5

HAILEY

Just as shocked as I was, Jaxon was too because I saw him stare wide-eyed at Aiden. We definitely were not expecting that.

"You know him? Really?" Adrian bent towards him, curiosity etched on his face as he wanted to know more.

"Come on, Aiden. Don't bore your uncle with those weird stories of yours." I could only think of saying. My hands had suddenly gotten sweaty, and I was so anxious that I kept trying to get my son's attention so as to distract him.

"Of course not Hailey. He most definitely can't bore me. I'm his uncle." Adrian said, passing me a short smile before staring back at Aiden.

"Tell me, champ. Where did you see Uncle Jaxon? How do you know him?" Adrian's curiosity was beginning to build tension inside of me.

Oh, my days! I groaned, rubbing my head for any more thoughts.

Quickly, I turned to Jaxon, who was now watching me. Just the moment we locked gazes, I felt my anger towards him heighten. We were in the middle of some deep s**t yet all he could do was stare at me?

I glared at him after some time and turned back at my son, who had not said anything yet but was playing with his uncle.

"Come on, Adrian. We've got a lot of things to prepare for. You can play with your nephew later." Jaxon finally spoke, distracting their little affectionate moment. Adrian stood up to his feet that moment.

"And besides, you're not supposed to ask the kid where he must have met me. I'm a billionaire, and I most definitely appear on Tv and kids these days watch Tv. Isn't that a clue for you?”

Believe me, I was surprised. Was he a billionaire? Or was he just trying to show off because he looked like someone who could do so?

"Well, thank you again for displaying how much of a sensible person you are.” My brother said, with nothing but a smirk playing on his face. I realized at that moment that his statement was nothing but one of mockery. Probably, Jaxon had hurt his pride, especially in front of his nephew.

"Come on, Adrian. Let's go get you prepared for dinner." I rushed towards my son and dragged him away from their midst right before anything else could come up.

**********

Thankfully, dinner came and went early enough. Even if I was still uncomfortable with the stranger who turned out to be my brother's best friend, I definitely loved the food. And so did Aiden, who was already asleep.

I remember dragging him to our room earlier today after he almost ruined everything for me, only to give him a prep talk.

"Don't let Uncle Adrian know that you've met Uncle Jaxon.

Is that clear?” I said to him quietly.

He nodded in acceptance to what I had said, but I could tell from the hesitation that he wanted to know why. Sadly, he was just a little kid. There was no way he would understand how much I wanted to stay clear of whatever would bring up issues between my brother and I.

For what it's worth. I didn't totally like the Jaxon of a guy. Aside from how poorly our first meeting went, he had this undeniable overbearing aura hovering around him. And men like him, tall, beautiful hair and eyes, handsome, they were known to be dirty and dangerous to hang around. So,I was just going to stay clear of him.

"Oh, God.” I yawned loudly, stretching my arms at the same time while in my bed with my laptop.

Coming to spend the holidays with my brother wasn't just for relaxation or de-stressing. It was part of my plans to make good use of that opportunity in searching out courses that I could take. It's probably upskilling so I could start a life, a brand of my own. Working for someone or people had never been something I admired.

Unfortunately, that night was like other nights as nothing that came up on my screen resonated with me. That only meant I had to wait for some time before coming back to fish out, which could work better for me.

I shut my laptop and placed it back in the second drawer of my bedside table. I thought of what to do next because I wasn't feeling sleepy at all.

When nothing crossed my mind at all, I decided to take a stroll out of my room.

Surprisingly, when I arrived at the living room,bI realized I wasn't the only one who couldn't fall asleep.

Even with his eyes fixed on his laptop, and at the same time moving from the files neatly arranged on the table beside the laptop, I could still tell he was the one.

Oh, God. This was the last thing I wanted. The holidays would be perfect if he was just far away from here.

"Quit staring. I'm aware of how enchanting I can be." His voice came on, with the tingling of pride parading in them. It was equally a realization that I had been staring at him since the time I stepped in.

Damn it! I cursed inwardly.

"What?" I stuttered a bit but summoned enough courage soon enough to respond back in control.

"You mean as enchanting as the police truck at the station." I fired back.

He stopped typing on his laptop immediately and raised his head, staring back at him. From the distance between the both of us, his stoic expression was completely visible. One I didn't think should look so intimidating.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" He questioned, his stares the same, but his tone threatening.

Stand your ground, Hailey. Do not be intimidated. I said inwardly as I watched him.

"Quit the lame questions and get back to work." I hissed with my steps projected towards the kitchen to get myself water.

Luckily for me, nothing came from him, and I didn't bother looking behind him to see if he had continued working.

The moment I got to the kitchen and found myself a can of water, I gulped the entire contents without hesitation. As if finding out we would be stuck together in the house was not suffocating, he chose to attack me with words. Hmm!

Never! I won't let that happen.

I threw the empty can of water in the waste bin and walked out of the kitchen, headed to my room, and was ready to force myself to sleep because if he was awake, there was nothing I could do to enjoy strolling.

However, just the moment I was close enough to take the turn from the corridor leading to the living room, a figure suddenly appeared right in front of me. My heart skipped, while a loud scream escaped my lips, and I lost balance at the same time, almost falling to the ground until I felt a hand holding me back from behind.

With my heart banging in fear, I looked to see who it was.

Blonde hair, brown eyes, and a visible fear curled up on his face, too.