4: Old vs New

No matter how many times Arabella looked at this gem, she ended up weeping in overwhelming happiness. She took deep breaths to calm herself, then they entered the pyramid through a serpent's open mouth where they were welcomed by aromatic floral smell coming from the scented candles that lit up the room. There were two rectangular pools filled with rose petals at the far end which were made of granite and carved sandstones, and in between them was a narrow canal where two spring waters met, a hot and a cold, amalgamating the perfect soothing water temperature before streaming down the pools.

"Oh my god!" Arabella blurted out. The brothers smiled at her action.

"We had the same reaction when we came here for the first time," Owen told her to which his brother agreed on. Shane was telling her how lucky she was for being permitted to enter this exclusive 'salon' when a glamorous middle aged woman emerged from one of the rooms. She's wearing minimal make up and a simple lime green scrub suit, but her stateliness exuded.

"Good morning, Grace. This is~"

"I know who she is. Pleasure to finally meet you, Mrs. Adams. Arabella, ain't it?" she told Shane before turning to Arabella and shaking her cold hands. She still didn't get used to being called Mrs. Adams.

"We'll leave her to your magical hands then," Shane nodded while gesturing Owen to get Saraknib from her mom.

"C' mom buddy. Mommy's gonna get prettified! And maybe you'll have a little sister in no time," Owen cooed at the baby causing everyone to share a hearty laugh while Arabella blushed at his casual statement.

The brothers left with her baby as Grace applied her expertise to Arabella, who was seemingly feeling nervous and excited at the same time. After four hours of beautification, Arabella felt so relaxed like never before.

"Know what, if you wanna win this fight, cultivate your skills and wisdom without ever neglecting your appearance. Mevious and this island seem paradise on earth, but evil still lingers creeping in its depths," Grace uttered as she combed Arabella's hair ready for a little makeover before a giant mirror. She wrinkled her brows in confusion at what she had mentioned earlier. Grace smiled understanding that she wasn't able to catch what she meant.

"I am the Founder's sister and the Suits Brotherhood's keeper, so I know what's going on," she said with a faint smile on her face. Now, Arabella understood her words.

"Can I have a question?" Arabella finally let out her suppressed curiosity.

"Sure."

"If the Brotherhood is such a powerful club, why didn't Luke use its influence to solve his problem--- to stop that lunatic-obsessed woman from menacing him?"

Grace laughed at her statement, even her laughter sounded elegant.

"No--- no. The club doesn't work that way. They support their brothers in any way they could, but never abuse their power and the club's prestige for personal gain. The rule is simple--- clean your own mess! Your brothers will only provide you broom and trash cans, but never do the cleaning," she explained. Arabella finally grasped the oddity of the situation.

The brothers came just in time that the pampering was over.

"Holy shit!" Shane exclaimed while looking at Arabella.

"Ya... your words! We have an innocent creature here," Owen scolded while covering Saraknib's ears.

Shane lightly cupped his tiny face and said, "I am sorry, little buddy, but look at your mom, ain't she an angel?"

Saraknib seemed to understand what he said as he looked at his mom and smiled extending his arms wanting her to carry him. Arabella took him from Owen and gave him kisses on his face and neck which he giggled at.

"Thanks, Grace! Your skills haven't changed at all. You do still possess magic in your hands," Shane said. Grace nodded.

"What do you want for lunch?" Owen asked while they drove to their resort to eat.

"Uhm... I am okay with anything," she answered.

They savored a seafood curry prepared by Shane himself. Every seafood on the plate was tasty, but the best one was the crab--- it was so meaty and juicy, you can taste the spices and wine giving the umami taste that explodes in your mouth.

They were in the middle of their lunch when her phone rang. She wasn't expecting any calls so she was surprised to see who her caller was.

"H-hello," she answered after some hesitations. Owen and Shane looked at her with a question of 'who is that' painted on their faces.

"Luke... err... I am with Owen and Shane. We are eating lunch in their resort," she told him. Owen gestured for her to give him the phone, so she did. She didn't know what to say to him anyway.

"We are eating. Relax. They are fine---nothing to worry about!" he said before tapping the end button.

Meanwhile, in Luke's office...

"Hello? Owen!" Luke shouted after hearing the beep. Then, he slammed the phone on its cradle.

He was worried the whole morning knowing that Arabella and her son were with the Mcknights.

"Why are you worried anyway? They're your brothers," he told himself.

He didn't know why, but he was really uncomfortable with the thought that his 'wife' and 'son' were with them.

"Well... they're childish! Maybe, they'll do something silly to them," he convinced himself.

"Ows! Is that really the reason?" his mind contradicted.

"Eish! This is crazy!" he said aloud. He really wanted to go home then, but he had an important meeting to attend, which made him even more frustrated.

At the Mcknight's resort, Arabella was washing her hands after peeing when a beautiful statuesque woman appeared from one of the cubicles. She recognized her--- the lunatic obsessed bitch who was pestering Luke--- Regina.

"Well... look who's here?" Regina said while crossing her arms. She's tall compared to Arabella, but she didn't step back when she tried to push her and looked at her with equal intensity although she felt intimidated by her presence.

"I know what you did you filthy slut! You used your baby to gain Luke's sympathy. Hah! If I know, he might be a product of a one night stand! So... if you think that you won by marrying him, you're wrong! I know Luke inside out and I know that you're just a temporary pleasure bitch!" she said in her wicked voice leaving her shaking in anger and humiliation.