Chapter 41

"Huh?"

Turning to his left, Kazimir rolls his eyes. He'd just arrived back from vacation and Pierre was the last person he wanted to see.

"What the fuck are you paying for?"

"I know you can't afford it, so I just decided to do an act of kindness."

Shifting his son from one arm to another, Pierre puts his card back into his wallet.

"Actually, I can- what the hell do you even want?" Kazimir asks, putting his hands in his pockets.

"The teams have been combined again, which means me and you are work partners again!"

"That's...nice." Kazimir replies, sighing.

Pierre nods.

"Yep. Captain Uzini and the other broad said it'd be better if we were just grouped up like before. Everyone will still keep their other jobs from the previous teams, though."

A small laugh interrupts the two men, both Pierre and Kazimir turning to Prince.

"Guess what, Mr. Red-Eyed Man?!"

"What's up?" Kazimir asks, smiling.

"I'm gonna be a big brother! Once I see the baby's face, I'm gonna tell it how it should be happy I'm its older brother!"

"Really? I think you'll make the coolest big brother out there." the young man says, giving the little boy a high five.

Prince nods and looks up at his father.

"Kazimir said I'm gonna make the coolest biggest brother out there!"

"Yeah, 'cause you are. You're my lil' son, another reason why you're cool!" Pierre says, rubbing his son's hair.

Pierre turns to Kazimir and smiles.

"Aria's two months pregnant. She said she told her parents and apparently they weren't so happy. Said they were disappointed that she'd let a man like me knock her up."

Kazimir shrugs.

"She could've done better."

"Nah, everyone should be proud of her. Aria's a smart girl, which is why I'm glad she'll be the mother of my second child. She should be happy I chose her."

"Entitlement runs deep in the family, huh?" Kazimir mumbles, playing with his earring.

"Unfortunately, she doesn't want me around the child once he's born. Don't know why, I've never done anything to actually hurt her. Luckily for me, the child is what bonds us now." Pierre continues, checking his watch. "I like Aria, she's a lovely girl and I don't want to lose her."

Kicking his feet, Prince lets out a loud sigh.

"Papi, I gotta pee!"

Putting his son down, Pierre tells him to only use his pocket knife in case of an emergency, before watching the small boy run into the convenience store.

He sighs, leaning against Kazimir's car.

"Man, it's just so hard to decide on which one I plan to convince to come and stay with me. They're both caring and sweet, although they can have their mood swings from time to time."

The young detective chuckles and shrugs.

"Why not both? I'm sure they'll get along over their hatred of you."

Pierre smiles and looks over at Kazimir.

"Of course, Pierre! Why didn't I think of that the first time?!"

Kazimir shakes his head.

"I was being sarcastic."

"Well, it worked!" Pierre replies, patting Kazimir's shoulder.

Shaking his head, the young man gets into his car and starts it.

"I gotta go. I'll pay you back your gas money tonight."

After driving for a couple of miles, the young detective pulls into his apartment complex parking lot, getting out and making his way to his apartment door.

Unlocking it, he opens the door and slouches down onto his couch, before hearing a knock.

Softly groaning, Kazimir gets up and opens the door, raising a brow at the two males who stood in front of him.

"Are you Kazimir Cizetto?"

"Yeah. Who are you?" the young detective asks.

"My name is Jai Domonkos and this is my friend Lennox Zier!"

"Domonkos? As in that data CEO'S son?"

"Yep! That's me!" Jai happily replies.

"And what do you want?"

"We're looking for Alexei! See, we were following him down here and then I suddenly lost sight of his car. That's when Lennox remembered Alexei mentioning your name to us and I found your address!"

Kazimir nods.

"I can take you both to him. You'll probably get lost trying to find your way around here."

"Yo, thanks man!" Jai says, following Kazimir down the flight of stairs. "Hey, maybe the four of us should have a game night! You play video games?"

"Not as much as I used to compared to when I was younger. My PS4 is usually consumed by Hello Kitty and Disney Princess games now."

"You have a daughter? What's her name?" Lennox asks.

"Oh, she's not my daughter. She's the younger sister of Alexei and-

"You're watching Khristina?! That's crazy!" Jai says, interrupting the young man. "Well, I guess it really ain't since Alexei told us he respected you a lot because you both seem to be very ideally inclined. Anyway, you got a girl?"

Kazimir shakes his head.

"No, I've never had one."

"Damn, me neither." Jai replies. "I'm currently looking for the right one!"

"Nah, he just looking for one that has curves." Lennox says, softly chuckling.

Jai smiles and nods.

"Yessir! You know any girls like that? Like any with a plump and round ass?!"

"No." Kazimir replies, stopping his car next to a tall gate. "We're here, but you'll need a special card to enter onto any further property. However, Alexei said he had another meeting to attend after this one, so I'm sure he won't be long."

"Mr. Kazimir!"

Looking up, the young detective smiles as Khristina runs over to the gate.

"Mr. Kazimir, I made a new friend! She's playing on the swings with her older brother and Dréy!"

"Oh! You're Khristina! Bro, she really looks like one of those porcelain dolls come to life!"

The small girl looks over at Jai and smiles.

"How'd you know my name, Mr.? Are you a genie?! Will you grant me a wish?!"

"I ain't a genie, my name's Jai Domonkos! I go to school with your brother Alexei! On the other hand, I can still see what I can get you!"

"Okay, good! I want a car like the one my mama had, except the color has to be neon pink! And make sure the seats are red like Alexei's and that the ceiling has stars like Dréy's!" Khristina says, grabbing Jai's hands through the gate bars. "By the way, was your papa friends with my papa?"

"Alright, I'll see what I can do! But nah, that was Uncle Brent. My dad lives back in Hungary, but my mom followed me here to make sure I didn't get into any trouble!"

Khristina smiles.

"My mama was the same way! What about you, Mr.? Are you a genie?"

Lennox laughs and nods.

"Sure, you can call me Lennox. What would you like?"

"I want a three-story dollhouse that I can fit in!"

"A'ight, I'll make something happen." Lennox replies, patting the young girl's head.

"Thank you, Mr. Lennox!"

"Uh, Khristina, your house is a couple of blocks down. What're you doing out here by yourself?" Kazimir asks.

"I got bored and snuck off when Dréy wasn't watching to go and explore a new house that was just built!" Khristina replies, unlocking the inside of the gate. "Come on, I'll show you!"

The four walk down the sidewalk, stopping in front of a large white-bricked house with pillars and black roof shingles, surrounded by green bushes.

"Isn't it beautiful?!" Khristina asks, running ahead and twirling around in the front yard.

"It is!" Jai replies, also spinning around.

Skipping, the young girl leads the way inside, giving a small tour of the house.

"And this is the room I want if I was living here!" Khristina says, pointing into a large empty room. "See, look at the pretty chandelier!"

"You could make this your dollhouse." Lennox adds, looking out the window. "It even comes with a nice view of the lake, not too close and not too far."

"REALLY?!" Khristina asks. "You'll get this for me?!"

"Of course. I gotta let your brothers know first, though."

Running over to him, Khristina gives Lennox a big hug.

"THANK YOU MR. LENNOX! YOU'RE THE BESTEST PERSON IN THE WORLD!"

"It's no problem." Lennox replies with a chuckle. "Come on, let's go tell your brothers."

The four exit the large house and walk a few more houses down until Khristina waves over to her eldest brother who was currently sitting at a picnic table.

"Dréy, Dréy, Dréy! Guess what?! Guess what?!"

Looking up from his phone, the young man frowns.

"Khristina, what'd I tell you about running off?"

"You told me not to run off when I was at your house!" the small girl replies.

Dréy rolls his eyes and groans.

"Khrissy, don't run off anytime I'm watchin' you, a'ight?"

"Okay, now guess!"

"You made two new friends?" Dréy asks, looking up at Jai and Lennox.

"Yeah, but that's not it! Mr. Jai and Mr. Lennox said they're going to buy me a house and a car like the one mama had!"

Dréy looks over at the two young men who both nod.

"Yeah, the one she wants is just a few houses up." Lennox says. "She can also-

"Hol' on, hol' on, hol' on. You buying her a real house?" Dréy asks.

"Sure, I promised her I would. I'll pay it in full, but you and Alexei just have to co-sign on the deed."

Dréy shrugs, putting his phone back in his pocket.

"I mean, it's fine wit' me."

"Ah, it's perfectly fine. I'll come back tomorrow to collect the rest of my father's items from the office."

Turning to the familiar voice, Khristina smiles and runs over to her second eldest brother.

"Alexei, guess what!"

Smiling down, the young law student picks up his little sister.

"What is it Khristina? Have you made a new friend?"

"Yeah, but there's also something else!"

Alexei tilts his head, looking up at the sky to try and figure out what his little sister was trying to tell him.

"You met a unicorn?"

"No, clown! Mr. Jai is gonna buy me a car like the one papa gave mama when I was inside her tummy and Mr. Lennox is gonna buy me a house down the street!"

Alexei slightly frowns and looks over at his two acquaintances, who nod.

"Yeah, you can just consider it as a thank you gift for being welcoming to me." Lennox says with a smile.

"Lennox's right! You accepted me when everyone else kinda gave me the cold-shoulder!" Jai says, patting Alexei's shoulder.

The young law student grows quiet for a minute, before sighing.

"You can both purchase the house and the car for Khristina, but please make this the first and final gift."

Jai nods and points up at Alexei's hair.

"I like your hair! It looks better styled up! It makes you appear more handsomer!"

"Uh, thank you? I usually just style it for professional purposes and leave it up for a few days until it starts to appear messy." Alexei replies, putting Khristina back down. "Now if you'll all excuse me, I have another meeting to attend."