between his brows promised a temper she had no wish to experience.

“Oh, no... I'd just had an argument with someone,” she said quickly. “I was in a bad mood and snapped. Please don't take it personally. Of course we used the elevator when we moved. You're right, I was being unreasonable. We're neighbors, after all. Take your time. There's no hurry.”

She smiled as broadly as she could, caught Ryan's arm, and pulled him into the elevator.

Thank goodness the boy had misunderstood. He thought she'd been insulting the movers. If he found out she'd only complained because she couldn't stand Mrs. Bennett, they would be in real trouble.

The mover stared at her abrupt change of tone, then settled for one last glare and bent to his work again.

Miles glanced at Melissa. With the argument over, he turned his attention back to Mrs. Bennett.

Downstairs, Elise had watched the movers make several more trips. The truck was gradually emptying when a familiar black, extended-wheelbase Rolls-Royce pulled up beside her.

The door opened from inside. Julian stepped out in a custom-made suit and gold-rimmed glasses.

This was an expensive condo development, with plenty of well-off residents, but few of them could afford a car like that. It had drawn attention from the moment it entered. People slowed to see who would get out; several young women looked ready to scream when they saw him, though they managed to keep quiet.

With his fine features and composed bearing, Julian looked exactly like a man who had grown up with every advantage.

Elise regarded him with resignation. Hadn't she told all her brothers to stay away? Miles had already sneaked upstairs with Dylan and the others, apparently convinced she hadn't noticed.

She'd played along and pretended not to see them. Now here was Julian, too.

He reached over and ruffled her hair as naturally as if they were at home.

“I said I wanted to thank your parents properly, remember? Today seemed like a good chance to see them. I've brought a few things.”

He made it sound perfectly reasonable: a younger member of the family coming to pay his respects. How was she supposed to refuse that?

“What did you bring?”

“Things they can use.” Julian glanced back at Daniel.

The butler and Julian's secretary began unloading bags from the car. Before long, both had several hanging from each hand.

“Isn't that... a little much?” Elise asked.

“Much?” Julian looked over his shoulder. “No. It's mostly nourishing foods and supplements. They'll get through them soon enough. When they do, I'll have Daniel bring more.”

“...All right.”

Her parents were going to be overwhelmed when they saw this.

Still, perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing. If they saw for themselves how much her brothers cared about her, they might stop worrying quite so much.

Melissa and Ryan emerged from the elevator and exchanged a shaken look.

“That was terrifying. Who were those people? I kept thinking they'd turn on us without warning.”

“What about the camera?”

“Forget the damn camera. I'm thinking about moving. If our new neighbor knows people like that, what happens when she tells them what we said?”

“Who is this family?”

Then they stepped outside and saw Elise standing with a man. He was touching her hair with easy affection.

Melissa caught Ryan's sleeve and tugged hard. The man was only part of it. Behind him stood an extended-wheelbase Rolls-Royce.

Oh, God. She'd never seen one in person before.

Her eyes widened until she felt they couldn't open any farther. Would she ever be able to drive something like that? She would have settled for being allowed to touch it.

And who were those two people beside the car, both so deferential to the handsome man standing with Elise?

He knew the family, too. That much was obvious. More than knew them, judging by the way he looked at the girl.

Melissa pressed a hand against her chest. She'd said horrible things to that girl's mother. Was there any way to take them back?

Ryan swallowed. What kind of neighbors had they ended up with? He'd heard of wealthy people who lived as though they had nothing, saving every penny while owning several luxurious homes.

To leave the development, they had to pass Elise. Their palms grew damp, and their legs felt unsteady as they approached.

The truck wasn't empty yet. Elise had suggested that Julian go up first, but he'd refused. He would wait with her. She'd had to let him.

Julian looked around the development and frowned.

“Don't you still have several other properties? The riverside house would be a better choice. You could try talking them into somewhere larger. These condos are rather small, and the surroundings aren't much better.”

Elise shook her head. “They wouldn't feel comfortable in a huge house, Julian. It would just feel empty to them.”

He pressed his lips together. After a lifetime in spacious, luxurious homes, he found fault with almost everything here. But the Bennetts liked a smaller place that felt lived in. There wasn't much he could say to that.

Melissa and Ryan were stunned.

Several properties? The girl herself owned several properties? Including a house by the river?

She looked so young. How could she have that much money?

Ryan felt his suspicions had been confirmed. The family looked frugal, but they must be fantastically rich.

And they'd wanted to put up a camera to stop these people stealing from them. As though the new neighbors would want any of their cheap possessions. They should be grateful if the neighbors didn't start worrying about them stealing instead.

Melissa, still holding the poodle, was caught on something else. Had the girl just called this man her brother?

Money and powerful connections would have been wonderful enough. But a brother who cared about you like that? She wanted the money and the affection.

She was so envious she could have cried.

They'd barely taken another couple of steps when a vivid sapphire-blue Lamborghini swept past them.

Both stopped and turned to watch it. What was going on today? A Rolls-Royce, then a Lamborghini? They hardly ever saw cars like these on the road, and now two had appeared at once.

Ryan loved cars. He couldn't drag his eyes away. They'd saved for years to buy their condo, and even then their parents had helped with part of the cost. He wasn't sure a lifetime of work would buy him that car.

It stopped beside the Rolls-Royce.

Melissa swore under her breath. Surely it couldn't be.

A man got out, about six feet tall and dressed as though he'd just left a fashion show. He wore a cap, sunglasses, and a mask that covered his face so completely it even looked loose on him.

Melissa found something else to envy. How small was his face? That same mask probably wouldn't cover two-thirds of hers.

He took a large collection of bags from the car and went straight to Elise. She gave him a helpless smile. He bent toward her a little, laughing as he said something, and the corners of her mouth lifted again.

As he leaned down, a strand of silver hair escaped beneath his cap.

Melissa's grip tightened on Ryan's sleeve. She yanked it several times, struggling so hard to keep from screaming that her face went red.

Ryan frowned. “What is it?”

“Adrian Whitmore!” she mouthed. “That's Adrian Whitmore. I know it is!”

The silver hair was unmistakable. It was his signature, a look nobody else in the business wore quite the same way. On someone else it might have looked like a cheap attempt to stand out. On Adrian, it looked bold, stylish, and effortlessly confident.

“You can tell from that?” Ryan asked, alarmed.

“I'd know him anywhere. I'm going to die.”

She spent her days staring at his pictures and helping push him up fan charts, dreaming that he might notice one of her posts. She'd never imagined being within thirty feet of him.

What kind of day was this? So many different kinds of handsome men, all at once. The boy upstairs had been frightening, but there was no denying how good he looked with that swagger. The man in the suit was elegance itself. And Adrian's face was famous for a reason.

Beside herself with excitement, she looked from Adrian to Elise and stopped.

The two men stood on either side of the girl, both angled toward her. Their attention was entirely on her, their expressions soft whenever they looked at her.

What had this girl done to deserve a life like that? A brother like the man in the suit, and such a close relationship with Adrian Whitmore, too?

Melissa could scarcely imagine being in her place. If Adrian said a single word to her, she'd probably faint.

“Do you think... if I asked for an autograph, he might give me one?” she murmured, unable to look away.

Ryan sighed. “Whether he would or not, could you really bring yourself to ask?”

She gave him a miserable look. After the way she'd treated Mrs. Bennett upstairs? If Adrian found out, why would he ever do anything for her?

The regret grew worse with every second. These people weren't poor. The girl owned several homes, and this was the smallest one.

And Melissa had worried about the mother dirtying her dog's outfit. If Adrian wanted to pet the dog, he could touch whatever he liked. He could even touch her.

Once the last belongings were inside and the movers had left, Elise surveyed the three brothers who'd invited themselves over. She could feel a headache coming on.

“Mom, this is Julian, my oldest brother.”

Julian stood straight and offered his hand with perfect courtesy.

“Julian Whitmore. It's a pleasure to meet you properly. Please, call me Julian.”

At a look from him, Daniel hurried to hand over the bags.

Mrs. Bennett couldn't stop smiling. One brother coming to help would have reassured her that Elise was being treated well. Three of them turning up over such a small thing? Her daughter had three brothers who cared enough to come running.

The gifts, however, were another matter. She and her husband were reluctant to accept so much. Elise had to coax them for quite a while before they finally agreed.

Adrian gave a soft huff. Now that they were indoors, he'd removed his mask, sunglasses, and cap. He offered his own gifts.

He'd bought tea, the kind the Bennetts had often drunk in their previous life.

“I'm Ellie's second brother, Adrian. Just Adrian is fine.” He smiled. “I brought you some tea. I think you'll like it.”

Mrs. Bennett looked into the bag, then at her husband. It was exactly the kind they usually drank. How did he know? Had Elise told him?

Mr. Bennett pressed his lips together, moved. He reached out to pat Adrian's shoulder.

“That's very thoughtful of you.”

Miles curled his fingers into a loose fist and looked at his brothers. They'd brought gifts?

He'd lost already. It hadn't even occurred to him.

Dylan shook his head with a quiet click of his tongue. Experience counted for something, apparently. What chance did Miles have against two older brothers who'd spent years learning how to deal with people?

Mrs. Bennett didn't care who had brought a gift and who hadn't. She wiped her hands.

“Sit down for a little while. I haven't got much put away yet, but once that's done, I'll make everyone a good meal.” She hesitated. “Though I don't know whether it'll be what you're used to. It's only ordinary home cooking.”

“We'll love it.”

The three answers came almost together. Their eyes met. Each had eaten her cooking after the bankruptcy in their previous life. What could there possibly be to get used to?

Reassured, Mrs. Bennett went happily into the kitchen. Elise put her brothers to work organizing the condo.

Before long, the table was covered with food. Elise, her three brothers, Dylan, and the other boys filled the seats around it.

She ate quietly, glancing at her brothers now and then. She'd been worried they would argue and make so much noise that her parents couldn't have a moment's peace. Instead, all three were on their best behavior, even taking turns raising their glasses to her father.

Julian seemed able to talk to Mr. Bennett forever. There was no trace of the grand executive about him; he leaned forward slightly to listen whenever her father spoke. Adrian kept Mrs. Bennett laughing with a stream of easy conversation, until the lines at the corners of her eyes seemed deeper. Miles had neither their gift for talking nor their ease at a crowded table. He quietly served food onto her parents' plates instead.

Then Mr. Bennett asked what the brothers did.

“I'm the CEO of Whitmore Group,” Julian answered respectfully.

Adrian smiled. “I make music. Play a concert now and then.”

Miles hesitated and lowered his eyes. “I'm... still in school.”

Dylan and the boys silently shook their heads. Another defeat.

An executive, a famous singer, and a boy who hadn't even left school. It was hardly a fair contest.

From the sidelines, they'd seen how badly Miles wanted to win. He'd made Dylan take notes for him to get his sister's attention, then given up his weekend to help her parents move. And now his brothers had turned up and beaten him in the career department before he could even start.

Miles tightened his fist a little. No gifts, no impressive career. How was he supposed to recover from this?

“Miles is still in school, but he's been working really hard,” Elise said with a bright smile. “If he keeps studying this seriously, he'll have all kinds of choices after he graduates.”

She'd seen how dejected he looked beside the other two and had hurried to speak up. She couldn't let him lose heart now. He needed encouragement if he was going to keep working at school.

Miles looked straight at her. Once again, she'd defended him in front of everyone.

His discouragement vanished. He felt ready for anything.

So what if the other two had won their parents over? His sister was on his side. That settled who had really won.

He collected his thoughts and slipped an unobtrusive look at Julian and Adrian.