Chapter 47: #FORTY-SEVEN

Nicholas’s POV

"Don’t just stand there staring at me," Mom laughed softly, setting another plate on the table before pointing at the empty chair opposite hers. "Come and sit. Breakfast is getting cold."

The smile on her face was so effortless that I found myself smiling back without even thinking about it. It was strange how quickly my mood changed around her. Just a few minutes ago, I’d been rehearsing apologies in my head and wondering whether any of them would even listen to me. Now, simply hearing her call me over made all of that seem like a distant dream.

I pulled the chair back and sat down with a quiet sigh. "I can’t even remember the last time I ate something you cooked."

She looked genuinely offended. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you’ve been working so much that you’ve forgotten you have a son. Surprised you came back for breakfast today."

"Oh, is that so?" She folded her arms, trying to glare at me, but the corners of her lips kept twitching upward. "Then perhaps I should pack everything away."

"I’m joking!" I laughed quickly. "Don’t do that."

"I don’t know..." She drawled, still sounding offended.

I huffed a quiet laugh. "Mom."

She finally laughed, reaching across the table to ruffle my hair.

"I missed this," I admitted quietly.

Her smile softened immediately.. "I did too."

We were still talking about random stuff when footsteps echoed from the staircase and I looked up at the person.

Cassian trudged down, his boots scraping against the floor as he finally noticed us.

His gaze landed on Mom before anything else, and a familiar smile spread across his face. "Morning."

"There you are." Mom smiled warmly. "Come and eat before you head out."

"Oh— auntie."

She laughed. "I’ve told you a hundred times to stop calling me that. It’s just mum."

"And I’ve ignored you a hundred times." He walked closer, accepting the brief hug she offered before stealing a piece of toast from the plate she’d just finished arranging.

"You’re unbelievable." She smiled up at him.

"I’ve been told." He offered her one in return. Only then did his eyes drift toward me.

For the smallest fraction of a second, our gazes met. Then he looked straight past me as though I wasn’t sitting there at all.

Oh.

The smile I’d been wearing slowly faded.

"...Morning." I croaked, unsure why he was behaving like I wasn’t at the table.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he checked the time on his watch and took another bite of the toast.

"I’m heading out."

"So early?" Mom asked.

"Got something to take care of."

Her brows furrowed. "At least sit down for five minutes."

"I wish I could."

She looked disappointed but nodded anyway. "Fine. Don’t skip lunch."

"I won’t." He headed toward the front door without another glance in my direction.

"Cassian." The name slipped out before I could stop it and he paused. For one hopeful second, I thought he was going to turn around. Instead, he simply adjusted the strap of his bag and walked out, the front door closing behind him a second later.

I couldn’t say anything. I just stared at the shut door, feeling my heart chip a little in my chest.

Mom watched the door for a moment before looking back at me. "...Did something happen?"

I blinked. "Hm?"

"Between you boys."

"What makes you think that?"

She gave me a look that practically said ’don’t insult my intelligence.’ "He ignored you."

"He was probably in a hurry." I poked at my food without looking at her.

"Nicholas." She tried again.

My voice came out harder. "I mean it."

"You’ve never been good at lying to me."

I looked down at my plate. "We’re fine."

"Really?"

"Mhm." I looked up at her again.

Her voice still carried a hint of concern. "You don’t sound convincing."

I forced a smile. "It’s nothing serious."

She studied me for another few seconds before sighing. "If you say so."

The conversation drifted to other things.

She asked about school, and unlike yesterday, she wanted every tiny detail I’d skipped over before. Which teachers did I like the most? Had I finally gotten used to the new campus? Were my grades where they should be? Had I made any close friends? I answered one question after another. I even found myself mentioning Jayden’s name before catching myself and quickly moving on to another topic. Thankfully, she didn’t notice.

"What about everyone here?" she asked after pouring me a glass of juice. "You’ve been living together for a while now. Are you getting along?"

I hesitated for the briefest moment. "They’ve... been good to me."

"They’re not giving you a hard time? I know it’s hard still trying to settle in to a new family."

I shook my head. "No."

"You’d tell me if they were?"

"Of course." The answer came too quickly.

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but before she could ask anything else, another set of footsteps sounded from upstairs.

Adrian descended the staircase, already dressed to leave, one hand buttoning the cuff of his sleeve while the other held a folder beneath his arm.

"Good morning," Mom greeted brightly.

"Morning." He stopped long enough for her to straighten his slightly crooked collar.

"You boys never notice these things."

He looked down at her. "I noticed."

"You clearly didn’t."

He smiled faintly, letting her fix it without complaint.

She gestured to the table. "Come and have breakfast."

"I’ll pass."

Mum looked concerned now. Everyone was declining. "You haven’t eaten."

He sighed. "I’ve got work to finish."

"It can wait ten minutes." She pressed.

"It can’t." Only then did his eyes shift toward me. Unlike Cassian, he didn’t pretend I wasn’t there. He simply looked and his expression remained unreadable. Then he looked away again. "I’ll be in the study if anyone needs me."

Before Mom could persuade him otherwise, he continued down the hallway and disappeared behind the study door.

She watched him leave with a sigh. "I swear all of you work too much."

I tried smiling but it didn’t last.

She noticed the direction my eyes had lingered. "See? He’s exactly the same."

I nodded absentmindedly.

Maybe.

But Adrian had still avoided me. Cassian had ignored me completely. Roman hadn’t come downstairs. Neither had Elijah.

The realization made my chest ache — They really were angry.

Mom stood up suddenly, brushing imaginary crumbs from her dress. "Stay here."

"Where are you going?"

"To drag one last workaholic down for breakfast." She smirked.

Before I could ask who she meant, she disappeared upstairs.

I listened to her footsteps fade before the house grew quiet again.

A minute later, voices drifted faintly from the upper floor, followed by a deep chuckle that was impossible to mistake.

Another minute passed, then Gareth appeared beside Mom as they descended together.

"There he is!" Gareth’s face lit up the moment he spotted me. "Our student finally decided to join us."

I stood automatically. "Morning."

He closed the distance in a few long strides and clapped a firm hand against my shoulder, his fingers digging into my skin. "Sit, sit. No need to stand on ceremony."

Mom rolled her eyes. "I told you he’d already been awake."

"And yet you neglected to mention he looks healthier than the last time I saw him." He smiled at her.

"I’ve been feeding him."

"I can see that." He pulled out the chair beside mine and sat down while Mom returned to serving breakfast.

"So," Gareth began, reaching for a cup of coffee, "how’s school?"

I answered without missing a beat.

"And your classes?" He asked as he took another piece of toast.

"They’re going well."

His gaze found mine and held it for longer than necessary. "No trouble settling in?"

"Not anymore."

He nodded thoughtfully before asking about my teachers, my subjects, whether I’d found the workload manageable, and if I’d made friends outside the house. The questions came one after another, but unlike an interrogation, they felt almost... fatherly. Mom occasionally interrupted to add something or tease me whenever I answered too seriously, and before long the conversation became surprisingly easy.

"I hear you’ve been spending more time with everyone here," Gareth said.

I nodded. "They’ve helped me settle in."

"Good." He looked genuinely pleased. "I wanted this place to feel like home for you."

I lowered my gaze briefly. "...Thank you, I guess."

Mom smiled to herself.

The conversation continued, but I was no longer listening, now focused on the plate of unfinished toast on my plate.

Should I go upstairs to meet Elijah and Roman? Try to talk to them and apologise? I couldn’t live with this for long. Because I knew they wouldn’t budge for now if they were really that pissed to ignore my very existence.

Oh fuck. What had I done?

My fork moved across my plate absentmindedly when I felt something tickle my leg.

Another leg.

I immediately froze, my senses blaring as my heart began pounding in my chest — someone’s heavy foot was tracing up mine under the table.

Oh—

None of the brothers were at the table.

Slowly, I raised my gaze up. Gareth was still talking to mum, but I knew that was his foot.

He turned to me, an almost mocking and daring glint in his eyes. "Is something wrong, son?" His voice dropped on the last word, the word coming out so sultry that I almost shuddered as my throat ran dry.

What was my step-father up to?