Chapter 148: The Apology He Never Expected

The moment Mikhail and Nikolai returned to their private suite after leaving the Red Lounge, Nikolai completely lost control.

The sound of shattering glass echoed through the sitting room as he swept everything off the nearest table with one furious swing of his arm. Before Mikhail could say a word, Nikolai had already seized a decorative vase and hurled it against the wall. It broke into countless pieces, scattering across the polished floor. He kicked a chair out of his way, sent a lamp crashing to the ground, and overturned another table, his movements growing more violent with every passing second. Anything unfortunate enough to fall within his reach became a target for his anger.

Cushions were thrown across the room, ornaments lay shattered beneath his feet, and the expensive furnishings of their suite were being reduced to a disaster that would undoubtedly give the housekeeping staff nightmares. Mikhail stood near the entrance, watching his younger twin destroy their surroundings with an expression that was difficult to read. He wasn’t exactly calm on the inside.

The events at the Red Lounge had left a bitter taste in his mouth, and no matter how many times he replayed the evening in his head, he couldn’t shake the humiliation of what had happened. He had always been accustomed to controlling the situation, anticipating other people’s moves, and ensuring that matters unfolded according to his expectations. Yet Starlight Dawson had managed to turn the entire evening into something he couldn’t control, and she had done it without raising her voice or openly challenging him. She had simply taken his carefully constructed arrangement, exposed its flaws, and made it painfully clear that she would not play by his rules.

And then there was Okami.

Mikhail’s jaw tightened at the memory of Starlight leaning against the other man’s shoulder, looking entirely comfortable in his presence. The image had irritated him far more than he cared to admit. He didn’t like the fact that Okami had managed to get close to Starlight so quickly, nor did he appreciate the ease with which the man seemed to occupy a space that Mikhail and Nikolai had been struggling to reach. However, unlike his brother, Mikhail had no intention of expressing his frustration by destroying everything within arm’s reach. His anger was there, simmering beneath the surface, but he had learned long ago that losing control rarely helped him regain it.

Nikolai, on the other hand, appeared determined to leave no piece of furniture intact.

Another crash rang through the suite as he sent a small table tumbling onto its side.

Mikhail watched him for a few more seconds before finally moving away from the entrance. He walked past the wreckage, selected one of the few remaining intact seats, and lowered himself into it. Crossing one leg over the other, he leaned back and observed his brother with the patience of someone who had witnessed Nikolai’s temper countless times before.

There was something almost absurd about watching his brother behave like a man who had just lost everything. Nikolai was hardly an easy person to provoke, despite his reputation for being difficult. He could be arrogant, impatient, and infuriatingly stubborn, but it took something significant to push him beyond the point where he could rein himself in. He was not the sort of person who exploded over every minor inconvenience. Usually, he preferred to deal with his frustrations by becoming colder, sharper, and more difficult to approach.

Tonight, however, he seemed intent on tearing their suite apart with his bare hands.

"Nikolai, stop it already."

Mikhail’s voice cut through another crash.

His younger brother ignored him and reached for a decorative object on the console table.

"Nikolai! I said stop it!"

Nikolai’s hand paused around the object, but his shoulders remained rigid with anger.

"Destroying everything in this suite isn’t going to change what happened tonight," Mikhail continued, his voice steady despite the mess surrounding them. "You’ve made enough of a mess already. Come over here and sit down before you give yourself something else to be angry about. I’ve had more than enough to deal with tonight without you adding to it."

Nikolai remained where he was, his fingers tightening around the object in his hand.

Then he slowly turned his head and looked at his brother. There was something wild in his eyes, an anger so intense that it seemed to have consumed every reasonable thought in his mind. Yet when his gaze met Mikhail’s, the fury faltered. It was a small change, barely noticeable to anyone who didn’t know him well, but Mikhail saw it. He always did. Nikolai lowered the object onto the console table with more force than necessary, then strode across the room and dropped heavily onto the seat opposite his brother. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and buried his face in his hands.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then Nikolai dragged his hands down his face and looked up. "I’m sorry, Mika."

Mikhail’s eyebrows rose slightly. "For what?"

"For tonight." Nikolai swallowed, his gaze shifting toward the wreckage scattered across the room. "If I hadn’t brought up that ridiculous corrective conduct program, none of this would have happened. Starlight wouldn’t have had a reason to embarrass you like that in front of the Elite Circle. She wouldn’t have had a reason to make us look like fools in front of everyone."

He paused, his expression twisting with frustration. "I should have known better. I knew she wasn’t going to accept it quietly, but I still thought we could make it work. I thought if we presented it properly, she would eventually become ours. Instead, I gave her another reason to hate us, and you ended up being dragged into the whole mess because of me."

Mikhail stared at him. Of all the things he had expected Nikolai to say tonight, this was not one of them. He had expected a few insults directed at Okami, or even some at Starlight. What he hadn’t expected was for Nikolai to sit across from him and apologize for his part in the evening as though he had personally dragged Mikhail into a disaster and left him there to be humiliated.

Nikolai was treating the incident as though Mikhail had been the only one who had suffered from it. That, more than anything, made something uncomfortable stir in Mikhail’s chest.