A week later It was a given that neither Sande, Eds, nor the boys were returning to Dapplewood, especially after what happened to Dagger. Even though it was his fault, they were the ones who would pay the consequences for his death. The only safe place for them was in Sinjin's house. Sande's boyfriend, Lex Parker, was not happy when she refused to stay with him. However, he realized that if anyone could truly keep his girlfriend safe, it was his boss. It also helped that his boss was after Sande's friend, not Sande herself.Fortunately, the boys loved it there. They had their own rooms, TVs, video game consoles, and everything two energetic nine-year-olds would need to stay occupied. Sinjin's house was right on a private beach, with the ocean not far away. However, Sande had not been able to get a tan because she'd been cooped up in the hospital, waiting for her best friend to wake up.Sinjin kept her company by working from the hospital, but she could see the stress catching up to h

Sinjin finished giving Sande and Eds a tour of the three-bedroom condo and asked, "So, what do you think?""The view is amazing!" Tristan exclaimed as he stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. "We're in the heart of the city, aren't we?""Close enough," Sinjin replied, walking over to stand beside Tristan and placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You see that high-rise building over there?" He pointed to the skyscraper in the distance."The one that looks like it's reaching the sky?" Tristan smiled. "Yeah, I see it.""That's my company. It's the tallest building in the country," Sinjin imparted."Seriously?" Troy joined them. "Wow!""How many stories?" Tristan's eyes widened."About forty stories high," Sinjin replied. "I designed the building myself.""Really?" Troy frowned. "So you're also an architect?" "I had too much time on my hands when I was younger, so I studied architecture in school and graduated with honors. I have a master's degree in architecture, robotics,

"Is he here yet?" Troy asked his brother."No," Tristan replied, his face glued to the window overlooking the parking lot. Eds had refused to let him open the window or go out on the balcony. Sinjin had promised to take them to watch a college basketball game, but he was running late."He won't get here any faster even if you turn into that panel of glass you have your face glued to," Sande teased him, walking over to take a seat on the sofa."But we'll be late to the game," Troy whined."Maybe he's stuck in traffic. The man made sure to return to Merendra today instead of Sunday. Cut him some slack," Eds admonished them."Yes, mom," The boys responded, looking duly chastised.Five minutes later, the doorbell rang, and both boys raced to open the door, not bothering to ask who the visitor was as Eds had instructed. Troy flung the door open and threw his arms around Sinjin's waist, with his brother following suit."I've missed you boys too," Sinjin said, ruffling their hair and chuckli

"Your brother is here, Em," one of her friends, Tasha excitedly announced. "He's so gorgeous!" Another one, Rhiannon gushed, sighing deeply. "He looks unreal.""I've warned you girls to stop eye-fucking my brother. He's not your type, or within your league," Emma snapped at them. She turned around to look at Sinjin, who was busy talking to the manager, her brows furrowing in confusion upon seeing the two children with him."Who are those kids with him?" Rhiannon inquired. "Is he doing one of those charity things again?""Where he goes to orphanages to meet kids and take them out to places?" Tasha chimed in. "He's so cool."Emma threw Tasha an annoyed glance and shook her head in disbelief. "I'll be back," Emma muttered, walking over to meet the group. "Sinjin.""Hey, sis," He smiled at her. "Lovely as always. I didn't keep you waiting, right?""We just got here," She replied, her gaze shifting to the boys. "Did you forget about our match today?""I'm here, aren't I?" He replied."Are

A week later "Here are the files you requested, sir," Adella said as she dropped the files on the table. "You also have a meeting with the head of R&D in ten minutes, followed by another with the programming department at 11, and..." She suddenly trailed off.Sinjin glanced up from the file he was perusing, wondering why she had suddenly gone silent. His brows furrowed as she tentatively placed a single sheet of paper on the table—a list of eligible females recommended by his mother. He sighed.For the life of him, he couldn't fathom where or how she had come up with these names. He knew Merendra had a larger female population compared to males, and many were in need of husbands, but he hadn't realized they were this desperate."What’s this?" He demanded irritably."Um, sir, that’s... your mother..." She stuttered, swallowing nervously."Adella Simmons, do you work for my mother or for me?" He questioned harshly, eyes blazing."You, sir," She answered."Then why is this here?" He sig