"What's this?" Lucius asks when he sees Elois in the kitchen, cooking something that smelled quite rotten. He scrunched up his nose when he took a whiff of that awful smell again. It was unpleasant, something that could have probably killed a person if that were possible.

"What are you doing? Are you seriously cooking right now?" He immediately demanded. He was so conscious at the sudden gesture his brother was showing that Lucius felt like his own little brother was a threat. He suspiciously narrowed his eyes at Elois, who looked at him, offended at the questions.

"As you can see, my dearest brother," He seethes like a venomous snake who would attack while he points a wooden spoon at him threateningly. He's already expecting a cocky remark from his older brother and Elois was not having it. "I'm cooking."

Lucius scoffed. The disbelief was evident on his face.

"Oh, don't pull that face on me, Luce." Elois said, waving the wooden spoon around like it was a weapon. "This spoon is still fresh out of the boiling pot and I can kill you with this. Don't tempt me."

As if that scares him.

"Who are you?" Lucius questioned, horrified at the new information he received. Elois has never cooked, he has never entered the kitchen in his entire life, so seeing him standing in the kitchen scares Lucius more than the hot spoon in his hand. "And what have you done to my lazy, defenseless, idiotic brother? Since when did he cook? Since when did you cook?"

Elois huffed, looking more offended. "I'll have you know, Mr. Perfect-"

"What's that horrible smell?" Anthony waltz right in the kitchen with a baby in his arms. Isabella looks up when she heard other voices and she squealed at the sight of her brothers. She jumped in Anthony's hold while she waved her hand up in the air, starting to babble away.

"Well, someone's got a nice morning." Lucius said, crossing his arms. He smiled at Isabella's bright expression.

"Apparently, she's a morning person, I saw her climbing out of her crib. She's a smart little cookie." Anthony said, playfully glaring at the cheerful little girl in his arms.

Lucius smiled and swooped in to hold the said little cookie. Anthony just sighed, shaking his head. The eldest then looks at Elois with his nose all scrunched up. "Elois, are you cooking?"

"Bababa?" Isabella asks, looking at Elois.

Elois beamed while closing the stove. "I made breakf-"

"He made death."

Everyone's head snapped at Lucius and the man shrugged incredulously while his hair was getting pulled by an excited baby. His face twisted between smug and pain while he struggled with holding the frenzied demon in his arms.

"What? He-Ow! Ow! Son of a--Oi, quit pulling, you menace. Hey! Ow, ow! How you're my sister is beyond me. I don't know where you get this energy but I hate it so stop struggling, mi cariño- Anyways, he made death for breakfast."

(My dear.)

To say that Anthony wasn't amused would be a bad lie. Half of what Lucius said were dedicated for their little sister to hear, which was endearing. Isabella looked like she didn't mind his warning though. She continues to struggle to get a hold of Lucius' hair with half hearted whines.

Elois pouted but he was secretly amused at the scene before him. "It's breakfast that's meant to fill up your stomachs." He started to walk closer to Isabella but Lucius glared at him, hugging Isabella closer to him. His gaze went between Elois and the object in his youngest brother's hand.

"Drop your spoon." He ordered balefully. It could have frightened Elois if he were a normal person. That glare was foreboding and ominous and nobody should mess with a person who holds a look of a murderer.

It's frightening, yes, but Elois have lived with this person his whole life. Who was he to get scared of him?

The youngest huffed, looking at him with a sad frown. "You make it sound like it's a weapon."

"Ngajwa!" Isabella squealed happily. Everyone's heart melted as she giggled at her own words and actions. Lucius nodded wordlessly. It was as if he just understood her.

Lucius hummed understandingly. "Yeah, what she said."

Elois raised a questioning brow, looking at both of them suspiciously. "And that is?"

He smiled smugly. "You suck as a brother and that what you're feeding us isn't meant to fill up our stomachs, it's supposed to kill us." He looks at Isabella and kissed her chubby cheek, in which she giggled, grabbing his nose with a gentle smile plastered on her adorable baby face.

"Right, Isabella? Your brother is a murderer and so will you be. Soon enough, you'll be dragging your first body home. I can't wait to teach you how to kil-."

"Lucius, we shouldn't talk about corpses and murderers until Isabella can understand what all of that means. You need to talk all about that when she's five. It's the rules." Anthony chastised, pinching the bridge of his nose while shaking his head disappointedly. "Kids these days, talking about murders and murderers to a baby. How immoral."

Elois whined loudly, looking at the eldest-who was making coffee, looking upset- and pouted, stomping his feet as he did so. Isabella enjoyed his childishness and she squealed jovially in Lucius' warm embrace.

"Tony...! Help me!"

Anthony sipped his freshly made coffee and gave Elois a pointed look. It was as if he already knew all of Elois' dark secret (which was probably true because it's Anthony we're talking about).

"Elois, my dearest and youngest brother?" The eldest ask, causing Elois to straighten up tensely. Nobody would enjoy the tone that Anthony held if they heard it. The man's an utter monster.

"Yes, my dearest and eldest brother?" Elois responded meekly.

Lucius looks at Isabella and pointed at them while whispering something in her ear, causing the little girl to be more responsive than she already was.

Anthony hummed, taking his sweet time on sipping his hot drink. The quiet atmosphere was tense and everyone didn't like it. Anthony always had this sort of power over everyone. Maybe it was the way he acts, it's like everything you will say to him will become his weapon, therefore, your words would be used against you. Maybe it was how he knows everything without him even asking for the knowledge he receives. Maybe it was how he acts kind and well-mannered, causing you to become ashamed of your lack of values and poise.

But that didn't mean that he was a bad person. Anthony's a great brother and he loves his family so much.

But, he's scary.

Lucius snickered, looking at Elois dangerously. "Él está en problemas, corazoncita."

(He's in trouble, sweetheart.)

Isabella only babbled her response, squealing while she chews on her hand.

Elois hissed at them, glaring at both Isabella and Lucius. "I am not in troub-"

"Where's the cook, Els, hmm?" Anthony said, keeping his tone indifferent but everyone knows how mad he actually was at the youngest brother.

"Estás totalmente en problemas." Lucius commented with a scoff.

(You're totally in trouble.)

Isabella looks at him with curiosity before nodding too, however, in a messy kind of nod. A nod that she just swayed her head aggressively.

"Anja waja sa." She nodded in that aggressive way that caused Lucius to snort at the little tyke.

Elois avoided Anthony's gaze and had started to stutter. "Uh, w-well, good question, m-my homie, my bro, big bro, the coolio bro? Uh... Well..."

"Well?" Anthony hummed, awaiting his excuse while he narrowed his eyes at his brother, causing Elois to squirm like a helpless worm.

"I-I... There were some complications." Elois said meekly, looking at Isabella for help. Isabella looked like she understood that look, or it was probably coincidence, but her gaze went back back to Lucius and just started to playfully pull her brother's hair again.

Elois scoffed at the back of his mind, taking Isabella's actions as betrayal and offending.

Isabella wasn't his favorite sister anymore.

"Complications, Els?" Anthony persisted, glaring at him now but he still had a smile on his face. A cold smile that could have been deadly if it were a power. "It was suspicious when you were cooking, Elois. You may have fooled Lucius by saying you just wanted to cook breakfast for everyone, but please, it's obvious that you fired the cook."

Isabella's giggles and Lucius' snorts in the background was the most annoying thing Elois has ever heard.

Elois huffed, pouting while looking on the floor. He mumbled something incoherently, fidgeting. He then looks at his brother with a pout. "The chef didn't cook the eggs right."

Anthony sighed in disbelief. He shakes his head. "I can't believe what I'm hearing."

The youngest brother didn't like the expression that Anthony has on his face. "Look, if you saw what kind of breakfast he was making then you would have done the same as I did!"

Anthony raised a brow, unamused. "Are you saying that I'm unreasonable? That I will preposterously fire the cook?"

Anthony is anything but unreasonable and Elois just wants the floor to swallow him whole because he's digging his own grave.

Elois huffed, whining. "I didn't mean it like that! I-Tony, stop staring at me like you'll kill me tonight! It's scaring me!"

Anthony hummed, sipping his coffee. "I might consider it."

Lucius decided to step in. As much as he enjoys seeing the youngest brother getting bullied, Isabella needs his attention because she's starting to whine.

"Hey, don't anger Tony more than you already have." Lucius said towards Elois, sighing when Isabella was softly mewling , completely bored now and probably hungry.

Lucius grumbled. He wasn't the caretaker in the family, Anthony and their father was, but since Anthony and Elois were busy, he decided to make his sister solid food. He read that one year old babies can now eat solid food.

He looks at Isabella with a huff. "Want some banana, little miss?"

Isabella perked up at the food she had been asked. "Bawawa?"

"Yeah. Whatever you said." He said and Isabella's eyes twinkled like stars as her mouth were wide open, looking so hungry and amazed.

"Bawawa..." She cooed, drooling. "Bawawa!"

Lucius snorted, rolling his eyes. He was a little worried for the little baby because her teeth looked so fragile and smile but he knew that she can eat bananas if he makes banana puree.

But, he needs two hands for that.

He looks at Anthony, who was probably dissecting Elois inside his mind. And Elois looks like a dissected frog.

"If you two are done, can someone grab Isabella?" Lucius grumbled at his two brothers.

Anthony then returned back to his usual self and he beamed at him. "Gladly, Luce."

Lucius nodded, giving the baby to the eldest before patting his youngest brother's shoulder. "You better find a cook before papa comes back."

Elois hissed at him before running away, probably finding a cook like Lucius' said.

Not even a minute later, Rafael bursts in on them, panting heavily. "I-I thought that Bella escaped her crib again and I-I searched the whole house and did you know that this house is a maze? Literally, okay? I didn't just lose my way, this mansion is a maze, okay? I- oh, baby. My Bella."

Anthony, seeing the distress on the guard's face, decided to give Isabella willingly. Rafael hugged the little girl, sighing in relief.

Isabella fussed a little, obviously getting hungrier by the minute. Rafael just held her though.

"I'm so sorry I'm late." Rafael said, a little quieter this time. He looked embarrassed of his franticness, avoiding their intense stares.

There's an air to them now shaped like a wall, a boundary that cuts right between, and it's hard not to forget it wasn't there before.

Lucius nodded, chopping up bananas. "It's the bed, isn't it?"

"Excuse me?"

"The bed. The reason why you're up so late is because the bed's so soft like a cloud."

Rafael flushed, shushing a fussing baby in his arms. Rafael was embarrassed because it was the truth. His room was dark and the bed was so soft. How could he not sleep in accidentally?

Isabella looks at Lucius and Rafael in annoyance, babbling her irritation away.

"Bawawa!" She grumbled, wiggling in Rafael's hold, screeching in annoyance and frustration.

However, everyone ignored her.

"I never had the softest bed. Even when I was with Mrs. Torres." He admitted, suddenly finding the floor so fascinating.

Well, it was true. Servants in Mrs. Tatiana Torres' home were seen as disposable trash, therefore, the woman doesn't treat them as kindly as Sir Dante Torres has to his servants.

"Oh, well, you have one now."

Rafael looks at him and he was in awe of the smile on Lucius' lips. It was a lot better than his cold expression. For him, he thinks that Lucius should smile more. It was mesmerizing. Rafael then wondered if Lucius has brought women in his bed, possibly men too? He wondered if he ever showed that smile, that was currently on his face, while he's picking a person to fuck with.

"Ahhhh!" Isabella screeched, causing the two to look away from each other.

"You're right, my little one." Anthony said in an overly sweet tone. He looks at Rafael and then at Lucius with a warning gaze. "They should stop making lovely dovely eyes at each other or there might soon be dead bodies on the floor. Do you understand, soon-to-be corpses?"

Lucius scoffed while Rafael scowled, narrowing his eyes at the eldest brother of the Torres. He wasn't making lovely dovely eyes.

Anthony hummed, looking like he knows everything. And he probably does. "Oh, Elois should hide. Dad's going to know in three, two... One-"

"Elois Angel Torres! How dare you fire the cook without my permission?"

Anthony hummed softly before looking at Isabella. "Bella, don't ever be like your brother, Elois, okay? You need to be smart and you need to control your anger issues better than him, hmm?"

Isabella just cooed while Rafael gave buckets of sweat due to nervousness towards Anthony. Lucius just didn't give a fuck anymore since he was so used to the creepy side of Anthony.

Creepmometer at its finest, he would always say.

Or if you prefer, just plain creepy.

Ha! Elois is a reckless, irrational boi! What do you think?

Well, to be honest, the cook had cooked the egg wrong. The sunnyside up didn't have enough flavor in it :p

Anyways, what do you think?