The Bucket List (A REVERSE HAREM ROMANCE)

26. SEVERIDE

My head snapped up when my office door was thrown open. Whatever I was about to yell at the intruder died down when my eyes locked on the man who entered. I was out of my chair and hurrying around my desk in seconds.

"What is it? What happened? Is it your father?"

Steven shook his head and ran a shaky hand through his hair. "He's okay."

"Kieran? Thomas?" My eyes widened. "Did something happen to Albany?"

"She's probably at home," he muttered. "Fuck, Sev. We fucked up. I shouldn't have suggested that we make the bet."

I gripped his shoulders and steered him towards the chair in front of my desk and pushed him down onto it. Walking over to the cabinet, I poured him some whiskey.

Steven downed the liquid and slammed the glass down onto the desk before he sprung to his feet and started pacing.

"What happened?"

My heart dropped to my stomach with every word that fell from his lips. He told me that Albany had heard them talking in his office and that she knew about the bet made between the four of us. He was right. We fucked things up.

I should've stopped things before it started but I was the one who made the ultimatums. Fuck, I'm old enough to know better than them.

Rubbing a hand down my face, I walked around my desk and stared out the window at the darkening sky. If we didn't fix it then we might lose her and the thought of never seeing her again tore me apart.

Albany had become part of our lives. She belonged with us. She needed us.

"Does Kieran know?" I turned to face him. "Call your brother and tell him to meet us at her apartment building in ten minutes. I'll talk to Kieran."

"Sev—"

"We made a mess and now we're going to fix it," I interrupted him.

"What if she doesn't want to listen?" he asked softly.

I shrugged as I grabbed my jacket from the back of my chair. We couldn't force her to listen. It should've been Albany's choice from the start and not ours. We were all adults. We shouldn't be fucking playing games like this.

"Cancel my dinner appointment," I ordered my secretary as I passed her. "Reschedule it if possible."

"But, sir—"

Her words were cut off with a wave of my hand. I pressed the button to summon the elevator before I pulled my phone my pocket and dialled Kieran's number. He answered on the second ring.

"Albany knows about the bet. Meet us at her apartment in ten."

***

Kieran was already there when I parked the car at the curb. I stared at him for a few minutes before I got out and walked over to him. He was staring at the ground but he looked up when I bumped my shoulder against his.

"Hey."

He nodded but didn't utter a word. Kieran wasn't one to do much talking. It wasn't in his nature, but he was usually extra silent when he had something on his mind.

I copied his stance and leaned back against the car next to him. My eyes darted up to the building. I knew exactly where Albany's apartment was located. A breath of relieve fell from my lips when I spotted the glow of lights. Albany was home.

"Bad day?"

"I told Albany about my sister."

My eyes snapped over to his in surprise. Kieran never talked about his sister. He felt ashamed about his reaction towards her, about the hate and the anger and the way he handled things. A shudder raced through me as I remembered that terrible day I found him.