XIII

  The penthouse had been filled with the sounds of pounding feet and laughter right when she arrived, she had been jealous when she heard it. She sighs knowing she will never have that kind of love in her life, especially now that the man she wanted that kind of life is with someone else. She looked towards the penthouse again and decided what she was going to do.

  "If I cannot have Conrad, then Nikolai cannot have Camden. Mark my words Nikolai, you will not be happy until I have my Conrad back."

  With that, Candace turned around and left the building.

  He sighed and looked at all the paperwork his father had left him to do, he had no idea how he could finish all this work by the time he has to leave to meet with his fiance Natalie at the newest dance club in the city. He had promised her that he would reserve them a spot since the group that will be performing there is her favorite group, The Chainsmokers. He just wished he had help, maybe he could call his sister to see if she hadn't been busy to help. He picks up his phone and dials her number. It rings a couple of times and then he hears giggling and running.

  "Hello?"

  There was a gasp and more giggling.

  "Hewo? Who dis?"

  Conrad chuckled. He loved when his nephew would answer the phone. He always asked who had been on the phone the same way.

  "Mickey, it's your uncle Conrad. How are you? Where's mommy?"

  Michelangelo giggled again, but then he started whispering.

  "Mommy and I are hiding, mommy is not wif me. She in a room not wif me."

  His nephew is the cutest thing in the world.

  "Why are you hiding?"

  Michelangelo got quiet, then Conrad heard a bang which made him scared for his nephew  and his sister.

  "Michelangelo? What was that? Why are you and mommy hiding?"

  Then there was some more giggling.

  "Mommy and Mickey are hiding from Daddy. He fownd mommy and the bang was a door zio Conwad. Dey still need to find me. Shhh zio Conwad or dey find me."

  Nikolai is at his sister's place? What is he doing with his family? Is Camden letting him? After everything he did to her, she is being that easy?

  "Michelangelo, pass me your mother, now."

  Mickey looked at the phone.

  "But dey will find me!"

  He said that a little louder than he should of and Nikolai had heard so he went towards the little boy and saw that he had been crouched down between the wall and the couch with his mother's cell phone against his ear. He picked up his son who screamed and giggled.

  "Daddy you found me!"

  He speaks again into the cellphone.

  "Thanks a lot zio Conwad, daddy found me."

  He had a little pout on his face and crossed his arms across his chest. Nikolai took the phone from him and spoke into the phone.

  "Hello?"

  Conrad, now mad that Nikolai had answered the phone.

  "What the hell are you doing at my sister's apartment?! You have no right to be in her life after what you did!"

  Nikolai rolled his eyes, yes Conrad is or was his best friend, he didn't really know where their relationship is at this point. But sometimes Conrad is a little dense so to speak. Conrad does have every right to be angry with Nikolai but he is trying to fix things. Fixing his relationship with his brother in law is also on the list of things he has to fix. Knowing Conrad the way he does, he knows it won't be easy. Camden is not as easy either, baby steps is all that matters.

  "First of all Conrad, calm down. Second of all we are not at Camden's apartment. We are at my penthouse in the city. She and Mickey had spent the night, willingly I might add. So you don't have to be so angry about it. I didn't force her into anything she didn't want to do. If you want, you are welcome to come over as well. You do remember how to get here? Stop by anytime, I am meaning to catch up with you. I really do want things to go back to normal with you and me being best friends. That is if you want us to go back to the way things were."

Conrad had been surprised, he really thinks it would be that easy getting him back? He can't believe how naive he is. Yes he isn't going to lie, he does miss talking to Nikolai about anything and everything but it doesn't change anything. Especially everything he did to his sister, and what he had said to his sister. He cannot just forgive him so easily, not like his sister. He shakes his head.

  "We do need to talk, but that is not why I called my sister. Can you please pass her the phone?"

  Nikolai passed the phone over to Camden who had been listening in on the whole conversation. She wished that her brother would stop being so stubborn and forgive Nikolai, but knowing her brother, he isn't going to, not anytime soon at least. She grabbed the phone and brought it up to her ear.

  "Hey Radster, what's up?"

  Conrad chuckled at her nickname for him, also making Nikolai chuckle. Nikolai couldn't believe she still called him that after all these years of him hating being called that.

  "What have I said about calling me that? It sounds like you are calling me a rat."

  Camden giggled.

  "I know, that's why I like calling you that."

  Conrad shook his head and turned to look at the piles of paperwork he had on his desk. He remembered why he had called his sister.

  "So the reason I am calling you is to see if you can help your favorite brother out."

  Camden rolled her eyes.

  "Conrad, you are my old brother, and what makes you think I can help you? It depends on what you want my help on. What's in it for me?"

  Conrad knew she would ask this, which he had been scared about, he never knew what his sister was capable of. She is so unpredictable. One day she would be nice and lovable but then next minute she would lash out at you and become the devil herself.

  "Uhh what do you want?"

  She smirked and looked at the father of her son tickling him on the couch he had been hiding behind.

  "If I help you Conrad, you have to go out to lunch with Nikolai. Talk, let him tell you what really happened, let him explain. Then if you want to, you can forgive him. You must do this if you want me to help you. Now what do you want me to help you on?"

  Conrad kind of knew she would also ask that as well. He sighs and agrees, he had meant to schedule a lunch date with him anyway since they both had business together. Might as well kill the personal stuff as well as business.

  "Dad left a bunch of paperwork for me to do and I need help organizing and filing and signing and all that jazz, can you give me a hand? And yes I agree with you, I have to set up a lunch with him anyway because we have a business matter we have to discuss anyway."

  Camden smiles and looks at her little family. Nikolai looks up when he feels her looking at him. He was wondering what she had been talking about with her brother. He did hear his name being spoken but what does he expect from that? Obviously Conrad is still angry with him for what he had done to Camden. He would be too if someone did that to his sister.

  "Okay, do you want me to come by today? I can come in thirty minutes if you want me to."

  Conrad could always rely on his sister, she had always been there for her, especially when he found out that Candace had something to do with her and Nikolai breaking up. Even though she had been hurt, she stuck with him and helped him through it, while he did the same thing with her even though she said she had been fine. He knew, everyone knew she had not been fine, she just was holding it back.

  "Okay Cam, I will be waiting for you here at the office. Can you uh pass over Nikolai?"

  That shocked Camden a lot, I guess he had been that desperate. She passed the phone back to Nikolai who looked just as shocked as she had been.

  "For me?"

  She nods.

  "He said he wanted to talk to you."

  He nods and takes the phone. He puts it up to his ear.

  "Conrad?"

  Conrad sighs and gets to the bottom of it.

  "Look, I am going to be honest with you. I really hate what you did to my sister and how you handled everything. But I am willing to hear your side since my sister sees that you are different and all. I am willing to give us another try if you want. So if you are down, then let's have lunch tomorrow and our usual place. We have to talk anyway since we have mutual business to discuss."

  Nikolai smiles and nods. They both agree to meet at their usual spot and set up a time and everything. Everything is turning out just the way Camden wanted.