Vassi Grachyov idly fixed his cuffs behind the stage curtains while waiting for the host to call his name. The family business had won yet another award for industry leadership, but with both Sergei and Fyodor still tied up with negotiations in Russia, it was up to him and---

The backstage door opened, and he said without looking up, “You’re late.”

Misha was only able to grunt, surrounded as he was with the event’s production assistants.

Normally, the women working on Misha would have giggled and tried stealing selfies with the famously gorgeous and infamously absent-minded genius. But with only minutes to spare, they were in a tremendous panic, with one hurriedly taking away his lab coat, another one handing him a business jacket, while a third one did her best to tiptoe and give his tousled hair a quick brush.

Misha accepted the jacket but shook his head at the last girl’s attempt to tame his dark, longish locks. “It’s okay,” he said absently, his mind still focused on the article he was drafting for Science Translational Magazine.

Vassi said seriously, “Yes, leave him be, please. If you have to know, that’s his woke-up-like-this look.” He paused then continued solemnly, “He’s one of those rare specimens who, no matter the time of the day, would always look…”

The women’s eyes widened.

Perfect, they thought in unison.

And all of them let out a little squeal, the shrill sound breaking Misha’s concentration.

Misha blinked, suddenly realizing that the women around him had a rather hungry look in their eyes. Behind them, he caught sight of his younger brother smirking and knew right away that whatever had just happened, it was Vassi’s doing.

Mentally cursing Vassi, he carefully removed himself from the circle of female predators and was relieved when the host called out their names a moment after. As he and Vassi walked on stage, he said under his breath, “Otva ‘li.” Fuck off.

He glanced over his shoulder, saw the women on their phones, tweeting or stealing photos of him, and suppressed an irritable sigh. This was why he hated public events, Misha thought. And if not for Fyodor’s golden rule of having the family present a unified front in every occasion, he would have gladly skipped every chance to stand in the limelight.

But then if one of them did, tongues could start to wag, and as Fyodor had warned them, such gossip could eventually harm the most precious member of their family.

With the thought uppermost in his mind, Misha forced himself to smile and speak a few words even as boredom tempted him to kill himself. Beside him, Vassi appeared to have no problems at all dealing with all the attention. As soon as the award ceremony ended, they were immediately inundated with requests, all of which Vassi handled with ease while Misha dealt with it as he always did, which was to ignore what could be ignored and let his bodyguards take care of the rest.

Although the audience for the prestigious award ceremony mostly consisted of Fortune 500 executives, the appearance of the Grachyov brothers had reduced everyone into obsessed fans. Men in expensive tuxes were eager to shake hands with them, knowing that such an experience gave them bragging rights over their friends. The women, on the other hand, acted more like well-dressed fangirls than the powerful executives they were, with the way they fought against each other for the chance to get close to the two brothers, hoping to either steal a kiss or – if their guardian angels were smiling at them – then perhaps even the most fleeting touch of a Grachyov cock?

It was unlikely, considering the bulk of security surrounding the Grachyov brothers, but not impossible, and even this tiny chance was enough to send the females into a frenzy.

It was both a hilarious and incredible sight, and the paparazzi present smirked among themselves even as they furiously took photos and live-tweeted the event. The Grachyov effect, the reporters thought in wry amusement. There was just nothing like it since the Kennedys.

Vassi shook hands with an ambassador and his wife. “Thank you for the invitation. We would love to join you for luncheon, but I’m afraid both my brother and I already have other commitments scheduled after this.”

He moved forward and was blocked by a society matron cooing for his attention. A smile still pinned to his lips, he thanked the woman for the support while slightly turning his body sideways. The movement was barely imperceptible, but it was sufficient for dodging the woman’s straying hand as she expressed her admiration for him while trying to cop a feel.

Another woman attempted to do the same thing to Misha while waiting for him to finish autographing her luncheon card, but instead of stepping back, he only nodded to security. By the time he finished scrawling his signature, the woman’s face was beet red, with Misha’s guards having quietly but sternly warned her of the legal consequences for attempted sexual harassment.

Unfortunately, the minor fracas didn’t deter the other guests from clamoring for their attention, and Misha’s patience started to wear thin. He glanced at his younger brother.

“A photo would be fine, yes.” Vassi smiled as he posed next to an elderly gentleman.

“It’s our privilege to be a part of this.” Vassi bowed respectfully to the event’s special guests from Japan.

“Of course, a handshake is the least we can do.”

There was not a single sign of discomfort on Vassi’s too-pretty face, even though Misha was certain his brother found the way people kept fawning over them both tedious and bizarre.

It was, Misha thought pensively, pretty amazing, when one considered Vassi’s attitude as a child. Even though Vassi had been the youngest, he had still been the first to swear among his brothers, the first to be sent to detention for troublemaking in school, the first one to take a girl to bed. In fact, Vassi had been the rowdiest little kid, violent and aggressive---

But here was his little brother now, the very epitome of grace and charm, Vassi’s smile unfaltering as he skillfully evaded answering questions about his rumored hiatus from acting.

The change was uncanny, Misha thought reflectively, and it all started when Seri had come into their lives.

It took over an hour for the two brothers to finally get past the crowd and make it to the hotel’s private lobby for VIP guests.

“Where are you heading after this?” Misha asked.

Vassi raised a brow. “Since when did you care about my schedule?”

“You wound me, brat,” Misha murmured, deliberately using the Russian term for ‘brother’ to show how hurt he was. When his younger brother only gazed at him, Misha turned his palms face open in a gesture of appeal. “It’s not wrong for a brother to look after a younger sibling---”

“It is,” Vassi countered dryly, “if that brother also happens to be the type to forget he had a girlfriend waiting for him for seven hours while doing scientific shit.”

“That was a long time ago,” Misha dismissed, “and she doesn’t even hold a grudge.” How could she, he thought with a rare flash of cynicism, when his apology to her – which also had served as his parting gift – had been a pearl bracelet worth several hundred thousand euros?

He glanced at his Vassi. “So? Where are you going?”

Vassi expelled his breath in exasperation. “Stop acting like a nanny. It’s getting damn creepy.”

Misha studied his brother thoughtfully. Interesting how Vassi was suddenly unwilling to answer such a simple question. He asked slowly, “Are the rumors true then? You are temporarily leaving Hollywood?”

Vassi’s smile was mocking. “Et tu, Brutus?” But he was swearing inside his mind as he spoke. Dammit. He should have known better not to underestimate Misha. He had always been too fucking smart, always able not just to read between the lines but come up with both the story and its prequel, too.

Misha was nodding understandingly. “I see.”

Vassi’s lips tightened. He was tempted to ask what this brother of his did see, but he managed not to.

“I remember,” Misha said casually, “Papa virtually threatening to kick you out of the house when you told us you wanted to give acting a try, but you didn’t back down then.” Misha frowned. “And yet now, you are taking this type of risk. Is this not tantamount to career suicide?”

Vassi’s broad shoulders moved in a negligent shrug, and his voice was unconcerned as he replied, “Perhaps for others.”

Misha laughed. “Spoken like a Grachyov.” Outside the lobby, their limousines came up the driveway, and as he and Vassi began walking towards the doors, Misha asked, “What will you do while on hiatus?”

Knowing that the truth was impossible to hide, Vassi said reluctantly, “Go back to school, I suppose.”

Misha blinked. Ah. Now that, he definitely did not see coming. He murmured wryly, “It’s rare for someone to make me feel stupid, but…I have to hand it to you, brat. In the past, I couldn’t understand why you opted to take a gap year.” He stopped speaking as they went through the hotel’s revolving doors and upon emerging outside, he continued, “That kind of thing would have been necessary for others, but for someone who had already been working and seen the world several times?” Misha shook his head. “You are just not the type to need extra time for…what is the term you teenagers like to use these days? Self-discovery?”

Vassi asked sarcastically, “You do remember you’re only three years older than I am, don’t you?”

Misha ignored his brother’s words, saying, “But I get it now.”

“Get what?”

“The gap year,” Misha said easily. “Because of it, you now have a valid reason to start university with our little dove, da?” When his younger brother’s face became stoic, he knew he had hit the nail on the head, and Misha’s eyes gleamed with rare shrewdness. Unlike Vassi and Sergei, he had no patience for playing games. He said what he wanted, took what he wanted.

But because this involved two important persons in his life---

“I’m glad you’ll be around to look after Seri,” Misha said smoothly.

Vassi grunted. “I’m not the one with a sister complex.”

“I know,” Misha answered right away, “and that is as it should be. She is only a sister to us, after all.”

Vassi’s eyes became hooded. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”

Misha didn’t bother refuting the obvious lie but instead clapped his hand over his brother’s back, saying lightly, “I’m just concerned. I don’t want you unnecessarily hurt when the time comes that you realize you’re no longer…Seri’s favorite. Girls her age can be surprisingly…fickle.”

Misha expected Vassi to dismiss his warning and continue feigning ignorance, but instead he was surprised when Vassi replied almost bitterly, “Do you really think I don’t know that?”

No other words followed after that, but what had been spoken remained with Vassi even when he and Misha had already parted ways.

I don’t want you unnecessarily hurt when the time comes that you realize you’re no longer…Seri’s favorite.

Vassi smiled humorlessly. He had never fooled himself into thinking that time would never come, and it had been the reason why he had resisted his attraction to her for so long.

But after that night---

There was just no way he could stop himself now.

No way.

And so he would allow himself a taste while keeping his feelings in check. He would indulge in what he knew was forbidden and impossible while he waited for Seri to realize what he had known from the start---

And it was that the day would eventually come when she realized that what she thought was love was just infatuation.