The heavy oak doors creaked open against the eerie silence of the house.
"Thank you" Lucian said to the butler as he tossed his leather jacket on the coat rack behind the door. Alonzo has been the family butler for close to thirty years and was already used to having the young masters of the mansion arrive home very late at night. "Where are my brothers?" He asked,even though he didn't expect a response from the sluggish old butler.
The house still maintained the same vibe as it did in the early nineties though there were few modern touches to it. He heard a faint hum of voices coming from the kitchen answering his earlier question.
The voice all came to a halt as he walked through the kitchen,three pairs of eyes glancing towards his direction.
With a smirk,he said "I feel like you were just talking about me. You stop talking the moment I walk in? Keep talking, I'm not listening."
Walking past his brothers,he made his way to the fridge and as expected three sets of eyes followed his movement before looking away.
Adrian, who had been leaning against the counter,a slice of pizza in his hand, was the first to speak. "Why are you back so late? Mrs Crane left early because of an emergency so we had to order pizza. "His voice was soft, sounding almost disinterested as he ate the last slice of pizza in the room.
Lucian hummed, ignoring his younger brother as he reached for a glass of orange juice. Sipping the drink slowly he allowed the room to fall into a solemn silence.
The Blackwood brothers. Four of them, even though they didn't have the same mothers,they still had a bond most siblings didn't have between them. They all had dark secrets that bounded them even more than the blood that ran through their veins.
Dante,the eldest, sat on a single chair close to the sink,his head buried in the laptop in front of him,his expression as unreadable as ever. He always seemed to make everyone uncomfortable with his presence even though his brothers weren't affected by him. He barely said anything unless it was necessary. Many years ago,a rumour had spread that he might be affected by his mother's illness which had caused him to remain silent most of the time.
The second oldest was Lucian,one of the twins. He was more approachable than his brother. Though his eyes carried a dark glint that many failed to see as they were blinded by his charming face and funny personality.
Cyrus was the quieter twin. Even though he had the same appearance as Lucian,same angular jaw and storm grey eyes, Cyrus always had a guarded look in his eyes. He listened more than he spoke and he had a problem that triggered him to anger easily. This made girls scared to approach him in fear that he might lose it and kill them in a daze.
And then there was Adrian, the last,youngest and yet the most unsettling of all brothers. His brothers saw past his charm and bubbling attitude. He had the most twisted and sickest mind of all four. Unlike the others who didn't try to hide who they truly were, Adrian hid behind a mask he had pulled successfully.
"You'd be the one behind bars if reports come out that you're stalking a professor." Adrian said, as he walked over to the sink to rinse his hands. They weren't the best chef around so they had to make do with having pizza for the night. Though he feared that they might have to order more tomorrow because they had no idea how long it'd take Mrs. Crane to deal with her 'emergency'
Lucian arched his brow. "You don't have to worry about me."
"We have to worry about you" Dante responded smoothly, finally taking his eyes away from his laptop. Lucian rolled his eyes at his older brother who always took things far more serious than they actually were. "You have a long history of always getting into trouble, Lucian."
Lucian's jaw tightened. Placing the glass in the sink he walked around Dante coming to stand in front of him. "Aren't you too busy trying to conclude your final projects? I'd advise you to take them more seriously to avoid a repeat of last year."
The room fell into a tense silence as the others watched the interaction.
Adrian placed his hand on Lucian's shoulder pushing him back a bit. "This isn't the right time, Lucian," he warned in a dangerously low voice. "Not tonight too. Poking him will not bring anything productive. We have other things to worry about. He came around today"
The air seemed to grow thicker at his words. Lucian knew who he was talking about: their father. It has been weeks since they last spoke of him,each of the brothers always trying to avoid broaching that topic. If there was one thing they all shared in common,it was their hatred for their father.
Cyrus finally broke the tense silence with a murmur. "He called for a family meeting next week. Dante's mother's health is deteriorating quickly."
Lucian expression hardened. "Why should we? It's not like Dante's particularly fond of that vile woman. She can go to hell and I'd still not give a fuck."
A flicker of warning crossed Dante's expression before he shuttered it away. Adrian was the only one who had noticed that change.
"She's still his mother. Don't forget that" Adrian said,his stare burning into Lucian,dark and unblinking. "Get your shit together. We're going to that dinner. That will be a good time to talk about sharing the assets. He has held onto them for far too long."
Lucian slapped his brother's hand away from his shoulder,his smirk returning as something had finally interested him. "Now that's what I love to hear."
If there was someone more ruthless than the four brothers combined,that was their father. He was a very devious man and always got someone to do his bidding.
And then, suddenly Lucian's expression softened as he thought of something else. Someone else. His beautiful professor. Her big tired eyes. Curvy body,full lips.
A slow, unsettling smile tugged at his mouth.
"You had to see the look on her face when she recognised me." He said softly almost to himself. Then turning to Adrian,he said "you were right after all… this is fun"