Dante sipped on his drink.

He didn't expect that Isabella was going to be in that situation. He never liked unexpected situations in the first place. It makes him furious at what he cannot expect.

He didn't imagine that someone would hurt a member of his family. Dante always, always, made sure that his family would be far from what could harm them. He made sure of it.

He hates unexpected situations. He hates the unexpected. He likes to be in control. He likes to know things.

He likes the expected.

And, Isabella suddenly disappearing was unexpected.

He drank to that.

Was that his fault? It must have been at some point. He'd been too lenient, too soft, on his people that they couldn't protect what he so desperately cherishes. His sons and his only daughter were like rare treasures that he wishes to keep close. But, now, it feels like those treasures were slipping out of his hold without him noticing it.

Unexpected.

He drank to that.

He hates the unexpected.

If they were too late then Isabella could have been hurt or worse. If he were a tad bit too late then Isabella could have been...

He doesn't even want to think about it.

He's got a lot to think about right now. All he knows is that she's safe. She's in his territory. She's with them now and that she's going to make it. She wasn't hurt in any way, she's just shaken, probably, and traumatized too.

Dante needs to find therapy for his kid. He needs her to be protected. Fuck, he needs the girl safe. He needs her to stay innocent, to stay kind, to stay as Isabella, or else he was going to lose his damn mind thinking about what could have happened and what had happened.

He drank to that.

And, oh, Isabella had seen them.

How could he forget that?

The looming horror in that gentle, innocent, eyes would forever be embedded in his mind. He would never forget how her eyes had widened in fear, how she trembled at the sight of them. Of him.

She was scared of them.

She'd seen their worst, ugliest sides and Dante couldn't help but hate himself for that. He knew that deep down that he shouldn't blame himself for the things that he had no control of.

But, he could have easily controlled the situation if he didn't let his guard down, he could have been in control if he hadn't been too lenient on his people. He could have easily prevented it from happening if he had only planned ahead of time. It was his fault. It was definitely his fault.

Dante chuckled bitterly.

Isabella was the ray of sunshine in this house. The innocent lamb for slaughter. And they were the wolves. They were the hungry wolves. They could have just left Isabella alone but they didn't because they so desperately wanted that sweet gentleness, that innocent goodness that she shows around without even trying!

Like, hungry animals, they bask in that warmth, in that goodness. They believe that Isabella brings out the goodness in everyone. In them.

Oh, the poor little lamb for slaughter.

He fucked up. He always did. Dante never get things right. He couldn't even protect his family, his little girl, his men.

He was a bad son.

A bad husband.

a bad friend.

A bad boss.

A bad father

He's disappointed at himself.

Disappointment. Disappointment is a devastating end to a tragic tale of expectation.

Well, Dante's had a fair share of it. He's either the disappointment or he's the one who's disappointed.

He's too used to the expectations of others that he's learned how to numb the feelings of being a failure.  

It just hurts so much to try to do absolutely everything for someone and then realizing that it's not good enough.

Have someone felt that before? When you try your absolute best at something because you want someone to see that you're trying and then realizing that your best isn't enough.

That you aren't enough.

He hates the feeling.

He hates feeling like a failure, he hates disappointing people. He hates trying to live up to the expectations of people.

Dante hates living in this life. He never chose this life or this job.

He chugged down his remaining beverage before he placed his glass on his office table where a couple of papers were scattered around. Dante then noticed the photo frame that was innocently placed beside the mess,  standing out like an eyesore in the midst of the ugly chaos that Dante has not bothered to clean.

It was a picture of his wife with his sons. In the picture, his sons were young, so very young, and they were smiling brightly, all teeth and bright glimmering eyes filled with nothing but joy. And, his wife was also smiling at the camera, hugging all three of their sons with a bright grin on her face.

Dante gently took the frame and he stared down at it with a pained expression plastered on his rugged face. His fingers were tracing the bright looks on their faces, wanting to know what their happiness felt like. He'd forgotten what joy he felt standing behind the camera, watching his sons and his wife laugh as they try to stay still for the camera.

Dante chuckled bitterly once again before throwing the frame at the wall. It shattered and the crumbled loudly.

Good.

Dante looked at his messy table with a blank look on his face. If he wasn't too immersed in his work then he would have denied the possibility of Isabella going to school, he would have forbid Isabella from ever setting foot from the outside world. If he'd denied it then none of this would have happened. He glared at the important papers on his table.

He could have prevented a lot of things today but he had let his guard down. He failed. Failure was never an option in the family. Dante's a Torres and the Torres family never likes mistakes or failure.

However, failure's something that he was so accustomed to feel.

He failed in a lot of things.

Dante harshly slid the papers, along with his glass, from the table with an agonized cry.

He huffed in rage, his eyes burning with fire and his stance were rigid, as if he was ready to pounce on someone if someone were to see him in this state.

He took a whiskey bottle near a bar cart and carelessly opened it.

He decided to drink tonight.

***

"Did you have fun saying bad things, Bella?"

Isabella turned to look at Elois, horror written on her face when she noticed that he was in the room. Isabella was ashamed of herself for saying such things. She didn't mean it. She didn't mean any of those words and she didn't mean to hurt them.

"I'm sorry..." Isabella muttered, looking down at her hands in shame.

She heard her brother sigh before she heard him trudge towards her, causing her heart to flutter nervously. Maybe, he was going to scold her and then say that he's disappointed in her.

She doesn't want that.

Suddenly, a cookie jar appeared in front of her and she immediately looked up at Elois in surprise.

Elois was grinning at her and pointed at the cookie jar.  "You know that they'll kill us if they find the treat missing, right, Ms. President?"

The familiar line almost made her tear up. She looked at the cookie jar for a moment before looking back at Elois with a broken sob.

"They won't." Isabella promised with a shaky tone. Oh, her brother. Her dearest, clumsy hermano.

(Brother)

"How'd you know?" He asks, sitting at the edge of her bed with a comforting smile plastered on his face.

"Silly Eli!" Isabella exclaimed, shaking her head. "I jus' do."  She whispered softly, carefully looking at him.

Elois gave her a soft look before swooping in for a hug. Isabella immediately melted in his embrace and her eyes watered quickly. She sniffled and hugged him back. 

"M' sorry..." She whispered in his ear, desperately wanting him to forgive her and her words.

"Shhh, it wasn't your fault." He cooed softly, gently patting her head. "You were scared. It was our fault that this happened."

"I'm sorry, Eli... I didn't mean it." The little girl repeated, saying her apologies from under her breath like a broken mantra while hugging him tighter.

"It wasn't your fault." He reminded, breaking the embrace to look at her. Elois gave her a stern look. "It wasn't your fault, okay? It was ours. And, no matter what you say, how bad you say it, we'll argue about it and we'll scold you about it and then we'll forgive you. No matter what. No matter what you do, we'll forgive you. I'll forgive you. Do you understand me? It wasn't your fault."

Isabella nodded wordlessly.

Elois them gave her a small smile, he caressed her cheeks with his thumbs, wiping the tears that fell from her face. "Don't make that face, amor. It's okay now. We're fine now. I'm not mad."

(Love.)

Isabella gave another nod. "M' sorry." She repeated.

Elois nodded. "I know, baby. I know you're sorry. And, I know that Anthony scolded you for it, didn't he? And, you learned your lesson. We forgive you."

Isabella sniffled. She didn't expect such words from him. She didn't expect him to forgive her. She didn't expect a lot of things but she was glad that it turned out this way.

"T-Thank you, Eli."

Elois blinked at her in surprise before he giggled. The young man ruffled her head, causing her to whine before pouting at him.

"Why are you saying thank you, president? You don't have anything to thank me. I'm your brother."

He was.

He's her loving brother.

Isabella huffed softly. "But, Luci is my brother and he's always mean to me." She gave a watery laugh.

Elois snorted, nodding. "Well, it'll be weird if he were to act nice one day."

Isabella nodded frantically before grabbing the cookie jar with a bright grin. Adorably, she tilted her head to the side.

"Cookie?"

Elois looks at the cookie jar before laughing brightly. "Cookies goes extremely well with warm drinks though." He stated proudly. "Should I order a maid to get us one?"

Her eyes sparkled at the familiar line that Elois always used when they both want some cookies. "Only if it's hot chocolate."

Elois chuckled before ruffling her hair once again. "Right away, Bella." He leaned down to kiss her forehead.

The young man was about to stand up when the little girl grabbed the hem of his shirt, causing him to freeze.

"Bella, I can't move if you hold my——"

"Thank you, Eli..."

Elois looked back at Isabella and he saw the genuine smile plastered on her face. The fear that was previously lingering in her expression was suddenly gone and it was now replaced with relief.

Elois smiled at his one and only sister. His sweet and innocent sister.

"Oh, sweetheart, you don't have to thank me. I'm only doing my role as your brother."

I feel so bad at Dante. He never actually liked doing bad things but he had to.

And Elois is such a sweetheart ( ꈍᴗꈍ)

Well, how'd you guys like it? Was it fine?