Dedicated to

Thanks a lot for your precious votes and comments dear. :)

Don't forget to listen to the song attached everyone.

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"Jonathon!!"

As usual Jonathon smiled his charming smile gazing at Emma. Instinctively Brandan inched closer to her. Emma stiffened, she anticipated that this moment would come one day but never had she ever expected that it would be this soon... that it would be now. A possessive vibe was coming off of Brandan, Emma could almost smell it. She buckled herself mentally for the inevitable.

"Jonathon... you?"

"Aren't you happy to see me here darling?"

Brandan tensed at the endearment and it didn't go unnoticed by Emma.

Jonathon smiled. "Actually you forgot this file back in the office, Tyler was frantic."

He waved the file in front of her face, Emma chuckled nervously.

"Uhh... yeah... I would need it for the presentation tomorrow."

Jonathon nodded. "Yep. You need to revise this tonight itself. Remember? The presentation is ... "

Emma completed, " at sharp 8 o'clock. I know."

Jonathon nodded running a hand through his hair.

Brandan was too quiet as he observed their conversation, this Jonathon guy seemed nice but still Brandan wanted to rip his throat apart. Maybe because this guy seemed too close too Emma... too close.

Jonathon turned his gaze to Brandan now and Emma cleared her throat awkwardly knowing that she had to introduce them now.

"Ummm... Jonathon, this is Brandan... ahhh... Brandan Rozario..."

Immediately recognition lit in Jonathon's eyes and something else too... shock - anger - irritation. Emma decided not to ponder over it.

"And Brandan, this is Jonathon Sterling... he's umm... my boss."

"Boss and boyfriend. We're seeing each other - as in dating." Jonathon added with a smirk looking directly at Brandan.

Emma gasped looking at Jonathon horrified.

She didn't have any words to express what she was feeling. She turned her head to look at Brandan... only to gulp. His eyes went dark and lips formed in to a thin line. He seemed shocked.

And then Brandan glanced at Emma, a single glance filled with hurt, grief... loss and fury?

The men shook their hands, the handshake went tighter and longer than it was necessary. It seemed like they were trying to squeeze their hands to the point of ripping off... wanting to prove their strength instead of peace offering which was the real purpose of the invention of that action.

"Eh... Jo... Jon... Brandan, eh... dinner, let's go eat something huh. See Savanah's calling us too." Stammering Emma hoped the tension would disappear somehow, the tournament of proving male dominace through that annoying handshake finally finished.

"I - I gotta go. Something important came up." Brandan said looking vacantly at the front door.

Emma's mouth was agape as Brandan quitely, slowly took steps backwards. Those each steps backwards seemed poisonous to her. Brandan's eyes were still dark... his expressions blank. Emma kept looking at Brandan moving away from her.

Someone yanked her gently around as she came face to face with Jonathon. He looked satisfied and Emma couldn't help but feel angry at him.

"You alright?" Jonathon asked her removing all the traces of satisfaction and victory from his face.

Emma just nodded in positive then hurriedly turned around to where Brandan was... only to see him nowhere... nowhere.

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Brandan stood leaning sideways - his hips resting on the railing of the balcony - his favorite spot in the whole house from where he for the first time unknowingly saw Emma and his children. He picked up a slow tune... mind wondering off to somewhere else.

"Boss and boyfriend. We're seeing each other - as in dating."

Those words were replaying over and over in his throbbing mind. They were making deadly holes in his heart, it was as if millions of life ending bullets hitting him in full force.

Does she love Jonathon? Would she never forgive me? Wouldn't she ever love me?

"Boss and boyfriend..."

There - those words again began repeating like a pathetic broken record.

And finally Brandan lost it.

With an anguished cry he threw his guitar off the balcony, the instrument slammed in to the hard ground beneath in a loud - sickening noise, announcing that it was successfully broken - just like him.

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Emma held the thin material of the curtain of her window, Brandan was again playing guitar. The beautiful melody lulling her - soothing her like always.

Why was she feeling like she was betraying, that she was cheating everyone - Jonathon, Brandan and most importantly herself. She kept repeating to herself - Jonathon was safe. But the question was... was safe right? Or was what she thinking to be wrong... was what waiting to surprise her by proving to be the otherwise?

She jumped back hearing the loud - booming noise of his guitar making contact with the hard ground and breaking in to pieces followed by his scream filled with turmoil - the same anguish he was feeling hit her like it was an act of telepathy.

Covering her mouth Emma stiffled a sob as she saw his dark silhouette leaning in to the railing, the earth seemed to be sucking him in with the cruel gravity.

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So from now on you guys know better than to go anywhere near Brandan's house or balcony, especially when he's mad. You never know when heavy things will come crashing down on your head and before you know it you're already dead. Buaaa haa haaa (evil laugh)...

I want to share this with you - that before I uploaded this chapter I was in trouble deciding if it would be better to add a fighting scene - physical or verbal - any of those between Brandan and Jonathon. But then after brainstorming a lot I came to the conclusion that such scenes should be saved for the grand finale - right? So that's why Brandan and Jonathon's conversation was such short. Because I got plans for them - big ones.

You want to know what those plans are? You gotta stay tuned and find out yourself.

Will try to update asap. Don't forget to vote, comment and share this story if you're enjoying reading it. Silent readers - please don't be shy, Lara's waiting for you guys to vote and comment. Each one of your votes and comment matter to me so much, they show me your support, kindness and love for this story as well as for me. That's the way you connect to a writer, right? And I look forward to you responses every day, they make my day and lift up my mood and I want to write more and more.

Lots of love.

- Lara.