Good morning, Boss. Can't work today. I'm busy. Same text message from Knight for four days now. It had been four days since Knight had stopped working in the café, leaving only messages in her inbox. She wanted to understand him, but her café was facing the consequences of his consecutive absences.

To: Knight V.
Good afternoon, Knight. If you still can't come in tomorrow, sorry, but I have to replace you. I need another waiter in the café since Juls is taking care of the deliveries. If you can't come tomorrow, feel free to drop by for your compensation.

SM hit send.

She placed her phone back in her bag and then took out the cake she had baked from the oven. She left it on the table to cool and left her office to help out in her café. Since Knight had been absent for quite some time now, she had been helping out her staff, especially at lunchtime. But today, she was surprised to see him serving food to their customers.

Why is he here? I thought he couldn't work today?

She approached Monet and asked, "Has Knight been here long?"

"Just now, boss," Monet replied. "Juls saw him pass by outside and chased him."

"Ah..."

She froze when Knight approached the counter when a customer added something to their order. He still had an emotionless expression on his face, but she was stunned when he looked at her but didn't smile like he used to.

She had become accustomed to him smiling at her... but why the sudden change? Why did she feel bad all of a sudden?

There was a twinge of sadness in her chest.

SM shook her head as if this could shake the sadness she was feeling.

"Knight," she called.

He immediately looked at her in response. "Yes?"

She approached him and asked, "You've been absent for several days in a row. Are you alright?"

He stared at her for a long minute. "Yeah. I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

SM froze. His voice... It was kind of different today. Standing this close to him, she knew there was something different about his tone. Come to think of it, he smelled different too. He felt different. The way he looked at her was different. His hair had a lighter shade than his usual brown hair.

Did he color it again?

She lifted her hand to stroke his hair, but he stiffened.

"Sorry," she apologized and frowned before staring at her hand.

Is it just me, or does his hair feel different from the night I caressed him to sleep? She could vividly remember the feeling because she touched his hair herself.

This man... everything about him seems different, she deduced. Is it possible that... Can't be...

"By the way, how is your coffee-making?" she asked while looking at his face. "Did you follow my advice? Did you follow the number of beans to use to make sure it tastes good?"

"Yeah. The coffee is good."

SM was slightly taken aback by his answer, but she managed a smile. "I'm glad. Alright, go back to work. Don't tire yourself."

The Knight in front of her smiled. "Sure thing."

When he went back to work, she found herself staring at him. The Knight she knew, the Knight who called her to ask about how she made his coffee the other night, would know that she used coffee powder.

She took a deep breath and shook her head. This is messed up.

She didn't know that Knight had a twin. How else could she explain this?

Maybe that was the reason he didn't smile at her when he saw her, unlike the Knight she knew who would always smile for her—because he didn't know her.

It was either Knight had a twin, or her mind was just playing tricks on her.

Though whatever it was... it was still none of her business.

As long as they do their work properly, she shouldn't care about Knight's personal life, whatever that may be.

But this is still messed up! she argued with herself. If this is indeed his twin, why is he working in Knight's place? Is Knight okay?

She heavily exhaled.

What's happening to me?

Why was she worried about him all the time? Knight had been in her mind for quite a while.

Is that even normal? she thought. Nope. Not normal. Even she herself knew it was not normal to think of a single person the whole goddamn day!

She sat on her swivel chair and leaned back. She closed her eyes, hoping to rest, but the image of her own blood scattered on the floor crossed her mind.

She immediately opened her eyes and quickly stood from her seat to lift her shirt and check in the mirror if her back was bleeding like what she had just thought. But as soon as she saw that nothing had changed, SM calmed down a little. No blood. Just some year-old scars.

Still looking at the mirror, she weakly lowered her shirt. She could still see fear, agony, weariness, and sorrow in her eyes.

Her fists clenched. "Don't worry..." Mom. Dad. "This won't break me. I won't let them break me."

A tear fell from her eyes, which she quickly wiped away. She knew crying had no use; it couldn't bring her parents back.

She walked back to her table when her cell phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered.

"SM, I'm sorry." On the other line was the lawyer handling her parents' case. "I tried everything, but they won't approve the appeal unless we have evidence in our hands."

Her head suddenly hurt. "Wait for my call. I'll see what I can do."

"Alright."

After the lawyer hung up, she called her former captain in the PNP when she was still in service.

"Hello, Captain. This is SM."

"SM!" He sounded glad to hear from her. "How are you? Is it true that you now own a café?"

She smiled. "Yes, Cap."

"That's nice." He chuckled then went silent. "I assume you're calling about your parent's case?"

"Yes, Captain."

Captain Sanford sighed. "I'm doing everything I can, but the higher-ups won't let me reopen the case for a thorough investigation. I know I promised I'd do everything, but I still haven't made any progress. It's been more than a year already."

Her shoulders slumped, but she remained smiling. "You haven't given up on my parents' case, Cap—that's what's more important to me. I know this is not easy for you either."

"I promised you, didn't you?" He huffed. "I won't give up. It's my fault that it happened to you—"

"It's not," she interrupted. "We both know it's not, so stop blaming yourself, Captain."

"Can't help it," he whispered in a low, worried voice. "How are you, really? And don't lie to me. I had enough of your 'I'm fine.'"

She smiled bitterly. "I'm still scared of the dark, but I can manage. I'm still having anxiety attacks, but it's not as often as before, only when I'm having nightmares. I told you that when I was in the hospital, didn't I? I won't let what happened break me. I'm stronger than that, Cap."

"I'm still worried."

"Don't be," she chided him. "Have you thought of another way around to reopen the case? Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Leave it to me," he replied. "I have a connection with the higher-ups. We're just waiting for the right moment to move. Just wait a little longer, okay?"

"Yes, Cap," she said, somehow relieved. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," he replied. "I have to hang up now. Duty calls."

"Take care, Cap."

"You too."

SM felt relieved when she ended the call. She knew she could depend on her former superior, Capt. Khairro Sanford. Yet until now, he blamed himself for what happened to her—the reason she was no longer in service.

She took a deep breath and smiled upon seeing her close friend call.

"Hey," she greeted on the other line.

"Don't hey me!" Eli said irritably. "When was the last time we hung out, huh?"

SM smiled. "A month ago? We both became busy."

"Whatever." Eli tsked. "I'm coming over later. What do you want to eat? I won't take no for an answer."

"Lots of carbs," she replied, smiling.

"Got it!" Eli exclaimed. She sounded excited. "Though I might be a little late. My lazy boss is absent once again, and now I have to do his work."

SM chuckled softly, "You're still not used to your boss. Alright, get to work."

"Okay. Bye!"

"Bye!"

After Eli hung up, SM returned her attention to the cake she had taken out of the oven earlier. Since it had cooled down, she began decorating it according to the customer's preference.

SM, absorbed by her work, didn't notice the time. When she looked at the wall clock, she was surprised to see that it was already nighttime.

Shit! I have a bonding date with Eli!

She stepped out of her office and was surprised to see that her cashier was still there. She was the only staff remaining in the café.

"Monet, why are you still here?" SM asked and then drank a glass of water. "Go home. I'll be the one to close the café."

"I was really waiting for you, boss. I already let Knight, Juls, and Josh go home," Monet replied with a smile. "Alright, boss, I'll go ahead. Take care."

SM nodded and waited for Monet to leave before closing the café and returning to her office to pack up. After everything had been sorted, she left the café. She was still locking the gate when she sensed a presence behind her.

Her fists clenched, ready to protect herself, when the person from behind her spoke: "You're going home late again."

She turned around with a smile on her face, her eyes widened in surprise and glee.

"Knight!"

SM was so happy to see Knight after four days that she hugged him tight. He felt the same this time—he smelled the same, and even his voice was the same.

She only realized her impulsive actions when Knight froze in place.

"Sorry," she said, immediately putting some distance between them. "I was just happy to see you. It has been four days. How have you been?"

But instead of answering her question, he took a step closer and wrapped his arms around her waist. He then whispered in her ear, "I missed you too, boss."

Her heart skipped a beat. She stood still, stunned. What the...

Her heart wasn't beating normally yet when Knight released her from his embrace and continued to close up her café.

"I'll take you home," he said as he turned to face her.

SM was still stunned at how her heart reacted that she couldn't move.

Knight blinked at her. "What, boss?"

She blinked then changed the topic. "N-nothing... By the way, why were you absent for four days?"

"What do you mean? I showed up earlier for work, didn't I?" Knight asked, his brows furrowed.

"No, you didn't," SM quickly disagreed.

"Yes, I did," he argued, convincing SM he went to work. "If not, who was that earlier, right?"

SM stared at Knight. She knew she talked to a different person a while ago. Whoever it was, he didn't know what they talked about when Knight called her on her phone.

She was sure that it wasn't Knight, so why was he pretending that it was him? Did he not want her to know he had a twin?

"Never mind," was all she said. It was none of her business anyway.

KNIGHT WAS more confused than ever by SM's response.

Never mind? What does she mean by that? After saying it wasn't him, she would just say never mind?!

He could see it in her eyes that she knew something he didn't. He was trained to read people. And at that very moment, he could read her.

She knew something.

Midnight was there, acting as though he were him, working on his behalf. But he had no idea why he was in the café. He saw SM patting Night's hair, too. Never did he feel any resentment or anger at Night when he pretended to be him all those years, even in front of his friends. But earlier, it was his first time to get angry at Midnight for pretending to be him. Worse, in front of SM! He wanted to go in the café and clear the misunderstanding, but all knew too well that it would only bring more chaos.

Didn't SM notice it wasn't him?

Fuck! He's getting angry again!

No one could differentiate the two of them. Even people who knew Night's existence had a hard time identifying them, except their father, Orlando, and Cloud.

But SM... he wanted her to see him, not to mistake him for someone else!

"What do you mean by never mind?" Knight asked SM, who was reaching for her cell phone in her bag.

SM looked back at him. "Never mind means 'I understand.'"

His brows furrowed. "Understand what?"

"Understand that maybe you don't want anyone knowing that you have an identical twin," SM casually said as she walked toward his parked taxi.

Knight was frozen in place, with widened eyes and parted lips, unable to move or react in shock. He didn't know what to say. His eyes simply widened in astonishment as he watched SM getting into his taxi.

He was dumbstruck. Shocked. Stunned. Dazed. Dumbfounded.

But how?

How did this woman see what other people didn't? How did she differentiate him from Midnight? How could she tell?

How?!

"SM!" He ran the distance between them and opened the passenger-side door, which SM had just closed.

SM blinked at him in surprise, her forehead creased. "What? You look like you're in panic. Are you okay?"

"H-how?" His heart was pounding. "H-how... Uhm—w-what... h-how can you tell me from... f-from—"

"Oh, that? You feel different," she answered as if the whole fiasco wasn't a big deal. "He smelled different, and he didn't smile when he saw me—I mean, you always smile at me when I see you."

His lips slightly parted as SM continued to explain.

"Oh, and your voice sounds different too."

He stiffened. "My voice?"

SM nodded. "Yes. Your voices are different. I always listen carefully to your voice when you talk. Because of your emotionless face when you speak, I have to rely on my hearing every time you say something so I can grasp what you're really feeling. My father taught me to read emotions based on voice tones."

His jaw clenched. "It's still not enough proof that I have a twin. I don't have one," he lied with a straight face. Eye to eye.

"Knight," SM said, looking into his eyes. "Seriously, I don't care if you're twins or triplets. And as for proof, I baited him, you know?"

His eyes widened. She baited... Night? "How?"

"I asked him about coffee beans, if he followed my instructions on the amount to pour for the coffee to taste good. And you know what he answered me?"

Knight stayed silent. He knew that it wasn't coffee beans—it was coffee powder! That was what she told him over the phone.

So, this was how she caught Night.

"He said yes, that his coffee was delicious." She then returned her cell phone in her bag and then looked at him again. "Maybe you're lying that you don't have a twin for a reason. Everyone has a reason for everything they do. Consciously and unconsciously. My father taught me that—"

This woman... Why does she understand me? It bothered him.

"So, go ahead, keep lying. I don't mind. I don't know why you're lying, but I'll try to understand. Myself knows for a fact that I know the truth and that's enough for me—"

Why is she saying the words I want to hear from someone? Why?

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. If you wanna keep it a secret, then I'll pretend that I didn't know. Besides, it's really none of my business—"

He pressed his lips on hers, unable to stop himself. He stopped her words with his mouth, earning a small gasp from her. He felt how soft her lips were against his.

Tasting her lips made him hungry. Tasting the sweetness of her tongue made his body stiffen with desire to hold her close. He wanted to bite her lips, tease her tongue, and suck it inside his mouth... but he didn't do any of those.

He didn't want to scare her.

Instead... he slowly pulled away and whispered over her wet parted lips, "I'm not gonna say sorry for that."

She closed her lips and bravely met his gaze. "I'm not asking for your apology. What I need is your explanation. Why did you kiss me?"

"Because I felt like kissing you."

Her face darkened. SM punched him hard in the stomach, making Knight cough and step back as he held where she had hit him.

SM glared at him. "Don't just kiss someone for such a shallow reason," SM angrily retorted and slammed the passenger-seat door shut.

"Fuck!" Knight hissed. "That woman can throw a punch."

SM was stronger than he thought.

He was still holding his stomach as he went to the driver's seat. Once he got in, he started the engine and then turned to SM.

"That wasn't nice."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Really? So, kissing me just because you felt like it wasn't rude?"

He stiffened then let out a loud breath. "Fine. I'll keep this in mind. The next time I kiss you, that's because I like you."

She shot him with a fierce look. "Knight, I'm a nice person, but I have my limits. Don't kiss me again if you don't want me to punch you again. I don't care if your back still hurts. Kissing someone without permission is downright disrespectful!"

He smiled at SM. "So, it's okay to kiss you again if I asked first?"

She turned her head to the road. "Don't kiss me again. Period."

"You didn't like my kiss?" he asked while maneuvering the car. "Well, it's been a long time since I kissed someone—"

"That's TMI!"

He laughed. "Come on, boss, there's no such thing as 'too much information.'"

"Whatever."

"Boss?"

"Stop it, Knight. I might forget that I'm a nice person and punch you again," she warned with a hint of threat in her voice.

Knight chuckled. "It's nice to rile you up once in a while. You're always calm. I thought you didn't know how to get angry."

SM stayed silent.

"Boss?"

When SM still did not give him a response, he secretly laughed. "Did you blush when I kissed you?"

Without warning, SM punched the same part where she hit Knight earlier with her knuckles. "I told you so."

Knight winced but laughed after. "Boss, just a heads-up. I don't want you to be surprised. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to kiss you again."

"Try, and I'll fire you."

But Knight felt that it was an empty threat. "Who will you replace me with? You won't find another waiter as handsome as me."

SM fell and silent and whispered, "That's true. You are handsome."

Knight stopped breathing for a couple of seconds. That was a fucking compliment! "Thanks, boss. I'll make myself even more handsome for you."

SM just shook her head and remained quiet during the rest of the ride. When they had arrived, Knight creased his forehead after noticing her lights were on.

"You have someone with you at home?" he asked SM, who was unbuckling her seatbelt.

"No," she replied. "Maybe that's Eli. She has a key to my house."

He smiled. Relax, Knight. It's a "she."

"No need to pay me," Knight insisted when she pulled out money.

"You're working as a taxi driver, so I should pay you." But when Knight refused to take the payment, she placed it on the dashboard before opening the door.

"G'night, boss," Knight said before she got out. He thought she was irritated, but she turned to look at him and gave him a smile.

"Good night."

He smiled. "See you tomorrow."

"Make sure it's gonna be you tomorrow, okay?" she replied before entering her gate.

He chuckled. Make sure that it's me? he asked himself. Will I be enough this time?

Knight sighed before speeding away toward BV. When he arrived home, Cloud was there to greet him.

"Good evening, my lord," his butler said, bowing. "How was your driving? Did you make any money? We don't have food left."

He looked at Cloud questioningly. "You paid the two old men and the other people at the hospital when I was admitted, and you tell me you don't have money to buy us food?"

"Your father froze my account again, my lord."

He stopped walking and reached for his wallet from the pocket of his pants, tossing it to Cloud. "Catch."

Cloud caught it easily.

"My payment for the whole month as a DJ," he said before walking toward the stairs. "Use that for now."

"Yes, my lord."

He gritted his teeth as he walked up the stairs.

His father would always freeze his and Cloud's accounts whenever he would stay in the Philippines for more than two weeks. His father wanted him to move from one country to another and focus on the organization and nothing else.

And because his father would closely monitor his financials and expenses, he had no means to hide money from him to use while staying in the Philippines.

So, he had to work.

He would tell his friends that he wanted to do this—that he wanted to experience working in different jobs. But the truth was, he didn't want them to know his bitter reality.

Yes, he couldn't eat his pride, but that was how he was. After all, he was taught that being proud was not a sin.

He pushed the door open to his room and walked in.

"Let's talk," he told Night, who was sitting on the long sofa, playing chess by himself.

Night's eyes were glued to the chessboard. "What is it?"

"Why were you at the Bitter Sweet Café?" he asked his brother directly before sitting on the single sofa across from Night. "Did Father send you to keep tabs on me?"

Night moved his pawn. "It was an accident," he answered. "They mistook me for you while I was passing by."

Knight rubbed his temples. "So, why are you still here? Aren't you the Boss of North America? This is my territory. Next time you cause trouble in my territory, I'll puni—"

"What?" Night cut him off before looking at him. "You'll whip me too?"

He stiffened.

Midnight sighed. "Your move."

"What?"

"Chess. Your move."

He looked down at the chessboard.

Midnight wanted to play. It made him happy. It had been a long time.

He moved his hand to shift the knight piece. "Done. Your move."

Midnight's hand moved, and they continued playing chess.

It had been a long time since they played chess together. Even though they were both quiet while playing, they both knew they were enjoying the game against each other.

Then the game ended. Knight won, but he did not feel satisfied.

"Let's play again," he told his brother.

"No, thanks, I'm good," Night replied as he got up from the sofa. "I'm tired working as a waiter today. Fuck..." He collapsed face down onto the soft bed. "I'm sleepy."

"Then sleep," Knight said as he, too, got up and walked toward the door. "If you need anything, I'm just a room away."

When Night gave no response, he left and walked into his room. He went straight to the bathroom to shower.

A towel was wrapped around his waist and draped down his thighs when he came out of the bath. He was about to get some clothes when he saw someone lying on his bed.

It was Midnight.

What is he doing here?

He quickly dressed and approached his brother. "Night—"

"The air conditioning in my room isn't working," he answered. "I'm sleeping here. Leave if you want."

Knight smiled. He knew the aircon in his room wasn't broken.

Maybe it's not too late to fix this mess... he thought. After all, he didn't break his promise.

But what if they made up and became close? Would his father take him away again?

His fists clenched. Maybe it would be better if they wouldn't reconcile and get comfortable with each other again. That way, he could always keep an eye on Midnight and monitor what he was up to. To prevent their father from separating them again.

Maybe observing Midnight from afar was the best decision.

He reached out and ruffled his brother's hair, just the way he used to.

Sorry, Little Brother. I'm still weak. For now, this is the only thing I can do. To protect you, I have to stay away from you.

"I'll sleep in the other room then," he said as he left, his eyes closed firmly, his back turned.

Sorry, Little Brother.