Trapped in Brother Love
TCS 24S

It was lunchtime, Johan who was focusing on his laptop screen, immediately looked at his watch. "Finally, it's meal time" Johan murmured.

Johan immediately closed the screen of his laptop, he grabbed his phone and contacted someone. "I was waiting for you at the restaurant where we used to eat," Johan told someone across the street, after saying Johan hung up on him.

He walked out of the company building. Some of the other employees looked out as well, maybe they wanted to find food for their lunch.

Johan himself went to a restaurant located not far from the office where he worked for lunch with his friend Brandon.

It's quite tiring today because of his hectic work, but what's weighing on his mind right now is Mike's attitude towards Alice looking very different, making Johan feel suspicious of the two of them.

Johan was getting curious, what was really going on between the two of them. Seeing the change in Mike's attitude towards Alice that was very drastic, Johan kept thinking about them.

"What really happened between the two of them?" Johan muttered.

Johan knows enough how Mike hates Alice, and how hit Mike when his mother died, especially if Mike's death is related to the arrival of Alice and her mother.

Johan's daydream was parched as someone patted his shoulder.

"Damn it! You surprised me, Brandon," said Johan.

Brandon laughs. "I'm sorry" Brandon said as he sat in front of Johan.

"You haven't ordered anything yet?" brandon asked who saw Johan just sitting in the restaurant, without a glass of water or food. "Don't tell me you don't have any money, and just sit in this restaurant." Brandon continued, chuckling..

"I'm waiting for you, goddamn it!" said Johan who seemed to be unable to be invited to joke.

But Brandon, as if he did not care, laughed again, and he immediately called a waiter to order food. After ordering food, Brandon again observed Johan's face which seemed to be thinking of something.

"What are you thinking?" brandon asked curiously, as it seemed like it was weighing heavily on Johan's mind.

Johan was silent, he stared fixedly at Brandon's face in front of him. Until finally Johan spoke. "I see Mike's attitude towards Alice differently now," Johan said suddenly discussing Mike and Alice.

Brandon narrowed his eyes because Johan suddenly talked about Mike and Alice, even though they had never discussed Alice before, because they knew Mike hated Alice very much. Moreover, Brandon knows that Johan is a person who does not like to interfere in the affairs of others.

"Why are you suddenly talking about Alice?" brandon asked in surprise, because it didn't look like Johan.

"No, I'm just curious, because lately Mike's attitude has been very different towards Alice."

"Different as what?" brandon asked again, he also felt curious, because Johan to the point of discussing it.

"Mike looks very friendly, often even looking at Alice with a gentle gaze. Whereas previously Mike always gave a hateful look to Alice," replied Johan.

Not only that even Mike himself said that he really hated Alice and her mother. But this morning Mike was seen smiling at Alice, there seemed to be something between the two of them.

"You know what Mike hated Alice so much before? Because Alice is the daughter of a woman who has ruined her family's happiness." Johan.

"Yes then?" ask Brandon.

"I'm sure there's something between the two of them" Johan said as he thought.

Brandon was silent, he recalled the incident when Mike was angry at that time in Johan's apartment.

-flashback

That day Mike came in with a flushed face to Johan's apartment. Mike's face is not friendly at all, when it came Mike immediately issued his oath of absorption which he either issued to whom.

"What's wrong with you, Mike?" brandon asked who was astonished to see Mike come with his swearing.

"Damn it! You cheap lady!" mike's grunt that didn't heed Brandon's question. After being content to curse the woman by continuing to pacing in front of Johan and Brandon made them both feel curious, finally Mike sat next to Brandon.

"What's going on?" ask Johan.

"It turns out that all this time the rumor that says if Papa is having an affair is true," said Mike with a face that looks very upset.

"Don't eat other people's words, Mike, you don't know the truth" Brandon said.

"No! She was actually having an affair with my mother, and she even had a child with her affair" Mike replied impassively.

"Do you have any proof?" ask Johan.

Mike looked at his two friends in turn. "She even brought the woman****** that was home, and lived with me and my mother. Worse he also brought a girl who he said was my sister."

Brandon and Johan were quite surprised to hear that. They are confused what to say to appease Mike, if they are in Mike's position, they will also feel the same way, cursing the woman.

"Damn it! I hate them so much" said Mike, clenching his hands tightly.

"I'm not going to let that woman and that girl be happy in my mother's house, I'm going to make them regret coming to my mother's house" Mike said with determination.

That day was the first time Johan and Brandon knew that Mike had a stepbrother, and a stepmother who lived one roof with him. They are also witnesses where Mike really hates Alice and her mother because it has captured Mike's happiness.

- Flashback off

"What is Mike's attitude toward Alice now?" ask Brandon.

Johan rolled his eyes upset himself when Johan had said it, but it seems his friend did not listen to him or indeed failed to focus.

"I said it, Brandon!" Johan.

Johan smiled, he scratched his head that did not itch. "I forgot, I'm sorry" Brandon said.

"The bottom line is, Mike now looks different to treat Alice, you know for yourself how Mike's attitude towards Alice, even the entire office knows Mike often bully Alice, you know, but this time Mike even smiled when he met Alice."

"He looks soft, and-"

Brandon laughed at Johan. "You're overreacting, Johan," Brandon said.

Johan who heard that immediately narrowed his eyes. 

"Not that's good, it means Mike can get along with his own brother." Brandon.

"You don't understand, Brandon!"

"You're overreacting, Johan. Alice is Mike's sister, it's only natural that Mike treats Alice better than ever. Because from the beginning Alice was innocent at all, and I thought Alice was a good woman, she deserved Mike's kind treatment" Brandon said at length.

Johan who had no one thought of Brandon was visibly upset by Brandon's response. Johan was suspicious of Brandon, narrowing his eyes, staring intently at Brandon.

"Don't tell me if you like that woman, Brandon!"

Brandon who heard that was silent at once.