"Kaikai, you’ve come back."
Antony’s voice was the first thing Kaija heard when she returned to her flat.
"Yes, Antony, I’m back," Kaija replied with a soft smile.
Antony wasted no time pressing his lips to hers, pinning her gently against the front door.
"You left without telling me," Antony said between kisses.
Though his voice was even, Kaija was confident by now that she’d mastered the art of sensing Antony’s sulking moods.
"The doors were closed. I thought you and Charles were still asleep," Kaija replied, stroking his chest tenderly. "Why are you still here?"
"I thought I could... help you a little with the housework before you returned."
Kaija blinked. What housework was Antony talking about?
"I made a few changes while I was cleaning. I hope you don’t mind." Antony’s tone was strangely shy, gesturing toward the kitchen and living room.
Kaija’s gaze followed his hand, and realization dawned across her face.
The nearly empty space that Karl once referred to as a plain, boring canvas was now dotted with small potted plants: on the kitchen counter, in the corners, on the empty bookshelves, even by the windows.
The plates and cups she owned were now neatly arranged, visible through the glass doors of the cupboard. And more than that, with just a glance she could tell every surface had been wiped pristine clean, not a trace of dust in sight.
Seeing the astonishment on Kaija’s face, Antony shifted nervously as he spoke. "You’ll be quite busy soon, and your schedule will be tight. I figured some plants might lift your mood."
"Antony... That’s... that’s amazing," Kaija stuttered. Never had she imagined her living space could look so minimal, yet so lively and orderly.
"You... you actually like it?" A smile bloomed across Antony’s face.
"I love it a lot, Antony," Kaija confirmed, sealing her words with another kiss on his lips. "But, um... is Charles still here? There’s something I need to ask him."
At the mention of his half-brother’s name, the smile vanished from Antony’s face. Still, he gathered himself, keeping his voice steady as he guided her into the living room.
"There was an incident while you were gone, Kaija. And our boss left to deal with it."
Kaija’s brow twitched at the way Antony still referred to Charles as their boss rather than his brother. Apparently, their relationship was still as strained as ever.
"What sort of incident?" Kaija asked. She kept her tone neutral, though she could already guess what it was.
"It’s quite a serious one," Antony replied, pulling her onto his lap. "The police somehow received anonymous reports about Liisi Grant and ordered a drug test. The results came back positive, so they issued a search of her dorm. You must have seen the cars gathering outside Building A on your way back."
Kaija fell silent, leaning against Antony’s chest. She knew better than to say another word, well aware of how terrible she was at lying.
Pretending she didn’t know anything in front of Antony was tiring enough. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in the clean, familiar scent of his white shirt.
Seeing Kaija snuggling against him like a small kitten, a smile returned to Antony’s face. His fingers sank into the softness of her hair, stroking her gently, as though he’d been waiting for this moment all day.
The moment didn’t last.
The front door clicked open behind them, and Antony’s shoulder stiffened.
"Do you really have to come back right now, brother?" Antony muttered, not even bothering to turn around. "You couldn’t have possibly taken care of such a scandal that quickly."
At that, Kaija lifted her head over Antony’s shoulder, and what met her gaze was Charles’s narrowed silver stare.
Uh-oh. She gulped.
She’d only just gotten a minute to relax in Antony’s arms. She was so not ready for another fiery clash between these two half-brothers.
"I’m glad I handled it rather quickly," Charles said, each word edged with cold steel. "Otherwise, I would’ve missed such a pleasant sight. You don’t not exactly know your place as you claimed, brother."
"Charles," Kaija called, keeping her voice as steady as she could, "Come on, come over here."
Sighing, Charles removed his shoes and walked over. He settled on the couch beside Antony, but the moment he did, his hand came to rest on the arm wrapped around Antony’s body as well.
"I’ve had a long day at work," Charles said. "I deserve a hug too."
"She hugged me first, brother," Antony muttered, glaring down at the hand gripping his kitten’s arm. "Have some manners. I had a long day at work too."
Kaija blinked, frozen for a second. She glanced up at Antony, whose golden eyes gleamed like a predator’s, then at Charles, whose silver gaze had sharpened like knives.
Gathering her resolve, Kaija finally spoke. "Antony told me about Liisi Grant. I want to hear what happened."
"The police have taken her away for further investigation," Charles said, making no move to withdraw his hand.
"And what will happen to Liisi now?" Kaija pressed.
"The test results were positive, so she’ll be placed under investigation. If convicted, she’ll serve a sentence of several years. The board has agreed to terminate any management contracts KE has with her."
"Would that cause KE much damage?"
"It would, but now that she’s served three years, any investment made in her has already been fully recouped, so I wouldn’t consider it a loss. She severely violated contract terms, far beyond what she did to you at the festival. There’s no reason for KE to go out of our way to save Liisi Grant now."
Kaija’s expression remained calm as she absorbed Charles’s words, though guilt burned quietly inside her. Her one hand slipped from Antony’s back as she reached over to stroke Charles’s chest gently, hoping to soothe whatever stress she had caused him.
"I’m very sorry you had to deal with that," Kaija murmured softly.
For a split second, Kaija felt the muscles beneath her palm tighten. Charles’s lips pressed together, his face momentarily stunned as he stared at the girl looking at him with apology in her eyes.
"Baby..." Charles murmured. His hand left her arm and closed over the one resting on his chest. "You... don’t have to be sorry."
In the intensity of their exchanged gaze, Kaija Sepala knew one thing for certain.
There wasn’t a single thing she could ever hide from Charles Kosonen.