"Are you angry?" Andre Karios asked as he saw Amara's tired face. She looked worn out from dancing with different men for the past hour.

She looked up, breathing hard. "Of course. I am fine just a little tired from all the dancing," she replied, moving to stand next to him.

He cursed lowly under his breath. He really hoped Amara didn't feel bad for Jake. He had told her many times Jake used her but Amara didn't listen. So, he had turned a blind eye because even tho he wanted to beat Jake to a pulp every time he saw him, he still wanted Amara happy. Andre knew literally everything Jake did behind Amara's back. Amara really had a bad taste in men, he thought.

Hell! He had gotten Jake investigated and the info he had received made Andre burn in rage. The bastard was wanted in a country by the Mafia for trying to elope with the rich don's-then-girlfriend now wife. Jake was also a womanizer and earlier in life, a con artist. For Amara’s sake, he had pulled a lot of strings to keep the shit safe from his past.

But tonight, the idiot had soared his limits, provoked him. The shit practically had sex with the oldie on the dance floor. He came back an hour later reeking of alcohol and perfume.

Andre had held it in just for Amara pleading for the sick shit. His undoing had been Jake flirting with another woman in his sister's face. His face had darkened and then he charged readily towards Jake, tossing the redhead to him. He already started to beat the sick shit when Amara stepped in, stopping him again.

Andre felt a slight pain in his hand he punch Jake with. He made a mental note to call all his investors early tomorrow morning to terminate all contracts he had gotten for Jake. The shit had to work harder now for everything he wanted since he threw his chances in the garbage.

Jake had hurt his sister and for her, he could do anything.

A waiter moved to their direction, Amara picked a glass and swallowed the contents in one go. She reached for another and Andre swatted her hand hard.

"Ow!?" She looked at him puzzled.
Andre couldn't help but roll his eyes, his sister was the most confused person alive.

"You can't handle too much alcohol," He said, smiling down at her. Someone tapped him from behind and he turned around. Standing with a group of men all in business suits stood Stephen, one of his empire’s main shareholders. Andre greeted all the men especially, the older businessman warmly. Stephen was one of their father's business partners before he died. The sixty-five-year-old stayed when the other partners took their shares, muttering amongst themselves they could never trust their money to a teenager. But Stephen had stayed, putting his trust in him. Even taught Andre a few tricks too.

Amara spun around too and smiled fully at Stephen. She rushed to him and embraced him. Afterward, she gave him a peck on the cheek. Like Amara, Stephen was a father figure to them.

As Andre discussed with him for a few minutes, he couldn't help but notice Stephen seeming a little frail and weak. Andre made another mental note to make time from his busy schedule to pay Stephen a visit during the week.

Soon Stephen said his goodbyes and excused himself. Andre faced Amara again, pushing Stephen's condition to the back of his mind."I can't be your date forever. What if a handsome man shows up and wants to take you home?"

As if he would let that happen, he thought darkly. His sister was half drunk. Leaving her to a complete stranger was impossible.

"Shut up! You are so loud! I am not lightweight," she defended. Andre pulled her by the shoulders so she could look up at him. He took a glance at her, her cheeks almost rosy in color and her steps quivered as she tried to stand straight but her legs gave out and she gripped the lapels of his suit. Yes, she was definitely drunk.

He groaned silently. Amara couldn't handle alcohol. It made things always end the same. "Of course, dear sister. You are not drunk," he agreed dryly.
She hiccuped broadly and quickly covered her mouth with her hands then giggled. She hiccuped again and this time, it was followed by a series of giggles.

"Is he here yet?"

Slowly, he deposited her in the chair next to him. The charity ball was already in full swing and the donations were starting. Andre looked around, no sign of him yet. What was the bastard doing? He thought silently.

Amara closed her eyes. She started to fall back on her chair and Andre caught her. Cursing in Italian, he lifted her along with her chair much closer to him. Luckily, he had decided to stay in a corner of the room. Soon, her head rested on the wall by her side.

He smiled tenderly as she tried to get comfortable with her head on the wall and when she did, she mumbled some incoherent words and sighed peacefully in her sleep. Her name Amara had been given to her by their Greek father. Amara charmed everyone. She was one of the zeal’s in his life along with their mother.

Andre turned to the stage as the auctioneer began bidding with the opening art piece when someone sat next to him.

"My, my, my, what did she get herself into this time?" The all too familiar voice drawled next to him.

Andre bent to the side to meet his friend. He cocked an eyebrow at him. "I don't think this is the particular time addressed on the invitation card. Don't you think, Lucas?"

"I didn't feel the need to come," Lucas replied arrogantly. He turned to the pale, blond-haired woman he brought as his date and smiled the blond smiled back. "What do the ladies call it? Ah! Yes! Fashionably late they say and besides, the charity ball is just starting."

Andre lifted his new champagne glass to his lips as he gave a brief glance at the blond. Suddenly, an image flashed in front of his eyes, Amara had blonde hair. He nearly choked in his glass. His sister had left quite an impression of blondes on him when she dyed her hair blond years ago. Since then, he preferred other women than blonds.

"You can call it fashionably late by getting here thirty minutes late. You miss the ball part. You are here for the charity."

Lucas ran his hand through his hair, clearly frustrated at Andre's questions. "Dio! Let it go."

"It's the truth, my friend."

"Shut up already. I know you had to talk to people on my behalf. I was a little...detained," Lucas replied. Andre wondered why people kept telling him to zip it.

He spoke his piece but got silenced. Amara and Lucas were the worse. Maybe he needed to find another group of friends......

Lucas's secretary came over and engaged Lucas in a discussion. Andre looked over to his sister. Amara was now bobbing her head in her sleep like she was listening to music. He lifted a hand under his sister’s head, bringing her head to rest on his shoulder more comfortably.

Lucas tapped on the table quietly. Andre and the blonde glanced up. "Excuse me for some time," he said, throwing Amara a glance before walking off with his secretary behind him, leaving Andre with the blonde.

A few minutes past and neither of them spoke. Andre knew Lucas's blonde was watching him silently. He focused on the auctioneer as he bought a priceless ceramic pot that caught his eye. A gift for his ex-tonight date, he thought sourly, remembering Jake.

"You are such a good brother," a sultry female voice said beside Andre, cooing at him. He turned his head to see Lucas's date smiling a little too brightly at him for his liking.

Remembering his manners, he politely nodded at her compliment. Taking his manners as a sign, she quickly shifted closer to him instead of the few chairs away she had been seating earlier.

Hastily deciding to ignore her, Andre turned his attention back to the auctioneer.

Suddenly, he felt long, soft feminine fingers around his arm on the table. "I like you, you know. A lot. You are such a good guy," she whispered in his ear.
Because of Amara, he couldn't turn his head fully to see her so he turned halfway. "Really," he said acting interested. He almost laughed at her assumption. Most people thought of him as evil-minded and she was saying he was nice? She was trying too hard to bait him.

"My name is Venny," she stated, tightly griping unto his arms like a vice. She pressed herself tightly against his back. Her obvious flirting surprised him. With his and Lucas's widely known playboy’s images, only a few women were bold enough to walk up to him and ask him for sex.

Surely, he loved women but he craved rising to the challenge of going after them instead, giving them the ideal romance itself. He loved the idea of the foreplay, gaining a new trophy he had earned fairly.

He admired her courage but he didn't like blondes and women his best friend played with.

He gave her the famous glare that made people scurry away from him to a far distance. The tabloids had distinguished his glare as the look of the desert because it left people high and dry, tongue-tied, and running for any form of escape. With that look, he had built a business empire.

He glared dangerously at her arms crawling on him. "Remove them," he said shortly. "Do your job as Lucas’s fuck buddy and scurry off. Stay far away from me, darling. Didn’t you hear? I don’t do blondes. I am bad for you even dangerous"

Venny couldn't hide her fear, she tried to rush away but unknowingly to her, she still held on to his arm. He eyed her fingers as plucked them from his skin like a bad weed and dropped it gently on the table. Andre smiled in her way warmly, she shrunk back to her seat and didn't glance his way nor speak for the rest of the night.

He and Lucas had been students in the same university but never were close friends. When Andre lost his dad, Lucas had stood by him, his mother, and Amara. Which he was grateful to Lucas to this day. During that time, they had grown closer. And when Lucas had come to him with plans, he didn’t hesitate to merge Lucas–by that time–emerging company with his. And now, it had grown into a vast empire.

This was why he was against it. When he had found out about Amara’s infatuation for Lucas, he was transfixed, shocked even. He had no idea when she started to like Lucas. He warned her about him so many times but all his warnings were like pouring water into an ocean. Both of them were playboys, they played with women for pleasure and he didn’t want his sister played by his friend either.

He sighed lowly. It was a good thing Lucas knew nothing about Amara's feelings, he thought. He didn't want her heartbroken over Lucas.

Andre lifted Amara’s head gently from his shoulders to the table as he stood to greet a client. Shortly after, he turned to her and lifted her into his arms.

Just then, Lucas reappeared, blocking his path. "Leaving already?" he asked, a slight frown narrowing his lips.

Andre managed to look down at his watch while carrying Amara in a bridal style. It was 1 am. "It's late, Lucas. She looked tired earlier so I’ll take her home now," Andre explained.
Lucas said nothing. Instead, he waved for his secretary. Philip hurried forward as Lucas barked out an order.

"Get my car ready in front of the building, I’ll take her home."As the secretary started to scurry away, Andre halted him.

"Philip, get my car to the front of the hotel. I will take my sister home." He issued in a calm command. He looked at Lucas tiredly as Philip hurried off. Andre breathed in deeply, he wasn’t that afraid of leaving Amara with Lucas but he knew his friend well enough to know he was finding a means to exit the party as quickly as he arrived.

Andre looked at his friend who was about to object. "This is your party, Lucas. You are the master of the ceremony. Trust me, it would be better if I take her home while you entertain our business partners."

A minute past before Lucas nodded. He shot one last glance at Amara before moving to the side for Andre to pass. Andre noticed this, his eyes narrowed. He started to inquire about why Lucas looked at Amara like that when no words came out from his mouth. He was tired and overthinking things, he thought, sniffing a yawn. Amara was like a little sister to Lucas. He was worried too about her.

After explaining to the organizers why he had to leave earlier. He walked out with Lucas next to him. After settling Amara in his car, Andre gave a brief nod before moving over to the driver seat.

As Andre pulled away from the hotel, Lucas stood by the hotel’s entrance until Andre's car sped into the night.