Colton

I looked at Luna, then at the guy kneeling in front of her, asking for her hand in marriage.

It hit me who the guy was. Barry Cox.

I knew him. I saw him at New York University during college. He was two years ahead of me. He studied marketing and practiced by selling himself to women.

That guy is no good. Someone who plays, uses, takes advantage, and manipulates. He charmed girls to get whatever he wanted. Back then, he'd done something so awful that I totally despised him.

I got bothered and anxious, waiting for Luna's answer. When her eyes met mine again across the room, I hoped my expression conveyed how I felt.

Nope, nope. Don't say yes to that fucking jerk.

"Yes!" Luna exclaimed, and everyone cheered.

I was so dismayed as I watched the newly engaged couple kissing each other. Barry Cox was grinning like crazy, like he just won the lottery.

He can't be part of the Stavrakos family, no way. I had to protect Luna and her family.

"Hey, Colton! I got your message. Did you make it to Gerald?" My twin sister Erin came up and interrupted my thoughts.

Gerald has been my best friend since high school. His car's battery died, so I went to give him a hand. I would've made it to the party on time, but there was a car crash causing a huge traffic jam.

"Yeah, I did. I had a mechanic pick up his car. I left him at his place."

"What's up with those packages?" She looked at the parcels I was holding. My hands were full, so I couldn't catch the door before it slammed earlier.

"For the kids."

"I'm sure they'll be super excited." She beamed. "I bet you're starving. I'll tell a server to get you some food."

"Thanks. Where am I going to sit?"

"Obviously, with the family. You can't sit with the bridesmaid anymore. They're all taken, and the last one just got engaged."

I couldn't help but smirk and shake my head. "I'm a good boy now, Erin."

"Really, huh?"

"I'll go greet Sebastian and Sweet first."

I saw Sweet with her kids at their table.

"Hey, Uncle Colton!" The kids were so loud, jumping off the table, and running straight to me.

I just dropped the packages and let the kids jump on me.

"You made it, yay! I'm so happy you're here." Sweet looked totally surprised and watched as I hugged and kissed her kids.

"Happy wedding anniversary, Sweet." I gave her a hug and a kiss on her temple. "Where's Sebastian?"

"He went to talk to someone for a sec."

"Sorry, I'm late." I explained to her what happened, and she totally understood.

"What matters is, you're here." She hugged me again. "By the way, thanks for your gift. That's way too fancy."

"No worries."

I emailed her my gift last night. It was an all-expenses paid vacation and unlimited stay for her family, in one of the presidential suites at Dubai's most iconic hotel, Burj Al Arab.

"What's in those boxes?" Samuel, who resembled his dad, noticed the scattered packages on the floor. "Are they for us?"

The twins quit being all clingy and started gawking at the boxes.

"Yup. Those are my late birthday presents for the three of you." I said, and the kids were super excited.

Zoe kept holding onto me while the two boys raced to the boxes.

"Uncle Colton, did you find the Lego doll I asked for?" Zoe was giving me the biggest blue-eyed stare. "You know, the cake baker?"

"Yeah, I did." I knelt down in front of her and patted her bronze hair that resembled mine. She gave me a tight hug around my neck, almost choking me. She was seriously strong for a young girl.

The two boys were going through the boxes. Samuel was stoked about the soccer ball with Messi's autograph, and Joshua, so happy with his monster truck.

"You look great with your curls."

"It's only for this special occasion," she chuckled and scrutinized my appearance. "You're the one looking really gorgeous. Your tan and stubble look good on you."

"Thanks."

Then we started chatting, catching up. She began going on about her kids. Samuel's school achievements. Joshua was being super naughty, drawing circles on Sebastian's face while he was asleep, with permanent markers. Zoe, wanting to join the boys in karate.

"Hey, man. Happy you could make it." Sebastian appeared behind me and greeted me with a man hug.

"I didn't have a choice. Sweet is pretty insistent." I said, and we all laughed.

Sebastian and I chatted about the latest Formula One race I saw in Singapore. The investments we made on a basketball team, our latest business ventures, and so on.

Actually, now that I think about it. I totally hated this guy when he started dating my sister. Who can blame me? He had this terrible deal that made my family hate him. But when they started dating for real, and made it official, we hung out a lot and I realized we have so much in common. We're into basketball, chess, racing cars, motorcycles, reading financial books, and, of course, getting into business.

We're super close now. We're like actual brothers. My family is totally into him, especially Dad, who used to despise him.

"By the way, I just had a talk with Dad. He told me Luna's clothing business is struggling. Actually, it's her partnership with her boyfriend...I mean, now, her fiancé. You must have seen the proposal earlier."

"Yeah, I did."

Sebastian huffed and carried on. "But you know Luna. She's too stubborn to admit it and ask for our help... even yours."

He'd known about the friction between me and Luna since our college days.

"Totally agree."

"Their business is a mess right now. They need a consultant to fix it. They tried to get consultants in New York, even your company, but everyone turned them down."

"Most likely because it's the busiest time of the year."

So Luna kept her mouth shut about seeing me yesterday.

"Yup, that's right. Just so you know, her partner, Barry Cox, wants to meet you. Just see if you can squeeze their company into your workload. They really need your help, or their company will go down the drain."

"Okay. Let's see if I can fit them in."

"Thanks. I know I can rely on you." He patted my back. "Have some food first. I've got some vintage wine for the guys."

I chuckled, "make sure it's good to drink. The last time we got all sick."

"It's not too old. I swear, this is really good."

The party continued to kick off. I found my parents and sister Erin at our assigned table.

"Finally, you're here!" My mom, Evelyn Treble, said. "Don't worry, I set aside your favorites."

"They're already cold, Evelyn. Tell the server to get him new ones." My dad. Chris Treble murmured.

"I already did, Dad. They will serve them now." Erin said.

"When are they gonna slice that massive cake? Can guests eat that or is it just for show? I heard it's chocolate flavor." Dad was drooling as he stared at the upside-down chandelier cake. He loves chocolate, making him too eager to have a taste of the cake.

I still ate the food that Mom set aside. I was starving and couldn't wait for the servers to serve the food. I'm a big eater since I'm six feet tall. But I ran every morning to stay in shape and keep my body healthy.

Later, the singing and dancing continued. I found Luna standing alone at the dessert buffet table, checking the only one crème brûlée left on the table.

"That sure looks delicious." I said, and she ignored me.

We both reached for the crème brûlée, our hands touching, but she quickly pulled away.

"It's all yours." I said, and her lips twisted.

"Nah, go ahead and have it."

"Okay. Thanks." I smirked as I devoured the crème brûlée. "Mmm... this is so good. Care for a bite?"

With a sarcastic smile, she said. "No thanks. I'm good."

She picked a strawberry shortcake cupcake. Right as she was about to leave, I said.

"Oh, by the way, I was surprised when you said yes to the marriage proposal. You looked hesitant, you know? If I were you, I'd give it another thought."

She shot me an angry glare. "Mind your own business. Keep your thoughts to yourself. I don't need it."

"I made it my business because I care for my sister and her family. I'm super protective of them. Whoever you tie the knot with will have an impact on them."

"Barry is a good person. Way better than you."

"Ouch." I grimaced. "I had my fair share of flaws. But I've changed."

"Honestly, you're not really proving anything. You're still the same."

She lifted her chin, then walked out on me.

***

I joined the guys gathered around the table, with Sebastian in charge. Right in the center were his vintage wine bottles. We tasted all the wine. Some were delicious, others were gross.

Sebastian introduced me to Barry Cox. He looked so ecstatic to meet me.

Cox didn't seem to know much about me, except that I'm Sebastian's brother-in-law and own Global Excellence Consultants. Obviously, Luna didn't tell him anything about me.

"You know, I own Glamour Fashion with Luna," Cox said with pride. "Did you hear about it?"

"Nope. I'm not really a fashion person or anything like that."

He had a little laugh. "It's a trendy clothing company in New York. Yeah, we make basic clothes for everyone, but we also have fancy dresses for the upper class."

"Congrats on your business, man."

"Thanks. But, you know, it's a tough business as well. We have too much competition." He mentioned the leading clothing lines, then compared his business to those. "Unfortunately, we're experiencing some organizational issues at the moment. You think you could give us a hand?"

"We can't take on more work at our NY office. Things are really hectic at the moment. We're buried with work."

Yeah, I made it hard for him to get my answer.

"Come on, man. I seriously need your help. I can't let our company fail. It would be too embarrassing. I got to show Luna's family we can handle it. Please, I'm asking you."

"There's a ton of business consultants in the city. Anyone would be happy to help you."

"I tried, but no one's available. For real, bro. I'll pay more than your fee to help our company bounce back." He was pretty insistent. "Sebastian will also be my brother-in-law once I marry Luna, just like you. We'll be super close soon and hang out more. Can you help me out?"

He's gonna be trouble for the Stavrakos family. No way am I letting that happen. Sweet and her family mean the world to me.

"Alright, here's the deal. I'll personally fix your company and handle your account. But you have to keep it a secret to anyone until I sign the contract."

"Yes, I'll do it." His eyes grew bigger in anticipation for my answer.

I gave a nod and he let out a sigh of relief.

***

On Monday morning, I was at Barry Cox's office at Glamour's Clothing Company. I was lounging on an armchair, just across from him.

All of a sudden, the door swung open, and Luna walked in. Our eyes met right away.

"What's going on here?" She gave me a death stare, then shifted it to Cox.

"Hello, sweetheart. I'm glad you're here." Barry stood up from his chair and moved closer to her. "I want to introduce you to our new business consultant. Mr. Colton Treble."