74. To build our perfect paradise

'Hi!" Briella turned around upon hearing Nami's voice. 'Hi, Doc," she said, smiling at her. She decided to wait for her food on the balcony. She had been craving ice cream and pizza since earlier and couldn't wait for Chelsey to arrive. 'Come on, Briella, stop calling me that," Nami chuckled, sitting down beside her. 'Right, sorry," she said, smiling back. 'I was shocked to know that you and Braun are siblings. I mean, how many times have the three of us met?" 'To be honest, only a few people know that Braun and I are siblings. Not that he doesn't want us to be his family, but to protect us from the media. You know how people are these days, once they see you rising, they'll dig into your whole being and expose it to the world. It doesn't matter if it's good or bad," she explained. Briella nodded. 'I see. But still, it's not right that you didn't tell me the truth," she said to her. Nami laughed and held her hand. 'Remember the day we first met? Travis told me about you, and when I found out I was going to meet my stubborn brother's wife, I immediately went with him. That was the first time I knew he was married." 'For real?" she asked in surprise. 'Believe it or not, yes. I don't know what that guy was thinking to hide you from us," she said, frowning. She took a deep breath. She didn't know what was going on in her husband's mind. There were things he was very open about and told her, but when it came to his family, she was clueless. She also didn't ask about his family because she wanted him to be the one to tell her. 'I think his brain was eaten up by the career he entered. Because Braun wasn't like that when we were kids. It was only when he entered that business that he suddenly changed," she said. She couldn't help but raise her eyebrows, and her curiosity was piqued by what she said. She didn't say anything and just waited for her to speak and tell her story. 'On his twenty-first birthday, Daddy was supposed to hand over Prime Logistics to him, but he refused to accept it and wanted to build his own business. At that time, Janice was just starting her business, Sun Glow Fashion. They both shared the same dream but with different purposes. Janice wanted to become a fashion icon, and my brother wanted to be at the top, unbeatable no matter what. But in order to do that, he turned his heart into a cold stone and became heartless to anyone who tried to subdue him. You know, in this world, whoever holds the higher position is both feared and admired," she recounted. 'D-Did you know... about XHaven?" she asked directly. She paused for a moment but then nodded. 'Yes, that place was originally founded by my brother and Janice. Two of their friends just joined them because they saw that they weren't getting along," she replied. 'What do you mean, they weren't getting along?" she asked, confused. 'You mean..." She shook her head and hesitated before speaking again. '...you don't know about them?" 'Huh?" Her teasing made her even more confused. It was as if she had said something she shouldn't have known. She let out a heavy sigh. 'Me and my big mouth," she said with a rueful shake of her head. 'I guess I need to tell you the truth, huh? You probably won't let up on me until I do, right?" She nodded. If her guess was correct, they might have had a relationship, but it was interrupted because...? She secretly sighed. She couldn't think of a reason because, in hindsight, it seemed like their relationship had been good. 'If you're thinking that they fell in love with each other... well, you're correct. They were college lovers," she said. Even though she already knew, she was still surprised. Braun and Janice? That's... well, they're a match! 'What happened to them?" she asked. 'Braun will kill me if he ever finds out I told you about this," she said, taking a deep breath. But it's okay; it's better for you to know Braun's life before you meet him. They say love deepens when two people know each other and accept whatever past each other had," she said with a smile. She smiled and agreed with what she said, but soon, she became serious again as Nami began to tell her story again. She completely forgot about waiting for the food she wanted to eat. She was too focused on Nami's story, as it was the first time she had heard about Braun's life. 'If I'm not mistaken, they met when they were both in their second year of college. Janice is the reason why Luigi, Braun, and Travis met. Their relationship lasted for more than a year, but when they reached their fourth year of college, they suddenly decided to break up. They both wanted it, but they chose to remain friends. There's something about Janice that my brother and Luigi hated the most, and you know what it is?" she asked. She shook her head. She chuckled softly. 'You still don't fully know Janice?" she asked her. 'I guess?" she replied. 'We just met a few months ago," she added. 'You know about XHaven, so you probably know what Janice is like," she said to her. She nodded, and from inside the house, she heard Travis and Janice teasing each other loudly. At first, she thought the two of them had a past relationship, which was why they argued like that. It never occurred to her that they hadn't had a relationship. 'She's too aggressive and loves manipulating people around her. She's too bossy and a beast. In XHaven, people call her the Dominant Beast because of how she orders her partners," she said. Partners, huh? Did that mean she was engaging in sexual activities with more than one person? Whoa! 'There you are, Chelsey just arrived. Come on and eat," Braun said, suddenly appearing behind her. She nodded and smiled at him, and after thanking Nami, she followed him into the house. They were already in the living room, and Braun's mom seemed immediately taken with Chelsey, still holding her friend's hand. **** By midnight, one by one, their companions bid them goodbye. Braun's parents disagreed that the two of them should leave because his mom wanted to spend more time with her, planning to cook her unique dishes for her tomorrow. She didn't refuse anymore, especially since one of the dishes Nami wanted her to taste was chicken pizza. When she and Braun entered his room, he immediately led her to the bathroom for a bath. They showered together, and even though she had seen his nakedness many times before, she couldn't help but swallow and feel a surge of heat because of his masculinity. While Braun was busy applying shampoo to her hair, she couldn't help but let her hand pass over his enticing hardness, which was as erect as it stood in front of her. 'Wife..." he suddenly moaned as she ran her hand up and down. 'Hmm?" she raised an eyebrow, looking at him curiously. 'What do you want, hubby?" Braun opened his mouth to answer her question but quickly closed it without saying anything. She continued what she was doing while watching her husband's reaction, feeling satisfied with his response. She bit her lip when she felt his length hardening even more, seemingly having a mind of its own and enjoying what she was doing. Braun allowed her as she lathered it with soap and ran her hand over it again, a suppressed moan escaping her as she liked the slippery feel of it while moving her hand. She also heard Braun's loud and heavy breaths as if telling her to continue what she was doing. When Braun couldn't hold back anymore, he eagerly pulled her close and kissed her on the lips. He leaned her against the bathroom mirror, and automatically, she wrapped one of her legs around his waist. His kiss descended to her neck while his hands were busy squeezing both of her breasts. She moaned softly and shivered as he licked the skin on her neck and teased each of her nipples with his fingers. 'B-Braun..." she whimpered his name. In response, Braun prepared himself to enter her. In just a few moments, they both moaned in unison as their bodies merged utterly. She leaned her whole self against the mirror while Braun closed his eyes as if feeling their unity. They remained still for a few seconds and stayed in that position until she was the first to lose control and move. She gasped at the sensation she felt, and her nails almost dug into his back as Braun moved with her. Soon enough, their moans and cries accompanied the sound of water splashing against their seemingly burning bodies from desire. ***** 'Braun, can I ask you something?" she asked as they lay side by side in bed, both drifting off to sleep. 'You can ask anything, wife," he replied with a smile, gently kissing her forehead. 'I want to know more about you," she said. She heard him let out a deep sigh and felt him tighten his embrace around her. 'What do you want to know about me?" he asked. 'Everything. I want to know your entire being—the real Braun El Cueva," she replied. 'Alright, don't fall asleep yet. My past is kind of boring," he joked. She chuckled and nodded. 'Where should I start? Hmm—oh, I know. I was in high school when I started to realize that I didn't want to be ordered around by anyone. I wanted to have my own rules that people around me would follow, so I studied hard. At that time, Daddy was explaining to me that I would inherit Prime Logistics, and I had to study with him in his office. Just by watching him give orders and make new rules, I became more determined to achieve my dreams. When I entered college, I met Janice." He paused in his storytelling and lovingly brushed her long hair. 'I know you knew about my past relationship with her, right?" Braun asked her. She took a deep breath and laughed softly, realizing she couldn't hide anything from this man. She nodded. 'Don't scold your sister, hse didn't know that you hadn't told me about your relationship with Janice," she said. He sighed heavily and shook his head. 'That's why I hate being with them, they always try to preempt what I want to do." 'Hey, there's nothing wrong with that," she admonished him. 'You should be thankful to have a family that supports you," she added. 'Alright, I won't disagree with that," he said, smiling at her. 'Should I continue?" She smiled and nodded. 'When I met Janice, I started to like her because we both shared one goal: to build our perfect paradise. She introduced me to the world I belong to now, and for that, I owe her a lot. I refused to manage our company and started a small agency, Crown Star Entertainment. Of course, with Janice's help, I didn't struggle in the beginning, but as time went on, it became more and more difficult. The saying ‘the closer you get to your dream, the harder the path becomes' is true. No matter what you do, people will only see the worst in you. There are only a handful of true people in the world; the rest are poisonous jerks and bitches," he said thoughtfully. She looked at Braun's face, realizing they had both gone through that stage in life. No matter what you do, there will always be people waiting to tear you down. They'll be happier and proud if they see you fail instead of helping and supporting you. I guess that's the proper cycle of life. People will never see your worth unless you succeed in fulfilling your dreams. If they don't like you, they'll envy your success and look for ways to bring you down. You'll have no chance, and if you're weak, you'll lose and be portrayed as the villain. Life is like a survival game; if you can't survive, you'll die.