He understood that she had talked about his performance lightly, but why would she when she knew how sensitive that topic was to him?
He had years of self-loath, and things at home didn't help matters. His father, Robin, had a fleet of businesses in the city, and he was among the wealthiest in the state.
He was a perfectionist, a trait that had rubbed off on his eldest son Blair.
Kevin's mom Tara ran a private clinic and was rarely at home.
Blair and Kevin were so distinct; one couldn't tell they were brothers. While Blair loved studies from childhood and wanted to do corporate law, Kevin was always fascinated with hands-on things.
Robin didn't like it. He wanted his son to have top honors and do a white-collar job with great pay, and that caused a rift between father and son.
The doorbell rang. Crystal clicked her tongue as she looked at Kevin, confusion written all over her face.
In a way, Kevin was relieved at the interruption and considered it a polite way of holding back his intimate session with Crystal.
"It's past ten at night. Are you expecting someone?" Crystal asked in confusion as she paused the movie and moved away from Kevin, who sighed and moved to open the door.
Ivan was leaning against the wall, he had sweatpants on, and he was panting and sweating. One look at him and Kevin could tell he had a rough day. He had several such things in the recent past.
"S*it! What's up, buddy?" He cursed as he closed the door behind him. "Why are you even running at this time of the night?"
"I'm sorry, I felt so suffocated in the house and decided to take a jog. I somehow ended up here. Can we please get inside?" Ivan asked, and for a moment, Kevin looked at him silently.
"Sure," he said as he opened the door, and Ivan stood rooted when he saw Crystal on the chair.
"I didn't know you have company," Ivan said lamely, and Crystal smiled and asked him to make himself comfortable.
"I'll leave you two alone," Crystal said as she headed to the bedroom.
She was curious as she walked away, so she stood behind the door from where she could still eavesdrop on Kevin and Ivan's conversation.
"I'm losing my mind, Kevin. Maybe it's true that karma is real," Ivan groaned in frustration and looked up at the ceiling as he inhaled deeply.
"Did I tell you Max has been missing?" He asked, and Kevin nodded in the affirmative, though Ivan hadn't mentioned any such thing.
"Steph's family filed a missing person report, and the police have been working on tracking Max's phone. Today, they had a breakthrough, and you can't believe who talked to Max just before his disappearance."
"Who?" Kevin asked as he swallowed a lump of saliva and whispered a prayer that it wasn't Ivan, but how could it even be?
"It's my f*cking dad. I thought he was helping me but look at what he has done!" Ivan almost shouted, but Kevin sat next to him calmly.
"It doesn't mean anything, Ivan. Don't rush to conclusions. Your agreement with Steph implies that your parents also keep in touch," Kevin stated in a calm voice, and Ivan scoffed.
"It's just a coincidence to you, right? No, it can't be. I know my dad, and I'm not worried about him because I know he will talk his way out. Do you know the worst thing of all? His questioning by the police over Max's disappearance is spreading like wildfire because of that journalist Stacy Lund and the b*tch Vera. Did I tell you I took Vera home? Steph knows, and she was willing to lie low, but after my father's name cropped up in her father's disappearance case, she just cursed me and stormed out."
Kevin looked at Ivan with a lot of empathy. Ivan's shoulders were hunched, and he looked like he had lost a lot of weight in just two weeks.
Ivan was always strong and carefree, and he credited himself with having the ability to handle things on his own, but for the first time, things were falling apart faster from all corners, and he couldn't even salvage one of them.
"Insist on a DNA test with Vera and get done with it," Kevin suggested, and Ivan looked at him angrily and asked, "You think I haven't thought of that? She has f*cking refused!"
Over the next thirty or so minutes, Kevin kept giving Ivan suggestions, and he tore one after the other.
"Ok…I'll go check on my girl," Kevin said to cut a long story short. "Will you spend the night here? I can get you some bedding?"
"Sure, bro. Thanks," Ivan said as he stretched on the sofa.