Chapter 137: Trying To Bounce On Kaye
After getting home, Malo was waiting for me in the living room. It was already past 8, and the house felt buzzing with that pre-weekend energy. Dina had walked in with me since it was officially the friday night, but she didn’t even stop to chat. She just ran straight to her room to probably call someone or change.
"Hey, are you coming to the club tonight?" Malo asked, looking up from his phone. He was already wearing a clean shirt, looking like he was ready to head out.
"I saw Leo Kings today," I said, dropping my bag on the counter. I was still processing the whole blue hair thing.
"Oh, so you’ve finally met my role model," he said, grinning.
"Yes, and he seems like a good guy. I was surprised. I thought he was going to be kind of harsh or stuck up because of the money, but he was actually cool. He even gave me his personal number to call him whenever I needed something," I told him.
"He’s not harsh at all. He jokes and talks a lot more than most Alphas, but don’t let that fool you. When it comes to business or money, he’s scary. It’s a funny vibe, but with a dangerous edge underneath," Malo explained.
"And he’s a total dickhead," a voice added.
I jumped slightly and turned to look at the dining area. Eriko was sitting there, partially hidden by the shadow of the tall fridge. He was drinking a beer and staring intensely at his laptop screen. I hadn’t even noticed him until he spoke up.
"Hi, Eriko," I said, giving a little wave.
"Hi, Faye," he muttered, not looking away from his work.
"Look, tonight is going to be legendary," Malo said, drawing my attention back. "It seems like Princess has something big up her sleeve. We are all heading to the Bulldogs club tonight. Are you in? You have to be in."
I wondered what Princess was planning. It made sense now why she had acted so mysterious at the graveyard. She had even asked me to go home and rest instead of spending more time with her this afternoon. Well, I guess I’m going to find out soon enough.
"Okay, let me quickly take a shower and change into something decent," I said.
After scrubbing the day off and getting dressed, I headed outside. On my way past the bedrooms, I noticed Kaye, he was trying to hide inside Paye’s room, peeking through a crack in the door. The moment he opened it a bit wider and saw me standing right there at the entrance, his eyes went wide. He tried to slam it shut, but I was faster. I used my leg to wedge the door open before he could click the lock.
"Nanna!" Kaye shouted the moment he realized there was nowhere left to run. He scrambled across the room and jumped onto Paye, who was sitting by his desk filling out some stacks of forms.
"What is the meaning of this, Kaye? I’m trying to work," Paye said as Kaye practically tackled him, scrambling into his lap.
Kaye gave me a daring, defiant look from the safety of his father’s arms. He knew I had been avoiding Paye since that night we had our big argument, and he was using that as a shield. But I didn’t care about the awkwardness right now. Kaye had been way too naughty lately. How dare he spy on me and report back to Princess? He’s supposed to be on my side. He’s a Grande. I understand why Dina does it since Princess is her aunt, but I am Kaye’s actual aunt.
"You are in big trouble today, little man. How dare you go behind my back?" I said. I ignored Paye entirely, focusing on trying to grab Kaye’s legs to pull him down.
"Nanna! Faye wants to beat me! Stop her! She’s trying to kill your only son!" Kaye cried out. He held onto Paye’s neck so tightly I thought he might choke him. Somehow, for a kid his size, he was too strong to pull away.
Paye stood up from his chair, looking exasperated. Kaye stayed clinging to him like his life depended on it, and honestly, it probably did, because I was ready to bounce on him for being a snitch.
"What is the meaning of all this noise?" Paye shouted. He looked completely confused as he stepped away from me, trying to keep his balance while his son hung off him like a backpack.
"He is definitely not a loyal Grande. He chose Princess over me. He’s been telling her everything I do," I said, giving Kaye a death stare that should have melted his hair.
"I did not choose sides! I was just trying to protect my investment!" Kaye shouted back, his face red.
"Investment? What the fuck does that even mean? I’m your aunt, not a stock option!"
"I gave Princess my blessing to marry you, and I invested a lot of my time taking care of you and making sure you stayed safe! Yuki is not a good person. She doesn’t even like me, but Princess does. Princess pinky promised me she would never make you cry, and that’s who I gave my blessing to. Yuki is mean to me! She has those scary eyes!" he shouted from the safety of his father’s arms.
"Who is Yuki?" Paye asked. He looked back and forth between us, still totally lost.
"She is Faye’s idol and the new neighbor who always looks at me with those scary purple eyes," Kaye explained, sounding genuinely terrified for a second.
"Look here, little man, my life is my life. You don’t get to decide who I hang out with or protect whatever you call an investment. I am a grown woman, okay? I can make my own decisions without a kid reporting my every move. You should be lucky Paye is here to save you tonight. But mark my words, when no one is at home, I’m going to bounce on you," I said, pointing a finger at him.
I turned to leave my brother’s room, done with the drama, but Paye’s voice stopped me cold.
"Miss grown woman, you can’t just walk into my room, cause a scene, and then leave with a threat like that. Hold on."
I stopped and looked back. Paye looked tired, but he had that older brother look on his face.
"First, you two should stop this fighting. It’s ridiculous. Kaye, you stop trying to make your aunt angry. You need to respect her space. And Faye, you should stop trying to use violence to solve everything. We are not in Redwood anymore. We are the Grande family. We shouldn’t fight each other; instead, we should be the ones looking after each other because no one else will."
He spent the next few minutes calming us both down. He explained why family loyalty meant having each other’s backs even when we disagree. He made us stand in the middle of the room and hug it out. It was awkward as hell, but we both apologized at the same time just to get it over with.
I thought I was finally going to escape and head to the club, but as I moved toward the door, Paye put a hand on my shoulder.
"Wait a second, Faye. Don’t go yet. We need to have a real chat," he said.
I looked at him, and my heart sank. I knew that tone. The club was going to have to wait.
