While picking up an empty bottle from under the couch, it suddenly hit me—
Cleo and Drake were on a trip.
I froze mid-motion, the bottle still in my hand, and looked around the half-cleaned room.
Nova caught my expression and raised an eyebrow. "What?"
I blinked, the realization settling in. "They're… not even coming home tonight."
For a second, the room went silent—then Thea stopped mid-wobble, Aven's sleepy eyes widened a fraction, and even Jace paused with a trash bag in his hand.
The ridiculousness of it all hit me like a punchline.
Here we were, scrambling like panicked servants, sweating and half-sober, cleaning up every speck of chaos—
and the people we were so scared of weren't even going to see it.
Zim, still half-asleep, mumbled from the couch, "So basically… we suffered for nothing?"
Jace groaned and ran a hand through his hair, muttering something about wasting his precious energy.
Nova just facepalmed, mumbling, "I can't believe we're related."
Me?
I just dropped back on the couch and started laughing until my stomach hurt.
Because honestly… this was so us.
Leo rushed home, his steps quick and heavy, the sound of his boots echoing in the quiet hallway.
The moment he pushed open the door, a thin trail of cigarette smoke hit his nose—a smell that was both familiar and unwanted.
There, lounging casually on the leather couch like he owned the place, sat his older brother.
The resemblance between them was unmistakable—the sharp jawline, the storm-gray eyes—but where Leo's gaze burned hot, his brother's carried a cold, calculating edge.
He took one last drag from his cigarette, the orange ember glowing in the dim light, before crushing it out in the ashtray with deliberate slowness.
Then, a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Well, well…" he drawled, leaning back and resting an arm on the couch. "Little brother finally decided to show up."
His tone was lazy, almost amused—but there was something underneath it.
Something that made Leo's shoulders tense without him even realizing.
The smoke still lingered in the air between them, curling like invisible chains.
His brother's voice cut through the haze of cigarette smoke, sharp and low.
"So tell me… why did you come back to this country after three years, Leo?"
Leo didn't answer right away. He moved slowly, dropping his keys on the table with a dull clink, his gaze fixed on the ash still smoldering in the tray.
Finally, he walked over and sank into the couch beside his brother, the leather groaning under their combined weight.
"Nothing much…" Leo's voice was calm, but there was a faint edge beneath it. "Just had a few things to settle."
His brother tilted his head, studying him like a puzzle he'd solved a hundred times before.
"And?" he pressed. "What kind of things?"
Leo met his gaze, unflinching.
"Just… needed to meet a few people."
The smirk on his brother's face widened, but there was no real humor in it—only quiet amusement that felt more like a warning.
"I see… so what now? How will you spend your holidays?" His tone was mocking, as if he already found the answer pathetic.
Leo leaned back, one arm lazily draped along the back of the couch, his eyes darkening.
"Listen, brother," he said slowly, deliberately, "you should mind your own business."
The air between them tightened instantly.
His brother chuckled, but it was low and dangerous—more of a predator's hum than actual laughter.
And for a moment, it wasn't just cigarette smoke hanging between them…
It was the weight of three years' worth of unsaid things.
His brother's smirk flattened into something colder, his tone shifting from casual mockery to sharp authority.
"Where's your manners, Leo?"
Leo's jaw flexed, a shadow of irritation crossing his face.
"Brother, I—please…" His voice softened for just a moment, but it was laced with restraint, like he was swallowing back something heavier.
His brother leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees, eyes locking with Leo's.
"Have you forgotten the rules our elder brother set for us?" His words were calm, but each syllable carried a weight that pressed down on the room.
Leo's gaze flickered away for the first time, his fingers tapping lightly on his thigh—an old habit he couldn't shake when cornered.
A short, humorless laugh escaped his brother before he continued.
"Oh, and one more thing… In about three or four months, Dad's calling all of us brothers to the villa."
That made Leo's head snap up.
"All of us?"
"Yes." His brother's eyes narrowed slightly, testing his reaction. "You'll have to come. Even the eldest is flying in. Dad made it clear—no excuses."
Leo didn't answer right away. His expression was unreadable, but his knuckles had gone white where his hand rested against his leg.
His brother leaned back into the couch, satisfied that his message had landed.
"So, little brother… better get your affairs in order. The villa will be… interesting."
The unspoken tension hung between them like a loaded gun on the table.
Leo knew this wasn't an invitation—it was a summons.
And in their family… ignoring a summons was never an option.
His brother leaned back on the couch, exhaling like he was done with the conversation.
"Alright, enough for now. Leave. Go on, get out of here."
Leo didn't argue.
"Fine. I'm going. Bye." His tone was even, but there was that sharp edge—half defiance, half exhaustion.
He slipped his keys from his pocket and walked out without looking back. The door clicked shut behind him, cutting off the lingering tension in the room.
Outside, the night air was cool, brushing against his face as he approached his car. Sliding into the driver's seat, he rested his hands on the steering wheel for a moment, letting out a long breath. The engine roared to life, its low growl filling the silence.
City lights blurred past as he pulled onto the road, his brother's words still echoing in his head—the villa, the rules, the warning. But as the distance between him and that house grew, the weight in his chest shifted.
By the time he hit the familiar turn toward Kael's neighborhood, his jaw had unclenched. One hand loosely gripped the wheel, the other resting on the gearshift as he let the car glide down the quiet street.
Whatever storm his family was planning… he needed to see Kael before it hit.
The doorbell rang, echoing through the house.
Kael walked over and pulled the door open—only to find Jessi standing there.
She stood with her hair slightly messy from the wind, wearing a fitted jacket and heels, her lips curved in a polite but small smile. For a second, the air between them went still.
"Jessi," Kael said, blinking in surprise.
Her eyes met his, unreadable but calm. "Hey… mind if I come in?"
It wasn't loud, it wasn't dramatic—but something about her sudden appearance carried a quiet weight neither of them could ignore.