Chapter 47

"Uhm!" Damon could feel a terrible headache brewing in his head. He immediately placed his fingers on the side of his temples, working on relieving some of the pain.

Was it a hangover, lack of sleep, or both? He could not tell, but the bright light in the room was not helping as he squinted his eyes, wondering what time it was.

"What the hell?" He seldom had a headache like this in the morning. But he had never been in this kind of situation before.

The last thing he remembered from last night was drinking one glass of scotch before leaving Philip to lock up. Then, he stumbled into his room, slightly dizzy as he lay on his bed.

But he woke up in the middle of the night, staring at the ceiling. Then, he was up all night with all his thoughts. He probably passed out before the sun was up.

"Damn!" He mumbled as he realized from the sunlight coming through the window that it might be late in the morning. He had overslept.

Usually, he was up before the break of dawn, but not today. He hastily jumped out of bed and went straight to the bathroom.

He had no option but to skip his morning run since it was already late. But he still needed his morning coffee to kick off his day.

"Wait!" He suddenly stopped in front of the mirror when he detected something unusual. 

Of course, he did not see Jules on the couch anymore. Just like him, she was also an early bird. But just like him, she hardly slept last night, noticing how she had been turning and tossing on the couch.

He could not understand how she could sleep comfortably in her made-up bed. But he still could not convince her to join him.

But what was more surprising was the absence of his assistant. "Where is Tony?" He should be calling him by now. "Or even Philip?" Why did they not wake him up?

Quickly, he grabbed his phone and found several messages in it. But nothing that would warrant an immediate response.

Still, "Where is everybody?" He asked the empty hallway as he walked out of his room, noticing the eerie quietness of the entire house.

Under normal circumstances, the staff would wander around the place, sweeping, dusting, or doing the daily chores. 

But today, he could not even find one. It was like his entire staff had vanished. But then again, maybe they were downstairs or outside the house.

He continued down the stairs, scanning the entire mansion, looking for signs of life or even intruders. But so far, nothing had moved. Although, he believed he heard noises on the left wing.

"Careful, darling." A faint voice echoed through the walls as he walked in the bright hallway closer to the kitchen. Then, a series of screams and curses ensued.

He could hear several people talking simultaneously, recognizing their familiar voices. But he had yet to decipher what was happening behind that wall.

Quickly, he rushed into the other room, slightly worried. Then, he found himself walking to two women, fussing over the young boy covered with white powder on his entire body.

"What is going on in here?" He asked, slightly puzzled by the scene while his eyes scanned the rest of the room.

He saw the same powder blanketed most top surfaces, including the tiled floors. Before his eyes returned to his son, who had his eyes lowered to the ground, seemingly apologetic for whatever he did.

"I did not mean to spill the box. I only wanted to help." Oliver said in his sorry voice. "Was I bad, Mom?" He asked, looking so innocent despite the mess he had created.

"No, darling. It was an accident." Jules continued to wipe the white powdery substance from their son's face while assuring him that it was not his fault.

Suddenly, he remembered how his father and mother would scold him if he made a mistake, no matter how small or even if it was just an accident.

"You need to learn to be accountable for every action you make and take responsibility for the consequence," Damon remembered his father's words. "That is the only way you will learn."

He grew up in a strict household where discipline was the key to raising their children. He suddenly wondered if being soft would be the best way to handle Oliver.

Or should he follow how his parents had raised him? He turned out okay, successful, and at the top of his game. Therefore, he pondered how he would handle a situation like this.

"Sorry about the mess. Oliver accidentally spilled the content of the flour on himself when he tried to reach on the counter." Thalia, who stayed the night in one of the guest rooms, explained.

"I will clean this up." Jules immediately added as she turned to look for the cleaning agents from the cabinets. Then, she started wiping the mess. 

"Wait!" Damon was more confused than before as he watched Jules bustling around the kitchen. "What is going on?" He let his eyes roam around the room as he tried to make sense of the situation.

"What are you doing in the kitchen anyway? And where is everybody?" He voiced out his questions, demanding answers.

He did not like being left in the dark, having no clue what was happening in his house. It was like he woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and his world had turned upside down. 

"I think Oliver needs a bath. So, excuse us, we will go upstairs." Thalia said, sounding like she would prefer to be anywhere but in his presence as she hurried to take the boy out of the kitchen, leaving him with his wife.

He suddenly felt something was wrong with this picture as he watched Thalia and his son disappear to the other room. On the other hand, his wife put aside the cleaning materials before facing him.

"I made coffee and some breakfast. Maybe you like some." Jules did not answer his question, instead busied herself with grabbing a cup and the hot coffee pot.

Of course, he needed his coffee, but he also would like some answers as he waited until she had poured the hot liquid and handed the cup to him.

"I hope you will not get mad."

But.