Bex' brothers and I just stared. There had been something dangerous in Bex' voice. Something hard. Something totally unforgiving. We finally pulled ou...selves together. "I'd better get going," I said and got up."OK," Bert said and Gene just nodded. As I was heading for the door, Gene spoke up."Thanks for being such a friend to Bex," he said. "In many ways you've been a better brother to our sister than we ever have." That's OK," I replied, slightly embarrassed. "We're more of an age and I do. Her assistant Andressa stood somewhat shyly aside, trying not to disturb her boss, while at the same time being at her service.Carolina smiled. “I think I’ll go out for a bit,” she said and took a look out of the window onto the dark, sleeping city that lay underneath.Andressa nodded and immediately knew what the millionaire had in mind. “Should I accompany you?” she asked amicably.Carolina eyed her sceptically. “Depends on what you’re up for,” she replied.It was an old game that unfolded. I chose a pair of diamond earrings as a special gift. A year ago, I would never have guessed I could afford this, but for Dana I didn't think twice. Once again, the owner gave me a special discount to soften the blow. I think he figured out that I was going to be a regular customer over the coming years. He was a very smart man.I can remember a lot of happy Christmases in my youth. Our family was all together and it was a fun time. It had been a while since I had felt that way, probably because. She clung to his arm possessively and pulled him closer to her body as they strolled towards the restaurant.They had to wait while the restaurant staff moved tables together to accommodate the large group. They were finally seated and given a menu card.It read as follows:Breakfast 25¢Dinner 50¢Supper 75¢The Malone core family just looked at the menu for a moment. As if on cue, they all broke out laughing. They laughed so hard it brought tears to their eyes. The rest of the family just gazed at.