10 FAVORITES

"CYRUS." CATALINA CALLS OUT as soon as we arrive the mansion.

Catalina, Tobias and Chance were all there with their servants, waiting for us at the main entrance of the mansion. Everyone looked uneasy, except for the second eldest who walked right in front of Cyrus to slap him with no hesitation.

Everyone was surprised on the action, except for Cyrus. I knew that he expected the reaction from his siblings. I just didn't expect Catalina to actually slap him in front of everyone here.

"What you did is below the belt." Catalina tells him; the anger visibly present in her voice. She wasn't directly telling him why she's mad in the first place, but Cyrus, Luis, and I knew why without anyone telling us the exact reason.

Cyrus's mouth is still sealed, so Catalina's forced to look my way. She scans and points at me angrily, but I knew she was pointing on the bloodstain on my shirt instead. Everyone was surprised on what they saw. Even Tobias and Chance were surprised.

I stay quiet about it, pretending that I wasn't aware why she was so mad at me. Like what they say, it's best to fake ignorance at times like these. And there's no need for me to explain myself. I'm technically under Cyrus, and what he wants me to do is none of their concern. I shouldn't be afraid of them.

"I didn't expect this from you Mr. Carter," Catalina tells me. But as she was speaking, I could tell that she was trying to suppress a grin. She was more amused than angry.

When she realizes that I wasn't even going to try and defend myself, Catalina looks back at her older brother and asks him, "Why? I heard the meeting went well. You exceeded my expectation and made President Boris agree to the deal, but why? Why my dear brother?"

Cyrus stares down at his sister for a while before clearing his throat. It must have felt dry because he hasn't said anything ever since we got here.

"No one treats a Delton the way that fat man treated Chance." Cyrus finally answers.

The answer made Chance flinch. He must not have expected Cyrus to give such an answer.

"What?" Catalina asks, the anger coming back to her again.

"Boris slapped Chance during their meeting. Whatever Chance did to him, he does not have the fucking right to touch a Delton in our own territory using such filthy hands!" Cyrus suddenly shouts. He sounded angry now, surprising me because I thought he'd be calm and collected throughout this entire confrontation.

"What the hell is this? Is he using Chance to cover the incident up?" 2I ask myself as I watch the situation unfold. But if this was the reason why he asked me to kill president Boris then that's kinda shallow. But then again, this family is all sorts of fucked up, so who am I to judge?

"This is why he never learns! You keep on spoiling him!" Catalina now shouts back.

Chance starts to look worried, so he takes a step closer to where Catalina and Cyrus were standing; "Sister, there's no need to-"

Chance was supposed to try and control the situation, but Catalina instantly gives him a deadly glare. She doesn't say a word but Chance automatically kept his mouth shut. He moves back and joins Tobias again. Tobias on the other hand hasn't given any of his opinion in this matter. Since he's the youngest, I guess anything he says doesn't have any weight.

"Were you seeking for attention again big brother?" Catalina asks, now looking back at Cyrus.

The questions confused me since I didn't really understand the deeper meaning behind such a petty question. But it seems like Cyrus is greatly affected by it. He grits his teeth upon hearing it. It's almost like he's trying his best not to spit on her.

Catalina smiles in delight when she sees that the question tipped Cyrus off. Like angering Cyrus was already such a big achievement that people should applaud to her for making it happen right before their eyes.

"Don't provoke me woman." Cyrus manages to say, but Catalina doesn't back down.

"Your real attitude is showing again my dear brother. Remember, we're still outside. Don't be such a bad influence on the young ones. It's bad for your...gentleman...image." Catalina says teasingly before patting Cyrus on the cheek where she first slapped him.

She glances back at me first and finally heads inside the mansion with the rest of her servants. As soon as she was gone, Chance runs towards Cyrus and hugs him. It surprised me because it never occurred to me that they'd be this close.

"Why?" Chance simply asks him. His voice was shaky; I thought he'd cry. But Cyrus doesn't answer back, and it was enough for Chance to finally let go of him. He nods his head, like he understood something even though no one really explained anything to him. Then he looks at me with an apologetic expression. It pissed me off more than anything but I didn't try to show it.

Don't include me in this family drama. Please. I was just supposed to look for a killer. I didn't want to be a killer myself. Now shit just went from bad to worse.

I find out Cyrus kills people he doesn't like, which I actually have already speculated from the start. (He's the spoiled type of man). And besides, I've heard of so many rich family murderers in my field. This isn't entirely shocking. And it's always normal that they hire people to do the dirty job for them. They're too rich to get stained themselves.

Next I find out that the other siblings know about Cyrus hiring someone to kill people too. Doesn't that make it even more suspicious? Wouldn't the killer be Cyrus and everyone is just trying to protect him? But why the hell would Cyrus hire me in to look for Adam's killer in the first place? So I could catch him myself? That doesn't make sense! If he wanted to get caught, then he could have already pleaded guilty.

Unless, someone's trying to use Cyrus's killer nature to make it seem like the only possible suspect would be him. Cyrus is the only capable person in this mansion that could 'kill' someone. If the police came, they'd suspect no one other than Cyrus. It would make perfect sense.

But the real question here is...should I even trust my senses in a mansion where everything is a game? After all, you don't win games by using your senses alone.

"I trust you won't follow your foolish brother's footsteps to not disappoint our sister." Cyrus suddenly says, and Chance and Tobias both nod their heads as an answer.

Cyrus approaches his brothers so he could pat Chance on the head. Tobias stares at the sweet gesture that Cyrus gave to Chance and looks down on the floor. He must have felt jealous. If he wanted me to, I'd gladly pat his head for him.

"I'm tired. I'll be heading to my room first. No need to call me for dinner." Cyrus says, immediately making everyone bow their heads when Cyrus started walking away.

Luis follows first. I glance at Chance and Tobias before following behind my master. When Cyrus said 'my room,' he obviously meant his study room. He doesn't say a word and heads inside when we arrive there. I don't follow him anymore since Luis didn't either. He closes the door for Cyrus and looks at me.

We were silent for a second, but then I suddenly heard glass shattering. The sound startles me, but Luis looks like he's already used to it.

"Leave him be." He says, but it was obvious in his face he was worried.

"Why is everyone making a big deal over this? I was the one who killed the guy. Not Cyrus. He ordered me to do it and I could have declined but decided not to. And why the hell is Cyrus so bummed out about it? He was so confident earlier. Now he's acting all guilty. It's strange." I say with no restraints. I have questions, and I want them to at least be answered after what I did today. I at least deserve that.

"Alright. Let me tell you a secret Mr. Carter." Luis says, immediately shutting me up. Luis moves closer to me, almost like he doesn't want anyone to hear what he was about to tell me.

"The master...he deals with his own problems without the concern of others. If he finds you unnecessary, he would dispose of you himself." Luis reveals.

So it means he does the killing himself? He doesn't hire anyone to do it for him? Then my speculation was wrong. They do get their hands stained. That fucking changes the game. That makes Cyrus a legit killer.

"I know what you're thinking," Luis says while he watches my reaction. I don't say anything to him as he pats my shoulder gently, but then it turns into a tight hold. I felt like he'd crush my shoulder blades any second.

"You can arrest him now. You're a cop. He's a killer. It's the perfect combination. But believe me when I say that Cyrus will be willing to get detained if ever the time comes, but that time is not now. He wants you to find his father's killer first. And he will not allow himself to be put behind bars without you finding it." Luis explains to me.

There's actually no reason for me to investigate on Cyrus's previous kills. No one reported any of it so there's no need to investigate anything. And besides, there are tons of murder cases that just magically disappear. And when I say magically, I meant got paid off to disappear. Rich families do it all the time, and the police force always turns a blind eye on those matters.

"You know why I'm here Luis. If you want me to find the killer, I'll do everything I can to find that person. But that also means my job ends there. Whatever I discover in the sidelines is none of my concerns." I assure him. I didn't really have to explain my side, but I felt like it would at least make Luis feel better. He might be saying all these things now, but I'm sure he's worried about Cyrus actually getting sent to prison.

Luis doesn't comment about it but nods his head. He doesn't say anything, but it felt like a thank you. It might not have been a thank you at all, but I'll leave it like that to make myself feel good.

"About your first question, let me answer it for you now." Luis suddenly says, making me go back to our previous conversation so I could remember my actual first question. Thankfully Luis looked like he understood that I don't know what he was going to answer, so he took the liberty to remind me about it again.

"You asked why everyone is making a big deal over all this. Well, that's because it is not gentleman-like to stain one's hand with others' blood. But then again that was one of the oldest family rules of the Delton's that changed over time. After an unfortunate incident, Adam Delton forcefully changed it. Now the rule states that it is not a gentleman's duty to ask other's to have their hands stained for their own dirty work. That's when Cyrus started pulling the trigger." Luis answers me.

It might not sound like it, but I actually understand this family a little now thanks to that bit of information.

"So the reason why Catalina got so mad is because Cyrus broke a rule?" I ask, and Luis surprisingly smiles proudly while nodding his head in agreement.

"That's right. Remember Vince, rules here...are very important."

"But shouldn't they be happy I did it instead of him? I won't be snitching Cyrus about it because I did it myself. I'd be too afraid to call him out because I'd be included." I explain, and Luis shakes his head and tells me something else instead, "Let me give you another rule Vincent Carter. This rule has been around for a hundred years now. It's the most important rule of all. It's the rule that kept the family alive for such a long time."

Luis moves closer to me again until his mouth was only a few inches away from my ear. He clears his throat first, then he finally tells me the golden rule, "No man will know of the Delton family secret and come out alive to tell a soul."

The words made the hair on my skin stand. I don't know why but I unknowingly gulp and move away from Luis. I don't dare say anything, but I want to make sure. "So you're going to kill me?" I ask him, and Luis almost chuckles.

"No." He simply answers me, "Some secrets will sooner or later be revealed. Cyrus knew that it was time to reveal it all. And you, Mr. Vincent Carter, will be the first living man to tell the tale." Luis assures me. And I don't know if I should feel assured or feel burdened instead.

"Now before I go here's a little something that might help you. Like any other family, there are favorites in this family as well. The late Adam favored Tobias more; they were very close. Their mother favored Catalina. While Chance was favored by the eldest, Cyrus." Luis suddenly shares.

I knew about Tobias and Adam thanks to Tobias's surprise visit last night. But I'm surprised about Catalina and their mother because no one mentions her at all. I thought Mrs. Delton doesn't exist at first, but apparently she does.

And about Cyrus favoring Chance more; I saw that just earlier too. I didn't notice it at first, but if Cyrus went to an extreme length just to get back to someone who simply slapped Chance then maybe Chance really is Cyrus's favorite. But...

"Cyrus? Who favored him?" I ask Luis.

Luis smiles, but it looked more like a sad type of smile.

"I guess I did but does that even count? As powerful as Cyrus is in this household, he has no one to run to. He has no one to comfort him. He was always alone. Maybe that's why he's so hardheaded now." Luis explains further.

"Why are you now telling all these things to me?" I ask Luis out of curiosity. Don't get me wrong; I appreciate it. But Luis is suddenly giving me all this information right after I murdered someone for Cyrus's sake. It's too strange.

Wait, was that actually a test and this is my supposed prize?

"You don't have much time don't you?" Luis asks back instead of answering me, "As I said, we have rules here, and those rules aren't just followed by the Delton's, but by all the servants as well. Like what I told you before after the bell rings, no one is allowed to go out of their rooms. Break that rule and you will face great consequences. Cyrus knows that you have to come out and investigate sooner or later, but he's still not ready to risk it. Wait for his signal, and ready yourself after. Because what you're seeing now...doesn't even compare to what you'll find in this god-forsaken mansion." Luis says before finally smiling and walking away.

"I have somewhere to go to. You know your way back to your room right?" Luis asks, but he was already gone before he could even hear my answer.

"There's no dinner then?" I ask instead, not really expecting to be answered by anyone.

Well, I'm not hungry anyway, and today was too crazy for me so I'd rather rest instead. But isn't it strange that I'm a lot more exhausted from the family drama than the fact that I just killed someone?

Crazy.

I was supposed to head back to my room, but my feet wouldn't let me leave for some reason. Instead, I turn to look back at the door of Cyrus's study room. I stare at it for a couple of seconds. The room is awfully silent. I hope he didn't do anything stupid. But what was that glass shatter earlier? Don't tell me he's-

"Cyrus, please don't be an idiot." I say before opening the door without knocking. I just want to check on my 'master.' Let's just say I'm genuinely concerned with his wellbeing, and not on the fact that I might not get paid if he kills himself before I even solve this case.

"Master!" I call out.

Cyrus was sitting on the sofa. He removed his coat, and his shirt was completely unbuttoned, shamelessly showing me his upper body. His hair was everywhere, and his untied necktie was hanging on his neck too. He looked so neat and perfect a few moments ago, and now he looks like a total mess.

He stares at me for a second, probably surprised that I barged in his room with no apparent reason. I was about to apologize for the intrusion, but then I notice the blood on his knuckles. I then glance on the side and spot the broken mirror.

Wow. This man went full out.

"You pitiful thing." I say out loud without thinking of how he'd react.

Cyrus glares at me while gritting on his teeth, but he doesn't say anything.

There must be something that I'm missing here. Cyrus wouldn't be acting like this just because he broke a rule. There must be another meaning behind what happened today and I'm just not getting it.

"I'll get the first aid kit." I say, but Cyrus immediately stops me.

"I can do that myself." He calmly answers, and it was enough for me to stop moving.

I look at Cyrus again, staring at him from head to toe. How would people react if they see him now? This man who's always composed, always precise. This man who's the perfect representation of a gentleman. How would people react if they find out that the real him is this mess of a man?

I'd laugh in front of him if I could.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask teasingly, but obviously, Cyrus wasn't impressed.

"You know your siblings are just worried about you." I continue to tell him. Not because I wanted to simply say something, but because that's what I thought he'd want to hear.

"What do you even know about my siblings?" He asks, looking at me like I was a fool. He isn't in the mood to talk. I know that. But why can't I just leave him alone?

"You got it hard huh? It must be tough being the eldest of such a complicated family." I continue to say, but Cyrus still doesn't say anything back.

The silent treatment was pissing me off.

"You can't just go and test my loyalty by ordering me to kill someone and treat me like shit afterwards. Can't you see this loyal servant of yours just wants to make you feel better?" I ask him. But as insincere as I may sound, I was serious.

I'm not the type who knows how to be heartfelt. I try to make a joke out of situations like this, but that doesn't mean I don't have compassion. I can't just walk out after seeing someone whose blood is dripping on the floor because he stupidly punched a mirror.

"Why did you ask me to kill president Boris?" I finally ask him. And this question was something that has already been bugging me since he first asked me to do it.

It can't just be because he got annoyed with him. It can't just be because Boris slapped Chance. It can't just be because he wanted to test my loyalty and the first person in mind was the president. There must be a reason why he particularly chose him. There has to be a reason.

"Why him?" I ask again. I thought Cyrus was going to at least answer that question, but he continues to stare at me like he wants me to disappear right before his eyes.

"I would like to be alone now." He coldly tells me instead.

I sigh and massage my temple in frustration.

"As powerful as Cyrus is in this household, he has no one to run to. He has no one to comfort him. He was always alone. Maybe that's why he's so hardheaded now." Those were the exact words that Luis told me earlier when we were talking outside.

Comfort him.

What kind of comfort would a man like him want?

"You may leave." Cyrus commands, but with a louder voice this time.

I still didn't budge. I didn't want to leave just yet. When president Boris's blood splattered on me, it automatically became a symbol. A symbol that means I am now loyal to Cyrus Delton. It became a blood pack. And like what Cyrus said, I'm here to investigate Adam Delton's murder, but I'm also here to be his bodyguard. And guarding his body...isn't the only thing I can do for him.

"Don't make me repeat myself." Cyrus says, now looking angry.

I don't say anything and walk towards him instead. When I was a few inches away from him, I lean forward and grab his necktie, pulling it towards me so he could lean closer to me.

Cyrus doesn't say anything, but he calms down a bit. He was observing me. He wanted to know what I was up to.

I may be someone who will helplessly follow him now, but that doesn't mean I don't have a few tricks up my sleeves. If you think I won't do any necessary means to get you to answer my questions, then you're damn wrong. Have you forgotten Cyrus Delton? I'm here to investigate. And I will get the information that I need even if it kills me.

"Shall I please you again...Mr. Delton?" I ask, catching him off guard.

Act like a saint you say.

Then gentleman, let me show you what heaven feels like.