Chapter 3 The handshake behind the fairy lights

LOVED BY TWO BROTHERS

CHAPTER 3: THE HANDSHAKE BEHIND THE FAIRY LIGHTS

Elena's POV

I woke up the morning after prom with a smile I couldn't hide.

For the first time in my life, I had a boyfriend. And not just any boyfriend. Damian Hunter was the boy I had secretly dreamed about, the one who made my heart race whenever he said my name.

I reached for my phone and found a message waiting for me.

Damian: Good morning, my queen. Did you sleep well?

I laughed and typed my reply.

Me: I did, Your Majesty. Did you dream about me?

His answer arrived almost immediately.

Damian: Unfortunately, yes. Now I can't concentrate on anything else.

Me: You're so dramatic!

Damian: Only when it comes to you. See you at school, beautiful.

I pressed the phone against my chest, smiling like a fool.

Grandma Linda entered my room carrying a basket of clean clothes.

"Who is making my granddaughter smile like that?"

"No one!"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Nobody sends messages that make someone grin at an empty wall."

"Grandma!"

She laughed and placed the basket on my bed.

"All right, all right. Just remember that love is beautiful, but you must never forget yourself because of it."

I nodded.

At the time, I thought her advice was unnecessary.

I didn't know that before the week ended, I would be forced to choose between the boy I loved and the only home I had ever known.

THE GIRL WHO WANTED MY BOYFRIEND

At school, Damian was waiting for me near the entrance.

The moment he saw me, he smiled and walked toward me.

"Good morning, girlfriend."

I looked around nervously.

"Damian! Everyone can hear you."

"Good. I want everyone to know."

Before I could respond, he took my hand and kissed my forehead.

My cheeks warmed.

"You enjoy embarrassing me, don't you?"

"Not embarrassing you. Making you smile."

He was right. I couldn't stop smiling.

We walked toward our classroom together, unaware that Chloe was watching us from the staircase.

She had arrived early that morning, hoping to find Damian alone.

Instead, she watched him carry my books, open the classroom door for me, and pull out a chair so I could sit comfortably.

Every little thing he did made her jealousy grow.

When Damian left to speak with a teacher, Chloe approached my desk.

"Enjoying your new relationship?" she asked.

I looked up.

"Yes. Why wouldn't I?"

She forced a smile.

"Nothing. I'm just surprised Damian chose you."

Her words stung.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Chloe shrugged.

"You're nice, Elena, but Damian could have any girl in this school."

I closed my notebook.

"Maybe. But he chose me, and I chose him. That's all that matters."

Her expression hardened.

"Don't be too sure. Relationships like yours don't always last."

She walked away before I could answer.

I tried to concentrate on my lessons, but her words remained in my mind.

When Damian returned, he immediately noticed my expression.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

He sat beside me.

"Elena, look at me."

I did.

"If something is bothering you, tell me. I don't want you keeping things inside because you're afraid of upsetting me."

I wanted to tell him about Chloe, but I didn't want to start an argument.

So I smiled and shook my head.

"Everything is fine."

He studied me for a moment before gently squeezing my hand.

"All right. But I'm always here."

I believed him.

That was what made the coming betrayal so painful.

DOMINIC'S PROPOSAL

During lunch, Dominic sent Chloe a message.

Dominic: Meet me at the coffee shop opposite the school tomorrow morning. Eight o'clock. Come alone.

Chloe frowned at her phone.

Chloe: What are you planning?

Dominic: Something that will change everything.

Chloe: You need to tell me what it is.

Dominic: Tomorrow. Don't be late.

Chloe stared at the screen, then glanced toward Damian, who was laughing with me at our table.

She had spent years hoping he would notice her. Now she was willing to do almost anything to make him hers.

The next morning, she arrived at the coffee shop at exactly eight o'clock.

Dominic was already seated at the back, wearing a black cap and sunglasses.

She sat opposite him.

"Why are you dressed like you're hiding from the police?" she asked.

Dominic removed his sunglasses.

"Because I don't want anyone knowing we're meeting."

Chloe crossed her arms.

"Start talking."

He opened a notebook and placed it on the table.

Across the first page, he had written two names.

ELENA. DAMIAN.

Under Elena's name, he had written: The bakery.

Under Damian's name, he had written: His reputation.

Chloe stared at the page.

"What does this mean?"

Dominic smiled.

"It means we stop waiting for them to break up naturally. We make it happen."

"How?"

"Elena's grandmother owns that little bakery she lives above. I know the property is in the way of a new development. If Elena believes I can save it, she'll have to listen to me."

Chloe looked uncomfortable.

"That's cruel."

Dominic leaned back.

"Then don't help me."

She glanced away.

He knew exactly which words would hurt her most.

"Of course," he continued, "you can keep watching Damian fall more deeply in love with Elena. You can stand beside him at school and pretend you're happy for them. And one day, you'll watch them get engaged."

"Stop it!" Chloe snapped.

Dominic smiled faintly.

"Then help me."

She lowered her voice.

"What else are you planning?"

Dominic turned the page.

"First, I'll use the bakery situation to make Elena dependent on me. Then I'll create a situation that makes Damian look like a dishonest student. If the school believes he has done something serious, he could be suspended."

Chloe stared at him in disbelief.

"You want him suspended?"

"Only long enough for him to leave Elena alone."

"And what if he discovers what we did?"

Dominic's smile disappeared.

"Then we make sure he has no reason to believe her when she tells him the truth."

Chloe understood what he meant.

They would turn Elena's love for Damian into the very thing that destroyed their relationship.

She should have walked away.

She should have told Damian everything.

Instead, she looked at the notebook and imagined a future in which Damian finally belonged to her.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked.

Dominic closed the notebook.

"For now, nothing. Just be patient and follow my instructions."

He stood and placed some money on the table.

"Remember, Chloe. When this is over, you'll have your chance with Damian."

She watched him leave.

For the first time, she understood that she was making a terrible decision.

But she followed him anyway.

THE FIRST WARNING

That afternoon, Damian invited me to walk home with him.

We stopped outside the school gates, where he bought me a small packet of biscuits from a nearby vendor.

"You didn't have to buy me anything," I told him.

"I know."

"Then why did you?"

He smiled.

"Because I wanted to."

I laughed and took his hand.

We walked slowly, talking about our plans for the future. Damian wanted to study business management, while I dreamed of expanding Grandma's bakery into a proper restaurant one day.

"Then I'll be your first customer," he said.

"You'll have to pay like everyone else."

"Not even a boyfriend's discount?"

"No."

He pretended to look offended.

"This relationship is becoming expensive."

I laughed so hard that I had to stop walking.

Damian looked at me with a smile.

"I love that sound."

"What sound?"

"Your laughter."

My smile softened.

He brushed a strand of hair away from my face.

"Elena, I know we haven't been together for long, but I want you to know something. You don't have to impress me with money, clothes, or anything else. I like you exactly as you are."

My eyes filled with emotion.

"Sometimes I worry that your family won't accept someone like me."

He stopped walking.

"Don't say that."

"But your family is wealthy, Damian. My grandmother and I struggle just to keep our bakery running."

He took both my hands.

"My family doesn't decide who I love. I do."

I looked into his eyes.

"And you love me?"

He smiled gently.

"More than you realize."

I stepped forward and hugged him tightly.

I wanted to remember that moment forever.

Because somewhere across town, Dominic was already preparing to take away the happiness Damian had given me.

A SECRET THAT COULD DESTROY US

That evening, Dominic stood in his father's study, looking through documents related to the new shopping mall.

He found the bakery's address on a list of properties scheduled for demolition.

A slow smile spread across his face.

He took a photograph of the document with his phone.

Then he sent a message to an unknown contact.

Dominic: The first step is ready. Prepare the letter.

A reply arrived.

Unknown: And the boy?

Dominic looked at a photograph of Damian and me standing together at prom.

His expression turned cold.

Dominic: I'll take care of my brother.

He put the phone away and stared through the window.

Damian had always been the brother everyone trusted. Their father praised him for his kindness, teachers admired his character, and girls fell for his gentle smile.

Dominic had spent years feeling as if he were living in Damian's shadow.

Now he had found a way to make his brother lose the one thing he valued most.

Me.

He smiled to himself.

"Enjoy your happiness while you can, brother."

Meanwhile, at the bakery, Grandma Linda was sorting through the day's bills when a knock sounded at the door.

A man in a formal suit stood outside holding a large envelope.

"Are you Linda?" he asked.

"Yes. How can I help you?"

He handed her the envelope.

"This is an official notice concerning your property."

Grandma's smile disappeared.