PROLOGUE

THE DOOR OF THE private jet opened, signaling everyone who was waiting beneath the airstairs to line up to greet the man who appeared before them. The man had a deadly gaze and an intimidating aura that even grown men would tremble in fear. He wasn’t as intimidating as others portray him to be, though. Intimidating wasn’t even the fitting word for him, instead, the word elegant comes to mind. What made him so elegant was the way he moved. It seemed like he was gracefully dancing. Every move was well calculated; there was no room for a clumsy mistake.

“Welcome back, Master Cyrus,” an old man waiting at the end of the airstairs greeted with a smile on his face. He was wearing a suit with a D logo on the necktie, and his hair was so white you could guess his age by only looking at him.

The man named Cyrus continued walking and ignored not only everyone who was waiting for him, but also the old man who personally greeted him. Surprisingly enough, the old man wasn’t even taken aback since he was used to the cold treatment.

“How was your one-week trip to France, master?” he still decided to ask even though he already knew the answer that Cyrus was going to give him, which was nothing because Cyrus doesn’t usually answer questions that he finds useless.

“It was fine,” Cyrus answered.

Well, that was unexpected.

The old man’s smile widened as he and Cyrus arrived in front of a car that was parked only meters away from the private jet. He opened the car door for his master and then said back, “I am glad to hear that master. I bet you didn’t even want to leave because of how much you enjoyed yourself.”

“I sure did,” Cyrus answered sarcastically before stepping inside the car.

Cyrus Delton—the thirty-five-year-old president of the Delton Enterprise—is the serious and cold oldest son of the late Adam Delton. As the first child, the responsibility of taking care of the family business was automatically placed upon him, but he never complained. He desired that CEO seat ever since he was a child, but unfortunately for him, his father made sure to keep the Chief Executive Officer seat empty until his youngest son turns twenty-five. The youngest is now twenty-four. Three more months and they’ll know who the new CEO is.

“Where are my siblings?” Cyrus asked the old man who was apparently his driver.

The driver glanced at Cyrus through the rearview mirror and answered, “The two masters are back at the mansion while Madam Catalina is at the company. Do you want to head to where she is? Or would you rather head straight to the mansion instead?”

Cyrus took a deep breath and looked out of the car’s window. “Mansion,” he simply answered, and the nameless old man nodded his head and followed his master’s request.

The mansion that they were referring to was an old hidden house designed to mimic a castle. It was a mansion that Cyrus’s father, grandfather, and great-grandfather owned. It is expected that the chosen CEO of the company gets to keep the house as well so he could continue on the Delton bloodline. But since the announcement for the new CEO is postponed, everyone was still living together.

“We’re here, Master Cyrus,” the old man stated.

Cyrus took a deep breath, said nothing, and went out of the car on his own as maids and butlers rushed to his side to greet their master with a warm welcome.

“Welcome back, Master Cyrus,” everyone greeted in unison. But like how the old man was treated, Cyrus ignored them and went inside the mansion without saying a single word to anyone. His footsteps echoed on the marble floor when he got inside. The entire mansion was silent until he heard a loud bang coming from the second floor.

Cyrus loosened his necktie and went up the staircase with a serious expression.

“This early?” he thought to himself while he continued walking.

When he arrived in the hallway, he saw two men guarding a large door. It was his brother’s door, specifically, the third son’s bedroom.

The guards immediately noticed Cyrus and bowed to show their respect to him. Without being told what to do, the guards moved aside to give way to their master. Cyrus took a deep breath and readied himself before gesturing his hand towards the doorknob, which the guard on the left immediately responded to. He opened the door for Cyrus, and Cyrus barged in and saw his brother on the bed having sex with another boy he didn’t recognize.

Cyrus’s brother—who was facing the door’s direction—was surprised to see Cyrus barge inside his room without even knocking. He was startled for a solid second, but he immediately composed himself and decided not to address his brother’s intrusion. He didn’t even stop thrusting his cock inside the boy he’s fucking.

The unknown boy who was on his hands and knees was wearing a blindfold so he didn’t really see nor was he able to hear Cyrus enter the room. So Cyrus’s brother smirked and pushed himself inside the boy harder and deeper, making the boy shamelessly moan louder while clenching the bedsheets.

Cyrus watched for a couple more seconds before finally opening his mouth to ruin the moment, “Didn’t know you liked pretty boys too, Chance.”

The blindfolded boy heard the third party’s voice and immediately removed his blindfold. He was surprised to see Cyrus standing there. He was supposed to pull away from Cyrus’s brother, who was apparently named Chance, but Chance gripped the boy’s waist even harder so he wouldn’t be able to escape.

Chance continued to thrust himself inside of the boy instead of stopping. He then looked back at his brother and casually asked, “C-Can’t you see… I-I’m busy?”

“I can,” Cyrus simply answered, and the bluntness of his answer finally turned Chance off.

“Fuck you,” he cursed at Cyrus before pulling out.

The nameless boy collapsed on the bed and immediately hid under the covers, but it was useless since Cyrus already had a perfect view of everything.

“You came home earlier than I expected. Did your trip to France not go well, Cyrus?” Chance asked before brushing his hair back with his fingers and smacking his fuck buddy’s ass with a smirk.

Chance Delton is the twenty-eight-year-old sex addict, and unfortunately, Adam Delton’s third son. Unlike Cyrus, Chance isn’t as obsessed with the Delton Enterprise as much as his older siblings. All he wants in life is a hole he could stick his dick into, and he’s contented.

“I wasn’t able to cum because of you so you better be willing to help me jack off later,” Chance told him with a playful grin.

Cyrus walked closer and looked down at his brother, “I’m not Tobi. I’m not willing to do everything for you.”

“Oh please, don’t remind me of our little brother. He’s been extra quiet since you left. He must have missed you dearly,” Chance teased, making Cyrus glare at him.

Cyrus adjusted his tie and finally turned around so he wouldn’t have to face his naked brother anymore.

“Wear your fucking clothes,” Cyrus commanded while he was walking towards the door.

As mischievous as he was, Chance sighed and nodded his head to comply. “Fine, no need to get mad.” He was about to stand from the bed to pick up his clothes on the floor, but Cyrus stopped walking and clarified, “Not you…” He looked over his shoulder and continued, “Him.”

Chance was surprised at the sudden request. He was about to protest, but the boy was too terrified of Chance’s big brother that he immediately stood up from the bed and wore his clothes.

The boy was about to follow Cyrus out of the room, but Chance grabbed the boy’s wrist to stop him from leaving.

“You only just arrived, big brother. No need to get down and dirty this early in the morning.” Chance tried to convince him, but he knew about the rules, and he knew that there was no point in trying to stop Cyrus now.

“Follow me,” Cyrus said instead before leaving the room; the boy following right behind him. The guards waiting outside the room saw them and knew better not to follow.

Cyrus and Chance’s fuck buddy walked in silence. Cyrus had his hands inside his pockets while the boy followed behind him at a terribly slow pace because his ass was hurting. Thanks, Chance.

“What’s your name?” Cyrus asked, finally breaking the silence.

“Jamie,” the boy answered, his voice so soft Cyrus wouldn’t have been able to hear it if the hallway wasn’t as quiet as it was.

“Age?” he then continued to ask.

“Twenty.”

“Young,” Cyrus thought to himself, but he continued walking without saying anything else.

After taking a couple more steps, the two arrived in front of a room. Cyrus opened the door for Jamie, which actually surprised Jamie because he didn’t expect Cyrus to act like a gentleman towards him. Jamie thanked him and both of them went inside. Cyrus didn’t really say who the owner of the room was, but just by looking at it, you’d know that it was actually Cyrus’s bedroom.

Jamie closed the door behind him as he watched Cyrus walk towards a small table. There was a bottle of wine and a wine glass. He poured some on the glass and showed it to Jamie.

“It’s too early but please, have a sip,” Cyrus told him.

Jamie was hesitant, but he took the glass from Cyrus’s hand and took a sip of the wine.

“That wine costs more than the price Chance is paying you,” Cyrus suddenly explained, making Jamie stop drinking because the price Chance was giving him was a lot, which meant this wine costs a thousand more.

Cyrus gestured his hand for Jamie to continue drinking when he noticed that he stopped, “But it’s rude to say actual prices so I’ll pretend that Chance is only paying you fifty dollars. So please, enjoy that sixty-dollar wine.”

Jamie gulped and drank the wine with two hands, making sure he gets to drink it till its last drop.

Cyrus watched Jamie in amusement and asked him, “How long have you been staying here?”

Jamie wasn’t sure if he should answer that question, but he was smart enough to know that there was no point in lying to him, “Two days, sir.”

“Two days,” Cyrus repeated before walking towards a cabinet. “Do you like the mansion so far?” he then asked him.

“It’s like a castle,” Jamie honestly answered.

“Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. I’d be disappointed if Chance wasn’t able to accommodate you well.”

Jamie was about to say something, but Cyrus quickly gestured at the large window in the middle of the room and changed to another topic, “You can get a perfect view of the main gate from that specific window.”

Jamie faced the large window and saw the gate that Cyrus was talking about.

“I used to wait for hours just standing in front of that window, waiting for my father to return from work. My other siblings would play in the garden, but I stayed here. It was always safer to stay here,” Cyrus revealed to him, but Jamie didn’t question it, which was something Cyrus liked. He always liked it when they’re silent.

While Jamie was admiring the view of the gate and the garden, Cyrus pulled a drawer open and took out an ivory gold gun.

“Would you like to stay longer?” he asked Jamie while wiping the gun with a clean white cloth.

Jamie couldn’t help but smile as he watched the maids pick flowers in the garden. He gripped on the wine glass, the taste of the expensive drink still lingering on his tongue. He was so envious of these people. How could they live like this every day?

“I’d stay forever if I could,” Jamie answered, now mesmerized by what he was experiencing at that moment.

“Good,” Cyrus answered back. He slowly walked towards the boy and pointed the gun at the back of Jamie’s head.

“Then as the eldest son, I welcome you to our humble abode,” Cyrus stated, and for the first time since he arrived back home, he grinned and pulled the trigger.

end…

(1) Heartless Sadistic Murderer

EVERYTHING IS LITERALLY A BLUR . I blink once, and then twice, and then on the third time, a silhouette of a large man appears in front of me. It takes me a couple of seconds—and a little more stumbling—to finally remember that this guy punched me in the face, which is why my nose is bleeding and my ears have this buzzing sound.

I rub my eyes to see clearer. When the buzzing sound in my ear disappears, I’m finally able to hear what the man’s shouting to me.

“You dare harass my girl like that?! Huh, pretty boy?!” he shouts in full rage. His friends are trying to stop him from punching me again by grabbing both of his arms.

I wipe the blood coming out from my nose with the back of my hand and point my index finger at the man accusing me of harassing ‘his’ girl, who is honestly not exactly my type. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t harass girls even if they were my type, but I just want to clarify that this particular girl isn’t my type, so even TRYING to lay a finger on her is unlikely.

And come on man, pretty boy? Who uses pretty boy as a form of insult? It’s actually very flattering considering I’m twenty-eight. Just means I still look young, so it’s more of a compliment on my part.

“Look, pal, like what I tried to explain to you, the back of my hand just happened to brush past this beautiful girl’s bum. I did not mean to do it, which was why I immediately apologized. But then she screamed and slapped me, then next thing I knew you had landed a punch on my face. I should be the one who’s angry right now. I’m the victim,” I explain to him as calmly as I could, but obviously, the man isn’t listening. If he’s the listener type, he wouldn’t be screaming at me right now.

“You think I’ll believe your lies compared to my girl’s words!” he continues to shout at me.

I sigh and massage my temple. This is stressing me out more than I expected. All I wanted was a glass of beer in my favorite night pub and talk to my favorite bartender, Mr. Lincoln. Why am I suddenly caught up in all this before I could even get inside the pub? Now I get no beer and no conversation at all!

“Yes, because I’m telling you the truth, and she’s just being irrational. And please, just stop calling her my girl. She’s her own person, she doesn’t belong to anyone,” I sassily tell him, which of course, only angered him even more.

“So you’re using smart words on me now? Huh, pretty boy?!” he shouts, confusing me now. And again, what’s with the pretty boy insult?

“Smart words? What the hell did I say that seemed smart to you?! I’m just trying to fucking explain my side!” I now shout back. All his shouting is making me shout back at him.

The man was about to say something, maybe something stupid again, but then a police car arrives and parks in front of the pub, immediately making the people surrounding us run away from the scene.

The man’s friends let go of him. A tall, dark and handsome policeman goes out of his car and approaches us, but before the officer could say anything, the man shouting at me a few seconds ago points at me and tells the cop, “Cuff this man up! He’s harassing my girl!”

I roll my eyes in irritation. Not because he wants me cuffed, but because he still calls the woman my girl even after everything that I just said.

“Okay, calm down, sir. Let’s talk about this like two educated citizens,” the cop says, but just because he was in uniform, doesn’t make him any different from me because the man still wouldn’t listen, even to him.

“What the hell are you doing? Didn’t you just hear me?! Cuff this motherfucker up!” he shouts, and the cop finally goes to where I’m standing. But instead of cuffing me up, he smacks the back of my head and says with an angry tone, “What the hell did you do this time, Elliot?! And what the hell happened to your face?!”

The man who kept on accusing me looks at the two of us with a confused expression. Actually, everyone’s surprised to see how this cop just casually smacked me like that.

I massage my head and look back at the officer, “Seriously, Russ was that really necessary?” I ask my buddy Russ who is actually four years older than me.

“You…You know each other?” the man stutters, and Russ looks back at him and answers for me, “Oh we go way back. Officer Huxley and I studied at the same academy.”

The man blinks in confusion, but the shock on everyone’s faces finally made him understand.

“You’re a cop?!” he shouts.

I reach out for the pocket on my coat and show him my officer badge. “I try to keep it low-key,” I say with a wink, almost making the man stumble backward towards his friends.

Yes, he finally realized that he just punched a cop right on the face.

“So, can you tell me about what you were accusing Officer Huxley of again?” Russ asks, and the man immediately shakes his head in denial.

“I-It was a m-mistake… I wasn’t quite sure and—”

I was supposed to just let them go. These are drunken men, I understand that, but Russ just had to add fuel to the flame for extra measures. “You better be careful about who you’re accusing, sir. This man just came back from the military last year. I’m surprised he didn’t hit you back. Now scram before I cuff you up.”

The man, his girl, and the rest of his friends ran away without any second thought, causing Russ to laugh while hitting my back aggressively.

I push him away and start walking towards the car; Russ running right behind me.

“Damn, that’s what I call using the cop card,” Russ tells me before sitting on the driver seat.

I sit on the passenger seat and take a deep breath. “We didn’t use any card. You just wanted to brag,” I tell him before slamming the door shut.

“Fine. But you gotta admit, that was fun,” Russ says, starting the engine and driving off to leave the scene.

“Fun? That man just punched me on the face. How was that fun?” I ask while I look at my face through the mirror. Thankfully, my nose didn’t get broken, or else I wouldn’t be called pretty boy anymore.

“But seriously, Elliot, I’m surprised you didn’t try to punch him back. Things could’ve gone worse if you did. And I’m not saying I’m disappointed that you didn’t punch the guy, I’m just surprised that you didn’t because you usually would,” Russ tells me.

I didn’t say anything about it. I just look out the window and remain silent.

“You don’t have any idea,” I thought to myself as I clench and unclench my hand to calm my nerves. If I wanted to, I would have punched the man with a single blow that might even put him in a coma, but I didn’t want to. I’m a changed man. Or that’s what I try to convince myself of.

Now enough of that, I haven’t even properly introduced myself yet. I’m Officer Elliot Huxley, your average twenty-eight-year-old pretty boy who just happens to be very smart and insanely good-looking. Did that last statement make you feel uncomfortable? Of course not, because you know it’s true and I know you agree with me a hundred percent.

The man driving beside me is Officer Russell Lewis, who I’ve known for a long time now. We were partners during my first year as a cop when I was twenty-one. I was one of the most excellent junior officers of my time. I could have ranked up but I went on military training for three years instead. Then I got enlisted for two years, was forced to leave, and now I’m here, back to square one. A normal cop just patrolling around the city, making sure no one makes any trouble.

Now that’s our story. It’s nothing interesting really.

“So what did Lieutenant Jonah say? Why did he talk to you earlier?” Russ suddenly asks, making me look back at him.

“Oh yeah, about that. He told me to head to the HQ tomorrow. Apparently, Chief Philip wants to talk to me about something,” I answer him.

“Really? Maybe they’re finally going to assign you on something. It’s been a while since you’ve been given any work. Maybe they’ll rank you up and make you a detective now,” Russ jokingly says with a smile. It’s funny because he looks more excited than I am.

“It doesn’t really matter. I don’t want to do anything too serious anymore. My young and duty-loving 21-year-old self is gone. It left me when I wore a different uniform,” I tell him, which I immediately regret the following day.

“I’m ranking you up,” Chief Philip tells me as I stood in front of his desk with a shocked expression.

“I saw your records. It’s something you should be proud of. And not only that, you have military experience too,” he adds.

“That did not end well, which is why I’m here,” I remind him, but Chief Philip just shakes his head and says back, “Oh I know about the incident, and we all know that you had no choice. It was your last resort. This is why I’m giving you a chance, a chance to use your skills for something better. We can’t let someone as talented as you to just rot here patrolling drunkards or petty thieves.”

I don’t say anything and just sigh in defeat. He already made up his mind with this decision, and it would be stupid of me to decline a promotion.

“What is it that you want me to do anyway?” I finally ask him, and Chief Philip smiles widely and hands me a folder that I didn’t open just yet. I had to hear what he has to say first.

“We’ve been working on a case given by a very important person. I was supposed to give it to my other agents, but I was afraid that they might already be known, so a new face like you is a better choice,” he explains to me, but there isn’t really anything to understand since he’s just beating around the bush.

“Just go straight to the point,” I rudely answer.

It’s a wrong move, especially since I’m talking to the highest-ranked person in the force. But he didn’t seem to mind it as he continued, “Officer Elliot Huxley, I’m promoting you as an undercover agent.”

I blink and look back at him with a blank expression.

“Didn’t you just hear me? I said—”

I cut him off and massage my temple, “I heard you,” I tell him, so Chief Philip gestures to the folder that I’m holding. He’s telling me to check the files inside, so I take a deep breath and finally open it to see what the fuss is about.

Inside is the actual case, and then four profiles. The four were named Cyrus, Catalina, Chance, and Tobias. All have the last name Delton. Just by looking at the four, I knew they were rich and influential. They just looked too perfect to be common.

“If you don’t know them yet, they’re the Delton siblings. They’re currently in charge of the Delton Enterprise,” Chief Philip explains as I scan the profiles one by one.

“They’re one of the most influential people in the country, and they’re also very public. They feature in magazines, they have commercials, and they even make guest appearances at shows,” Chief Philip explains further.

I close the folder and look back at him. “So what? Did one of them die?” I ask him.

Chief Philip shakes his head and answers my question, “No, but their father Adam Delton died five months ago.”

“Don’t tell me. He was murdered,” I guessed.

Chief Philip nods his head to confirm it, but then he adds, “It was said that Adam Delton was food poisoned. It was a clean death… too clean actually. Division Eight was supposed to investigate it but the family insisted that we stop the investigation and let the case go.”

I analyze everything that the chief is saying, but when it finally hit me, my eyes widen from realization. “Wait, are you saying—”

“Yes. An insider reported to us that one of the four children plotted the murder,” Chief Philip finally reveals, but I wasn’t that surprised. This is a rich and well-known family. Killing family members for the inheritance is normal.

“So what do you want me to do exactly?” I ask him, now willing to participate in this case.

“We suspect that the murderer is the eldest, Cyrus Delton. Since he’s the eldest, it’s only normal that he’ll be the next heir, but there are rumors that Adam Delton was supposed to make his youngest son the CEO, so it might be possible that Cyrus killed him before he could sign the papers,” Chief Philip explains.

I wanted to comment about it, but it’s better to keep my comments for later. Right now, I need to understand this case as much as I can.

“We have an agent working at the Delton Enterprise for three months now. He’s been giving us reports, but it’s hard to investigate when you’re only at the company. The best way is to get inside the Delton Mansion. It’s one of the most secure mansions in the country. Getting in is hard, but we won’t be doing it by force. Our agent reported to us that Cyrus’s personal bodyguard was fired last week. This is the perfect opportunity for you to come in,” he tells me.

“So you want me to be a bodyguard to a man who is obviously bigger than me?” I ask him.

“Built is not important, it’s the skill. We’ll obviously fabricate your identity, but we’ll keep your military experience. Your two years in the field will definitely make your chances of getting picked as the bodyguard bigger,” Chief Philip explains to me.

I take another deep breath. I don’t really have a choice now since everything is already explained to me.

“When do I start?” I ask, causing Chief Philip to grin in excitement.

“That’s the spirit!” he practically shouts, “We’ll start right away. I want you to get ready by tomorrow. Detective Hans will tell you the rest of the details.”

I nod my head in understanding. I get ready to take my leave, but Chief Philip calls out to me, “And Officer Huxley, let me remind you that this case is highly classified. You are not allowed to tell anyone about it. Not a single soul.”

“Don’t worry. I’m good at keeping secrets,” I say, nodding my head and finally walking out of his office.

While I walk down the empty hallway, I open the file given to me again.

“Cyrus Delton,” I read out loud.

I stare at the stolen pictures attached to the file. The man is older than me, but that isn’t what intimidated me. It’s actually the eyes. I’ve met so many bad guys in my seven years in the field, but not once did I see eyes as cold yet burned like fire at the same time as his.

But that isn’t the scary part. The scary part is that he doesn’t really look like a murderer to me. There might be two explanations for that. Like the man who punched me in the face last night, we might just be blindly accusing someone who is actually innocent. Or, he’s really good at pretending to be this arrogant rich boy so no one would suspect that he’s really a heartless sadistic murderer.

Well, that’s funny.

A heartless sadistic murderer.

If I were you, Mr. Cyrus Delton, I would be worried by now. Because the real heartless sadistic murderer… is about to be your personal bodyguard.

end…

(2) Convince Me

“MISTER HUXLEY!” A MAN shouts the moment I walk out of the airport. I saw him approach me. He was wearing sunglasses, a trench coat, and a fedora. It’s very 70’s detective.

“Mr. Huxley, right?” he asks, checking the photo on his phone and looking back at my face so he could compare the two.

“Yeah, and you must be Agent Carlos. The chief told me you’re my ticket inside the Delton Mansion,” I tell him.

Detective Carlos immediately shushes me and grabs my suitcase. “We can’t talk here,” he says, and then he starts dragging me towards an old Mitsubishi Mirage car. He puts my suitcase at the back and opens the passenger seat for me, which I admit was pretty sweet and very gentleman-like. No wonder girls like it when men open the door for them.

I step inside the car. Carlos closes the door for me and goes straight to the driver seat. He doesn’t say anything as he starts the engine. He adjusts the rearview mirror and soon after, we were driving away from the airport.

I was supposed to ask him something when Carlos suddenly opens the compartment to take something out. When he got a hold of it, he pulls it out and shoves it to my chest. Apparently, it was a brown envelope.

“All your files are there. Fake ID, fake cards, fake passport, medical examinations, clean police records, and of course, your fabricated résumé,” he explains to me without even pausing to breathe.

I open the envelope and check the files. “Vincent Carter,” I read out loud when I got a hold of my new identification card.

“Yes, starting today you are Vincent Carter, a retired military police officer. You retired early because of an accident that you don’t really want to talk about anymore. You heard from some of your past colleagues that some rich family is looking for a bodyguard and they’ll pay a huge amount of dough for it. You’re not much of a talker, so if ever they ask unnecessary questions, you remain silent as much as you can,” Carlos explains in one go, and I had to mentally take down everything that he just told me so I wouldn’t be able to forget.

“Okay, so how are you guys sure they won’t figure this all out?” I ask him.

“We’re not. That’s why we’re giving you two months max to find all the pieces of evidence that we’ll need in order to know who the killer is. But don’t worry, your old identity is completely erased in the system, so even if they look for Elliot Huxley, they’ll see nothing,” Carlos assures me like that was going to make all my worries go away.

“Chief Philip told me you’re working at the Delton Enterprise,” I say.

Carlos nods his head as an answer. “I do. It’s a good company actually. The Delton siblings are your typical elite family, but I can’t make any judgments yet since I only see them at the company. You, on the other hand, will see a lot more once you get inside that mansion.”

“IF I get inside,” I emphasized to him because getting inside really isn’t certain yet. Who knows? Maybe the Deltons don’t like pretty boys and would rather have a gangster-looking man to guard them.

“Since this is your final briefing before you start the mission, I’ll tell you all the things you need to know. In the back beside your suitcase, you’ll find a small bag. Inside, you’ll see a phone and an earpiece. No one can detect it, and it can’t be interfered with. You’ll report everything to us using that. But just because no one can detect it, it doesn’t mean it’s invisible, so make sure no one sees it either,” he explains.

“Okay, I’ll handle that, but what about the actual target, Cyrus Delton? In your perspective, what is he like? Do you see him as a man who can actually kill his own father?” I ask out of curiosity, but other than that, I have to know what to expect when I face this man.

Carlos looks straight at the road while scratching his chin with his left hand. “Honestly speaking, he’s just quiet most of the time. And I know what you’re going to say, serial killers are usually the silent and mysterious types, but his type of quiet is different. It’s more like he’s focused.”

“Focused to plot another murder?” I ask with a grin, but Carlos was still serious when he continued to talk about Cyrus Delton like Cyrus was right in front of him and he was describing to me everything that he was currently seeing.

“No, it’s like he’s calculating his every move. When you see him, he’s just a walking perfection. Everything he does is just precise. I would be lying if I say he’s not intimidating, but other than intimidating, he’s more like a boy trained to be a perfect gentleman,” Carlos finishes.

I take everything in and massage my temple. The information that Carlos told me was interesting, but it wasn’t helpful.

“What a strange way to put it,” I comment, “A boy trained to be a perfect gentleman?” I ask again, and Carlos nods his head, agreeing that those words were the perfect description for him.

“Then maybe it’s more like he’s a boy trained to kill like a gentleman,” I add, and Carlos stops at a stoplight and looks at me with a serious expression. “Maybe,” he simply says back.

I clear my throat and brush the serious atmosphere away.

“Alright, so when’s my audition?” I manage to joke.

Carlos finally smiles back and parks the car in front of an insanely enormous building almost made of glass. I look out of the window and see the sign: Delton Enterprise. I look back at Carlos with a shocked expression when I realize something.

“Your audition starts now,” he suddenly informs me.

“You gotta be fucking kidding me. We start right away? I don’t even get to rest?” I ask, but obviously, Carlos doesn’t answer that question.

“Once you get inside the building, look for Edison Clegane. Ask about the bodyguard position and you’ll be on your merry way. Please, this is our only chance to infiltrate the Delton mansion. Don’t let us down,” he tells me instead.

“You don’t know me, and this conversation never happened,” he adds for extra measures.

“Alright then, good luck to me,” I say as I was about to open the car door.

“One last thing—” Carlos immediately calls out. I stop mid-way and look back at him, “Keep all this a secret, right?” I assume what he’ll say since that’s what Chief Philip told me when I first met up with him last week at the headquarters.

“Whatever happens, do not break character. Even when you face death, even when you’re caught, never mention anything about the mission,” he tells me instead with a serious expression like I don’t know that already.

“And if I screw it up?” I ask, just in case I do.

Carlos chuckles. He looks confident. “I don’t think you will. I heard about you, Elliot Huxley. You’re the two-faced cop. Charming and witty to most, but wicked and heartless to some. You’ll do just fine,” he tells me.

Elliot Huxley. I suppose that’s the last time I’ll get to hear someone call me that.

“Thanks for the lift,” I say as I finally head out of the car. At the back, I saw the bag that contained the phone and earpiece. I tuck it in between the few clothes that I have inside my suitcase, but before I place the brown envelope inside as well, I take out the fake ID and place it inside my wallet.

I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and mentally convince myself that I am now Vincent Carter. I had to establish a proper and consistent personality, so I decided to go dark and mysterious. I’ll keep my witty comments inside starting today. If they know I’m not a talker, they’ll know not to ask me too many questions; that’s the unwritten rule of life.

“Vincent Carter,” I practice, making sure it wouldn’t sound awkward whenever I introduce myself using my new name. I practice it a couple more times before taking out my suitcase, and finally walking towards the building with a serious and menacing expression now implanted on my face.

While walking, I glance at the window on the side that showed my reflection. I was wearing a suit like what Chief Philip wanted. He told me to look neat but tough at the same time. I didn’t know how to work out the two, so I wore a suit and waxed my hair back to fit Philip’s ideal description.

Easily enough, when I got inside the building, a receptionist greets me, “Hello sir, and welcome to Delton Enterprise. How may I help you?”

I walk towards her and answer in a low voice, “I’m looking for Edison Clegane. I’m here about the bodyguard that’s up for hire,” I tell her. She must have been surprised at how gloomy and serious I sounded because she flinches first before answering me, “Oh yes, of course, let me just check on him for you.”

The woman grabs the phone and dials a number.

“Hello, Mr. Clegane. Yes, a man is here to see you. It’s about the president’s bodyguard position,” she says to the man on the other line. And then she looks back at me and mouthed the words ‘ID’, so I hand her the fake ID with confidence.

“His name is mister…Vincent Carter. Yes. Okay, I’ll tell him right away,” the woman says before ending the call and putting the phone down. She hands me my ID back and smiles, “Mr. Clegane is ready for you. Just head to the twelfth floor, room 1209. He’ll be expecting you there.”

Seriously, that easy?

“Okay, thank you,” I say with a nod before heading towards the elevator to head over to the twelfth floor like what the woman told me to.

The room wasn’t hard to find so I got there in a flash. I adjusted my tie first before knocking on the door. A low voice told me to, “Come in,” so I did.

“Mr. Carter?” he asks the moment I closed the door behind me. It took me a couple of seconds to respond because I immediately had forgotten that I was supposed to be the Carter that he was referring to.

“Yes, and you must be Mr. Clegane,” I say back, not even cracking a smile.

I walk towards him and he gestures at the seat in front of his desk. Obviously, he doesn’t want me to stand on it so I sit down and place my suitcase on the other empty seat beside me.

The man—Edison Clegane—was old to the point where his hair was white, but he still managed to have a fit body, which made me want to compare him with wine. The older he got, the finer he got.

“Let’s cut to the chase. You’re here for the position of a bodyguard, am I correct? So who recommended you?” he asks me. I take out my résumé and hand it to him before finally answering his question, “No one recommended me. I just heard about this from some of my colleagues. They say it would pay well, and I badly need the money, so here I am now.”

He reads my résumé in silence before glancing back at me. “So an ex-military man. What were you doing after you left service?” he asks me.

“Therapy,” I simply answer him, trying my best to look as empty as possible. I wanted to make him feel that I wasn’t in the mood to chat with him, and I think it worked since he didn’t push me to explain further anymore.

He finally puts my résumé down and looks back at me with his fingers intertwined together. “Your records are impressive, but I can’t help but feel like you’ll be wasting your skill as a bodyguard. Wouldn’t you want to go back and serve again instead?” he asks, and this time, I knew that this was a personal question from him and not just for interview purposes.

“If my colleagues are right, then this will pay more than what I’ll get if I serve again. As I said, I need the money, and I need a lot of it,” I answer him, not trying to sound rude.

He stares at me, examining me from head to toe. Of course, I was bothered. He might have noticed how uncomfortable I was so he immediately stops and leans back on his chair.

“I’ll hire you now if I could, knowing what you’re capable of, but of course I don’t make the final call. I’m the president’s secretary, and the one who will decide on that is the president himself. So now I want you to head to his office on the fourteenth floor. I’ll call him now and inform him of your visit,” he says while handing me back my résumé.

I stand from the seat and take my suitcase before thanking him.

“Let me just tell you that the president is very picky when it comes to choosing who he will hire. But if it can help, I’ll try convincing him to choose you. He’s been rejecting everyone who comes. I think it’s about time he picks someone who’s actually capable to do the job,” he tells me, making me thank him again before heading to where he told me to go to.

The fourteenth floor was empty. There were a few doors, but the double door at the end of the hallway was already a big hint that that’s the room that I’m supposed to be heading to.

If the president of this company really is there, then this will be my first encounter with him. I can’t screw this up. First impressions always last, so if I make a huge impact now, I might just get hired.

“This is it,” I tell myself as I made sure I’m perfectly groomed and ready before finally knocking on the door. No one answered, so I knock on the door again. I thought this time someone was going to open the door, but no one did, so I knocked for the third time. Nothing.

“Is no one home?” I ask, about to grab the doorknob so I could open the door myself.

“It’s rude to enter rooms without the owner’s permission,” a voice of a man says behind me, making me flinch and immediately put my hand down. I gulp from nervousness. His voice was so close I could tell he’s only a few inches away from where I was standing.

Well, there goes my first impression.

“I’m sorry,” the only thing I could say while slowly turning around to face the man who I suspect was the president himself. But to my surprise, it wasn’t the Delton that I was expecting at all. Instead, it was Chance Delton, the third of the four siblings.

“Not who you’re expecting?” he asks when he sees my reaction.

With a grin on his face, he walks closer and pats my shoulder. “My brother will not like it if he sees such behavior from you, believe me.” Then he goes inside the office. “Please come in,” he adds. I was hesitant at first, but I followed him anyway and went inside the office. The office was what I already expected it to be. It’s big and clean, with a perfect view of the city.

My eyes follow Chance as he stands and leans on the desk. He didn’t dare to sit on the chair. I’m guessing his brother wouldn’t like that either.

“I’m Chance Delton, Cyrus’s younger brother. My brother is talking with a few directors downstairs, but he’ll be right back after a couple of minutes. I’m guessing you’re here for the bodyguard position. Your aura already tells me you’re a good… watchdog. That’s why I can tell right away,” he says with confidence, the grin still on his face, almost tempting me to punch him.

I try to be as serious as I can. If it was Elliot Huxley, I’ll already be giving him a witty reply, but I try my best to keep my mouth shut instead.

“Hey, you’re no fun,” he comments. Then he leans further on the desk and stares at me from head to toe before licking his lips like a pervert.

“Are you sure you want to work as my brother’s bodyguard? Wouldn’t you want to work for me instead? I can pay double if you want,” he suddenly offers me.

I obviously didn’t know what to answer. I could decline him now, but I could accept the offer too. If I get to work with this man, I’ll still get inside the mansion either way. And besides, he’s not like his older brother. He’s cunning but not intimidating. I think it would be easier to handle him. But what work would I be exactly doing if ever I do accept his offer?

“But how rude of me, I haven’t even asked for your name yet,” he says.

I stare back at him with an empty expression and tell him, “Vincent Carter. But you can call me Vince.”

“Vince,” he repeats, standing from the desk and walking closer to where I was.

“It doesn’t suit you,” he suddenly tells me, almost making me lose my composure. But I kept my expressionless face intact.

“It’s not like I had a choice,” I tell him, making him chuckle.

Chance Delton circles around me, sometimes touching my shoulder and arm while he did so. He moves like a snake, and if I do or say the wrong things, he might just wrap himself around me and devour me. Now I see the appeal. He isn’t like his brother, but he’s a totally different character. There’s something about him that screams danger, and by the looks of it, he’s a good manipulator too.

Very interesting.

“Vincent Carter,” he says again, stopping just right behind me.

He slides his hand on my back for no reason at all, but when his warm index finger touches the nape of my neck, my stupid instincts told me to turn around and grab his wrist, which was exactly what I did.

Chance was surprised to see how quick I acted; his expression said it all. But then he smirks, and that was a sign that I have to immediately let go of him now.

Before I could even defend myself, the office door opens, finally revealing the man who I was supposed to be expecting, Cyrus Delton. He was what I expected when I first saw his picture. His presence alone made everything feel uncomfortable. And like what Carlos said, he moved with precision. He looked well groomed, almost like a salon followed him everywhere. And when he walked towards us, it was like his steps were counted as well.

I didn’t expect to meet such a man.

“What are you doing here?” he asks, his voice sending chills down my spine.

How was that even possible?

“Just keeping this gentleman company,” Chance answers him with a grin.

“Well since I’m here now, there’s no need for that anymore. Thank you for your service. Now please… leave,” he commands him, and Chance didn’t even show any struggle as he bows his head so he could leave. But before doing so, he looks over his shoulder and tells me, “I’ll be watching you, Vince. I’ll be watching very closely.” Then he was gone.

I glance at Cyrus Delton, which was actually a mistake because he was already staring back at me when I did. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I was more comfortable being alone with that pervert than be with this man that I’m alone with now. I have not seen someone so dominating.

“So, you must be?” he asks, gesturing at the empty seat. He waits for me to sit down first before taking a seat himself. Then he straightens his back and looks at me with a serious expression.

“Vincent Carter,” I answer him, handing him my résumé.

He takes it from my hand and slowly reads it. It took him at least a minute to finally ask me another question. But what he asked surprised me enough to knit my brows.

“Have you killed before?” he asks with no hint of hesitation.

I didn’t know what to answer, but he already saw my résumé so I assume he knows that already. “Well, I worked as a soldier so yes, I have killed before.”

“That’s good,” he says back, putting my résumé down so he could look back at me. “I need someone who can pull the trigger when I’m in danger, and not one who will cower and hesitate.”

I don’t really know how to reply to that so I just kept my mouth shut.

He continues staring at me, his face unreadable.

“Are you good at lying?” he asks me next with the same serious expression. The question surprised me even more compared to the first one. Was he already on to me before I could even do anything suspicious? Or did he already know before I even got here?

Did Chief Philip just send me in a suicidal mission? And was I stupid enough to think I could get away from this?

“I try to convince myself that I am,” I answer him, making sure I don’t look fazed.

Cyrus nods his head and stands up from his seat. Then, like Chance, he goes in front of his desk and leans on it.

“Your profile is exceptional, there’s no doubting it. But I need to know more about the person who will be practically standing behind me 24/7,” he says, making me gulp again.

I take a slow and deep breath and adjust myself on the seat.

“Vincent Carter,” he calls out, “convince me,” he then adds, his face now showing more emotions compared to earlier. He was enjoying this, and he was making sure that I knew it.

“Give me the best lie you can come up with that will make me hire you,” he says, making me look at him with confusion.

He taps his fingers on the desk, the sound making me feel like he was taunting me.

“How would you know if it’s a lie then?” I ask him cautiously. And to my surprise, a smirk became visible in his face. I didn’t expect to see such expression from him.

“Oh, I’ll know,” he assures me. And then he walks closer to where I was sitting and adjusts my necktie before continuing, “I always know a good lie when I hear it. So Mr. Carter, give me your best shot.”

end…

(3) The Four

LIE. THAT’S WHAT HE asked me to do. I thought he was just fooling around with me, but the seriousness on his face made me realize that he wasn’t joking at all.

“Lie?” I ask to clarify it, but Cyrus looked like he was getting annoyed by how I was stalling. He might not be the patient type of guy. He was standing a few inches away from me. Not too close, but not too far either. He was waiting, and him just simply waiting for me to say something made me nervous.

What is going on with me? Why am I suddenly feeling like this?

“Any time now, Mr. Carter,” he says, the smirk on his face making me uneasy.

I have to say something now.

“Focus,” I tell myself, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath while gripping on the armrest of my seat. I try to brush the nervousness away, and when I was finally ready, I open my eyes back and look at him with a serious expression.

“If the time comes, you will never see me pointing my gun at you. For the end of that gun will be on me, and you will be the one to pull the trigger,” I finally tell him, hoping that those words would at least impress him.

Cyrus stares at me for a second, his expression once again unreadable. But after examining me, his seriousness vanishes, and his smirk returns. He pats my shoulder twice and walks back to his chair so he could sit back down.

“What a charming lie. It’s very appealing,” he tells me with a chuckle, but like someone flicked a switch, his serious expression returns within a second, “But I wasn’t convinced enough.”

I couldn’t help but gulp again as I watch Cyrus intertwine his fingers and rest his chin on top of them.

“You know who lies the best?” he asks me, the question suddenly out of place.

“Lawyers?” I answer, but with a hint of doubt.

“No, it’s gentlemen,” he answers. Without pulling his fingers apart, he puts his hands down. “Lies are a gentleman’s manner. They make the most lies, for they have to be polite not to say the wrong things,” he continues.

“What is a good lie then?” I ask him, curious because I thought I really did a good job earlier. I wanted to know his criteria for judgment. I have to know what a good lie is to him.

“The best lies are when the person speaking believes that it’s not a lie at all. Let me ask you a question, Mr. Carter. Do you love your father?” he asks. I was confused at first but I nodded my head with no hesitation and answered him, “Of course, he’s my father.”

He smirks.

“That… is what you call a good lie,” he says, making me flinch for some reason.

What did he mean by a good lie? That wasn’t a lie at all. I loved my—

Loved. That’s right. I loved him. Not love him.

“You see the difference now?” he asks while staring at me. He must have seen the sudden realization written on my face.

“Why is that even important? I’m a bodyguard. I won’t be talking, which means I won’t be lying, which also means I don’t need to be good at it,” I tell him with a serious expression, and suddenly the smirk on Cyrus’s face turns into a grin—a grin that caused the hair on my skin to stand.

“And that… is how you convince me,” he says, and my eyes widen from surprise.

He’s really good. Not just dangerous, but smart too. He’s already on to me, but there’s no backing out now. I’ll just see how all this will go.

“You’re hired,” he finally declares. “Starting today, you will be staying with me. Wherever I go, you will be there. Protecting is a word I don’t like using, so we’ll be using the word guarding instead. Your uniform and equipment will be given to you tomorrow. I don’t particularly like noise, but if I ask you to speak, you speak,” he tells me, and I nodded my head in understanding.

I thought the interview was over, but then the office door suddenly opens. The person who entered didn’t even knock, so I’m guessing this is someone important.

“Cyrus, foreign investors are waiting for you,” a woman’s voice says. I didn’t turn my head around to face her, but the power and authority on her voice already made it clear.

“Catalina,” Cyrus says as a woman wearing a white suit approaches him. The woman stares at me for a second, but then she ignores my existence and looks back at Cyrus who wasn’t even surprised by the sudden intrusion.

This is Catalina Delton, the second sibling, and from what I heard, was even scarier than their eldest. Looking at her now, I think she isn’t really scary, but more of a boss figure. In terms of being intimidating, Cyrus wins that trait. But Catalina has a stronger aura. She’s tough looking.

“As you can see, I am quite busy right now. So please do me a favor, Catalina and talk to the investors on my behalf. It would greatly please me if you could do so,” Cyrus says politely, almost making me have goosebumps as I listen to him.

Catalina smiles and leans towards his brother. She got so close that I thought she was going to kiss him, but she doesn’t. She stops just a few inches away from Cyrus’s face and says, “I am not here to please you. So get up from this fancy chair of yours and talk to these investors on your own. You’re a president, do your own fucking job.”

I was surprised at how Catalina talked to her older brother. Not like Chance, there was no hint of fear in her way of talking to him.

“Or do you want us to switch places and I become the president and you’ll be the vice,” Catalina adds, and that was the only thing she had to say to finally make Cyrus stand up.

“Then I apologize for even asking so kindly,” he says with a glare before walking away.

I grab my suitcase and was supposed to follow him since he said I start my job today, but Catalina grabs my arm to stop me.

“You start tomorrow. Hand me your number,” she commands. There was no point ignoring her so I gave her my number, then she gave me her calling card in return.

“Send me your measurements so we could have your uniform tailored. I think my dear brother had already told you the details so you should start packing. You’ll be staying with us now, but don’t worry; there will be other bodyguards as well. It just so happens that you’re assigned to Cyrus,” she suddenly explains to me.

Well, I guess she’s not so bad compared to Cyrus and their perverted sibling Chance.

“What’s your name?” she asks afterward.

“Vince,” I immediately answer her.

She nods her head and gently pats my shoulder. “Keep a good eye on my brother. His gentleman ways… can be very troublesome.”

I was confused about why she said those words to me, but I wasn’t able to ask her about it anymore since she was already walking away from me.

“And Vince,” she calls out.

I look back at Catalina. She wasn’t smirking like Chance and Cyrus, but she wasn’t looking at me angrily either. Instead, she kept her expression neutral as she says, “As the second eldest, I welcome you to the Delton Family.” Then she walks away as if nothing happened.

I blink, confused about what just happened, but then a woman—who I suspect was Catalina’s bodyguard—tells me to leave the room, so I did.

As I was walking out of the Delton building, I couldn’t help but make a reflection on my short trip there. The three siblings have very distinct personalities. One is like a snake, or if given a more inappropriate word, he moves and talks like a slut. He observes the person in front of him like he’s searching for their deepest desires. And once he finds them, he uses them and attacks.

The other one is a gentleman, or rather, a man who uses gentlemen ways as a façade. He’s very smart and cunning, but he’s also very dangerous. I know my capability, and I know what I’ve done in the past, but that man is on another level. As groomed and clean as he looked, I couldn’t help but feel like he stains his hands with red almost every hour. That alone wouldn’t faze me, but the fact that he pretends like he doesn’t know that others know about it makes me feel sick for some reason. It’s almost as if he wants them to know.

Now we’re down to the last sibling on the list, Catalina. She’s more of a president than her own brother since she gives out a boss vibe. But knowing the basic rules of a rich and elite family, the male eldest is always the one to inherit or is the one who’s next in line in family businesses. It’s a shame though; I can see Catalina’s potential. But what confuses me most is the fact that their father decided to halt the announcement of the new CEO. In a normal setting, it’s obvious it would be Cyrus, but why wait till the youngest turns 25? Does that mean Tobias Delton gets the inheritance? I don’t really get it.

And speaking of the youngest, I haven’t personally met him yet. Maybe it’s because he’s still a student; a third-year college student to be exact. Tobias Delton studies in the most prestigious university in the country. It’s where the rest of his siblings studied as well, but not like them, Tobias isn’t academically outstanding. Well, he has high grades, but he isn’t school president like Cyrus was, he isn’t attending any clubs or organizations as her sister did, and he isn’t really as sociable as the third son. There’s nothing really special about—

“Master Tobias!” the employees suddenly greet the moment I went out of the entrance of the building. An expensive car was parked in front. Employees stood on the side as a boy comes out with a serious expression, but the moment he appears in front of everyone, his serious expression turned into a sweet and innocent smile, surprising me.

That… is Tobias Delton? That’s the fourth son?

“Good morning, everyone,” he greets, making the employees smile at how charming the boy was.

“Are my dear siblings here?” he asks one of the employees who immediately went to his side to give him a folder. “Master Chance is checking out new employees, Vice President Catalina is making rounds at the departments, and President Cyrus is in a meeting with foreign investors. Were you not informed of their schedule, Master Tobias?”

“Oh, no worries. I’m only here to sign papers, am I correct?” he asks, giving the folder back to the employee without even opening it.

“Oh master, these are the reports for the—” Tobias cuts him off with a gentle wave of his hand. “I’ll let my siblings handle all the business-related matters. I don’t want to get in their way, so please, don’t inform them of my visit.”

The employee looked puzzled, but he nods his head in understanding anyway.

Shit, they’re walking this way. I should act normal and just walk past them.

“Did the employees wait for me outside again? Tell them that they don’t have to do so. I’ve reminded them about that for so long. I don’t want them getting sick because of me.”

“Well, that’s the reason why they’re willing to wait for you, master. You’re very kind to the employees.”

I roll my eyes upon hearing the conversation, but as I finally walked past them, I suddenly felt a gentle touch on my shoulder. I slowly turn around to see Tobias himself looking straight at me. I don’t say anything as he continues to stare at my face. Seconds later, he chuckles and leans forward, gently pushing a strand of hair away from my face before saying, “You don’t want a single strand of hair to ruin your interview.”

I gently push his hand away, but he didn’t look offended.

“Don’t worry, I just finished,” I say with a small smile.

Tobias was genuinely surprised, so he moves closer to me and asks, “Really? Did it go well, sir? Getting in this company is tough.”

Oh yeah, he doesn’t know that I know him.

“Well surprisingly enough, I got in, so we might be seeing each other a lot now. I hope that wouldn’t bother you,” I say as nicely as I can. I’m trying to match his bright aura but I couldn’t do it. I should have met with him first before meeting the rest of the Delton siblings. The three siblings are different but at the same time, there are still similarities. Tobias, on the other hand, is just the complete opposite. It’s like he’s not a Delton at all.

“That wouldn’t be a problem since I’m not an employee,” he casually tells me.

“He’s actually the—”

Tobias immediately cuts the employee off to stop him from saying anything further. But even if he doesn’t say anything, I already know what he was about to say. He’s not an employee because he’s practically the owner too.

“What position did you get sir?” he asks with a smile.

I didn’t want to answer him, but he was going to find out either way. And I have to stay at their mansion starting tomorrow. It’s best if he’s informed about it now so he wouldn’t be shocked to see me in his own home.

“I’m actually Mr. Cyrus Delton’s new personal bodyguard,” I finally answer him.

Tobias didn’t react, but for a quick second, I saw something in his eyes. Something that almost looked like fire, like he was ready to burn me right then and there.

“My brother’s… personal… bodyguard?” he asks to confirm it, but I didn’t know what to exactly answer him so I just nod my head instead.

He smiles again like he didn’t hear anything earlier. And as he stares at me with the same charm that he used on the employees, he says, “You asked if I’d be bothered to see you all the time, correct? Well, let me answer that again.” He pauses and shows me a glimpse of his true form. “I’ll be really bothered, apparently.” Then he walks away with the other employees who were blinded by his almost annoying fake smile and gentle gestures.

At that moment, his saint façade fades. And with just one look, I realized that he’s not so different from his siblings after all.

end…

(4) Delton Mansion

I OPEN THE DOOR of my hotel room. Catalina called me last night and asked for my measurements and address. I gave her my measurements and told her I didn’t exactly live around this city so I’m staying at a hotel nearby. I didn’t know why she asked about the address, but I found out soon enough when someone knocked on my door the next morning. I was surprised to see a large box waiting for me outside my door.

I look at the left hall, then at the right, but no one was there.

I take the strange box from the floor and carry it to my room. It wasn’t heavy, so at least now I know it’s not a bomb. I place the box on top of my bed and open it. Inside was actually the suit that Catalina was talking about yesterday. The uniform was what a typical bodyguard would use, but it had a golden letter D in a fancy font on the left side of the coat. The necktie had one too. Apparently, when she said uniform, she really meant uniform.

There was also a pair of shoes, an earpiece, and surprisingly enough, a gun.

When the box was now empty, I was supposed to just throw it aside, but thankfully I saw the lid and saw an envelope attached to it. I pull the envelope off the lid and open it. Inside is a letter that says:

Dear Mr. Vincent Carter,

Good day. Your uniform and equipment are inside, and it is custom-made for your liking. If you need anything else, we will gladly provide them to you. I will give you Master Cyrus’s schedule once you arrive at the mansion. You are expected to be here at exactly 8:30 AM. A car will be waiting for you outside at 7:30. Please, do not be late.

I am excited to personally meet you. See you soon.

• Luis Fletcher

I put down the letter and look at the clock on the wall. My eyes widen from shock when I realize that it was already 7:18 AM.

“Shit!” I curse, immediately running towards the bathroom to take a five-minute bath. Afterward, I wore the uniform and earpiece, tuck the gun in my pants that conveniently had a gun holder, and shove the little number of things I have inside my suitcase.

It’s already 7:30 so I ran out of my room, use the elevator, and check out from my hotel room before finally reaching the main entrance where I saw a luxury car waiting outside.

I was panting heavily as a man—who was wearing a different uniform as mine, but has the same letter D logo on it—was waiting outside the said car. When he was able to spot me, he approaches me and says, “Mr. Vincent Carter, you’re late. You were expected to already be here early.”

“Well, the box you guys gave me didn’t exactly get sent to my room early either,” I answer back, mentally cursing at myself because I’m not really supposed to answer anyone back. I’m the silent and mysterious-type remember?

“I mean, my apologies,” I immediately correct myself, and the man doesn’t say anything anymore and opens the back door of the car for me instead.

I got inside the car, and both of us went on our merry way. The driver wasn’t much of a talker, not like my buddy Russ, so the entire ride was dead silent. I obviously didn’t mind that he wasn’t a talker, but he could have turned on some music at least.

“So, is the mansion far?” I ask out of nowhere.

Seriously, Elliot, you should shut up.

“No,” the driver simply answers.

“Are you perhaps Luis Fletcher? The one who wrote the letter?” I continue to ask for some apparent reason.

Elliot Huxley. Silent and mysterious, remember? Silent and mysterious!

“No,” he answers again.

“Can’t you say anything else but no?” I stupidly ask him. The driver doesn’t say anything to me anymore, but he glares at me through the rearview mirror instead, obviously annoyed now.

Alright. Now it’s time to shut the fuck up.

I have to prepare myself for what’s about to happen. I’ve been exercising last night, and I’ve also been researching about the Deltons—watching their interviews and public speeches, and reading articles about them and their company. I have to know every inch about that family to get to the tight spots that no one else has gone through yet.

I’m about to infiltrate the largest and securest mansion in the country after all, so I have to be prepared. It is said that there are at least fifty guards inside, and fifty butlers and house help. That’s a hundred different people that don’t have the surname Delton. Of course, I’m not excluding them in my investigation. We could be focusing on the Deltons when in fact, Adam Delton’s killer was a mere gardener or a cook since it was poison that killed him. The mansion is so big we’ll never really know until we find the right pieces of evidence.

Anyway, I still have to focus on the main suspect first, which is Cyrus. I’ll be with him most of the time, but on the sideline, I still have to keep an eye out on the other three. Currently, the sketchiest one of them all is none other than the youngest, which is Tobias. I hate fake innocence, and I hate it even more when they’re so good at it that they’re able to fool the ones who are stupid enough to believe them.

If I didn’t know about his family, I could have been one of those stupid people who would end up believing in his innocent act. And knowing that such a young kid could have fooled me pisses me off even more.

If a boy like him was close enough into fooling someone like me, then he has a high chance of fooling others into thinking he has no capability of killing his own father at all.

“We’re here, Mr. Carter,” the driver announces as he stops in front of a large gate that had a letter D in the middle. It has the same font with the letter D on our uniforms.

We drove for half an hour just to get here. The driver wasn’t lying when he said this place wasn’t so far, but what caught my attention was the fact that it was hidden. We literally went into the woods. I thought the driver was going to drive me in the middle of nowhere to murder me, but in fact, the said mansion really is located here.

I look out of the window in full curiosity. You couldn’t really search for an actual picture of the Delton mansion, and I understand that for their security purposes. But that only made me feel more anxious to see why this mansion is such a big deal.

“You’re not allowed to take pictures inside and outside the mansion. Those are the rules,” the driver warns me.

While we were waiting, three men who were wearing the same uniform as I was, inspects the car while another man checks the driver’s ID. This mansion might be so enormous that the people inside don’t even recognize each other.

“Who’s the one at the back?” the guard asks the driver.

“He’s Vincent Carter. I believe Sir Luis was able to inform you about him,” the driver explains, and the man heads to my side of the door and knocks on my window.

I put down my window and look at him with a serious expression. I’m guessing that smiling at this guard wouldn’t do me any good anyway.

“Where’s your identification card, sir?” he asks me, and I immediately reach out for my wallet so I could give him my fake ID. He scans the ID, glances at me, and hands me back the card afterward.

“Alright, open the gate!” the guard shouts, and like it was some kind of magic word, the gate opens.

Is this even a mansion? This feels more like a prison.

The gate finally opens, and the grumpy driver drives inside. I lean out of my now open window to get a better look, and boy was I not prepared for what I saw. The mansion was HUGE, and when I say huge, I mean insanely enormous.

“This isn’t a mansion. This is a fucking castle!” I practically shout, and I could see the driver finally show a little emotion as a smile escaped from his mouth.

“Some say that this place is more fitting to be called Delton Estate than a mansion, but there’s a reason behind that. The Deltons have lived here for over a century, and I’ve heard this started as a small mansion, but every time new generations of Deltons arrive, they would renovate and add more parts of the house, so now we have this massive structure. But since it was first called the Delton Mansion, the family never changed it. It always fascinates me every time I see it,” the driver explains to me, which actually surprised me because I never thought he would be giving me history lessons.

“You’re telling me only one of the four siblings will inherit this? They can all live here,” I ask, but it was not a question directed to the driver.

The driver parks the car in front of the mansion, and strangely enough, he heads out of the car to open the door for me.

“Very gentleman-like,” I comment as I finally step out of the car with my suitcase, stretching my arms and legs a little before finally admiring what was in front of me.

The moment I step out of the car, an old man comes out from the main entrance of the mansion with two maids walking behind him. He approaches me with a smile and says, “Good morning, Mr. Vincent Carter. Welcome to the Delton Mansion.” He offers me his hand, so I shake it while staring at him.

“You must be Luis Fletcher,” I assume, and the old man smiles and pulls his hand away.

“I’m glad you read the letter. And yes, my name is Luis. I am Master Cyrus’s personal butler since he was a mere infant. I know a lot about the master, so if you have any questions about him then please don’t hesitate to ask me,” Luis informs me.

I give him a smile and a quick nod as a form of thank you.

“Now please follow me, the master is already waiting for you,” Luis says, gesturing for me to walk with him. I nod my head again, and both of us walk inside the mansion.

The first thing that you’ll notice is the marble floor that was waxed to perfection to the point where you could literally see your reflection if you look down. The inside was a classic 80 percent wood interior, and yellow light. It was definitely elegant looking. And for some reason, jazz music was heard throughout the halls. Maids were rushing around holding dirty clothes while butlers cleaned windows and picture frames. It was a busy house, but for some reason, it still makes you feel lonely.

“Master Cyrus has just woken up so I suggest you don’t say anything bothersome. He gets a little… cranky… early in the morning,” Luis says, immediately making me look at him to stop myself from admiring the place.

“Cranky is such a childish word,” I say, my eyes instantly widening from shock when I realize that I actually said those words out loud.

Thankfully, Luis just laughs it off.

“I suppose, but my master is sometimes childish. He may be tough and intimidating on the outside, but inside, there is a child still yearning for his father. I hope you understand that even though months have passed, the master is still at a loss with his father’s sudden death, so I hope you try your best to understand him,” Luis suddenly explains to me.

I don’t really understand why he had to say it because I’m just a bodyguard. I’m not even supposed to talk to him, but why is Luis making it sound like I signed up to be Cyrus’s best friend instead?

“I’ll do my best,” I answer anyway because it would be awkward if I don’t say anything.

Luis and I now headed upstairs. There were two stairs, like the one you see in the movies where the prince and the princess meet at the bottom of the staircase so they could dance in front of the guests. In the middle of the stairs was an enormous portrait of the Delton family. I’m guessing the man sitting in the middle is Adam, and the four children beside him are Cyrus and the others.

I wanted to ask why a mother wasn’t present on the picture, but I think it’s too personal for a question to be asked on the first day, so I’ll save it for future conversations.

“The four masters live here, and all have their own bodyguards and butlers, so there is no reason for you to interfere with the others. All you have to do is focus on Master Cyrus,” Luis explains next as we were now walking down the long hallway on the second floor.

“I understand,” I immediately answer him.

While we were walking, I notice a door being guarded by two large men wearing the same suit as I was. I didn’t really ask anything, but Luis glances at me and says, “That is Master Chance’s room.”

“I see,” I say, staring at the guards who were also staring back at me.

So he already has two guards, but he was still offering me the same job?

“Don’t worry. I’ll tour you around the mansion during your free time. By then, I’ll be showing you your room, but that also depends on the master. He might want you to be in a room close to his,” Luis explains next.

“But where do his guards usually stay?” I now ask, just curious because Cyrus might be an evil asshole that makes his guards sleep at the stables.

“Actually,” Luis starts before he releases a chuckle, “the master doesn’t have guards.”

I stop myself from walking the moment I heard Luis’s answer.

“W-What did you just say?” I ask, shock present in my voice.

Luis looks at me confusingly, but he answers me again, “Well the master has never hired a bodyguard for the last seventeen years. Of course, he had a few when he was younger, but when he grew up, he fired them all. I’m actually surprised he hired you. I’m guessing he wants a bodyguard now because of what happened to his father, and I saw your résumé, it was very impressive, I—”

As Luis continued talking, my whole world started spinning. I thought I was about to faint.

This can’t be fucking happening. Something’s not right here.

“The best way is to get inside the Delton Mansion. It’s one of the most secure mansions in the country. Getting in is hard, but we won’t be doing it by force. Our agent reported to us that Cyrus’s personal bodyguard was fired last week. This is the perfect opportunity for you to come in.” I remember Chief Philip say when he first gave me the mission.

If Cyrus never had a bodyguard in the first place, then Agent Carlos was lying. Or worse, he wasn’t lying. Because Cyrus himself—

“What are you standing there for?” a voice suddenly asks, making me flinch.

Luis was surprised by the person standing behind me, but he immediately brushes his surprised expression away and changes it into a smile. “Good morning, Mistress Catalina,” he greets.

I sigh when I realize that it wasn’t Cyrus. I then turn around to face Catalina, who was standing with a woman who was wearing the same uniform as Luis. This must be her personal butler.

“I’m glad you’ve arrived safely, Vince,” she says, surprised that she actually bothered to even remember my name.

“Thank you for having me here… Mistress Catalina,” I tell her with a quick bow. She doesn’t smile, but she doesn’t frown either. She just kept her expression neutral as she studies me from head to toe.

“I’m glad the uniform fits you well. My brother will definitely be pleased,” she says, and the mere mention of her brother made me gulp.

She approaches me, walking closer as the woman standing behind her follows. When she was an arm’s length, she stops and says, “I hope you find what you’re looking for Vincent Carter.”

My eyes widen from shock. Catalina pats my shoulder, and for the first time, she smirks and walks past me, leaving without saying anything else.

I stood frozen in my place. These people… they know why I’m here. They tricked Carlos into believing that he hasn’t been caught yet. They knew the police was going to send someone here.

I gulp, looking at the long hallway and trying to remember where the exit was. I can make a run for it now, and I have a gun with at least seven bullets. But after seeing all the guards earlier, I don’t think I’ll make it past the gate alive even if I get to shoot some of them.

I was fooled.

There’s no way out of this. I should have already known that by how Cyrus interviewed me yesterday.

I’m the fool.

“Mr. Carter?” Luis asks while patting my shoulder. I flinch and turn back around to face him. “R-Restroom… Do you have a restroom here? I really need to go,” I lie.

Luis looks at me confusingly, but then he blinks and his expression became serious. He gestures his hand in the hallway and says, “There, at the far end of the hallway.”

I nod and smile at him, trying my best not to show my growing panic. “I’ll be right back,” I tell him before walking away, then my walk turned into a jog, and I was inside the restroom in a blink of an eye.

As soon as I lock the door, I open my suitcase and take out the phone Carlos gave to me yesterday. There were only three numbers that I could contact: Carlos, Chief Philip, and Detective Hans. I immediately dialed Chief Philip’s number. Thankfully after two rings, he picks up the phone.

“Huxley?” he asks the moment he picks up the phone.

I pace around the restroom as I explain the situation as softly as I could so no one could hear me outside, “T-They know. They fucking know why I’m here. I have to get out of this freakin’ mansion.”

“Wait, calm down Huxley,” he says, making me stop walking so I could take a deep breath.

“So you’re telling me you’re inside the Delton Mansion? And for some unknown reason, they know about you being an undercover agent,” Chief Philip says, and I stare at myself in the mirror in front of the sink and answer him, “Yes. They knew Carlos was an agent. They lied about Cyrus firing his bodyguard because they knew he’s going to report that to us and we’ll send someone here, which is unfortunately me.”

I could hear Chief Philip sigh on the other line. “Well, they’re not trying to kill you yet, are they?” he asks, and that was a question that was absolutely not necessary anymore.

“You want me to wait here until they fucking do?” I ask him, my voice getting louder now, so I sigh and continue, “I can’t stay here longer. This mansion, it’s enormous. Something about this place is just off.”

“Alright, we’ll think of a way. Can you try to at least hang in there for a little longer? We’ll try locating your location through the phone,” Chief Philip explains, and I exhale in relief.

I continue to stare at myself in the mirror, but then, my eyes widen from shock as I saw a small hint of light. I lift my hand and touch the mirror with my index finger. I drop the phone in the sink from surprise when my finger touched its reflection.

“Huxley?” I could hear Chief Philip ask through the phone.

“I-It’s a two-way mirror,” I say, slowly backing away, ignoring the fact that Chief Philip was calling out for me.

“What the fuck is this place?” I ask, and like something snapped inside me, my inner instinct told me to finally make a run for it. Leaving my suitcase and phone behind out of panic, I swing the door open to escape. But my heart immediately dropped when I saw a tall man waiting for me outside with a menacing grin.

“Escaping on the first day? That’s not very gentleman-like, Mr. Carter.”

end…

(5) Family Dinner

I DIDN’T MOVE A muscle from where I was standing. I knew that if I did I’d be killed, so I stood still and stared back at Cyrus without uttering a single word. I’m not going to make any more trouble, and I think he knows that.

“Your work has just begun, Mr. Carter,” he says while slowly walking towards me. I thought he was going to at least give me a quick stab in the stomach with a knife that he might be literally hiding under his sleeves, but he grabs me by the head and gently pulls me towards him instead, and then to my surprise, the man gives me a hug.

I didn’t know what to do, but then Cyrus wraps his right arm around my neck and covers my mouth with a white cloth. The scent on the cloth was strong, and it started making me feel dizzy. My eyes were starting to close, but before I could even lose consciousness, Cyrus moves his face so close to mine that his lips touched my ear. “You still have to find the person who killed my father,” he whispers, his low voice sending chills down my spine.

My legs weaken, and Cyrus hugs me tighter so I wouldn’t fall. As everything was now starting to get blurry, I hear Cyrus say, “Make sure no one finds out about this.”

“I think your sister knows,” Luis informs him.

Cyrus chuckles, and the last thing I heard before I could completely faint was him saying, “Oh, believe me, she didn’t. But based on how Carter might have reacted to what she said, she just did. That… is how good that bitch is.”

…

I opened my eyes, and a milky white ceiling welcomed me. I was expecting to wake up tied in a chair without a hand or leg, but instead, I was gently tucked in a bed at a bedroom that was too big for a single person. I wasn’t wearing my coat anymore either, and my shirt was unbuttoned to the point where my chest could be seen.

“What the hell just happened?” I ask confusingly before sitting up. I immediately massage my head because of the immense pain. I shouldn’t have sat up so quickly.

“You shouldn’t move too much,” I hear someone say.

My eyes widen from shock. I search for the owner of the voice, and it was actually Cyrus Delton himself, standing in front of a large window in the middle of the room.

“The drug I gave you helped calm your nerves, but it doesn’t make anyone feel pleasant,” he says before sipping from the glass wine that he was holding.

“What am I doing here?” I immediately ask him. Not standing from the bed, like my body was unconsciously afraid of moving even a single inch.

Cyrus still doesn’t look at me as he answers my question, “You wanted to be my bodyguard so I hired you. Why are you so surprised? It’s not like I dragged you here.”

I clench on the sheets on the bed in annoyance. Is he playing dumb? Is he just toying with me? Does he want me to spell everything out without even being forced to say anything?

“You know who I am, don’t you?” I ask him. It was the safest question. He might not know everything yet, and I don’t want to blindly spill it out unintentionally.

Cyrus turns around and finally faces me. He doesn’t have the same expression as the time I met him at his office. He actually looked tired, and the expression that he was showing me now is the same expression that I kept on seeing in his pictures.

It’s just empty.

“I care little of your true identity. I don’t care if you’re really a Vincent or actually a Chris, but what I do know is that the police sent you, which means you’re good,” he explains. It surprised me because I thought he’d just slap me with my entire profile.

“Apparently not good enough,” I say back since he was able to catch me just fine.

The empty expression on his face finally changes back to the expression that I have already gotten used to. He puts down his wineglass and takes a step forward, a smirk now present on his face as he says, “Oh you’re good. But your other agent wasn’t. His work was sloppy. I was able to spot him with just one look. But that didn’t matter because the truth is, I’m the insider who told Chief Philips about the murder case,” he reveals, slightly shocking me because I half figured it out when he whispered about his father’s murder to me before I fainted earlier.

“I let that agent be for a while, and then I took the opportunity and made up the lie about my bodyguard. I knew the police were going to send someone to me again, and I knew they wouldn’t be sending someone sloppy like the first one,” he explains further.

“So you really do want me to investigate your father’s murderer?” I ask him, but Cyrus doesn’t answer me.

I sigh and massage my temple in frustration. Hearing what he just said tired my brain cells.

“You do know that if you wanted to investigate your father’s murderer then you could have easily done it. Your family is rich, and the police force was willing to help your family too. Why go through all the trouble?” I point out to him because the Deltons could have gotten the greatest detective in the world if they wanted to. They might have even already solved the case just a few weeks after their father was killed. Now he has me, and the only reason why I’m here is not because I’m a great detective, but because the force knew that I have the greatest chance of getting out of this mansion alive.

“My siblings…” Cyrus suddenly starts, surprising me.

I was waiting for him to continue, but he doesn’t say anything about it anymore. Instead, he walks closer to where I was and starts something else, “If we did continue with the investigation, I bet they wouldn’t be able to send anyone who is as good as you,” he says, flawlessly changing the direction of his first statement.

“Why are you speaking so highly of me?”

“Because only someone as good as you will be able to find the perfect time to strike. A fool would have shot me with the gun that I so generously gave them the moment they opened the restroom door,” he answers, and to my surprise, when I touched the side of my pants, the gun was still there. I could grab the gun now. We’re all alone here, and I could shoot this man and escape.

My hand itched for that gun, but like what Cyrus said, I knew better. So I gulp and clench my fist. Now is not the time to do anything rash.

“Why are you so confident that I wouldn’t shoot you in the future?” I bravely ask him. I was trying to see how he’d react to it, but he didn’t seem surprised at what I asked at all.

“I’m not,” he simply answers before sitting down on the edge of the bed just a few inches away from me. I unconsciously move away from him, which made Cyrus chuckle.

“Don’t worry, I’m not like Chance. I don’t seduce people. It’s not my style,” he explains to me, making me remember the time Chance was practically caressing his hands all over me while he circled around me when I was at Cyrus’s office.

I take a deep breath and look straight in his eyes.

“What is your style then, Mr. Delton?” I ask him, not daring to look away.

Cyrus doesn’t back down either. He continues to stare back at me while slowly leaning closer. He was only a few inches away from me now. “My style?” he asks back.

I don’t say anything to him, but then he grabs my hand and pulls it towards his lips so he could kiss it. His lips felt so soft, and his kiss felt so light that the hair on my skin stood up. I immediately pull my hand away, and the reaction made Cyrus smirk.

“You guess,” he finally answers. Then he winks and stands up from the bed, and only now did I become aware that it was actually his bed, and this was actually his room.

I bolt out of the bed and wipe the back of my hand on my shirt. “You’re disgusting,” I say with an angry tone, warning him that if he does something like that again I won’t hesitate anymore and actually shoot him.

Cyrus stares at me like he was trying to read me. The way he was doing so made me feel uncomfortable. I don’t know if he read something important, but he kept his mouth shut about it.

“I want you to look for my father’s murderer, but at the same time, I hired Vincent Carter to be my bodyguard, so inside and outside this mansion, you continue on with that fake identity you have going on. Don’t tell this to anyone, even to that Chief Philips. Your things are at the table, contact your people and tell them you’re all right,” he says while gesturing at the table at the side of the bed.

I look at what he was gesturing at, and like what Cyrus just said, my phone, earpiece, files, and suitcase were placed on top of the said table.

“My siblings can never know. If you find anything, you may report it to me and to whoever you have to report to,” he explains further.

“I get why I have to keep this from your siblings, but why to the chief too? Wouldn’t it be better if we can have someone else to help us with this?” I ask him, and Cyrus turns around and answers, “Like what I told you… the best lies are when you convince others and yourself that it’s the absolute truth.”

I thought he was finally going to go out of the room and leave me, but to my surprise, he gestures his index finger for me to follow him. So without any second thought, I button my shirt and wear my coat. I was going to shove all of my things inside my suitcase when Cyrus turns his head to stop me.

“That’s not necessary. You can leave it there,” he tells me.

“What do you mean?” I ask, slowly putting my suitcase back down.

With his hands now inside his pockets, Cyrus answers me, “This is where you’ll be staying.”

My eyes widen from surprise. He hasn’t really said it himself but I’m pretty sure this is HIS room.

“Don’t worry,” he immediately says when he saw my reaction. “I don’t sleep in this room anymore,” he adds before finally turning back towards the door so he could leave the room.

I am obviously curious about what he just said, but I know there was no way that I would get an answer to that now, so I follow Cyrus out of the room instead. When we get out of the room, it is only at that time did I realize that it is actually already dark outside.

“How long have I been unconscious?” I whisper to myself, but Cyrus who was just a few inches in front of me still managed to hear me.

“Quite a while, actually,” he answers without even turning around to face me.

“It’s already time for dinner,” he continues to say while we walk down the hallway.

We pass by Chance’s room. The two guards weren’t guarding it anymore so I’m guessing he’s not inside. Other than that room and Cyrus’s room, those are the only rooms that I know of in this enormous mansion. Luis told me that he was going to tour me around the mansion, but of course, I flipped out a few hours ago and got caught having a mental breakdown at the restroom.

It’s funny how I’m not dead yet. This is surprisingly not going the way I thought it would and that’s even more frightening.

“I have a meeting tomorrow at seven so I want you to be ready at six,” he tells me.

“And where exactly am I going to fetch you?” I ask him since I’m the one who’s staying in his room and he says he doesn’t stay there anymore.

We walk down the stairs as he answers me, “You’re my bodyguard, not my butler. Luis will take care of that. You, on the other hand, will guard me when I’m out of the mansion. I don’t need anyone to guard me in my own home.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I hear him say those words. He glances at me, his expression dying to ask what I found so funny, so I did him a favor by answering his curiosity without him saying anything.

“I bet that’s what your father also said,” I answered without even being sensitive enough to think that his father was murdered. I realize what I just said and immediately close my stupid mouth that apparently doesn’t have any restrictions.

“Your mouth…” he starts, making me gulp. He glances at me again, a smirk now present on his face when he saw my reaction.

“I would love to shut that mouth,” he says with a low voice, making me gulp again. It was his turn to chuckle, but it immediately vanishes when we arrived at what I suppose was the dining room that looked more like a five-star restaurant.

Sitting on the dining table are the three siblings: Catalina, Chance, and the ‘angelic’ boy Tobias. They were talking earlier but stopped when they saw us enter.

Surrounding the three siblings were their own butlers and guards. Catalina has a female butler and a female guard. Chance has two guards and a butler. And Tobias has a butler and no guard. How could they eat in peace with all these people staring at them?

“Master Cyrus,” the guards and butlers greet with a bow. The sight of them doing that makes me shiver for some reason. Then Luis appears, and it was only then did I realize that his uniform was slightly different from the other butlers. He must be the head of the butlers here.

“Good evening, Master Cyrus. Are you done checking your files with Mr. Carter?” Luis asks, confusing me. But then I remember that no one has to know about what Cyrus and I talked about earlier, so I kept my mouth shut, returning my cold and empty expression.

“I spent more time teaching Vincent the ropes than I did with my files,” he says, making me clear my throat in surprise since he actually called me Vincent.

“Cyrus!” a loud and cheerful voice then greets.

I glance to my right and saw Tobias standing from his seat. He then runs toward Cyrus and wraps his arms around his neck to hug him. Because of the impact, Cyrus was slightly pushed. I had to take a step back so the back of his head wouldn’t hit my face.

Cyrus doesn’t say anything, and Chance just continues eating like this was normal. Catalina, on the other hand, puts her fork and knife down and looks at Tobias with an annoyed expression.

“Didn’t father teach us not to stand if we have already started eating?” Catalina asks him. “Sit back down before I raise a hand on you,” she then warns, finally making Tobias let go of his brother. But as he was doing so, he glares at me first before finally sitting back down on his seat.

“Oh, Tobi. You always know how to make our sister mad,” Chance says with a grin. Then he looks back at Cyrus. “What happened to you, brother? We didn’t see you at the office,” Chance asks him.

Cyrus takes his seat at the middle side of the table.

“Like what I told Catalina, I requested a day off since I had a lot of files to do here,” Cyrus flawlessly lies as he takes a sip of the glass that the maid just poured water in.

Luis grabs my arm and pulls me towards the side. We stood beside the other butlers and guards, and just like them, we just watched the four siblings have their dinner.

Chance chuckles and glances at me before looking back at his brother. “But I presume it ended unproductively.”

Cyrus doesn’t answer him anymore, so Chance continues, “How’s your bodyguard? Did he give you any trouble on his first day? If you want, we can switch guards. I think he’ll fit better in my care.”

“If you don’t have anything useful to say, dear brother then I suggest you shut your mouth and only open it whenever you need to shove food in,” Catalina says.

Chance continues to grin as he looks at his sister and shamelessly says, “Am I allowed to open my mouth if I shove a cock in instead?”

Everyone looks at Chance with surprise, while Tobias and Cyrus continue eating their dinner. I could even see Cyrus trying to suppress a smile.

“If you’re not aware yet, Cat, our brother here is starting to enjoy men more than he enjoys the other,” Cyrus says without even looking up to look at her.

On a side note, why do I find it cute that they call each other by nicknames?

“So you’re not only widening your options, but you’re widening your asshole too. How resourceful of you, Chance,” Catalina fires back, almost making me cheer like I was in a diss battle.

Are these types of conversations normal in this family?

“At least I get to widen mine, while yours are starting to have cobwebs because of how unused it is,” Chance then fires back, and finally, Cyrus breaks his serious aura and releases a laugh. I looked away because I had to close my mouth just so a laugh wouldn’t escape either.

“I sincerely apologize for laughing, but that was quite funny. And jokes that are funny deserve a laugh,” Cyrus explains while wiping his mouth with the table napkin.

Catalina looked annoyed, but it was mostly directed towards her other brother, Chance.

“Funny you say? Then I suppose you want to hear something funnier?” Catalina asks as she looks at Cyrus who looks back at her with the same dominance.

“We just lost an important deal because of this hilarious brother of ours,” Catalina reveals, and the light atmosphere that was slowly building up finally shifts back to being dark and serious.

“What?” Cyrus asks, and the seriousness he had wasn’t the same as before because now, even I felt a tingling fear when I saw it.

Chance looks away, but he looks back when he felt Cyrus intensely staring at him.

“Now Chance, can you share with us your funny encounter with President Boris?” Catalina asks, adding more fuel to the fire.

Chance obviously didn’t want to speak, but he knew it was better to do so than to keep his brother waiting. He was starting to look worried as he tries to explain himself, “Look, I did my part as a Delton. Cyrus wasn’t in the company, and Catalina was too busy, so I decided to talk to President Boris myself instead of keeping him waiting. You clearly know my style of persuasion; it just so happen it didn’t fit him.”

The moment Chance was done talking, and when Cyrus finally heard about the funny encounter, Cyrus couldn’t help but grab the knife and pierce it so hard on the table it actually got stuck there. And that was a bread knife. A BREAD knife.

“Making a move was not a choice for you to make!” Cyrus now shouts, and everyone and I mean everyone inside the room flinched in fear. Even Catalina who has been showing dominance had a small amount of terror in her eyes.

“We grew up learning these things, Chance. Each person has a specific style that fits him or her. President Boris was mine to handle, not yours!” he continues to shout.

“Well if you were there then this shouldn’t have happened!” Chance bravely shouts back.

“How dare you,” Cyrus says, standing up from his seat and looking at Chance with an expression that would even make grown men cry.

Tobias looks at his brothers with a worried expression and slowly stands from his seat as well so he could try and calm the two men down. “Please, we’re having dinner. This is not the time to—”

“You shut up and sit down,” Cyrus immediately tells him.

Tobias gulps and sits down like how he was told.

I look at Luis, checking if we should be doing something by now, but he remained still. He knew it was best not to say or do anything in these types of situations.

Everyone was quiet for a while. Cyrus was breathing heavily, but then, I notice Catalina pat his back ever so lightly like she was waking him up. And just like that, Cyrus blinks and realizes what he just did.

“I think you scolded him enough. Thank you, Cyrus. I’ll talk to him about the rest later,” Catalina says.

Cyrus looks around the room, brushes his hair back, and clears his throat before looking back at Chance and saying, “Your actions… my dear brother… are angering me.”

Chance doesn’t say anything and puts his head down.

Cyrus looks at him for the last time as he moves aside and pushes his chair in.

“I apologize for my ill-mannered behavior. I hope I did not ruin your appetite. Please, do continue as I head back to my study room to continue checking some files. Thank you for the delightful dinner,” Cyrus says, turning around and walking away.

Luis nudges at me. He looks at Catalina and the others so he could bow, then he follows Cyrus out. I reckon he wants me to do what he just did, so I look at the siblings and bow at them as well before finally heading out of the dining room.

“Now that is what you call a family dinner,” I say to myself as I look over my shoulder to look back at everyone at the dining room who was still too terrified to speak.

No wonder everyone’s so scared of Cyrus. I’m just glad he didn’t try to kill me on my first day here…

Because he definitely looked like he was ready to kill his own brother without any hesitation.

end…

(6) The System

CYRUS WENT INSIDE AN unfamiliar room. Luis was right behind him. I didn’t know if I was supposed to follow them, but Luis signaled me to come in, so I did. The room was apparently what Cyrus referred to as his study room, but it’s bigger compared to any regular study room that I’ve seen so far. It has a lot of bookshelves that reached up to a second floor. There was a desk, and even a large sofa in the middle that has a blanket.

Wait. Don’t tell me this is where he’s been sleeping.

“Cyrus,” Luis calls out, surprising me because he didn’t address him as Master Cyrus like usual.

I stand near the door, just silently watching them. I didn’t exactly know what to do, but I didn’t want to go anywhere near Cyrus either. Being a couple of few steps away from him is probably the safest place that I have to be in. After what happened in the dining room, I don’t think standing close to him would be a great idea.

“That fucking slut,” Cyrus starts, making me gulp because he said those words in a manner that sounded polite. How can he sound so gentleman-like with such words?

“He never learns. Never,” he adds before sitting down on the chair in front of his desk.

“Please calm down,” Luis tells him.

Cyrus stares at Luis for a second and answers with a low voice, “I am calm.”

“Is that what you think?” Luis asks before gesturing at Cyrus’s hand that I now noticed was actually in a fist. He was gripping too hard that his hand was starting to turn red. When Luis pointed it out, Cyrus unclenches his hand and takes a deep breath.

“It doesn’t matter now. The damage has already been done. I’ll just talk to President Boris tomorrow. As a gentleman, I should be able to sincerely apologize for my dear brother’s behalf,” Cyrus says, almost spitting on the words ‘dear brother.’ It was amusing because he shifts from scary to polite real quick.

“Well, I hope you know your brother had good intentions. Please don’t hold this against him,” Luis states and Cyrus sighs and massages his temple. I don’t exactly know the difference, but it looks like Cyrus did calm down like how Luis wanted.

Cyrus takes another deep breath and brushes his hair back with his fingers. “Chance has done the stupidest things, and I did not hold any of it against him, not even once. This is a matter that should now be forgotten. It is not gentleman-like to bring up unnecessary things in the past.”

“What’s with you and that gentleman act? Your brother clearly did something wrong that could greatly affect your business. He should apologize, not you,” I say in annoyance. I knew it was not my place to speak, and I knew that I shouldn’t even be opening my mouth in a situation like this, but since Cyrus and Luis already know my true intentions, there’s no reason for me to try and act differently.

“Vincent Carter, know who you are speaking to,” Luis warns. He was glaring at me, his eyes angry, but Cyrus immediately clears his throat and says, “Leave us.”

I thought Cyrus was referring to me, but Luis nods his head and leaves the room instead. He understood that Cyrus was referring to him without Cyrus spelling it out for him.

When we were finally alone in the study room, Cyrus gestures his index finger for me to come closer to him. I don’t say anything and walk towards him with no complaints. When I was already standing at least two meters away from him, Cyrus takes a deep breath first before saying, “Our family has been around for over a century. And there is a reason why we survived for so long. Do you know why?”

“It’s because you’re rich,” I answer with a blank expression, making him chuckle.

“Other than that,” he tells me.

I don’t exactly know anything else ‘other than that,’ so I shrug my shoulder and honestly tell him, “I don’t know. You tell me.”

Cyrus adjusts in his seat and intertwines his fingers together. “The Delton family has been around for over a century because each family member has a significant role.”

I obviously didn’t know what he was referring to, but I kept my mouth shut to encourage him to continue.

“My role… is to be a gentleman. I keep my family’s reputation clean. I am the reason why people admire and respect the Deltons. Catalina, on the other hand, is the reason why our family is feared. Her role is to become the boss figure of the family,” Cyrus says, the complexity of his explanation confusing me even more.

“And the other two?” I ask, referring to Chance and Tobias.

“Chance. Well, he has a role that works in the background. He has a role that the public doesn’t have to see. He’s the sin. And Tobias, our precious little Tobi, is the ‘oh so perfect’ saint that washes away the sin. He keeps the public calm. With him around, people have a reason why they shouldn’t go against us,” Cyrus explains further. I’m actually surprised that he’s even willing to explain these things to me. It’s like he doesn’t even care that I work for the police, and I could use this against him if shit ever goes down between us.

“Alright. Then among those roles…” I pause and take a step closer. “Who do you think had the role of killing your father?”

Cyrus doesn’t even look fazed upon hearing the question. It almost looked like he expected it.

“The one who gains the respect; the one who brings fear; the one who is sinful; and the one who is pure as holy water. Who among them do you think has the role of a killer?” I ask him again, and Cyrus grins in amusement.

“I should be the one asking you that… Mr. Vincent Carter,” he tells me, leaning closer.

I blink and decide not to answer him.

“I have to stay longer to find out,” I answer him, and Cyrus pulls back and nods his head.

“We’re not a normal family, Mr. Carter. What you see is not what you get. The more you dig deeper, the darker it will become,” Cyrus says. I wasn’t sure if he was being serious, or if he was talking figuratively, but one thing’s for sure, I will dig and search every inch of this massive mansion and find that murderer no matter the cause.

“That’s all for today. Follow Luis so you could eat dinner with the rest,” Cyrus tells me right after our conversation.

There is no point trying to say anything or ask anything else, so I slightly bow and leave the room without saying a word. When I got out of the room, Luis was patiently waiting outside. I didn’t say anything to him, but he nods his head and gestures for me to follow him, so I did.

The two of us walk in silence. He doesn’t say anything so I don’t say anything back. But I kept on glancing at him, so it’s only natural that he’ll notice.

“What is it?” he asks, assuming that I was dying to say something to him, which was true. He has good instincts. I’ll give him that.

“Aren’t you even a bit curious about what the master said to me?” I finally ask him, and Luis doesn’t even give much of a reaction to it.

“No,” he simply answers. I thought he wasn’t going to add anything up, but then he looks at me and continues, “Because there are things that are better unknown.”

“Are you telling me this as a warning or as a threat?” I ask, and Luis finally smiles. He doesn’t say anything after, but his expression spoke dozens of words that I was unfortunately not able to comprehend.

We arrive at a different dining room that looked more like a cafeteria. Everyone who was there—AKA the maids, bodyguards, and butlers—stands up from their seat and greets Luis who’s standing beside me. Luis nods his head to acknowledge them. Then everyone goes back to eating their dinner.

There’s a buffet of food, so Luis and I grab our food and take a seat on a vacant table. It seriously looked like a fancy restaurant. I wasn’t even surprised. A mansion this big could even have an airport for all I know.

While eating, Luis and I didn’t talk, so I occupied my thoughts by observing the area. Like a typical high school setting, everyone was sitting according to whom they serve. One table has Chance’s guards and butler; the other had Catalina’s guard and butler. Luis and I were the only ones who sat by pair. Everyone was sitting with maids too, which I presume was assigned to a specific Delton as well.

“So you’ve been eating alone all this time?” I finally ask as I look at Luis.

Luis wipes his mouth with a napkin and nods his head.

“Master Cyrus does not like having too many servants. For instance, Mistress Catalina has a bodyguard, a butler, a driver, and a personal maid who can enter her bedroom to clean it. As for Master Cyrus, I do all that work,” Luis reveals, which actually surprised me.

“Doesn’t that tire you? You’re like… I don’t know… in your seventies?” I honestly tell him; not really trying to offend him in any way. Luis thankfully doesn’t look offended. He laughs it off and takes a sip of his drink.

“I’m actually sixty-eight, but you’re right. It is tiring, which is why I’m glad someone younger is now there to help,” he says.

I’m pretty sure Luis knows that I won’t be sticking around for too long to help him, but it feels nice to at least help him even for a little while.

“You said you’ve been with the master since he was a baby. Does that mean you’ve been a butler here once before Cyrus came?” I ask. I wasn’t really expecting him to answer, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t hoping for him to.

“That’s right. I was a butler of the youngest in the previous generation before Cyrus and his siblings,” Luis explains.

That surprised me. I didn’t know Adam Delton had siblings. I didn’t see any information regarding that.

“The youngest? So Adam Delton wasn’t an only child?” I ask, and Luis shakes his head and answers, “No, he had three other siblings.”

The information surprised me even more. There were four Delton siblings before as well. If that’s not a coincidence then I don’t know what it is.

“I’ve never heard of such a complex family before,” I tell him.

Luis was done with his food, so I immediately shoved mine down too so I won’t end up eating by myself.

“Complex doesn’t even describe it,” he answers as I swallow the last piece of steak on my plate. I wipe my mouth with my napkin, and Luis and I both stand from our seats to bring our plate and glass to an area where the dirty dishes were placed. As we were doing so, I couldn’t help but feel the others stare at me from head to toe. Their eyes felt like they were slowly stripping me down. It was uncomfortable.

“Shall we?” Luis asks politely, and I nod and head out of the ‘cafeteria’ with him.

When we were finally away from the others, I look back at Luis and ask, “Is it just me or everyone hates me here?”

Luis chuckles like he found my observation funny.

“Well, let me explain something to you, Vince Carter. In this mansion, there are ranks. These ranks help keep the mansion going. Top on the ranks are people under the four siblings. The people under the older siblings have a higher rank,” Luis explains to me.

The system in this mansion surprised me, but I was intrigued at the same time.

“You’re in the top of the ranking, which is why the others bow to you, am I correct?” I ask, and Luis nods his head as an answer.

“If we use numbers as a representation, I would be in the 1st rank. The 2nd one on the ranking would be master Cyrus’s bodyguard, then 3rd would be his personal maids, then his driver, then the next would be mistress Catalina’s personal butler, and so on. Are you getting it now, Vince Carter?” he explains further, and I finally understood why everyone was staring at me earlier.

“So you’re telling me in the ranking inside this mansion, I suddenly became the 2nd?” I ask, and Luis smiles and nods his head to confirm it.

“It’s a tradition that the eldest servants go to the oldest sibling so that the rankings would make sense. But Master Cyrus fired most of them; some were given to Mistress Catalina. So you’re lucky to be given such a high position. Usually, new recruits guard the gates,” Luis tells me. I should be feeling pressured right now, but I didn’t feel anything at all. Rankings don’t faze me, and I’m not even here to be a real bodyguard anyway. I don’t care if I ranked last, or even first. What matters the most is I get out of this mansion as early as I can.

“I’ll give you a tour of the mansion some other time. For now, you are not allowed to roam around. Once you hear a bell ring, the masters’ personal servants must be in bed. I hope you know that we take these rules seriously,” Luis warns me, and I nod my head as an answer. Then we arrive at Cyrus’s room, which was surprisingly now my own room while I’m in this mansion.

“Here we are,” Luis says, opening the door for me like how a gentleman would. It was only then did I notice that Luis represented his master well. As gentleman-like as Cyrus is, Luis showed the same trait.

“Thank you,” I tell him as I head inside the room.

Luis continues to stare at me; like he was making sure that I got inside. When he was finally sure that I didn’t try to do anything funny, he smiles and gives me a warm, “Good night,” before closing the door.

I take a deep breath, releasing the stress that has piled up because of everything that happened today. I walk towards my things and take my phone out. I called Chief Philip, telling him that I was okay and that I was only being paranoid earlier. Of course, he scolded me a little, but he asked me again if I was alright, which I found very sweet in a way. I told him that I was and that I’ll update him again if something comes up. Afterward, the call ended.

I gently put the phone down and look around the room. In the middle of the room was a large window that has a great view of the front portion of the mansion, which were the garden and the gate. I don’t know why, but as I continue to stare outside the window, I couldn’t look away anymore. It was like I’m being captivated by it. I couldn’t take my eyes away from the view.

I could stand there for hours if it weren’t for the bell that suddenly rang. It was loud and low, like a church bell. Luis said it was a sign that all the siblings’ servants were supposed to now be in bed.

I stare out the window for a couple more seconds before taking a deep breath and turning around. But when I turned around, I suddenly felt a sudden chill, like a cold wind blew pass through me. I blink and take a step back. Something didn’t feel right about me standing in this exact spot.

My instinct told me to just let it go, but something inside me tells me to look down, so I did. I look at the floor. When I couldn’t see anything significant, I kneel down and inspect closer. Nothing looked strange to me, not until I saw a stain in the gap of the wooden floor. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I lean closer to get a better look.

I’ve been in the field that required me to pull the trigger, and I’m confident enough to say that the stain that I’m looking at right now is definitely dried out blood.

“It must be,” I tell myself.

I immediately stand up and look around the room. I barge inside the bathroom to grab a cotton swab, and then I got back to where the stain was. I did my best to get even a small amount of that stain. And when I was able to do so, I open my suitcase and take out a small plastic zipper bag so I can place the swab inside.

“Hopefully, this is just a blood stain from a severe nosebleed. Because I would not be able to sleep in a room where someone was murdered,” I say before hiding the plastic zipper bag inside my suitcase.

Well, at least now I have evidence. It could be total bullshit, but at least it’s something. And I learned a lot thanks to Luis and Cyrus. The Delton family and the mansion itself has a system that keeps everything going. But there are too many people, so finding out the loose screw could entirely be impossible.

I have to look for more evidence. I could be concentrating on the siblings too much that the killer might not even be one of them. For all I know, Luis could be the murderer. But does Luis even look like a murderer? I’m not even sure anymore.

I’ve met people who looked like they wouldn’t even be able to hurt a fly, but they’re actually heartless murderers. So it only means I can’t cross out Luis in the list of possible killers. He might be old, but he knows everything inside this mansion more than anyone here. His chances of killing Adam Delton are higher.

And if that’s the case, I shouldn’t be defying his orders. I should be getting some sleep.

I take off my clothes, leaving only my boxers on. I’m not really tired yet, but I have to follow the rules. I wash my face, brush my teeth, turn off the lights, and throw myself on the bed to get ready to sleep.

I was about to close my eyes when I suddenly heard the door of the room slowly opening. I immediately sat up because of the sound. The room was dark so I couldn’t see anything clearly. But when I felt a cold sharp object being pressed on my neck, I knew that it still wasn’t bedtime just yet.

Have I ever told you that this is just my first day of the job?

Well, the pay better be fucking worth it because I am definitely notgetting killed tonight.

end…

(7) Like A Delton

I DON’T MOVE A muscle. The intruder hasn’t done anything yet but to press his knife on my neck without saying a single word. I gulp, trying to figure out who the person was, but the room was just too dark for me to register the face properly.

“Who are you?” I finally ask.

“What are you doing in this room?” the voice surprisingly answers. My eyes widen when I recognize who the owner of the voice was.

“T-Tobias? Master Tobias?” I ask, and it took him a second to finally pull the knife away from me.

I sigh in relief. Then I immediately lean at the side to turn on the lamp. The small yellow light was enough for me to finally see Tobias’s face. He was expressionless, but I could see the anger in his eyes. He must have mastered covering his true feelings, but the eyes never lie. He’s mad at me, and I could see it.

“I asked you a question,” he says, making me remember that he actually did ask me a question.

I take a deep breath; thinking of an answer that won’t make him cut my throat.

“Master Cyrus placed me here, so in case an intruder got inside and presume I was him, I would be able to catch him,” I lie to him, which was surprisingly effective because Tobias was slowly putting the knife down. Only now have I realize that the knife he’s holding has an ivory-gold handle. Why would a twenty-four-year-old boy have an expensive-looking knife like that?

“But my brother doesn’t stay here anymore,” he tells me.

Of course, he knows that. Idiot.

“Well intruders from outside the mansion wouldn’t know that, am I correct?” I ask him, and finally, Tobias puts his knife down and tucks it underneath his pants.

“Anyway, why are you here so late, Master Tobias?” I ask, immediately standing up from the bed, hoping he wouldn’t question my stupid lie.

Tobias looks at me but quickly looks away; immediately reminding me that I was only wearing my boxers.

Great.

“I sincerely apologize. I wasn’t expecting a… visitor,” I say as I hurriedly grab the pants that I just threw on the floor when I stripped it off earlier.

Tobias raises his hand to stop me, so I did. Without even looking at me, he takes a deep breath and says, “It doesn’t matter. I’ll leave. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be here, so I apologize for suddenly intruding.”

I was surprised to hear his answer. I wasn’t expecting that he’d actually apologize to me.

“No, this is your home. There is no reason for you to apologize. In fact, I’m more of an intruder than you are,” I tell him, but Tobias looks at me and suddenly shows me a worried expression. An expression that I was not expecting to see from him, “I beg you, please do not tell this to my brother.”

The tone of his voice automatically made me nod my head in agreement. I’ve always known that he was the youngest, but I realize that he’s still practically a child compared to Cyrus and the others. And I know what a fake expression looks like. But that… that’s fucking real. That’s fear right there.

“As you wish, master,” I sincerely tell him.

Tobias nods his head back and walks away, but before he could leave, I call out for him, making him stop, “Why are you here if you know your brother doesn’t stay here anymore?” I ask, hoping he would answer me even though I know that I was stepping out of my boundaries as a mere guard.

Tobias was silent for a second. And like how I hoped, he answers my question; “The view. When I can’t sleep, I go here and look at the view.”

When I heard his answer, I immediately look at the window that I was also captivated by just moments ago. Tobias looks over his shoulder and stares at me, “This was my father’s room, did you know that?” he asks, surprising me. But before I could even answer him, he leaves the room.

The moment that he was gone, I exhale deeply. I didn’t even realize that I was holding my breath while I was looking at the young one.

“When I can’t sleep, I go here and look at the view,” I remember him say.

I look at the window again. For a moment I thought Tobias was here to actually kill me, but the look on his face made me realize that the saint act that he has going on might not all be a lie after all.

If this was Adam’s room, and Tobias is comfortable enough to go here whenever he couldn’t sleep; does that mean he’s close with his father? And does that mean that the reason why the announcement of the new CEO of the Delton Enterprise is right after Tobias’s 25th birthday is because… Adam chose him?

Could that be it?

…

I couldn’t sleep well last night after what happened with Tobias. I was too occupied that my brain didn’t let me sleep. Things are starting to get complicated, and it’s only just my second day at work.

I know it’s still too early to conclude on anything, but after all the thinking last night, I think Tobias might not be the killer. I don’t know why, but I have this gut feeling. And I know my guts sometimes disappoint me, but there’s no reason for me to not trust it for now.

It’s still too early in the morning, so I did a few pushups before taking a bath. And just when I got out of the bathroom, someone knocks on the door. I was only wearing a towel, but I decided to open it anyway.

Luis smiles brightly when he sees me.

“Good, you’re awake,” he says, pushing me aside and heading inside the room without asking for my permission.

Apparently, I don’t get any privacy in this room.

“The masters are already eating breakfast so you should hurry,” he says as I follow behind him.

Luis is holding four garment bags. He opens the dresser and hangs it all in there. He must have known that I was looking at him confusingly so he explains for my behalf, “These are your uniforms.” Luis then picks up the dirty clothes on the floor before looking back at me. “Wear them now.”

I nod my head and take one out so I could wear them. As I was wearing the uniform, Luis was cleaning the room. It made me remember that Luis is Cyrus’s maid too, so no maid is allowed to step foot inside this room other than him. I should keep this tidy for Luis’s sake. I don’t want the old man to clean my own mess all the time.

“I hope this time Master Cyrus won’t stab another bread knife on the table again,” I joke, and Luis chuckles and hands me my shoes.

“Thank you,” I say, wearing the socks first on both feet before wearing the shoes.

“I’m certain Mistress Catalina and the other masters won’t do anything that will make him do so after what happened last night,” Luis assures me.

When I was done, Luis adjusts my necktie for me and hands me my gun. “Alright, head over to the dining room now while I put these in the laundry room. I’m sure you know where the dining room is.”

“I do,” I answer confidently since I did remember the way to the other dining room and not the cafeteria-like dining room.

I bow my head to Luis first, thinking I’m obliged to do it since he’s a rank higher than me. Luis smiles and I walk out of the bedroom to head to the dining room where the others were.

The masters were already eating when I arrived, and their butlers and bodyguards were already waiting at the side like last night. When I got there, I immediately bow to greet the siblings before standing on the spot where Luis and I stood last night.

“What kind of work attitude is this? A bodyguard should be awake before his master. Cyrus could be murdered and you’d just be sleeping silently in your room,” Catalina suddenly points out, making me gulp.

I was supposed to defend myself, but Cyrus puts down the newspaper that he was reading and says, “I told him to sleep in, but only for today. He had a stressful first day, so I gave him that privilege. Don’t scold my guards and I won’t scold yours.”

The room immediately tenses up. Catalina glares at her brother but continues eating. She wasn’t really wrong though so Cyrus didn’t have to say those things. It’s just that I don’t know the customs here so I wasn’t able to be here on time.

“Well, I’m just glad we get to see a new face in the morning. And a handsome face even,” Chance comments. And by the looks of it, he and Cyrus might have reconciled now. He wouldn’t be so happy if they haven’t.

“Don’t you think, little Tobi?” Chance then asks, making Tobias flinch.

Tobias slowly looks up to look at me, which made me feel awkward for some reason. But Tobias looked natural as he looks back at his brother and sweetly smiles, “I suppose so.”

Damn. What is wrong with this family?

“I talked to President Boris last night and he’s willing to negotiate with us again. Now let me make this clear for everyone. Do not do anything that does not fit your skill, do you understand me?” Cyrus asks.

“Yes, brother,” everyone answers. Even Catalina looked obedient for a second.

Just in time, Luis arrives and stands beside me; the others bowing their heads to greet him. When Cyrus sees that Luis was already here, he wipes his mouth with a napkin and stands from his seat.

“I’ll head to the company first. I was told that President Boris is on his way there now. I’ll see you all later. Thank you for the wonderful breakfast,” he says before putting the chair back and walking away.

Luis bows in front of the others and follows Cyrus out. I did the same and follow behind them. While we were walking down the hallway, Cyrus glances at me and suddenly informs me, “I wake up at five-thirty in the morning. I usually exercise for thirty to forty minutes, so you can wait outside the study room at seven. I don’t usually have guards so I apologize if I wasn’t able to give you any concrete instructions.”

It surprised me that Cyrus apologized, but I pretend not to be surprised at all and just nod my head in understanding.

When we arrive outside, a car was already waiting at the front. Luis rushes first to open the door for Cyrus. Cyrus sits at the back, and then Luis closes the door for him too. I obviously didn’t know where to sit, but Luis opens the door to the passenger seat and gestures for me to get in.

“You seriously don’t have to do that. Opening doors won’t break my hand,” I honestly tell him as I step inside the luxurious car. Luis closes the door and sits on the driver seat before answering me, “Well it would break my ego as a gentleman, so let me be.”

I smile and nod my head in understanding. Then Luis starts the engine and drives off.

When we got out of the gate, I glanced at the rearview mirror to look at Cyrus. I almost flinched when I saw him directly looking back at me.

“So, how do you find your first day at the ever so wonderful Delton Mansion?” Cyrus asks, immediately making me look away from him.

I clear my throat first before answering his question, “I would be lying if I say it wasn’t what I expected.”

“Then what were you exactly not expecting?” he asks me, making me grin. “That you could actually pierce a bread knife in an expensive-looking table like that.”

Luis clears his throat. I’m guessing he didn’t like how I spoke. But Cyrus looked like he didn’t mind it as I saw him smiling through the rearview mirror.

“I have my days,” he simply answers.

After our very quick conversation, he and Luis started talking about business matters. I didn’t understand a single word that they were saying so I decided to just stay quiet.

I didn’t tell Cyrus about what happened with Tobias last night. Not because Tobias begged me not to, but because I need something from Tobias. He knows something about his father. I just know it. And if I can at least get a little trust from him, then I would be able to get some information about his father; information that might just help with my investigation.

“We’re here. Vince, accompany our master as I park the car,” Luis instructs as he parks the car in front of the building.

I head out of the car, surprised to see employees waiting at the entrance. They obviously didn’t know me, but thanks to my uniform, they slightly bow their heads to greet me. It was strange, but I greet them back and immediately head to Cyrus’s side to open the door for him.

When he steps out, everyone immediately greets him while they bow their heads and hold their right hand on their chest. I don’t know why they have to do so, but it looked cool so who cares?

“Good morning,” Cyrus says while walking towards the entrance of the building.

I follow behind him, and standing near the entrance was none other than the man I met when I first got here, Edison Clegane, also known as Cyrus’s secretary. He smiles when he sees me, then he immediately shifts his attention towards Cyrus.

“Good morning, Master Cyrus. President Boris is already waiting at your office,” Edison states as he follows beside Cyrus.

I continue to follow behind them. When we got to Cyrus’s office, Edison stops me and tells me to stay outside, so I nod my head in understanding. Of course, I wouldn’t just follow orders from anyone, but since Cyrus didn’t oppose, I followed it.

I stood in silence for at least an hour. Thankfully, my military training paid off so I could easily stand for five more hours without feeling my legs shake. But what would kill me would be the boredom. I know I signed up to be a guard, but I’m also here to investigate their father’s death. How am I going to do that if I’m stuck here, and when we’re at the mansion, I can’t even roam around after that stupid bell rings? Do these people really want me to find the killer or what?

“Thank you, President Boris. I’ll give you the documents tomorrow right away,” I hear Cyrus say from inside the office door. He must have been really happy for him to say those words out loud.

After a few more minutes, the door opens, immediately making me stand straight.

A man who looked like Santa Clause walks out of the office. I immediately greet him, and it seems like he was in a good mood to greet me back.

“Is this your bodyguard, President Cyrus?” Santa asks when Cyrus followed behind him.

Cyrus stands beside me and gently pats my shoulder. “Yes. I decided just recently that it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

“That’s good to know. What happened to your father was just too sudden. It would be terrible if something happened to you too.” Santa says, making Cyrus smile.

“I am honored for your deep concern, President Boris,” Cyrus says politely. He then looks at Edison, who just got out of the office, and tells him, “Ed, please accompany the president to his car.”

“Will do,” Edison says, walking towards San… Boris… and gesturing his hand for President Boris to follow him.

“I hope to hear from you soon, Cyrus Delton,” President Boris says before walking away with Edison.

Cyrus smiles and waits for President Boris to get inside the elevator. When they were finally out of our sight, the smile on Cyrus’s face immediately turns into an empty expression, almost making me shiver by how quick the mood change was. He doesn’t say anything and heads back inside his office. He doesn’t close the door so I assume that he wants me to follow him inside, so I did.

I close the door behind me and watch Cyrus take a seat; not on his desk, but on a sofa. I don’t say a word as I stand near the door, watching as Cyrus takes a deep breath and just slumps himself on the sofa. It was almost like he wanted the sofa to just swallow him whole.

“I have not smiled and begged in front of someone as much as I did today. My cheeks ached so much I thought it would get stuck,” Cyrus suddenly says without even looking at me. I don’t know what to respond so I decided to just keep my mouth shut for now.

“If I have to kiss that old man’s ass again, I’d rather let Catalina handle him. It doesn’t even matter if she doesn’t fit the role or not,” Cyrus continues to say. I still don’t understand why he was suddenly telling me these things, but I knew he just wanted to let it all out, and I knew that having someone there to simply listen is better compared to having no one at all.

“Seriously what is with those roles?” I finally ask him, and Cyrus looks at me and brushes his hair back with his fingers, messing his perfectly waxed hair a little.

“Did you not listen to me last night?” he asks back, and I sigh and walk closer to him.

“Yeah, I did. You said everyone has a significant role in the family. It’s the reason why you survived for more than a century,” I tell him. Cyrus opens his mouth to say something back, but I take a step closer and continue, “And Luis talked about ranks. Seriously, what is with that kind of system? It’s not normal at all.”

Cyrus smiles in amusement. He must have been surprised that I would bravely open up that topic to him.

“As I told you, we’re not a normal family. So that also means the people at the mansion aren’t normal either. Everyone isn’t stupid. Everything inside the mansion is like a game that everyone has to play, which is why the players have to be smart in every move they make,” Cyrus explains, and I knew that this meant more than just my question.

“So you’re telling me that I shouldn’t look down on them; that if I want to find the person who killed your father, I have to play this so-called ‘game’ too,” I say, and Cyrus nods his head and stands from his seat so he could walk to where I was standing.

“I don’t usually have a lot of servants, but the people under me follow my ways. I train them to be—” I quickly cut Cyrus mid-sentence and continue for him, “like a gentleman?”

Cyrus stares directly at my eyes and smirks. “That’s right.”

“So you’re going to teach me your ways? Is that it?” I ask.

Cyrus nods his head, but then he suddenly stops, like he just had a brilliant idea.

“That wouldn’t be enough,” he says, but it wasn’t a statement directed towards me. It was more like he said those words to himself.

After thinking by himself for at least a minute, Cyrus looks back at me and grabs me by the shoulder all of a sudden. “You have to know it all to trick them all. For you to win the game, you have to be the best player,” he tells me, confusing me even more.

“What on earth are you even saying?” I ask, and Cyrus finally puts his hands down from me and says, “All the servants at the mansion have roles according to their masters. In order for you to understand and know their ways, you have to know them yourself,” he explains, finally making me understand where this conversation is going.

“Are you telling me that you’ll—”

Cyrus cuts me off and immediately says, “I will teach you all those roles. I’ll teach you how to be like a Delton.”

The sudden declaration made the hair on my skin stand. I thought he was joking, but Cyrus looks at me seriously and says with determination, “And the first thing you have to do, Mr. Vincent Carter is to act like a saint. That’s the first role that you have to master in order for you to become a Delton. And in order for you to master it, you have to be as fucking fake… as our little Tobi.”

end…

(8) Lesson One

IS HE INSANE? OR has he seriously just lost it? Those are the questions that I automatically asked myself when I heard the words that came out of Cyrus Delton’s mouth. At first, I laughed, expecting he’d laugh too and eventually tell me he was joking. But Cyrus kept his face serious, and at that moment I was completely sure that this was going to be a serious matter that would become a huge pain in the ass in the future.

“We have to train you immediately,” he continues to tell me without even wondering what I’d feel about all this.

“Train? What am I? A dog?” I ask him as Cyrus moves away from me. He walks towards his desk, my eyes following him as he takes a seat. I then walk towards him and cross my arms, waiting for him to answer me.

“Like what I said, if you want to be the best, you have to be the best. Everyone is a suspect, and these suspects aren’t just some ordinary criminals. These are masterminds. They’ve been playing the game before you could even choose a player. Defeating them would nearly be impossible with what you are now,” Cyrus explains further. And I know this may sound random, but I haven’t seen Cyrus be this excited about anything before.

“Alright, I get it. But, act like a saint? Are you serious? Do you think I could just magically turn oh-so-perfectly-good for no apparent reason at all? You can’t fake good. That’s like human nature,” I point out to him, and Cyrus stands from his seat again and approaches me; immediately making me back away from him.

“Not all saints were born good, Mr. Vincent Carter. Don’t be fooled,” he tells me, still moving close like he was intentionally making me feel uncomfortable. I was taking a couple more steps back, trying to avoid him from getting too close to me.

“Look, I get the whole ‘not born good’ thing. Well, at least I think I do, but your brother is obviously loved by a lot of people, which means there’s something about him that makes him naturally lovable. And newsflash, Mr. Delton, I don’t have that something,” I tell him, and Cyrus suddenly chuckles in a mocking tone. It was like I just told him a tasteless joke when in fact, I was very serious about my statement.

“You think Tobias has something in him that makes him lovable?” Cyrus asks me.

“Don’t make me laugh. He was nothing, nothing at all. Same as me, Catalina, and Chance,” Cyrus then explains.

I take another step back, and only then have I realized that I finally reached a wall. Cyrus is able to corner me now. I try to move away but he stares down on me, locking me in place. He isn’t even holding me, but I feel like I’m not allowed to move.

“Mr. Vincent Carter,” he calls out in a low voice, causing me to gulp.

“Do you seriously think we wanted to be like this?” he asks, and the question caught me off guard. This is a huge hint in his family. A huge hint for the Deltons. I’m just not in the right time and place to properly process and decipher it yet.

“In the eyes of the ignorant, we look like the perfect family. But the truth is, we weren’t born perfect. Instead, we were molded into perfection,” Cyrus explains further. He was so close to me now that I could even smell the mint scent coming from his mouth.

“Molded into perfection,” I repeat myself.

Cyrus continues to stare at me, and then he lifts his hand close to my face and grabs my cheeks aggressively. I was too surprised to even do anything about it.

“When I’m done with you, Carter… you will be more than just perfection,” he says, and the way he said it brought chills down my entire body. His hold on my cheeks tightens. I was supposed to push him away, but Cyrus lets go of me first and continues, “And you don’t have a choice now, do you?”

Cyrus’s serious expression once again turns into a smirk as he finally moves away from me; walking back to his seat as if nothing happened.

I massage my aching cheeks before glaring at him. But as much as I hate to admit it, the man was right. Even if I can’t quite comprehend it just yet, I should be willing to ‘train’ with him in order to have an upper hand against the people at the mansion.

“What do I have to do then?” I now ask in defeat, making Cyrus grin.

“There are three stages,” Cyrus starts, putting three fingers up for me to see.

“But for now, we’ll focus on the first stage, which is quite challenging,” Cyrus continues, putting two fingers down and leaving just his thumb up.

“One of the reasons why Tobi is… loved… is because he knows how to follow orders. He knows whom to follow, and he knows what to follow. Being able to do favors for others will give you a slot for future transactions. It would seem like you’re a nice person, but in fact, you’re only investing,” Cyrus explains in the most business-like way that he could.

“So you want me to follow orders? That’s it?” I ask, making it sound so simple. But the look on Cyrus’s face obviously pointed out that it isn’t as simple as I laid it out to be.

“Following is not as easy as lying. You can’t fake an order. It’s either you do it, or you don’t. It’s either you disappoint the person you’re following, or you please him. And pleasing people… is a trait Tobias Delton is so damn good at,” Cyrus explains. I try to process everything again. It feels like I’m in a class with a very strict teacher. And if I don’t understand him, I might get beaten with a stick.

“So what exactly do you want me to do?” I dare ask him, but the grin on Cyrus’s face immediately made me want to regret even opening my mouth in the first place.

“Please me,” he says without an ounce of hesitation.

I look at him straight in the eye without saying anything. And when the silence was too painful to bear, Cyrus breaks out in laughter. I cross my arms and continue to look at him seriously, waiting for him to stop. And when he finally did, Cyrus clears his throat and teasingly asks, “Why so serious?”

“You wanted me to take this seriously, then I’m taking this seriously. But if you want me to fucking bullshit this then I will fucking give you bullshit,” I tell him, but Cyrus didn’t even look the slightest bit bothered by my threat.

“Alright, I’ll stop beating around the bush,” he finally says. I hope he isn’t bluffing anymore because if he is, I’m definitely walking away.

“I stand by my first statement. Please me,” Cyrus tells me again, but this time, with a serious expression that almost made the hair on my skin stand again.

“Alright, I’m walking away,” I declare. But before I could even look away from him, Cyrus immediately says, “Is the task too hard?” He was obviously provoking me. And it pisses me off how it’s annoyingly working.

I clench my fist and take a deep breath.

“Alright. How may I please you, gentleman?” I ask him with my right eyebrow raised.

Cyrus still hasn’t broken his composure. He was still serious when he looked at me.

“Based on how you have known me, what do you think would please me?” he asks, and surprisingly enough, the question was a challenge. I’ve been with him for only three days, and most of those days aren’t even clear to me. If I base it from what I’ve observed within those three days, I would say that Cyrus would be pleased by…

“Nothing,” I answer him, “Nothing pleases you.”

“Are you sure about that?” he then asks back. And that question alone made me think about my answer again.

Cyrus waits for my next answer, but it looks like he has a brand new idea in store.

“I finally decided on what I want you to do, Mr. Vincent Carter. And I think this task will secure your loyalty to me,” he says, but I immediately shake my head and remind him, “I’m not here to be loyal to you.”

Cyrus smirks like he already expected that I’d tell him these exact words, “Your loyalty would be the only reason why I won’t dispose of you like the rest of the disloyal gentlemen that I have encountered before you.”

“You do know I’m a cop, right?” I ask him; just to be sure that he hasn’t forgotten about that little fact yet. But Cyrus was still grinning, and it was now clear to me that he was fully aware of that little fact.

“Oh, I know,” he confidently tells me, “But cops aren’t bulletproof. And I so happened to be very good with handling guns.”

…

It was now late at night, and I was standing at a corner of a parking lot; hiding behind the dark so no one could see me. I was waiting for someone. It was a tricky task, but I had to do it regardless of its difficulty.

It’s been at least thirty minutes now, and there has been no sign of anyone in the area. The boredom was killing me, but I take the time to take a deep breath so I could mentally prepare myself for what I was ordered to do.

I close my eyes and take a slow and deep breath.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

My eyes immediately shot open when I hear footsteps in the distance. I look at my left to see an old man walking towards the car that was only a few inches away from where I was hiding.

He’s talking to someone on the phone. He’s too distracted to look around. When he walks past me, I wait for him to stand on the spot where I wanted him to be in.

I ready myself and finally run towards him afterward. When I got a hold of his shoulder, the old man looks at me with confusion.

“What in the—” The man ends his call when he sees my face.

I was wearing a fedora and a facemask so he doesn’t recognize me immediately. But when I remove the facemask, his eyes widen from surprise. He knew who I was. And he was even more confused about why I was even in front of him.

“Aren’t you President Cyrus’s new bodyguard?” he asks.

“Hi, Santa,” I casually tell him, surprising him even more. Before President Boris could even get mad from my insult, I adjust the black gloves that I was already wearing and tell him, “The president was not pleased by how you treated his brother Chance. As much as he wanted to negotiate business with you, he found that it was no longer necessary to use you.”

President Boris’s eyes widen from surprise.

Soon after it turns into rage.

“Use me? How dare he refer to me as someone he can simply use!” he angrily tells me.

I grin and slowly take out the knife that Cyrus gave me a few hours ago. I told him I was more used to using a gun, but he told me that a Saint’s weapon is always a knife, so I took the knife with no complaints.

“My apologies,” I tell the man who was standing in front of me.

I look around the area again; making sure no one was around. Then I check the CCTV cameras for the last time. I was examining it earlier and I’m now a hundred percent sure this is the blind spot.

Now, I just have to be quick.

Like how I’ve always been in the past.

“The Deltons send their regards,” I tell him, and before he could utter a single word, I finally swing my arm fast; the end of the sharp knife slicing through his neck like I was cutting Christmas ham. His blood then splatters on my face. He struggles a little, but after a few seconds, he falls down.

He holds onto his neck, trying to stop the bleeding. He tries to grab my leg but I kicked his hand off me. The parking lot became silent right after. I study at his body, not even bothered by the fact that he was already dead.

“Looks like Christmas came early. Red really does suit you, Santa,” I tell him as I continue to watch the blood ooze out from his neck.

It’s scary how this felt so natural to me. I’ve killed dozens more. I’ve been open about that. This is like killing an ant. It’s just another unfortunate accident. That’s all.

But I couldn’t shake my uneasiness away. How long has it been since I’ve taken a life? How long has it been since I’ve seen blood on me? How long has it been since I’ve felt this kind of adrenaline?

I almost smirked. The emotions inside me felt too excited that I almost couldn’t contain it.

I take out my handkerchief and wipe the blood off my face before wiping the blood off the knife. Soon after that, a car arrives and parks in front of me, and I went inside without any hesitation. Luis looks at me with an empty expression. I don’t say anything to him either. He takes out a plastic bag and opens it for me. I put the bloody handkerchief and knife inside before removing the gloves and shoving it in as well. Luis hides the plastic bag inside the compartment and immediately drives away from the scene.

I take a deep breath and adjust the rearview mirror. Sitting at the back was none other than the evil man who ordered me to do this task, Cyrus Delton.

“You didn’t lie when you told me you’ve already killed someone,” he says, but I still kept quiet. I was not in the mood to joke around with him. I did what he ordered me to do. I only did it because I knew that there would be consequences if I didn’t. And he already made that very clear to me earlier.

“Are you pleased?” I now ask him.

Cyrus grins and adjusts himself in his seat. “Very much so,” he answers me.

I take a deep breath and look out the window. I could see my reflection on the window. There were bloodstains on my shirt, but it didn’t even bother me.

“Then can I ask you a question?” I ask him further. Luis immediately glances at me right after. I know he doesn’t want me to proceed, but he knew that it was not his place to butt in.

“What’s the question?” he asks me.

“If killing someone like President Boris is so easy for you, then was it difficult to kill your father?” I finally ask him, and Luis almost stops the car upon hearing my accusation. But the man sitting at the back doesn’t even seem fazed.

“I hope it wasn’t,” he surprisingly answers me. I wasn’t sure if he was hoping that it wasn’t difficult to kill him, or if he was hoping that it wasn’t difficult for the person who actually did.

I look back at the rearview mirror to check his reaction, but I immediately regretted it when I saw the dark and empty expression on his face. It’s the same expression that he’ll usually wear when he’s in front of others. It’s the expression that I soon realized was the expression he would use to hide the pain. The sadness.

Cyrus looks back at me through the rearview mirror. And for a moment, I forgot that I just had killed someone a few minutes ago because of an order that he forced upon me.

This isn’t a man who would kill his father.

This is a man who was afraid of him.

“I hope it wasn’t,” he tells me again before adding, “Because it was already fucking difficult to live when he was alive. How could I possibly kill someone as frightening as that?”

end…

(9) Favorites

“CYRUS,” CATALINA CALLS OUT as soon as we arrive at the mansion.

Catalina, Tobias, and Chance were all there with their servants, waiting for us at the main entrance of the mansion. Everyone looked uneasy, except for the second eldest who walked right in front of Cyrus to slap him with no hesitation.

Everyone was surprised by the action, except for Cyrus. I knew that he expected the reaction from his siblings. I just didn’t expect Catalina to actually slap him in front of everyone here.

“What you did is below the belt,” Catalina tells him; the anger visibly present in her voice. She wasn’t directly telling him why she’s mad in the first place, but Cyrus, Luis, and I knew why without anyone telling us the exact reason.

Cyrus’s mouth is still sealed, so Catalina’s forced to look my way. She scans and points at me angrily, but I knew she was pointing at the bloodstain on my shirt instead. Everyone was surprised by what they saw. Even Tobias and Chance were surprised.

I stay quiet about it, pretending that I wasn’t aware why she was so mad at me. Like what they say, it’s best to fake ignorance at times like these. And there’s no need for me to explain myself. I’m technically under Cyrus, and what he wants me to do is none of their concern. I shouldn’t be afraid of them.

“I didn’t expect this from you Mr. Carter,” Catalina tells me. But as she was speaking, I could tell that she was trying to suppress a grin. She was more amused than angry.

When she realizes that I wasn’t even going to try and defend myself, Catalina looks back at her older brother and asks him, “Why? I heard the meeting went well. You exceeded my expectation and made President Boris agree to the deal, but why? Why, my dear brother?”

Cyrus stares down at his sister for a while before clearing his throat. It must have felt dry because he hasn’t said anything ever since we got here.

“No one treats a Delton the way that fat man treated Chance,” Cyrus finally answers.

The answer made Chance flinch. He must not have expected Cyrus to give such an answer.

“What?” Catalina asks, the anger coming back to her again.

“Boris slapped Chance during their meeting. Whatever Chance did to him, he does not have the fucking right to touch a Delton in our own territory using such filthy hands!” Cyrus suddenly shouts. He sounded angry now, surprising me because I thought he’d be calm and collected throughout this entire confrontation.

“What the hell is this? Is he using Chance to cover the incident up?” I ask myself as I watch the situation unfold. But if this was the reason why he asked me to kill President Boris then that’s kinda shallow. But then again, this family is all sorts of fucked up, so who am I to judge?

“This is why he never learns! You keep on spoiling him!” Catalina now shouts back.

Chance starts to look worried, so he takes a step closer to where Catalina and Cyrus were standing; “Sister, there’s no need to—”

Chance was supposed to try and control the situation, but Catalina instantly gives him a deadly glare. She doesn’t say a word but Chance automatically kept his mouth shut. He moves back and joins Tobias again. Tobias, on the other hand, hasn’t given any of his opinion on this matter. Since he’s the youngest, I guess anything he says doesn’t have any weight.

“Were you seeking attention again, big brother?” Catalina asks, now looking back at Cyrus.

The questions confused me since I didn’t really understand the deeper meaning behind such a petty question. But it seems like Cyrus is greatly affected by it. He grits his teeth upon hearing it. It’s almost like he’s trying his best not to spit on her.

Catalina smiles in delight when she sees that the question tipped Cyrus off. Like angering Cyrus was already such a big achievement that people should applaud her for making it happen right before their eyes.

“Don’t provoke me, woman,” Cyrus manages to say, but Catalina doesn’t back down.

“Your real attitude is showing again, my dear brother. Remember, we’re still outside. Don’t be such a bad influence on the young ones. It’s bad for your… gentleman… image,” Catalina says teasingly before patting Cyrus on the cheek where she first slapped him.

She glances back at me first and finally heads inside the mansion with the rest of her servants. As soon as she was gone, Chance runs towards Cyrus and hugs him. It surprised me because it never occurred to me that they’d be this close.

“Why?” Chance simply asks him. His voice was shaky; I thought he’d cry. But Cyrus doesn’t answer back, and it was enough for Chance to finally let go of him. He nods his head like he understood something even though no one really explained anything to him. Then he looks at me with an apologetic expression. It pissed me off more than anything but I didn’t try to show it.

Don’t include me in this family drama. Please. I was just supposed to look for a killer. I didn’t want to be a killer myself. Now shit just went from bad to worse.

I find out Cyrus kills people he doesn’t like, which I actually have already speculated from the start. (He’s the spoiled type of man). And besides, I’ve heard of so many rich family murderers in my field. This isn’t entirely shocking. And it’s always normal that they hire people to do the dirty job for them. They’re too rich to get stained themselves.

Next, I find out that the other siblings know about Cyrus hiring someone to kill people too. Doesn’t that make it even more suspicious? Wouldn’t the killer be Cyrus and everyone is just trying to protect him? But why the hell would Cyrus hire me in to look for Adam’s killer in the first place? So I could catch him myself? That doesn’t make sense! If he wanted to get caught, then he could have already pleaded guilty.

Unless someone’s trying to use Cyrus’s killer nature to make it seem like the only possible suspect would be him. Cyrus is the only capable person in this mansion who could ‘kill’ someone. If the police came, they’d suspect no one other than Cyrus. It would make perfect sense.

But the real question here is… should I even trust my senses in a mansion where everything is a game? After all, you don’t win games by using your senses alone.

“I trust you won’t follow your foolish brother’s footsteps to not disappoint our sister,” Cyrus suddenly says, and Chance and Tobias both nod their heads as an answer.

Cyrus approaches his brothers so he could pat Chance on the head. Tobias stares at the sweet gesture that Cyrus gave to Chance and looks down on the floor. He must have felt jealous. If he wanted me to, I’d gladly pat his head for him.

“I’m tired. I’ll be heading to my room first. No need to call me for dinner,” Cyrus says, immediately making everyone bow their heads when Cyrus started walking away.

Luis follows first. I glance at Chance and Tobias before following behind my master. When Cyrus said ‘my room,’ he obviously meant his study room. He doesn’t say a word and heads inside when we arrive there. I don’t follow him anymore since Luis didn’t either. He closes the door for Cyrus and looks at me.

We were silent for a second, but then I suddenly heard glass shattering. The sound startles me, but Luis looks like he’s already used to it.

“Leave him be,” he says, but it was obvious in his face he was worried.

“Why is everyone making a big deal over this? I was the one who killed the guy. Not Cyrus. He ordered me to do it and I could have declined but decided not to. And why the hell is Cyrus so bummed out about it? He was so confident earlier. Now he’s acting all guilty. It’s strange,” I say with no restraints. I have questions, and I want them to at least be answered after what I did today. I at least deserve that.

“Alright. Let me tell you a secret, Mr. Carter,” Luis says, immediately shutting me up. Luis moves closer to me, almost like he doesn’t want anyone to hear what he was about to tell me.

“The master… he deals with his own problems without the concern of others. If he finds you unnecessary, he would dispose of you himself,” Luis reveals.

So it means he does the killing himself? He doesn’t hire anyone to do it for him? Then my speculation was wrong. They do get their hands stained. That fucking changes the game. That makes Cyrus a legit killer.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Luis says while he watches my reaction. I don’t say anything to him as he pats my shoulder gently, but then it turns into a tight hold. I felt like he’d crush my shoulder blades any second.

“You can arrest him now. You’re a cop. He’s a killer. It’s the perfect combination. But believe me when I say that Cyrus will be willing to get detained if ever the time comes, but that time is not now. He wants you to find his father’s killer first. And he will not allow himself to be put behind bars without you finding it,” Luis explains to me.

There’s actually no reason for me to investigate Cyrus’s previous kills. No one reported any of it so there’s no need to investigate anything. And besides, there are tons of murder cases that just magically disappear. And when I say magically, I meant got paid off to disappear. Rich families do it all the time, and the police force always turns a blind eye to those matters.

“You know why I’m here, Luis. If you want me to find the killer, I’ll do everything I can to find that person. But that also means my job ends there. Whatever I discover on the sidelines is none of my concerns,” I assure him. I didn’t really have to explain my side, but I felt like it would at least make Luis feel better. He might be saying all these things now, but I’m sure he’s worried about Cyrus actually getting sent to prison.

Luis doesn’t comment about it but nods his head. He doesn’t say anything, but it felt like a thank you. It might not have been a thank you at all, but I’ll leave it like that to make myself feel good.

“About your first question, let me answer it for you now,” Luis suddenly says, making me go back to our previous conversation so I could remember my actual first question. Thankfully, Luis looked like he understood that I don’t know what he was going to answer, so he took the liberty to remind me about it again.

“You asked why everyone is making a big deal over all this. Well, that’s because it is not gentleman-like to stain one’s hand with others’ blood. But then again that was one of the oldest family rules of the Delton’s that changed over time. After an unfortunate incident, Adam Delton forcefully changed it. Now the rule states that it is not a gentleman’s duty to ask others to have their hands stained for their own dirty work. That’s when Cyrus started pulling the trigger,” Luis answers me.

It might not sound like it, but I actually understand this family a little now thanks to that bit of information.

“So the reason why Catalina got so mad is because Cyrus broke a rule?” I ask, and Luis surprisingly smiles proudly while nodding his head in agreement.

“That’s right. Remember Vince, rules here… are very important.”

“But shouldn’t they be happy I did it instead of him? I won’t be snitching Cyrus about it because I did it myself. I’d be too afraid to call him out because I’d be included,” I explain, and Luis shakes his head and tells me something else instead, “Let me give you another rule, Vincent Carter. This rule has been around for a hundred years now. It’s the most important rule of all. It’s the rule that kept the family alive for such a long time.”

Luis moves closer to me again until his mouth was only a few inches away from my ear. He clears his throat first, then he finally tells me the golden rule, “No man will know of the Delton family secret and come out alive to tell a soul.”

The words made the hair on my skin stand. I don’t know why but I unknowingly gulp and move away from Luis. I don’t dare say anything, but I want to make sure. “So you’re going to kill me?” I ask him, and Luis almost chuckles.

“No,” he simply answers me, “Some secrets will sooner or later be revealed. Cyrus knew that it was time to reveal it all. And you, Mr. Vincent Carter, will be the first living man to tell the tale,” Luis assures me. And I don’t know if I should feel assured or feel burdened instead.

“Now before I go, here’s a little something that might help you. Like any other family, there are favorites in this family as well. The late Adam favored Tobias more; they were very close. Their mother favored Catalina. While Chance was favored by the eldest, Cyrus,” Luis suddenly shares.

I knew about Tobias and Adam thanks to Tobias’s surprise visit last night. But I’m surprised about Catalina and their mother because no one mentions her at all. I thought Mrs. Delton doesn’t exist at first, but apparently, she does.

And about Cyrus favoring Chance more; I saw that just earlier too. I didn’t notice it at first, but if Cyrus went to an extreme length just to get back to someone who simply slapped Chance then maybe Chance really is Cyrus’s favorite. But…

“Cyrus? Who favored him?” I ask Luis.

Luis smiles, but it looked more like a sad type of smile.

“I guess I did but does that even count? As powerful as Cyrus is in this household, he has no one to run to. He has no one to comfort him. He was always alone. Maybe that’s why he’s so hardheaded now,” Luis explains further.

“Why are you now telling all these things to me?” I ask Luis out of curiosity. Don’t get me wrong; I appreciate it. But Luis is suddenly giving me all this information right after I murdered someone for Cyrus’s sake. It’s too strange.

Wait, was that actually a test and this is my supposed prize?

“You don’t have much time don’t you?” Luis asks back instead of answering me, “As I said, we have rules here, and those rules aren’t just followed by the Deltons, but by all the servants as well. Like what I told you before, after the bell rings, no one is allowed to go out of their rooms. Break that rule and you will face great consequences. Cyrus knows that you have to come out and investigate sooner or later, but he’s still not ready to risk it. Wait for his signal, and ready yourself after. Because what you’re seeing now… doesn’t even compare to what you’ll find in this god-forsaken mansion,” Luis says before finally smiling and walking away.

“I have somewhere to go to. You know your way back to your room right?” Luis asks, but he was already gone before he could even hear my answer.

“There’s no dinner then?” I ask instead, not really expecting to be answered by anyone.

Well, I’m not hungry anyway, and today was too crazy for me so I’d rather rest instead. But isn’t it strange that I’m a lot more exhausted from the family drama than the fact that I just killed someone?

Crazy.

I was supposed to head back to my room, but my feet wouldn’t let me leave for some reason. Instead, I turn to look back at the door of Cyrus’s study room. I stare at it for a couple of seconds. The room is awfully silent. I hope he didn’t do anything stupid. But what was that glass shatter earlier? Don’t tell me he’s—

“Cyrus, please don’t be an idiot,” I say before opening the door without knocking. I just want to check on my ‘master.’ Let’s just say I’m genuinely concerned with his wellbeing, and not on the fact that I might not get paid if he kills himself before I even solve this case.

“Master!” I call out.

Cyrus was sitting on the sofa. He removed his coat, and his shirt was completely unbuttoned, shamelessly showing me his upper body. His hair was everywhere, and his untied necktie was hanging on his neck too. He looked so neat and perfect a few moments ago, and now he looks like a total mess.

He stares at me for a second, probably surprised that I barged in his room with no apparent reason. I was about to apologize for the intrusion, but then I notice the blood on his knuckles. I then glance on the side and spot the broken mirror.

Wow. This man went full out.

“You pitiful thing,” I say out loud without thinking of how he’d react.

Cyrus glares at me while gritting on his teeth, but he doesn’t say anything.

There must be something that I’m missing here. Cyrus wouldn’t be acting like this just because he broke a rule. There must be another meaning behind what happened today and I’m just not getting it.

“I’ll get the first aid kit,” I say, but Cyrus immediately stops me.

“I can do that myself,” he calmly answers, and it was enough for me to stop moving.

I look at Cyrus again, staring at him from head to toe. How would people react if they see him now? This man who’s always composed, always precise. This man who’s the perfect representation of a gentleman. How would people react if they find out that the real him is this mess of a man?

I’d laugh in front of him if I could.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask teasingly, but obviously, Cyrus wasn’t impressed.

“You know your siblings are just worried about you,” I continue to tell him. Not because I wanted to simply say something, but because that’s what I thought he’d want to hear.

“What do you even know about my siblings?” he asks, looking at me like I was a fool. He isn’t in the mood to talk. I know that. But why can’t I just leave him alone?

“You got it hard, huh? It must be tough being the eldest of such a complicated family,” I continue to say, but Cyrus still doesn’t say anything back.

The silent treatment was pissing me off.

“You can’t just go and test my loyalty by ordering me to kill someone and treat me like shit afterward. Can’t you see this loyal servant of yours just wants to make you feel better?” I ask him. But as insincere as I may sound, I was serious.

I’m not the type who knows how to be heartfelt. I try to make a joke out of situations like this, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have compassion. I can’t just walk out after seeing someone whose blood is dripping on the floor because he stupidly punched a mirror.

“Why did you ask me to kill President Boris?” I finally ask him. And this question was something that has already been bugging me since he first asked me to do it.

It can’t just be because he got annoyed with him. It can’t just be because Boris slapped Chance. It can’t just be because he wanted to test my loyalty and the first person in mind was the president. There must be a reason why he particularly chose him. There has to be a reason.

“Why him?” I ask again. I thought Cyrus was going to at least answer that question, but he continues to stare at me like he wants me to disappear right before his eyes.

“I would like to be alone now,” he coldly tells me instead.

I sigh and massage my temple in frustration.

“As powerful as Cyrus is in this household, he has no one to run to. He has no one to comfort him. He was always alone. Maybe that’s why he’s so hardheaded now.” Those were the exact words that Luis told me earlier when we were talking outside.

Comfort him.

What kind of comfort would a man like him want?

“You may leave,” Cyrus commands, but with a louder voice this time.

I still didn’t budge. I didn’t want to leave just yet. When President Boris’s blood splattered on me, it automatically became a symbol. A symbol that means I am now loyal to Cyrus Delton. It became a blood pack. And like what Cyrus said, I’m here to investigate Adam Delton’s murder, but I’m also here to be his bodyguard. And guarding his body… isn’t the only thing I can do for him.

“Don’t make me repeat myself,” Cyrus says, now looking angry.

I don’t say anything and walk towards him instead. When I was a few inches away from him, I lean forward and grab his necktie; pulling it towards me so he could lean closer to me.

Cyrus doesn’t say anything, but he calms down a bit. He was observing me. He wanted to know what I was up to.

I may be someone who will helplessly follow him now, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a few tricks up my sleeves. If you think I won’t do any necessary means to get you to answer my questions, then you’re damn wrong. Have you forgotten, Cyrus Delton? I’m here to investigate. And I will get the information that I need even if it kills me.

“Shall I please you again, Mr. Delton?” I ask, catching him off guard.

Act like a saint you say.

Then gentleman… let me show you what heaven feels like.

end…

(10) Please Me [m]

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(10.5) Case File No.01

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(11) The Bell

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(12) Delton History

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(13) Highest Bidder

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(14) Slut Punishment [m]

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(15) Aftermath

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(15.5) Case File No.02

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(16) Bothered Kiss

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(17) Mother’s Love

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(18) Gentleman Punishment

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(19) The Butler

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(20) Pay The Debt

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(21) Deal With The Devil

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(21.5) Case File No.03

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(22) Drown [m]

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(23) Delton Secret

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(24) Take Me Away

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(25) My Last Will

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(26) Save You

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(26.5) Case File No. 4

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(27) Rebellious Brother

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(28) Beautiful Scars

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(29) Watchers

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(30) Only You [m]

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(31) Next Time [m]

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(32) Boss Punishment

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(33) Truths Untold

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(34) Kill Like A Gentleman

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(35) The Final Favor

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EPILOGUE

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SPECIAL CHAPTER 01

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SPECIAL CHAPTER 02

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SPECIAL CHAPTER 03

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SPECIAL CHAPTER 04

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SPECIAL CHAPTER 05

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SPECIAL CHAPTER 06

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TAKE A CHANCE 01

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TAKE A CHANCE 02

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TAKE A CHANCE 03

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TAKE A CHANCE 04

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TAKE A CHANCE 05

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

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