Falling for my Enemy's Brother

Chapter 73: Damage Control

The penthouse suite stretched out behind him, two floors of glass and gold-veined marble, the kind of place designed for presidents, oil magnates, and Gulf royalty.

It was a birthday gift, technically. A gesture from one of his father’s associates. But to Craig, it felt more like a promo, the kind you didn’t ask for, the kind you got just for being born into the right family. He didn’t need it. Would’ve never stayed . But Adriana had insisted. Claimed he should be celebrating somewhere that came with skyline views and silk sheets straight out of Milan.

He leaned on the terrace rail now, watching the city stretch and shimmer beneath the early sun. Morning after the chaos. Or a lie. Lately, he couldn’t tell the difference.

Behind him, Adriana heels tapped softly against the marble floor, moving closer.

"You good? You’ve been a little out of it," she said without ceremony.

He didn’t turn around. "You noticed."

"You’ve been acting like a glitchy app—unclear, unstable, and sending mixed signals."

He cracked a dry smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes, because he realized he’d been that obvious.

Adriana stood beside him, sunglasses tucked into her hair, arms crossed. "So?"

He let the silence hang for a second too long. "It’s just... family stuff. My dad. My brother. Everything feels off lately. Like I’m off."

She studied him for a beat, expression unreadable. "That’s not all, is it?"

Craig exhaled through his nose. "No."

He pushed off the terrace rail, pacing a few slow steps before stopping, jaw tight. One hand curled into a fist at his side.

"I kissed someone." The words tore out, sharp and sudden, like they’d been burning a hole in his chest. He couldn’t hold it in anymore. He needed to say it out loud, needed to hear it, like confessing it might stop him from going crazy.

Adriana stopped cold. Her expression didn’t contort, but it tightened, as though she wasn’t sure what she’d just heard.

Craig’s eyes dropped. His stomach churned, but he couldn’t go back now. He knew he was doing the right thing, she deserved some level of honesty.

She took a breath. "Who was it?"

The question hovered in the air.

His throat worked, but no words came out. Who was it? He hadn’t prepared for that, hadn’t thought that far ahead. All he’d been focused on was saying it out loud, getting it off his chest. He just needed to know where they stood after this.

Her gaze sharpened. "Was she someone at the party?" Adriana asked again.

Craig’s jaw tensed. He forced a nod, then shook his head. "No." He needed time, not to confess, but to make up something. He wasn’t going to give Merlina’s name up.

"She’s...an old friend. She flew in." He searched for the right words. "Just to wish me a happy birthday."

It sounded even dumber out loud, but that was all he got.

Adriana nodded slowly, like she was tasting the lie, turning it over in her mouth before swallowing it. Then softly, "So she kissed you?" she asked.

Craig opened his mouth, then shut it tight. He tried again, voice faltering. "Uh... I—"

"She caught you off guard, took advantage of the moment," Adriana interrupted, her voice smooth, almost rehearsed. Her eyes were wide, waiting for him to agree.

But Craig was lost—confused, still trying to process her words.

"An old fling flying in to see you? Sounds pretty thirsty to me," she added casually, as if this wasn’t about them or their relationship at all.

Craig looked at her. He didn’t know what he expected...yelling, anger, tears. But this? This smooth explanation, this ease — it rattled him.

She stepped a little closer, though didn’t touch him. "Craig. I know how this goes, I know who I’m dating. And I know how many girls would kill to be me. I’ve seen it. This isn’t the first time someone’s thrown themselves at you."

He inhaled sharply, as if about to speak, but the words stuck. It wasn’t that she was completely wrong—girls had been crazy before—but he couldn’t believe how effortlessly she made excuses for him. It felt like she’d been preparing this moment forever.

Like she’d already forgiven a hundred sins he hadn’t even confessed.

"So she kissed you. And now what? She wants you to dump me or something?" Adriana teased.

His throat went dry. "No. It wasn’t like that..."

"What was it then? Did you sleep with her?" she pressed.

"No." He answered quickly. But deep down he knew that didn’t matter, because they only stopped thanks to that photo block crashing.

Adriana gave a soft smile, her fingers lightly brushing his arm. "See, there’s nothing to worry about. I know you love me, Craig. And I love you. That’s all that matters."

Her fingers moved to flatten a crease on his shirt, and Craig took a barely noticeable step back — not out of rudeness, but reflex.

She noticed the shift, hesitated for a moment, then carried on like nothing happened.

"I’m not going to let some desperate girl ruin what we have," she added, smoothing an invisible crease from his shirt. "Trust me, I get it. You’re young. You’re human. You slipped. It’s fine."

Desperate girl ? Young ? Slipped ?

No words have ever felt so far from the truth. He stared at her in disbelief, but the cold inside him wasn’t just guilt anymore — it was fear.

For the first time, he felt trapped. Not because she was clinging, not even because she was wrong but because she’d already written the story for both of them.

She was saying all the right things. The kind of things any guy would want to hear. She was ready to defend their picture-perfect thing. Like the truth didn’t matter, only the image.

And in that moment, she stopped feeling like his girlfriend.

She felt like a prop.

Another carefully placed piece in the perfect life he never asked for.

He couldn’t help but remember Merlina...wild-eyed, emotional, even a little messy. She yelled, she cried. She felt everything. It was impossible not to feel it too. She didn’t play roles. She didn’t recite lines. With her, nothing was curated.

With her, he felt alive.

But this ? What was this ?

"Adriana—" he tried to call her out.

"Don’t think about it," she cut him off, reaching for his hand. Her tone wasn’t bitter, it was protective. Like she truly didn’t want him to think about it, literally. "Don’t beat yourself up." she added, brushing her thumb over his knuckles.

Then she leaned in, pressed a light kiss to his cheek, and turned to leave.

But as she walked away, her shoulders stiffened. Her pace didn’t change, but her jaw did, clenched tight, like she was biting back something sharp. Her eyes burned, blinking faster than usual, like the air had suddenly turned too thick to breathe.

One hand fisted around the strap of her bag so tightly, her nails bit into the leather like she needed something to hold onto. Something to hurt.

But Craig didn’t see any of it.

He just watched her walk away.

Still unsure if he’d just dodged a bullet, or stepped in front of one.

Two hours of silence and red lights passed before he ended up across town, parked outside the smoothie bar where Keith always posted up on weekends. He hadn’t planned to talk. But the weight in his chest hadn’t lifted, not even after the confession.

He slid into the booth across from his friend, hoodie up, sunglasses on.

Keith looked up, did a quick scan. "Damn. You don’t look like someone who just turned a year older."

Craig didn’t speak.

He just sat there, letting the seconds pile up. The aftershock still buzzing in his bones.

Keith went back to sipping his smoothie, but he was watching him now. Eyes narrowing. Trying to read him like a glitch in the system.

Craig hadn’t planned to say anything. He hadn’t even told Keith that he kissed Merlina. Not a word. Not even a hint.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Keith, but he liked that Merlina was his precious little secret, tucked away like a fragile truth he wasn’t ready to share. His and only his.

Now, somehow it tumbled out—fast, low, and almost robotic.

He told him.

Told him he kissed someone.

Told him he’d told Adriana.

And she didn’t scream. Didn’t cry. Didn’t throw anything or curse him out. Just touched his hand, smiled, and said he was young. That she understood.

Keith froze, smoothie halfway to his mouth.

Craig could see the disbelief settle in slowly, like Keith’s brain was buffering.

"Hold up...." Keith set down his smoothie, eyes focused. "You kissed someone else and actually told Adriana?"

Craig sat slouched across from him, hoodie up, eyes tucked away like he didn’t want to be seen.

Keith leaned forward. "And she was cool with it?"

Craig nodded, numb.

"Bro. That’s not normal. That’s not even forgiveness. That’s ’I have cameras in your closet and your toothbrush is laced with laxatives’ energy."

Craig rubbed his forehead. "I thought she’d get mad. I thought she’d scream. Instead, she hugged me and told me I was just...young."

Keith leaned back slowly. "Yeah. That’s giving Lifetime Original Movie: Possessive Girlfriend Edition."

Craig didn’t laugh.

Keith frowned. "Who was it ? The girl you kissed."

Craig shook his head, voice low. "It’s not important. Just an old friend who showed up."

He said casually, eyes drifting to the corner of the room. "But Adriana didn’t even care about—"

His phone buzzed, cutting through the air.

It lit up on the table between them. He picked it up without caring, until he did.

Merlina.

Just her name on the screen made everything inside him shift.

The noise around him blurred. Keith’s voice, the quiet café hum, even his own guilt was gone. Replaced by a sudden rush of something deeper. Hope. Nervousness. That aching, familiar pull.

His thumb hovered. His pulse did something weird...offbeat, like a skipped track.

One(1) message.

He read it once.

Then again.

And again.

’Hey. We need to talk. Can you meet me somewhere?’