Bernard fell silent at the words that came down like a hammer. His tensed shoulders slumped. Rubens, who had been watching him, glanced at his wristwatch.
“……Does Elliot agree to this?”
“I haven’t told Elliot.”
“What if Elliot finds out?”
“Well. He’ll be grateful.”
Bernard nodded while hearing a ringing tinnitus. Despite his face turning pale, he tried to calm himself by fidgeting with his fingertips.
“Is that all you wanted to consult with me about?”
At the tone carrying a hint of hope, this time it was Rubens’s mouth that closed. It was because he couldn’t fathom what was inside at all. It seemed Bernard was expecting something, but Rubens couldn’t find the answer.
“Yes. Is there something else you need?”
“No… no……”
“If compensation is the issue, I’ll accommodate you as much as possible in whatever direction you want. Business, studies, wealth—whatever direction you desire.”
A slight realization crossed Rubens’s face. His voice was businesslike as he recited the compensation, thinking Bernard surely wanted calculations. Bernard smiled bitterly. It was a face tinged with a somewhat melancholic air. Bernard fidgeted with his cuticles again. The sound of his nails catching was a bit loud.
“No…… I don’t need anything like that.”
“You should think about what you want.”
“……What if I don’t want anything?”
“You need to know in advance that if the relationship means nothing in society, it’s better to settle accounts clearly.”
Rubens’s words settled like stones in one corner of Bernard’s heart. To hide the sinking feeling, Bernard chewed his lower lip miserably. There was no reason to be hurt anew by the words “a relationship that means nothing.” Even so…… his tongue stiffened.
“……Thank you for the advice. I’ll think about it. Then for the details……”
“I’ll convey them through my secretary.”
“Yes, please contact me.”
The deflated Bernard was like a defeated soldier. A pathetic sight like a very weak, finely crumbling existence that didn’t know how to refuse. Rubens looked at his dry face before rising to his feet. A strange impulse came to him—the desire to look into the eyes hidden behind the thick frames.
“Please prepare the cake.”
At the sudden words, Bernard raised his head again. Leaving him full of questions, Rubens left his seat. However, thanks to the staff member who quickly approached, the question was rapidly resolved.
“Here, that gentleman ordered cake earlier. He said he’d eat the cake slice and coffee before leaving, and ordered one whole cake to gift to your sibling, so please confirm.”
A white box tied neatly with a pink ribbon was placed in front of Bernard. And also a modest slice of cake and a cup of coffee. When he gave his thanks, the staff member stepped back readily. The cake served was strawberry cake.
Crushing the cake with his fork, Bernard swallowed a hollow laugh. It was the cake Elliot liked. The whipped cream was crushed under the fork and turned into a mess. It felt just like Bernard himself.
“I don’t eat whipped cream cake though……”
However, this was the cake Bernard disliked most, and at the same time, it was also the cake that was always placed on the table on his birthday. Since the two were twins, there was always one cake, and that cake was always strawberry whipped cream cake. It was natural that Rubens didn’t know Bernard disliked whipped cream cake. So there was no reason to feel disappointed either. Even so, why did Bernard’s heart keep crumpling?
Bernard chewed and ate the crushed cake thoroughly. Carefully savoring the taste he disliked, he reminded himself once again that he was not Elliot, and that Rubens was Elliot’s lover. It was a terrible yet familiar training.
***
Rubens got into the car parked in the cafe parking lot. Through the cafe’s glass window, he could see Bernard eating the cake. The store clerk kept circling around Bernard, pretending to clean. As Elliot had become instantly famous in the media, Bernard’s face had also become well-known. The store clerk probably seemed like someone who had encountered that article.
– This is Dale Roman.
“It’s me.”
Rubens’s gaze while on the phone was still fixed on Bernard. Bernard seemed completely unaware that someone was watching him. Rubens felt a subtle displeasure and swept the inside of his mouth with his tongue.
“The cafe I stopped by today—please take care of the people. There were no other customers, but check whether word leaked out.”
Originally, Rubens hadn’t planned to discuss matters about Elliot at the cafe. Words leaked easily anywhere. Not knowing what results might come from even the slightest word leaking, he had intended to move locations and talk about the rest. However, as someone in the position of asking a favor, there was no need to refuse the other party’s request and readily move locations, planting a negative impression.
“Bernard is really kind. He always agrees to requests and makes sure others aren’t displeased.”
“Is that so.”
“So, he’ll agree to whatever Rubens asks.”
Rubens had asked Elliot what kind of person Bernard was. The answer that came back had somewhat unsatisfactory corners. Normally, it would be right to say someone considerately makes sure others aren’t uncomfortable. However, Elliot had said about Bernard, “He makes sure others aren’t displeased.” As if treating an insignificant existence.
– Did the discussion end well?
“He seems like he’ll agree. Contact him. About the stand-in matter, the expected scope, and the aftermath handling and compensation plan.”
– Yes, understood. Is there anything else you need?
Listening to Dale’s businesslike voice, Rubens fell into thought for a moment. He tapped the steering wheel with his index fingernail, lost in contemplation for a while.
– Mr. Hurt?
“It was strange.”
– I’ll make sure to prepare a solid compensation plan so no careless words leak.
“It’s not that…… Never mind. What about Elliot’s articles?”
– The legal team has compiled all the places that posted malicious articles.
“Good work. Handle it quickly.”
– I’ll be mindful. And……
A subtle hesitation formed in Dale’s voice. At the same time, Rubens’s eyebrows rose slightly. Just then, Bernard was leaving the cafe holding the packaged cake box. Judging by the direction he was going, it seemed he planned to go home.
– Should we leave Bernard Weil-ssi as is?
“Is there a need to do anything?”
– Still, since they’re siblings, I think Elliot-ssi might be concerned.
For a moment, a sound of air escaped through Rubens’s teeth. Already calling him Elliot. Dale was a person with somewhat arrogant corners. His standards were as high as his abilities, and the line he demanded of others was also high. However, since such points never caused harm to Rubens, he was satisfied and kept Dale as his executive secretary. Elliot must have properly charmed Dale. And Rubens was pleased with that fact.
“Let him be torn apart.”
– Yes, then I’ll take immediate action only on Elliot-ssi’s matter.
It was clear how easily Bernard, who was merely an ordinary person, would be torn apart by the public. Of course, if something more provocative came up, interest would quickly cool…… Did it matter?
– Is there anything else you’d like to instruct?
“No. Get to work.”
After Dale said he understood, the call ended. In the meantime, Bernard had completely disappeared from view. The face that had been eating the cake so gloomily felt like the complete opposite of Elliot’s. And it was a type Rubens particularly detested. The dead atmosphere of people steeped in defeat, for whom it was familiar.
Yet when Rubens faced Bernard, he felt a strange déjà vu. An unpleasantness also followed—that he was missing something. Rubens’s eyes narrowed. His blue eyes glistened.
“If by any chance Bernard says something to you……”
“Elliot, what on earth are you worried about?”
“Everything he does comes from worry about me. He seems to want to test Rubens. Whether it’s true love…… he was concerned.”
“How kind.”
“Of course, there’s no way Rubens would meet Bernard.”
He recalled Elliot’s brightly smiling face. True love. What a ridiculous phrase. Elliot had talked a lot about Bernard, and Rubens was always a faithful listener. However, there was a large gap between the Bernard he heard described and the Bernard he actually met.
The eyes that looked at Rubens. Yes…… weren’t those eyes just like the eyes of someone in love?
It was a hypothesis that started with “no way,” but once he voiced it, it seemed more plausible, and he swallowed a hollow laugh. The hypothesis itself was ridiculous to begin with, yet that face kept bothering him.
“Bernard Weil……”
The twin younger brother who attended the same university as Elliot. Doesn’t know how to dress up, is excessively thrifty with money, and has a simple-minded side. Doesn’t know how to refuse requests and is the type to meticulously handle assigned work. His human relationships are at the minimum, with Elliot always anxiously devoting his attention. According to what Elliot said, that is.
The relationship between the two brothers had special and affectionate corners. If so, perhaps Rubens himself had made a momentary misjudgment. Could there really be such a stupid case of someone loving their sibling’s lover? Rubens gripped the steering wheel. Without a single noise, the car smoothly moved forward. He detested idiots. Rubens laughed briefly, thinking he’d had oversensitive thoughts even for a moment.
A face that fell in love looking at him. Such a thing had to be an impossible proposition from the start.
