Brent arranged a lunch at the hotel restaurant where he was staying, meant for the three of them—himself, Dylan, and Flynn.
Truthfully, it was originally supposed to be just Brent and Dylan having lunch together. However, Dylan insisted on bringing Flynn along, wanting to formally introduce him to Brent.
After Flynn and Dylan arrived at the hotel, they immediately made their way to the restaurant where Brent was waiting. By the time they reached the table, the dishes were already being served.
Dylan wasted no time introducing Flynn.
"Uh... brother, this is Flynn. Flynn Amaro Luz. He's the nephew of my dad's new wife."
"FAL," Brent said calmly.
Dylan immediately caught on to what his cousin meant. "Ah—yeah. That's the abbreviation of his name. I call him that sometimes too," Dylan said proudly.
While Dylan looked pleased, Flynn couldn't help but feel puzzled as to how Brent had come up with that so quickly. "Nice to meet you," Flynn said politely, standing slightly from his chair to offer a handshake.
Brent, however, continued cutting his steak, not even glancing up—as if he hadn't noticed Flynn at all.
Flynn gave an awkward smile and slowly sat back down, then began eating. Dylan, noticing this, gently helped Flynn cut his steak, an action that didn't escape Brent's attention.
"So he's the nephew of your stepmother," Brent finally said. "That means the two of you are cousins."
"Something like that," Dylan replied, still sounding proud.
Brent noticed the change in Dylan's demeanor. This wasn't the sharp-tongued, indifferent Dylan he was used to—the one who barely cared about anyone around him. He had also grown accustomed to being the center of Dylan's attention whenever they were together.
"It feels like just yesterday since we last met," Brent remarked. "And yet, you seem completely different."
"Maybe I just matured a little," Dylan replied, reaching for the bottle of wine and filling Brent's glass.
As silence settled over the table while they ate, Flynn couldn't help but observe the two of them. The difference between Dylan and his older cousin was striking. Brent was quiet and serious—formal in the way he dressed, direct in the way he spoke, and precise in every movement, as if each gesture had been carefully rehearsed.
He was nothing like Dylan, who was simple, casually spoken, sometimes rough with his words, and often clumsy without even realizing it.
But what caught Flynn's attention the most, however, was the way Dylan treated Brent—with an almost excessive amount of respect. Dylan served him without being asked, anticipating his needs, and responded to him almost instantly, as if he were used to following Brent's lead without question.
"By the way, why did you suddenly come back, brother?" Dylan asked, breaking the silence.
"I just have a few business meetings I need to attend," Brent replied. "Nothing too serious. I also wanted to visit you." He paused mid-meal and looked between Flynn and Dylan. "That is... if you're okay with me being here."
"Of course," Dylan said without hesitation. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Good," Brent replied simply. Once again, his eyes caught how attentively Dylan was taking care of Flynn.
"You seem quite close to your new cousin," Brent remarked, gently swirling the wine in his glass. "Does he know how I figured out that you call him FAL?"
Flynn frowned slightly at Brent's words and immediately turned to Dylan. "What does your brother mean?" he whispered.
Before Dylan could answer, Brent spoke up, having clearly heard Flynn. "He posted it on his social media."
"Posted it?" Flynn asked, turning back to Dylan in confusion.
Dylan scratched the back of his head. "Remember the banner I brought when you performed?" he said. "I posted it before your performance. I thought you'd see it," he explained..
"How would I even see it? You know I don't have a cellphone, and I don't usually open social media. Besides, why did you upload it when you already brought it with you?" Flynn said.
"I just wanted to," Dylan replied.
Brent couldn't help but listen to their conversation, wondering about the relationship between Flynn and Dylan. To him, Dylan uploading that banner wasn't just something done "for no reason," especially since Dylan wasn't the type to post random things on social media. Yet he had uploaded it—and it was the very first thing he had ever posted.
"I need to visit your father after we eat," Brent said.
"Okay," Dylan replied simply.
"Okay?" Brent asked.
"Just have the hotel chauffeur take you," Dylan said.
"That won't work. I still need to buy gifts for your father and his new wife since I wasn't able to attend their wedding. Come with me."
"Just go with your brother," Flynn said to Dylan.
"What about you?" Dylan asked.
"I'll head straight home first. Just pick me up after you're done," Flynn replied.
"Alright. Just message or call me using your dad's phone when you're ready to be picked up," Dylan said. Flynn immediately nodded in agreement.
After their lunch, Dylan requested a chauffeur from the hotel to take Flynn home. At first, Flynn refused, saying it was close to their place, but he had no choice in the end because of Dylan's persistence.
Before visiting Xavier, Brent and Dylan stopped by the mall to buy gifts.
When they arrived at Xavier's house, Brent immediately went to see him.
"Uncle Xavier, how are you?" Brent greeted.
"Brent," Xavier replied.
"Sorry I couldn't attend your wedding. Here, I got a gift for you," Brent said, handing his gift to Xavier and Anna.
"Thank you. You really didn't have to," Anna said.
"It's okay. I know you've been busy with your own company. You're still young, but you've already become very successful," Xavier added.
"Thank you, uncle. Of course, Dylan has also been a big help to me, especially last year," Brent replied.
As soon as Brent said that, both of them glanced at Dylan. But Xavier quickly shifted his attention back to Brent.
Dylan decided to go to his room and stay there, not wanting to listen to the conversation between his father and his brother. It had been a long time since Dylan had left home, and this was the first time he returned. Once he reached his room, he lay down on the bed. Before long, drowsiness overcame him, his eyes slowly closed until he finally fell asleep.