"Hahaha! If you believe," I squint at my brother. "yes."

Kai's face twists in rage – "You did plan this, my downfall – public humiliation – and now destruction!"

He charges towards me, fists clenched but suddenly freezes with eyes widening, "Wait... Max's false confession – your payment for his mom's surgery – ALL SMOKESCREEN FOR THIS MOMENT!"

Countdown hits 30 seconds – Kai's voice cracks – "I UNDERESTIMATED YOU, VIC VAUGHN. YOU WIN..."

"I set the bomb, brother. Which means I can only save you by defusing it." When I said that, he stops—motionless.

Kai's eyes widen – stunned by "brother" – he takes step back – mind reeling, "Vic Vaughn – calling me brother... means – OH GOD – Daddy's secret..."

He trails off – face ashen – countdown hits 10 seconds.

"You're my half-brother – Vaughn bloodline – explains lifelong rivalry... and Daddy's protection of you!" I sneer.

Kai falls to knees – resigned – but then looks up – hope flickering, "DIFFUSE IT – Brother – save me – confirm truth – Daddy's secret – AFTER explosion won't matter!"

Countdown hits 5 seconds.

I kneeled down next to him and hugged Kai. My heart pressed to him and let him hear how much it beats to kill him.

As the time run out, I pulled the gun from behind my belt and pressed the trigger. The bomb is actually not there, only recorded voices which say some countdowns.

Kai's eyes widen in shock and betrayal, as he feels the gunshot wound – his body goes limp.

I push his corpse off me – revealing a perfectly intact nightclub floor – no bomb damage anywhere.

The countdown voices seize to echo from speakers – a clever ruse to manipulate Kai.

The sight under feet–All red trickle and silence rushing to my ears was strange. All those years when we were young with no worries wavers in front of my eyes. But nothing changed expect I killed my brother with my own hands.

I sat next to his body without knowing I was actually doing it. My fingers touches his nostrils.

Nothing.

No air, no sound. Just as still as a metal.

It was energising and boost running though my veins. He dared to touch Lola? He dared shared my father? He dared pressed me with his pinkie finger? 

He dared killed my mother?

My heart thrashes against my ribs again–just as how it was one moment before I pressed the fucking trigger.

My mom, Rita, she was the only red rose in a garden of black roses.

And Kai plucked that one red to bury it in under the roots of black roses. My blood rushed to my face and my eyes swelling with saltiness. I shut them to pull myself together.

It's done. 

Everything is over.

My dad gave an extra hand for it because she threw a threat that she will reveal my dad's secret to the world. 

He doesn't want his garden burn in flames just because of that. He had shovel. He had power. And he unrooted the whole image of the red rose but they never saw a stem fall from that before it was buried.

The stem grew until it get past its only grudge to find the shovel and ruin it to its core.

Dead metal.

I dropped the gun leisurely before rubbing the tears from my eyes along the sweat in my forehead.

Sergeant James bursts in – gun drawn – eyes scanning – locking onto Kai's body – then mine, "Vic Vaughn – WHAT HAPPENED HERE?! Kai's dead – gunshot wound... and no bomb explosion?!"

"Wait. You killed Kai?!" He adds, tightening his grip on his gun.