KNIGHT GENTLY caressed SM's cheek as she slept soundly. She still had a fever even though she had taken her medicines. He let out a heavy sigh.

If this continues, I will bring you to the hospital tomorrow, he thought.

Knight continued stroking her cheek as he looked at her intently. He sighed once again. "I hope you get better soon. Don't make me worry too much, Sweet Monday. It'll drive me crazy."

SM turned onto her side and held his hand that caressed her cheek. A smile spread across his lips when she felt her firm grip. She was mumbling in her sleep, making him smile.

"So cute..." he whispered with a smile, unable to resist kissing her on the side of her lips.

"Knight..." she murmured, still asleep.

"Are you dreaming of me?" He smiled and kissed her forehead. "I would love to stay by your side, but I'll be tempted to kiss you. And I can't afford to get sick, I can't be weak—I have to protect you."

With what happened today, he needed to prepare himself. His father would not only come for him—he would also come for SM. He didn't know when it would happen, so he had to be prepared.

He would not let anyone hurt SM. He dragged her into his world; he should be the one to protect her from it.

Knight took a deep breath and slowly pulled his hand away from SM's hold. Then he caressed her hair.

"Sleep tight..." he whispered before getting up and leaving SM's room.

When he reached the living room, Midnight was the only one there, watching TV without sound. Cloud had left after they had dinner to follow his order, which was to gather information about the incoming Triad leader here in this country.

They had to be ready.

He sat on the single sofa that was facing the long sofa where Midnight was seated and stared at him.

"Can we talk?" he asked his brother.

Midnight immediately turned off the TV then looked at him. "I'm all ears."

Knight took a deep breath. "Why call me Kuya earlier?" he directly asked. "What's going on?"

"I'm tired already," Midnight answered as he lay on the long sofa and stared at the ceiling. "I'm tired, Kuya. I'm tired of being alone. Maybe you won't understand me because you have Cloud, but I... I can't."

"Night..."

"I don't want to do this anymore, Kuya. I'm so, so tired of pretending every time. I'm done."

Knight clenched his fists. "I'm sorry... if I still haven't kept my promise to you."

"We were both naïve back then." Midnight whispered. "Look at us now... both bosses... but still powerless."

Silence filled the living room. Neither of them spoke until Midnight broke it after several minutes.

"You're not gonna accept me again, are you?" Midnight asked. "Maybe I'm already too late. I've been ignoring you for years because I thought you abandoned me. Even if you don't say it, I feel it, Kuya. You don't want me anymore. I've been reaching out to you, but you seem distant and—"

"I have to stay away from you, Little Brother," he cut him off. "I never wanted anything more than to go back to the way we were. I miss the look in your eyes before—so much trust. But... if we return to how it was before, Father will take you away again. I'm sure of that. And I don't know where he'll take you this time... where he'll hide you... so we have to be apart, do you understand me? To keep you safe, I have to pretend that I don't care about you anymore. But even though I'm giving you the cold shoulder, I will always be your 'kuya' no matter what, you hear me?"

Night clenched his fists while his eyes were tightly shut. "Until when are we going to be like this, Kuya? I'm tired."

He looked at the ceiling and took a deep breath. "Just give me time. I'll do something. I promise."

Knight looked back at his brother when he did not reply. He was surprised to see Night looking at him, with a glimmer of trust in his eyes just as before.

Midnight... he's trusting me again.

And from that moment, he didn't want to do anything that could ruin that trust again. This time, he wouldn't disappoint his brother. He would do everything to get him out of his current situation.

"What are you planning to do?" Midnight asked as he sat up. "It's not as if Father will let you do what you want."

"I'll figure it out."

Night stood up, smiling, and approached him to ruffle his hair. It stunned him, as it was the first time Night had done that to him—messing up his hair as if he were younger.

"Don't worry, Kuya. This time, I'll hold you to your promise no matter how long it takes," Night said, still ruffling his hair. "Just don't abandon me ever."

He nodded.

"Alright." Midnight waved at him. "Gotta go. Take care of SM."

His expression quickly turned sour. "You don't have to tell me that!"

Midnight smiled. "Make sure she'll be okay. She's the first woman who can differentiate me from you. I like her—"

"She's mine!"

"We both know she's not." Midnight waved his hand again before finally walking out of the house.

Knight frowned. That twerp liking SM, my ass! My boss is mine!

But he knew Night wasn't kidding. SM was the first outsider who could tell them apart. If it was a big deal to him, it was a big deal to Night as well.

He would give his brother everything, but not SM.

Not my Sweet Monday.

Knight sighed before locking the door and windows. When he returned to SM's room, he found her still asleep. Her fever hadn't gone down. The medication he gave her seemed to have not taken effect yet.

Fuck!

He refilled the basin with water and gently wiped SM's face, neck, shoulders, and arms with a damp cloth. He didn't stop until her fever had come down a little. Hours had passed, but he didn't feel tired. He continued to take care of her.

"You're gonna be okay..." he whispered to SM when he saw pain etched on her face. "You're gonna be okay..."

But SM remained restless. Along with the apparent pain written all over her face, tears started to flow from her eyes.

"SM—"

"N-no..." she cried heavily. "N-no... n-no... s-s-stop h-hurting me... stop! Stop! S-stop! No! I don't know anything! S-s-stop... p-please... stop... p-please... stop... stop..."

Knight wiped her tears as she begged in her sleep. "It's okay... I'm here... I'm not gonna hurt you... SM... wake up. Wake up!"

But she wouldn't. Her tears kept on streaming down her cheeks.

"SM, it's okay... I'm here..."

SM started thrashing, murmuring, and crying as she kept on pleading to whoever was hurting her in her nightmare to stop. She was begging... pleading. And all Knight could do was lie on the bed with her and hug her as tight as he could while caressing her hair down to her back while whispering, "I'm here," in her ear over and over.

When she finally stopped crying and thrashing, Knight breathed a sigh of relief. He dried her face and kissed her forehead. Thank God.

"K-Knight?"

SM woke up. When he realized that his arms were still wrapped around her, he pulled back and gave her some space.

"Boss, thank God you're awake!" he happily exclaimed when she woke up, then he realized their position. "Sorry about our position, Boss, I was just trying to calm you down. I'll get up now."

As he was about to get up from bed, SM grabbed his hand. It was only then that he noticed that she was cold and trembling.

"S-stay..." she pleaded. "I'm... I-I'm—"

"I'm here," Knight said, clasping their hands together. "I won't leave."

SM looked relieved when he returned to lie on the bed.

"I'm sorry," SM whispered. "I'm just... just..."

Her words faltered. She couldn't express what she felt, but he could see it—the fear in her eyes.

Knight smiled. "Can I hug you to help ease your fear? If it's okay, that is. Don't worry, I'm not gonna do anything to you. Just a hug."

SM fell silent. She looked down at their intertwined hands before moving closer to him.

Knight rested her head on his arm and pulled her into an embrace as he kissed her forehead. "Rest now. I'm not leaving."

SM nodded as she pressed her body against his. Knight could feel her body shivering, her hand cold and sweating.

She was really scared.

He took a deep breath and tightened his embrace around her.

I'm here, Sweet Monday. "Don't be afraid," he whispered. He closed his eyes until he gradually fell asleep.

SM's EYES twitched when light hit her face. She slowly opened her eyes and then yawned, still feeling sleepy. She felt better now—though still unwell, but at least it was not as bad as yesterday.

Her eyes turned to the person sitting next to her holding her hand. Knight.

He really didn't let go of her hand. Even in his sleep.

She smiled tenderly as she looked at his handsome face. He really took care of her since yesterday.

She was thankful. She was sickly and vulnerable last night; she even had a nightmare. But Knight had taken care of her well. He didn't take advantage of her weak state.

She lifted her free hand and gently caressed Knight's cheek. But only after a few strokes, Knight woke up. She was startled but also couldn't help but smile.

"Are you captivated by my handsomeness?"

But instead of feeling awkward around him because they hugged last night and were sleeping next to each other, she felt at ease and happy.

She stroked the lids of his closed eyes. "Yes, but maybe it's just my fever making me imagine things."

Laughing, Knight opened his eyes and gazed intently at her. "Good morning, Sweet Monday."

She smiled back and teased him. "Good morning, my lord."

Knight's lips parted as his eyes glowed with desire. "Don't turn me on, Boss. It's already hard as it is."

She laughed and shook her head. "Go take care of it then."

Bewildered, Knight just stared at her. "Boss, do you know how hard it is to jack off in someone else's bathroom?"

Her lips parted. She pulled the blanket to cover her now flushed face. "What I mean is a cold shower!"

"Oh." Knight laughed. "I misunderstood."

"Knight!" She removed the blanket from her face and glared at him. "Stop being a pervert! This is the second time! Do you think I didn't hear what you said when we were in the café, there in my office? You said something perverted too!"

Knight laughed. "It was true! I was hard, even now—"

"Too much information!" she hissed at Knight.

Knight laughed again. "You're so cute when mad... but I'm really hard—"

"Knight!" She pulled her hand from his grip and started punching him. "I will kick your ass, you pervert! Get off my bed. Get off!"

Knight kept on laughing like a fool as she punched his arm.

"I yield! I yield!" Knight shouted as she continued hitting him. "I yield, Boss! I give up! Your fever could worsen again. Boss... boss!"

"Then stop saying things like that—"

"But I. Am. Hard! I don't want to lie to you—"

When her punches were starting to hit harder, Knight caught her arm. In the blink of an eye, he was over her, pinning her down, his hands on either side of her head.

His lips were so near hers. So near that something inside her stomach twisted and fluttered.

She was about to push Knight away when the door of her room opened. Someone she didn't expect to enter her house walked in. He was a stranger after all.

Cloud Beaumont Sebastian. Knight's butler.

He carried a tray with breakfast. He was not showing any surprise, seemingly unaffected by Knight and SM's position. He just placed the tray on the bedside table and then bowed at them.

"This is your breakfast, my lady," Cloud said, his head still lowered. "Together with your medicine." Then he looked at Knight. "While you, my lord, please come down to the dining table. You're not sick."

She blinked in surprise when Cloud just left the room before she and Knight exchanged glances.

"Your butler is very professional," she commented.

"Yeah," Knight agreed then smiled. "By the way, good morning again, Boss."

After greeting her, he kissed her deeply on the lips. He had already gotten off her and had run out of the room before she could even react.

She let out a heavy sigh and then touched her lips.

I'm getting used to his kisses... And if she was being honest, she quite liked it.

AFTER SM had finished eating breakfast, she went to her kitchen downstairs and was absolutely shocked that all her groceries, which were supposed to be for two weeks, were gone. Her instant coffee packs, easy-to-prepare meals such as instant noodle soups and stir-fried noodles, nuggets, canned meat, and many more—they were all gone!

Cloud, Knight, and Midnight—the three men responsible for all that—were sitting side by side on the long sofa in the living room of her house with their heads hung low.

"How did you guys use up all my groceries?" she asked the three in disbelief while sitting on the single sofa facing their guilt-stricken faces. "I was only sick for a day, and you used it all up?"

She flinched when Knight suddenly stood from his seat and kneeled in front of her. "I take all the responsibility, my lady. I was so fascinated with instant noodle soups and stir-fried noodles, nuggets, and canned goods that I cooked them all."

She frowned. "Do you not have that in your own homes?"

Knight shook his head. "I didn't even know that such things exist."

"The noodles are fascinating and so easy to cook. Back in the palace, I have to make our own noodles that'll suit my lord's taste buds. And the nuggets, I also have to make them, cut them, season them before cooking. But here, you already have them ready-made! Such thinking! And don't get me started with the canned goods. They are by far tasty and so easy to cook. And I learned from Midnight that they're also cheap."

SM massaged her temples before looking at Midnight, who seemed to be the most normal among the three. He was unlike Knight and Cloud, which probably meant he didn't grow up in the same household with Knight.

He shook her head. "It's not cheap. For you, maybe. But for commoners like me, they're pricey."

Cloud looked at her. "Pricey? How much is the canned corned beef?"

"Forty to eighty pesos—depends on how much."

Cloud was so shocked, his mouth fell open as if he had seen a ghost. "Holy mother fucker—it's very cheap indeed! While I have to buy premium meat from abroad worth ten thousand to make ground pork."

She gaped. "Ten thousand?"

"Yes, my lady."

She shook her head in disbelief. "Wow... I never felt so poor in my life."

Midnight tsked. "That's why you two are broke." He, too, shook his head.

"I feel ashamed." Cloud's shoulders slumped. He was visibly glum.

"Well then, from now on, we'll buy from the grocery store where SM shops," Knight declared, which made SM shake her head. "Premium meat is good, but canned goods are also good. What do you say, Cloud?"

Cloud's posture straightened, as if he had been revived. "Yes, my lord. From now on, I shall only buy commoners' food to save money."

She closed her eyes and leaned back against the sofa. She had just recovered, but if this continued, she might get sick again because of the three.

"I feel better now," she said. "You can now leave. Thank you for taking care of me and for using up all my groceries."

"No. We should replace all the food we ate," Knight said as he stood up and approached her.

And that was how SM found herself entering the grocery store where she would usually buy her food fifteen minutes later... with the three sources of her headache beside her.

But she was surprised to see Midnight wearing a black mask. He was also wearing a cap, as if he was hiding.

Does he not want others to see him? Must be.

SM let the three men do whatever they wanted. Cloud grabbed a huge pushcart, while Knight took a smaller one. Midnight walked quietly beside her. Both of them were behind Cloud and Knight, who were pushing their carts and putting groceries into them.

She turned to Midnight and asked, "Are you okay?"

He nodded silently.

He didn't look fine. Not only did he seem to distance himself from Knight when they entered the grocery store, but he also covered his face.

"How can you tell?" Midnight suddenly asked in return, which made her turn to him again.

"How can I tell what?"

"How can you say that it's me and not my brother?"

"Oh, that?" She shrugged. "You two are different. I mean, yeah, you look alike a lot, but you have differences. The way you two talk and the tone of your voices when excited or when bored are very different. Even your expressionless faces are different. I just noticed yesterday, that you two smile differently."

Midnight just stared at her while she explained before he spoke. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-seven," she answered.

"We're not far apart in age. I'm just a few years older than you." Then he smiled. "By the way... I like you."

SM blinked at Midnight because of his bluntness. "You... like... me?"

He nodded. "You're the first woman who can differentiate me from my brother. That makes you special to me."

With her mouth open, SM just nodded. "That's nice... uhm, thank you, I guess... but..." Her eyes seemingly searched for Knight, whom she saw arguing with Cloud about what kind of canned goods they should buy. "I think I can't like you that way."

"I know."

She quickly turned to Midnight. "Then why say that?"

"I just want to get it off my chest." He then winked at her. "And I'm not kidding."

She smiled and replied, "Okay. If you say so—"

"SM," Knight called out to her before glaring at his brother. "Stop talking to my boss. She's mine!"

Midnight sighed. "She's not yours," he told Knight.

"Not. Yet," Knight argued as he pulled SM closer to him and away from Midnight.

SM just let him be after signaling Midnight to follow.

"My lady, how's this?" Cloud asked, who was holding a canned tuna. "Is this good?"

SM looked down at his pushcart. There were so many canned goods. "Wow... you sure bought a lot."

"It's very cheap!" Cloud looked so pumped and, gesturing to their pushcarts, he added, "We got everything we had eaten at your house in the pushcart. Is everything here?"

SM nodded. "Seems like it. Thanks."

Cloud bowed at her before pushing his cart toward the meat section, obviously excited while shopping. Midnight approached him and helped him pick out meat

Meanwhile, Knight stood beside her. "Are you feeling better?"

SM nodded. "A little more rest, and I'll be back to normal."

"That's good." He glanced at her. "From now on, take care of yourself. Don't make me worry too much. I might go nuts."

She smiled as she nodded. "Thanks again for taking care of me." Then, she tiptoed and reached for his cheek to kiss it. "Thank you."

Knight frowned at her. "Is that a thank-you kiss?"

She nodded. "Yes."

Knight shook his head. "That's a very wrong thank-you kiss. You should've kissed me on the lips instead. That's how you do a proper thank-you kiss."

She rolled her eyes. "Who are you kidding?"

"I'm telling the truth," he insisted. "Anyways, this is just a heads-up, Boss. When you're feeling much better, I'll start flirting with you. That means, expect that I'll be kissing and hugging you all the time."

"I think I don't want to get better now," she mumbled.

Knight chuckled. "Don't say that. I'm looking forward to it, and I can't wait to kiss you again and again."

SM glared at him. "Do you want to get beaten up?"

Knight shrugged. "Fine, I'm used to it."

That made her pause. What did he mean when he said he was used to being beaten up?

She sighed, feeling like she didn't want to punch him anymore. Those cuts on his back... maybe something horrible happened to him. She didn't want him to ever remember that pain. Even though her punches might not be as painful, pain is still pain.

Anyways, kissing him wouldn't be so bad at all. His lips felt soft and his breath smelled good.

These were SM's thoughts until they finished paying their groceries and returned to her house. Cloud only walked them to Knight's taxi then left, while Midnight would go straight to Knight's house.

And as they stood in her kitchen, Knight approached her.

"Boss?"

She looked up at him. "Hmm?"

"Can I kiss you?" he asked, like a gentleman.

She shook her head. "I'm still sick. You might get infected."

"Can I hug you then?"

To this, she nodded.

Knight immediately encircled his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. He held her for a few seconds before he spoke.

"Boss?"

"Hmm?" she hummed.

His lips pressed just below her ear before whispering, "Te quiero."