PHILIP'S POV

It was Sunday, and I didn't have anything better to do, so I made plans to meet with my siblings, Alex and Sarah. My younger brother and my sister both were in university studying.

I was relatively close with my sister than my younger sister, but it didn't mean that I didn't like my brother; we never became friends; on the other hand, my sister was a ray of sunshine.

I asked them to meet for lunch, and they both agreed. I got ready in casual clothes and took the car without the driver. It's nice to drive sometimes without being chauffeured around. After driving for a while, I arrived at the restaurant near their university.

They both arrived after a couple of minutes, Alex was wearing glasses, and now it was a new development I didn't know about. He was a good kid; I'll ask him why he wore glasses later. Was his eyesight getting worse? I greeted them with my arms open. Sarah lunged and hugged me back, "I thought you forgot about me."

"Why would I forget about you, pumpkin?" I said while hugging her. Alex was standing behind her.

Annoyed by us, he told us hushedly, "What are you two doing? Stop it; it's embarrassing."

"You can also get a hug if you stop being uptight," said Sarah while pouting.

We settled down; I missed these two more than I can admit. I asked, "How are you two doing, guys?"

"I'm doing fine," Alex said calmly, "but I'm having difficulty keeping up with all my classes."

Sarah nodded in agreement. "Yeah, me too. It's been tough lately."

I knew how hard it could be to juggle schoolwork and personal life, so I sympathized with them. I listened to their struggles and offered words of encouragement and support.

After chit-chatting for a while, we ordered food. I didn't know about these two, but I was hungry. I wanted to tell them about William, and indeed they'll like the Idea of me getting.

As they finished their meal, I decided to share my new resolution to get married.

"Listen, guys, I have something important to tell you, and do not utter a single word to Dad. I met someone, and I like her."

"Only if you promise to increase my credit card limit." Said Alex

"Why do you need that much money? I told you when you were leaving for college that until you graduate, I won't be increasing your credit card limit."

"But brother, it's been getting tough to cover my expenses," Alex protested.

"What expenses do you have? I bought you a separate apartment because you refused to share it with your sister."

"Oh My God, would you tell brother the truth already?" Sarah intervened, annoyed by the argument between us.

"What is she talking about? Tell me, What are you two hiding?" I asked; my patience was running thin

"It's just that I..." Alex hesitated; he didn't have words to complete the sentences.

"Just tell him already, Alex; if father finds out about this, we'll be in more trouble." Sarah encouraged Alex,

"If you don't tell me What is happening, Alex, I swear I'll find out by myself, and the punishment will be more severe than any other punishment you got in the past."

"It all started last summer break when I visited Rome with my friends; we didn't know better; we were just exploring and found a small casino to spend some time in. I swear, brother, I didn't know what happened, but we lost whenever we gambled. We just thought it was bad luck; they trapped us in the gambling debt and threatened us, so Moheet, my friend, had to pay back the money from his trust funds, and now I have to pay what I owe him."

I sighed after listening to him, and he didn't do anything wrong; it was just that he got played. At least he'll have this experience.

"How much is the debt?"

"It's 200,000$." his face was apologetic. My brother couldn't even look me in the eyes. I didn't want him to be afraid of me, and I should have been more cooperative toward him.

"I'll send the money over by someone tomorrow, and this should be a learning experience for you if you want to run a business. Also, I came here to have a good time and to share some news about myself."

"I'm sorry. I was tense about how I'll get out of this mess, and Sarah told me to ask for your help; this will never happen again, and tell us, What is your big news?"

"I have decided to get married..." I was finishing my sentence, and both were just dumbfounded, with curious faces.

"What!?" I proclaimed.

"It's just so sudden," Sarah said.

"Yeah, I agree with you." Said, Alex.

"I just met someone, and I'll talk to father about this, so do not utter a single word in your mouths."

They both smiled and started to laugh; I smiled, seeing them happy.

Sarah, in surprise, asked. "Tell us more about him."

I smiled. "His name is William, and he's smart, funny, and beautiful. I've been seeing him for a few weeks now, and he's the one for me."

Alex grinned. "That's great, man. I'm happy for you."

Sarah leaned forward. "Tell us more about him. What does he do?"

They both didn't know about William, and I also barely knew anything about him, but he bewitched me.

I hesitated for a moment before replying. "Well, not now; I'll come with him after the marriage is fixed."

Sarah's smile faltered a bit. "What? Tell us more."

"I told you not now," I told her.

"Ok, but when are we going to meet him?"

"After the engagement."

We finished our day with ice cream afterward, and I hugged my siblings goodbye. As I was getting ready to leave, I hugged Sarah goodbye then Alex lunged at me and hugged me tightly; I embraced him and told him, "You don't have to be afraid of me. I am your brother; I'll take your side even when you're in the wrong."

"I'll do my best," Alex said.

"I know you will."

After that, I left. Driving home, I couldn't get rid of the smile on my face, and suddenly, my phone started buzzing. I looked, and indeed it was from the office.

Nobody calls me on weekends unless it's urgent; I connected my phone to my earbuds and answered the call, "This better be worth my while, or you're getting fired."

"Mr. CEO, it's the party from France; they want to meet now."

"Why do they want to meet this urgent did something?"

"Words from our France headquarters is that they are under hostile takeover."

"Good thing, they'll be more open to talking now. I'll be there in 30 minutes after I get changed."

"Ok, Mr. CEO, I have already called all the department heads. Should I also call William?"

"No, that won't be necessary now; I'll be there in 30."

I hung up and went straight to my house to get changed...

To be continued...