"Why..." Slap. "Would..." Slap. "You..." Slap. "Do that?!" Slap, slap.
Lina shook her hand out after she finished beating her brother's arm. He didn't look it, but he had muscles under that t-shirt.
Zoren rubbed the reddening spot on his bicep. "Why wouldn't I?"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe because you've been hiding things from her?" Lina ran her fingers into her hair. Why were twins so frustrating?
"I'm not hiding anything." Zoren shook his head. "She never asked."
"How would she know to ask?!" Lina clapped a hand over her own mouth. That had been a little loud, but then again, when was she ever quiet?
"It's not like it's some big secret." Zoren folded his arms.
Lina matched his posture. "Not some big secret? Yeah, right. Think this through logically. Anything you keep from a girl becomes some big secret. How long do you think you can keep her from seeing the news?"
"Pretty long, actually..." Zoren nodded, his eyes staring off to the side as he thought. "I mean... if you don't tell her anything, I could probably keep her from seeing the news for forever. She doesn't read it on her own."
"You do know there's such a thing as a television, right?"
"Yeah, she doesn't have one of those. This is actually a pretty solid plan."
"I did not bring this up to give you a solid plan of attack." Lina rolled her eyes. "I brought it up so you can come to your senses. What's the back story? How long have you two been dating? Where did you meet? Is marriage in your future?"
"Wow, look at you being all smart." Zoren patted a hand against Lina's head. "So cute."
Lina swatted his hand away. "Your plan is terrible!"
"I have to agree with her." Ransom Lee stepped into the hall and shut the door behind himself. "Your plan lacks impact and forethought."
"Like yours was any better." Zoren stuck his tongue out at Ransom.
Ransom chuckled. "Clearly, you've never dealt with an obsessed fan club."
"Neither have you. All you do is avoid and leave Kaya hanging off the cliff by herself."
"I don't leave her hanging. I'm trying not to bring any further attention to her, but it seems that you've ruined that course of action." Ransom gritted his teeth. "Do you realize what this will spark?"
"A beautiful relationship?" Zoren splayed his hands.
Lina raised a hand. "I would like to request a leave of absence from this conversation."
"You should stay." Ransom didn't take his glare from Zoren's face. "So you understand what will happen next."
"Neither Kaya nor my sister need your help." Zoren scoffed.
Lina elbowed him in the ribs. "Hey, as far as I know this CEO dude hasn't been wrong lately, so let's listen for a second."
Ransom folded his hands behind his back. "By tomorrow morning, there will be an article about Kaya's affair with Zoren. She will be painted as the perpetrator in all of this. By the end of the week, the fan club will have organized a protest and reporters will begin to contact Kaya personally. When that happens, remind her that my offer is still open."
"Thanks, but no thanks. I know how to take care of these things, too."
Lina pinched her brother's arm. "Be nice, he's trying to help."
"He's trying to sabotage me." Zoren wrinkled his nose. "She's my girlfriend, so stop concerning yourself."
"Remember what I said." Ransom bent his head in a salutation and marched off down the hall.
Lina shot a glance between the two men and realized, for the first time, that her brother may really have feelings for Kaya. Lina's brother and Lina's best friend. She couldn't say it wasn't awkward, but she could get behind it. For now.